Materials Breakthroughs at UNLV - Dr. David Hatchett an January NevBio Mtg

Dr. David Hatchett will be speaking at the NevBio Luncheon on "Materials Breakthroughs at UNLV & Developing Technology-Based Businesses in Nevada” on Tuesday, January 25th at Lawry's Prime Rib. Cost is $30.

Technological breakthroughs in materials research are happening at UNLV. External funding provided by NSF and DOE have provided research funds and infrastructure at UNLV that have made these discoveries possible. The general public does not realize that a large part of a researcher’s job is to obtain external funds to perform research. These funds provide money to the university in terms of overhead minimizing the taxpayer support of the educational program.

Cost analysis of programs in the Sciences and engineering often show large offsets based on the external funding acquired for research. However, the public rarely hears about the funding or research success of faculty at UNLV.

For example, we have produced hydrogen storage materials that are superior to any material currently available and have been independently verified to be the best materials produced to date.

We have developed methods for electrochemically reprocessing and reclaiming useful actinide and radioisotopes that can be used in biological imaging applications. These are bench top methods that eliminate traditional methods that are either more dangerous or expensive.

This talk will present the materials research in Dr. Hatchett’s laboratory and the fundamental challenges associated with bringing the research and technology to market.

In addition, the importance of core groups of researchers that are required for technology development will be highlighted.

Finally the role of multidisciplinary research and the ability to solve complex problems will be examined. These issues must be part of any discussion when developing or attracting technology-based businesses in Nevada.

David Hatchett obtained his Ph.D. in Physical/Analytical Chemistry from the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah in 1997 and is an Associate Professor of Environmental/Analytical Chemistry at UNLV.

His research interests are Biodiesel/NaSicon, Polymer-Metal Composites, Foams/materials characterization and Electrochemistry of Actinides and Lanthanides

Dr. Ken Czerwinski to Speak on "Intellectual Property Opportunities in Radiochemistry" on Dec 14th

Ken Czerwinski obtained his Ph.D. in Nuclear Chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley in 1992. He was a research scientist at the Institute for Radiochemistry in Munich and then a faculty member in Nuclear Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Since 2004 he has directed the UNLV Radiochemistry Program.

Professor Czerwinski has developed the radiochemistry academic and research efforts into the largest program of its kind in the United States. The Radiochemistry Program is a nexus of international, industrial, and national laboratory scientific research that provides outstanding educational and career opportunities for UNLV students.

Please join us on Tuesday, December 14th at the NevBio luncheon at McCormick & Schmicks with Dr. Ken Czerwinski, UNLV Radiochemistry to talk about "Intellectual Property Opportunities in Radiochemistry”. Check-in is at 11:30 AM and lunch & program at 12 PM. The cost is $30. Please RSVP.

Jim Croce President of Nevada Institute on Renewable Energy Commercialization to Speak on Nov 19th

Jim Croce is the President and CEO of the Nevada Institute for Renewable Energy Commercialization (NIREC) where he advances clean energy commercialization by overseeing seed funding and advisory support to early stage companies. Jim will be speaking on “Commercializing Research - The Key to Nevada's Future " on November 19, 2010.

Prior to NIREC, Jim served as the founding president and CEO of NextEnergy in Michigan, developing the company into one of the nation's leading clean energy technology commercialization catalysts.
Please join us on Friday, November 19th at the NevBio luncheon with Jim Croce, CEO of Nevada Institute for Renewable Energy Commercialization to talk about "Commercializing Research" Check-in is at 11:30 AM and lunch & program at 12 PM. The cost is $30. Please RSVP.

Jim received a BS in electrical and computer engineering with honors from Wayne State University. His post graduate work was in business administration.

Dean of the UNLV College of Science to Speak

Dr. Tim Porter, Dean of the College of Science is speaking at NevBio luncheon on October 7th at McCormick & Schmicks. His dual topics are “Chemical & Biological Sensing & The Nevada Bioscience Roadmap”. Check-in is at 11:30 am and lunch & presentation will be at noon. The cost is $30.

Dr. Porter received his Ph.D. in physics from Arizona State University in 1988. In 1988, he became a Professor at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, AZ. In 22 years at NAU, Dr. Porter served as a faculty member, Department Chair, and Director of the Growing Biotechnology Initiative. He has published over 80 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals, and holds 10 U.S. and international patents related to his work in the area of chemical and biological microsensors. Other research interests include low energy ion scattering, interaction of bio-molecules with layered silicates, and nano-structured materials for the storage of electrical energy.

Please register here for the luncheon

Two Patent Lawyers at NevBio Mtg at Nevada Cancer Institute

William Needle, Esq. from the Atlanta office of Ballard Spahr and Dr. Gibson Lanier, Esq. spoke at the August 5th meeting at the Nevada Cancer Institute. Needle has a BS in Chemistry from the Georgia Institute of Technology and a JD from Emory and has practiced for over 39 years in patents and trademarks. Dr. Gibson Lanier served as a post-doctoral fellow at the Emory Vaccine Center. He earned his JD from Georgia State University and practices at Ballard Spahr in Atlanta.

Mr. Needle has served as lead counsel in numerous intellectual property cases such as the Cabbage Patch Kids® dolls as well as patent infringement actions involving diverse technologies. Dr. Lanier has applied his knowledge to inventions associated with molecular biology, infectious disease, immunological responses, cancer treatments, stem cells, and vaccine development.

Needle and Lanier spoke for 90 minutes about changes in the patent law and current cases. Their primary emphasis was to patent ideas before they are published. If a discovery is not patented, there is no protection for the investors. The investors are the ones that commercialize the ideas. Both attorneys have seen discoveries that are not followed up because the researcher lost their opportunity to file a patent. This is a good point for biotechnology and science researchers.

The Behind-The-Scenes Story of the Hepatitis C Outbreak in Nevada

NevBio's July 23rd meeting featured Tom Lorentzen, the former Regional Director of Health & Human Services. Mr. Lorentzen flew to Las Vegas to monitor the hepatitis outbreak for Secretary Leavitt of Health & Human Services. Lorentzen praised the Clark County Public Health Department for identifying that a problem existed in Las Vegas. The department's data normally showed two or three cases a month. All of sudden, the department noticed six reported cases. The department took quick action to find the cause of the outbreak. They sent out health inspectors to locate the problem. One noticed that vials were being reused at the Endoscopy clinic. Working with the city of Las Vegas, they closed the clinic. Although the hepatitis C outbreak gave Las Vegas a black eye for its health care, it was the leadership in the community that averted a much wider problem. A number of biotech companies are searching for cures for hepatitis C.

“Opening a New Front in the War Against Cancer"

Dr. Craig Dees, Chairman and CEO of Provectus Pharmaceuticals will be speaking to a joint meeting of NevBio and the CFA Society of Nevada on Wednesday, March 31st from 6 to 9 PM. Cocktails at 6 PM & the presentation at 7 PM. This is a Complimentary Event by the CFA Society of Nevada (The CFA Society has invited NevBio. It is part of their membership drive so invite your CFO) Seating is limited so please RSVP to timhowald@gmail.com by March 25th

The location is the Panevino Ristorante at 246 Via Antonio, Las Vegas, NV 89119.

Dr. Craig Dees, Chairman & CEO of Provectus Pharmaceuticals

Craig Dees, PhD is the Chairman and CEO of Provectus Pharmaceuticals. He is also one of the founders. Craig Dees has worked at Photogen Technologies, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, LipoGen, and TechAmerica. He was a founder, senior scientist and founding director of Photogen before Provectus was formed. Craig's responsibilities have included product design and development in ethical vaccines, cosmetics, human diagnostics, and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals. His development record includes the first live viral vaccine produced by recombinant DNA technologies and the first recombinant antigen human diagnostic assay.

Craig's awards include an R&D 100 for an industrial enzyme, an Inventor's Forum New Product Award for a skincare product, and a First Saber Award for outstanding research in virology. He holds a Ph.D. in molecular virology from University of Wisconsin, Madison, a Master of Science degree in immunology from Auburn University ,and a Bachelor's degree in microbiology from Brigham Young University.

Provectus is a development stage company specializing in oncology and dermatology therapies that are safer, more effective, less invasive and more economical than conventional therapies. Provectus is conducting Phase 2 clinical trials of its proprietary drugs PV-10, as a therapy for metastatic melanoma, and PH-10, as a topical treatment for psoriasis and atopic dermatitis.

Tea & Chocolate at Touro Unviversity - January 20th

NevBio will be hosting a tasting of tea and chocolate along with a short lecture on the health benefits of green tea on Jan. 20th at Touro University. Andy Laub, Founder of Farmers Market Tea Co. and a Level III Tea Master from the Specialty Tea Institute will be giving the presentation which is based on a number of clinical studies on the health benefits of green tea.

Touro is one of the top medical schools in Nevada. In 2008 Touro University made history with the largest medical school graduating class in Nevada. The 76 students graduating with Doctor of Osteopathy degrees from the College of Osteopathic Medicine began their studies when Touro University Nevada was established in 2004. Touro University Nevada is part of Touro College, a private, non-profit, Jewish-sponsored institution. Touro’s mission is to provide quality educational programs in the fields of health care and education in concert with the Judaic commitment to social justice, intellectual pursuit, and service to humanity.

Andy Laub has given lectures on the health benefits of tea to the Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine and for the Masters of Integrative Health program at National University. He has served tea for the "Zen and Art of Non-Doing" calligraphy courses taught by internationally recognized Zen philosopher and artist, Alok Hsu Kwan-han. He is a contributing editor to "The Perfect Formula Diet" a plant -based diet book based on more than 1,000 scientific studies, written by Janice Stanger Ph. D. He is certified in Thought Field Therapy and currently through Level II of Healing Touch training.

Andy was also the treasurer for VCAT, a company that managed Native American Gaming and Southwest Gas, a Las Vegas-based utility. He is currently a consultant to Native American gaming operations. (Pictured is Andy Laub and John Laub)

The Tea & Chocolate Tasting will be from 5 PM to 7 PM at Touro University located at 874 American Pacific Drive in Henderson. Tours of the medical school will be available.
Andy Laub will be making his presentation at 6 PM. There will be a charge of $10. Please RSVP to jlaub@regenmd.org

Cure Aging or Die Trying

Lunch and Lecture- Dr. Bill Andrews, CEO of Sierra Sciences

Friday, November 6th, 2009 (12 pm to 1 pm) at McCormick & Schmick's - 11:30 a.m. Check-in, 12 p.m., Lunch & Lecture ($35)
335 Hughes Center, Las Vegas, NV 89169
Please RSVP by e-mail jlaub@regenmd.org

Can We Slow Down the Aging Process?
Yes - By Reversing the Telomeres Shortening Process

Reno-based Sierra Sciences is a company devoted to finding ways to extend our lifespans beyond the theoretical maximum of 125 years.

Scientific research has shown that this theoretical maximum is limited because of the length of our telomeres which shorten as we get older. Our reproductive cells don't experience this shortening, and thus don't age, because they contain an enzyme called telomerase that re-lengthens the telomeres as they shorten. Sierra Sciences is searching for pharmaceuticals that will induce the production of telomerase in all our cells.

On November 6th, 2007 Sierra Sciences found its first telomerase inducing chemical; called C0057684. This chemical is the first ever discovered that activates the telomerase gene without killing the cells. Efforts are presently underway to learn everything possible about C0057684. But, in addition, C0057684 has provided Sierra Sciences with the first positive control ever for detection of telomerase gene activity in normal human cells. This has served as a very powerful tool for the development of robust high throughput screening assays for finding additional telomerase inducing chemicals. As such, in the last year Sierra Sciences has discovered an additional 62 chemicals that activate the telomerase gene. This now enables the scientists at Sierra Sciences to design better chemicals with increased potency and specificity. Additional screening for even more chemicals is also underway.

As of October 20th, 2009: Sierra Sciences has screened 158,244 compounds. They have found 470 telomerase inducers which represent 33 distinct drug families. The company is screening 4,000 compounds per week.

Science Can Cure Aging

Bill Andrews, Ph.D. - President & CEO of Sierra Sciences

Dr. Andrews leads the scientific research and development function of Sierra Sciences. Under Dr. Andrews' direction, Sierra Sciences has discovered and filed patent applications on many previously unknown, key elements of the regulation of telomerase. Dr. Andrews' team at Sierra Sciences is now pursuing direct molecular approaches to temporarily activate telomerase expression, and is performing high-throughput screening and drug discovery efforts.

While Director of Molecular Biology at Geron Corporation, Dr. Andrews was one of the principal discoverers of the telomerase genes. He was awarded 2nd place as "National Inventor of the Year" in 1997 for this work, with his name appearing on numerous related patents and publications.

Dr. Andrews earned his Ph.D. in Molecular and Population Genetics at the University of Georgia in 1981. He was a Senior Scientist at Armos Corporation and Codon Corporation, Director of Molecular Biology at Codon and at Geron Corporation, and Director of Technology Development at EOS Biosciences.

As of April 2006, Dr. Andrews' name appears on 23+ issued US patents specifically related to telomerase, as well as 10 other patents in molecular biology. He has more than 25 refereed publications and abstracts. At Sierra Sciences, he has been responsible for all aspects of research, all of Sierra Sciences' patent applications, and all R&D facility and equipment matters.

Dr. Robin Herlands, Professor at Nevada State College to Talk - Wednesday, July 22nd - NevBio Mtg

Robin Herlands earned her PhD in Immunology at Yale University and a BS in Biology at Haverford College where she was also the Captain and MVP of the Field Hockey team.

She joined Nevada State College in July 2008 as an Assistant Professor of Biology. In addition to her teaching, she has been mentoring students for graduate school in microbiology, genetics, and immunology. She is currently completing summer research in collaboration with at UNLV with intentions of bringing some undergraduate research opportunities to NSC.

Her presentation "Bringing Biotechnology to the Classroom" will address the necessity of teaching Nevada students experimental approaches and practical techniques in the field.

July 22nd, Wednesday, 11:30 check-in; Lunch & Presentation at Noon. Cost is $35. Make checks payable to NevBio. All credit cards taken at the door or online.

Measuring Metabolic Rate: John Lighton's Presentation to NevBio

John Lighton, CEO of Las Vegas-based Sable Systems, spoke at the May 27th NevBio meeting about measuring metabolic rate. Lighton said that the measurement of metabolic rate can aid future medical and scientific developments in the areas of exercise and fitness, reperfusion injury, suspended animation, discovery science, and obesity and diabetes.

Sable Systems specializes in indirect calorimetry, the best way to determine human metabolic rate. Direct calorimetry, discovered by Antoine and Marie-Ann Lavoisier, is best for measuring the metabolic rates of smaller animals. To calculate metabolic rate, indirect caliometry measures the oxygen consumed and the CO₂ produced by the subject. Studies in indirect calorimetry have revealed that there is a very small range between when the body is burning fat alone vs. when the body is burning carbs alone. If people want to lose weight, they must burn fat deposits in their body; if they are exercising at too high of an intensity, they are subsequently burning only carbs and not exercising in the correct way to lose weight.

Lighton also advocates the use of the fruit fly Drosophila to study reperfusion injury. Strokes are the most common reperfusion injuries, damage that occurs after tissue is cut off from oxygen and then re-exposed. He explained that the lack of oxygen is not the problem, but the reperfusion of oxygen is. 83% of Drosophila genes match human genes, and studying reperfusion in fruit flies makes for accurate and cheap ways to address this problem in humans. Scientists can also use fruit flies to study obesity and fat storage, aging and senescence, diabetes and insulin-related issues, gene expression, cell proliferation and apoptosis, stem cells, heart disease, and psychological disorders.

Metabolic rate measurements are also currently used in experiments in suspended animation at Roth Lab in Chapel Hill, North Carolina and the Hutchinson Cancer Research Institute in Seattle. Suspended animation is the slowing down of life processes, such as breathing and heartbeat, through external sources. Suspended animation is induced by adding hydrogen sulfide to air, to produce a semi-hiberation state. In this state, the body temperature and metabolic rate drop. Research is still being developed in suspended animation for humans. Suspended animation would be especially helpful on the battlefield in keeping soldiers alive longer until they can receive the appropriate medical care.

Discovery science in the area of metabolic rate is rapidly developing, exploring the speculative applications of respirometry and osteopathic manipulation. Commissioned scientific research for the Department of Defense, DARPA is exploring much of the open options in relation to metabolic rate.

Measuring metabolic rate is extremely relevant to today's obesity epidemic. These measurements can be used to combat the epidemic. For scientists to understand how fat storage is controlled, they must research animal models other than humans. To halt the epidemic, scientists need to determine the root causes and address biological solutions. Ability to measure the metabolic rate is a helpful tool for balancing energy intake against energy expenditure, better enabling scientists to explore options for slowing down this nation-wide epidemic.

Lou Ruvo Brain Institute and Cleveland Clinic Team Up

In February 2009, the Lou Ruvo Brain Institute and Cleveland Clinic announced their partnership, forming the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. The center's goal is to combat degenerative brain diseases, such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson, and provide medical care for patients. The center also has a program to provide support for caregivers.

At the February 17th press conference, Dr. Randolph Schiffer, Director of Cleveland Clinic's Center for Brain Health, said "These disorders change the social fabric of these families. The future of brain health clinics is changing. These centers must go beyond the diagnosis, providing ongoing care and support to patients and caregivers. If the Ruvo Center wants to provide quality care, it must evaluate existing programs and integrate the best of the best." Which programs the center will utilize remains undetermined, Schiffer said.

Cleveland Clinic's Center for Brain Health has operations in Cleveland. It is focused on research and will provide an integrated treatment program to about 200 patients and their families at the Cleveland and Las Vegas locations. Cleveland Clinic also has operations in Florida and Abu Dhabi and might expand its brain treatment to those locations also.

Sable Systems: Furthering Biotechnology in Nevada

Sable Systems International was founded by scientists and teachers in 1987. Sable Systems creates products for scientists by scientists, selling general research instrumentation suitable for field work or laboratory research at a low cost. More than three-fourths of their sales comes from instruments that measure the consumption of oxygen in both organisms and inanimate materials. Their instruments, cited in all of the leading scientific journals, are used worldwide and in all the leading universities and research institutes. With only 14 employees, the company is entirely self-funded and headquartered in both Las Vegas and Berlin.

Dr. John Lighton, Sable Systems to Talk - Wednesday May 27th - NevBio Mtg

Dr. John Lighton is the President of Sable Systems International, a local firm that designs and manufactures scientific instruments. He is also an adjunct professor in biological sciences at UNLV.

He is an author of over 80 peer-reviewed scientific papers in metabolic physiology.

Oxford University Press recently published his definitive textbook on metabolic measurement.

He has received over $1.5 in funding for his research from the National Science Foundation, the National Institute of Health, and the Packard Foundation. His company is currently developing innovative projects for metabolic measurements of animals and humans in several areas of biomedical research.

His presentation is "What's Cool About the Fire of Life: Measuring the Metabolism of Fruit-Flies, Mice & Rats and People Can Impact Basic Science, Biomedicine and Public Policy."

May 27th, Wednesday, 11:30 check-in with lunch & presentation at noon. Cost is $35. Make checks payable to NevBio. All credit cards taken at the door or online.

NevBio Attends BIO's Fly-In into Washington DC

The Director of the Nevada Biotechnology & Bioscience Consortium, John Laub, traveled to Washington DC for the two-day Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) Fly-In, joining 200 other biotechnology advocates.

The 2009 Fly-In started on March 31st with a 4:30 PM briefing on BIO's key legislative issues. On April 1st, NevBio visited the offices of Dean Heller, John Ensign, Dina Titus, Shelley Berkley and Harry Reid. The visit to Harry Reid's office involved a meeting with the office's chief policy advisor. In that meeting, several other biotech companies joined NevBio to brief the staff on the issues facing the industry.

This is the second year that NevBio has participated in the BIO Fly-In. It is important that our legislators know that Biotechnology is important to Nevada's future.

NevBio at UNR Biotech Symposium

John Laub, President of Nevada Biotechnology & Bioscience Consortium, was one of two speakers at UNR's Annual Biotech Symposium on May 14, 2009.

For the last five years, Dr. David Shintani of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, as organized a Biotechnology Symposium for students graduating from his BS/MS Biotechnology Degree Program.

John Laub opened the Symposium with a talk on the biotechnology industry, followed by Dr. Trent Spencer from Emory University who spoke on starting a biotech company. The students then gave presentations on their research.

Afterwards, a number of students told John that they wanted biotechnology to grow in Reno so that could stay in Nevada. We hope someday all of our Biotechnology and Bioscience students can stay in Nevada.

NevBio Talks Biotech at Board of Regents Meeting

John Laub, Executive Director of the Nevada Biotechnology and Bioscience Consortium, gave a twenty-minute talk presentation at the University of Nevada Board of Regents meeting on February 6, 2009.

John gave a brief background on biotechnology and Nevada's role in the upcoming Biotech century.

A good portion of the speech was focused on UNLV's College of Sciences and their research. John made the case that Nevada is building a base for a biotechnology with a strong College of Sciences, well-trained bio-workers from the colleges, and a growing cluster of companies and institutes in Southern Nevada such as DSX Therapeutics, CardioVascular BioTherapeutics, Sable Systems, Nevada Cancer Institute, Lou Ruvo Brain Institute and Touro Medical School.

Dr. Joseph Nika, Pre-Health Advisor for UNLV Colleges of Sciences to Talk Friday -January 30th-NevBio Mtg

Dr.Joseph Nika, Pre-Health Advisor will talk about UNLV's program to prepare students to apply for health science professional schools (medical, dental, , veterinary, pharmacy, etc.). Accompanying Dr. Nika will be several pre-med students to talk about their successeses with the Pre-Med Program.

(Pictured Left to right Dr. Ron Gary and Dr. Joseph Nika)

Joseph Nika is part of the UNLV College of Life Sciences (2005). He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Texas at Dallas, an MS from University of Texas at Dallas and his BS at the University of Texas at Austin.

Dr. Nika will give his presentation, "Preparing Students for Health Science Careers" at 12 Noon on Friday, January 30th, Friday, at the NevBio mtg: 11:30 check-in; Lunch & Presentation at Noon. Cost is $35. Make checks payable to NevBio. All credit cards taken at the door.

Since the UNLV College of Sciences started a Pre-Health Science Advisor Program in 2005 to help students with admission to medical, dental and other schools. The admissions to Med Schools in 2006 jumped to over 80% from the 40% in 2005. In 2007 the acceptances stayed over 80%. The national average is approximately 40%.

Dr. Joseph Nika was hired in January 2005. Since then, he has developed a substantial Health Science Pre-Professional Program (HSPP). The HSPP hosts health science professional schools annually which include admissions officers from medical, dental, pharmacy, veterinary, optometry, and physical therapy programs.

During these visits, the students have the opportunity to go to lunch with many of these admissions officers and make a favorable impression prior to entry into the application cycle.

In addition to providing the opportunity to interact with the admissions officers for the schools above, HSPP also provides a number of services that allow students to procure all the non-curricular requirements for admission to medical school.

Pre-dental students must acquire a substantial amount of clinical experience and a letter of recommendation from a healthcare provider. HSPP has set up a chapter of Alpha Epsilon Delta (AED), a pre-health honor society that has both dental and physician shadowing committees.

These committees will arrange dental shadowing experiences for students, thus affording students the opportunity to acquire clinical experience and secure a letter of recommendation from a healthcare provider in one fell swoop.

In addition to this, students need to acquire humanitarian service experience. AED also has a humanitarian service committee that maintains contact with many organizations in the greater Las Vegas Area.

AED students have volunteered worked with Opportunity Village, Shade Tree, the Polycistic Kidney Disease Foundation, Candle Lighters Foundation and Habitat for Humanity.

Dr. Mitchell Forman, Dean of Touro University Nevada, Part of Trio to Talk at Thurs, Dec 11th NevBio Mtg

Dr.Mitchell Forman, Dr. Mahboob Qureshi, and Dr. Fred Schaller are speaking about the Touro Medical School in Henderson, Nev. The trio will be speak at the Dec 11th NevBio meeting at McCormick & Schmicks at 12 Noon. Dr. Mitchell Forman is the Dean of the University and will talk about the history of Touro, why they chose Nevada, and the need to train more doctors in Nevada. He, is an Osteopathic physician and the Founding Dean and Professor of Medicine at Touro University - Nevada. He completed his D.O. degree at the Kansas City College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1973. In 1979 he completed a rheumatology fellowship at State University of New York Downstate Medical Center and Kings County Hospital and remained on the teaching faculty of Downstate Medical Center. In 1992 he moved to the University of North Texas Health Science Center Fort Worth in 1992.

In Texas, Dr. Forman was the Director of Rheumatology at the Tarrant County Hospital District and a Consultant in Rheumatology for the Federal Corrections Medical Center. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology Dr. Forman has a part - time clinical practice in Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases at Touro University Nevada. He and his wife, Pearl, live in Henderson, Nevada and are founders of the Allegro Guitar Society and the Classical Guitar series in collaboration with UNLV.

Touro University’s Medical School Graduating Class Largest in Nevada

On May 18, 2008 Touro University in Henderson, Nevada held its first graduation and made history with the largest medical school graduating class in Nevada. The 76 students graduating with Doctor of Osteopathy degrees from the College of Osteopathic Medicine began their studies when Touro University Nevada was established in 2004.
Unfortunately, Nevada does not have enough residency programs for the graduates and only eighteen members of the class will stay in Nevada, twelve at Valley Hospital, in a program developed in conjunction with Touro; and six at University Medical Center (UMC) and Sunrise Hospital as part of the University of Nevada School of Medicine’s residency programs.

The graduating class also included 58 students who have earned a master’s degree in education, nursing, occupational therapy or physician assistant studies. The majority of these graduates are expected to practice in Nevada.

Touro University Nevada is part of Touro College, a private, non-profit, Jewish-sponsored institution, which currently educates approximately 17,5000 students at locations in New York, California, Florida and Nevada, and outside of the United States, in the cities of Jerusalem, Moscow, Berlin and Paris.

Touro’s mission is to provide quality educational programs in the fields of health care and education in concert with the Judaic commitment to social justice, intellectual pursuit, and service to humanity.

"Pre-empted: Will The Supreme Court Gut Product Defect Claims Against Drugs Approved By The FDA?" Joint Mtg w/ NevBio & Boyd School of Law IP Society

Kelly Evans, Partner at Snell & Wilmer, will be discussing the case of Wyeth v. Levine that was argued at the Supreme Court on November 3, 2008 at the November 24th NevBio meeting. If the Supreme Court rules in favor of Wyeth in the Levine case then it may result in the preemption of a broad category of mass tort pharma cases that have recently resulted in huge verdicts against pharma companies (i.e. Vioxx). This is a closely watched case for both the pharmaceutical and legal industries.

The meeting will be Monday-November 24th at UNLV's Boyd School Law Bldg Room 102
12:30 P.M.Lunch & Lecture ($20) UNLV at 4505 S. Maryland Pkwy., Las Vegas, NV 89154
Please RSVP at 702-839-7222 or e-mail jlaub@regenmd.org

The following is from the Supreme Court of the United States Wiki as of November 6, 2008. Authorship: Michael Blaisdell. (1)

Diana Levine, a bass player and author of children's music in Vermont, visited a clinic to receive treatment for headache-related nausea but wound up developing tissue deterioration and gangrene in her arm, ultimately leading to its amputation. Clinic staff attending to Ms. Levine had administered the antihistamine Phenergen using a delivery technique known as an "IV push," inadvertently injecting the drug into one of Ms. Levine's arteries in the process. Although both Wyeth (the drug's manufacturer) and the FDA were aware that the "IV push" created a risk of inadvertent arterial injection and gangrene, the FDA had nevertheless approved labeling for Phenergen that warned against - but did not prohibit - IV push administration.

Ms. Levine brought a common-law negligence claim in Washington Superior Court against Wyeth, claiming that Phenergen's labeling was inadequate because it did not prohibit IV push delivery. Wyeth countered that because use of the warning label was mandated by the FDA pursuant to its authority under the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA), Ms. Levine's state tort suit was impliedly preempted by federal law in two ways: (1) it was impossible for Wyeth to satisfy both the labeling requirement of the FDA and the demands of Vermont's common law; and (2) state liability for use of an FDA-approved label would present an obstacle to the federal objectives of the FDCA.

The superior court instructed jurors that they could consider the FDA's approval of the label in making their negligence determination, but that the label's compliance with FDA rules did not establish the adequacy of the warnings therein. At the conclusion of the trial in 2005, the jury found in Ms. Levine's favor, awarding her more than $6 million in damages.

Wyeth appealed, and in October 2006, a divided Vermont Supreme Court upheld the ruling.
This case, Wyeth v. Levine, gives the Supreme Court another chance to mediate the relationship between organic, common-law jury verdicts and the cold machinery of the Supremacy Clause. After its February 2008 decision in Riegel v. Medtronic, in which it held that federal law expressedly preempted common-law suits against manufacturers of FDA-approved medical devices, the Court now considers the scope of federal preemption in the pharmaceutical industry, whose applicable federal regulations contain no express preemption clause.

1. "Wyeth v. Levine." Authorship: Michael Blaisdell. Scotus Wiki. November 2008.

Kelly Evans is a partner at Snell & Wilmer where his practice is focused on product liability defense, employment, and intellectual property litigation. His product liability litigation focuses on defending automotive and pharmaceutical manufacturers. Kelly's employment litigation practice includes representing employers in discrimination, harassment, wrongful discharge, and contractual matters. His intellectual property litigation concentrates on unfair competition, trade secrets, restrictive covenants, and trademark and patent infringement. Kelly has extensive experience in state and federal court, and before administrative agencies.

Happy Hour Tour of Town Square-Fundraiser for UNLV Science Labs

"BIO ON THE VINE & ROCKS" Happy Hour Tour of Town Square

Join NevBio & Friends for a Happy Hour Tour of Town Square as we raise money for UNLV's Science Labs.

Tuesday, October 14th at Town Square- 5 PM to 7 PM

The Happy Hour Tour starts at TOMMY BAHAMA's CAFE for their famous Island drinks and appetizers.

Next, we walk across the square and down to the BRIO TUSCAN GRILL for Italian specialities and drinks on their open air patio.

Finally, we stroll over to the wine bar, THE GRAPE where we finish our tour with wine & cheese.

Please RSVP with Judy Rebholz at 839-7222 or jrebholz@cvbt.com

The Cost is $50. See you Tuesday, October 14th for fun, drinks & food.

Oct 29th NevBio Meeting at Nevada Cancer Institute

"How to Manage Early Stage Drug Development" Dr. Peter Sausen of Covance Labs at the Nevada Cancer Institute
One Breakthrough Way, Las Vegas, NV 89135
Wednesday Oct 29th 11:30 AM Check-in, Speaker & Lunch 12 PM Cost: $35
Please RSVP-Judy at 839-7222 or jrebholz@cvbt.com

Sausen on "Managing Early Drug Development"

Dr. Peter Sausen of Covance Laboratories is focused on early stage drug development. He leads a team of scientists and project managers to help drug companies with their drug development needs from preclinical safety assessment through clinical proof of concept (Phase II) clinical trials. Dr. Sausen received his Doctorate in Toxicology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1992. He completed a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology and has worked at G.D. Searle and Eli Lilly, before moving to Covance in 2005. In his article, "Effective Project Management for Multi-Sourced Early Drug Development," he noted the components associated with Investigational New Drugs (IND) and Clinical Trial Application (CTA):

· Genetic and molecular toxicology · Mammalian toxicology
· Safety pharmacology · Bioanalytical
· Drug metabolism · Dose formulations
· Program management · Regulatory strategy
· Pre-IND meetings · Investigator's brochure
· IND/CTA preparation · GMP analytical support
· Pharmacokinetics

He also noted the some of the causes for delays in development nonclinical stages such as:
· Interruption of drug supplies
· Unavailable validated analytical methods
· Lack of process for timely problem resolution
· Lack of process to assess data and interpret for inclusion in summary documents
· Failure to match nonclinical program with clinical goals

In Phases I & II, some of the causes for delays were as follows:
· Failure to prepare suitable formulation for clinical use
· Insufficient stability data to support clinical trials
· Lack of compliance with cGMPs
· Failure to prepare acceptable container label
· Inadequate information for ethics committee
· Inadequate insurance for trial participants
· Inadequate informed consent forms
· Lack of clearly focused clinical endpoints

Sausen summarized the article saying, "A well-designed development strategy is crucial to the success of a drug candidate which also requires developing a team with scientific and regulatory expertise to ensure that a streamlined and comprehensive development pathway is attained. The ability to funnel all phases of a study through a common pathway of data management, analysis, and reporting generates more efficient, consistent, and accurate results. Throughout the process the cumulative applied technical and scientific expertise of the study team is required to meet project requirements. In some cases, no amount of preplanning can predict all of the situations that may arise. The team must respond rapidly to scientific issues and regulatory requirements thereby ensuring the continued progress of the project towards critical milestones."

Sausen will be talking at the October 29, 2008 NevBio luncheon to be held at the Nevada Cancer Institute. The program will be two hours; although those who need to leave early, will be able.

Covance is a drug development services company that provides early-stage and late-stage product development services primarily to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical device industries worldwide. The company has over 8,000 employees and revenues over a billion. Covance believes in supporting growing biotech organizations and has graciously flown Dr. Peter Sausen to Las Vegas for this meeting. NevBio appreciates their support. COVANCE-HELPING TO BRING MIRACLES TO MARKET SOONER.

We also want to thank Nevada Cancer Institute for hosting this meeting.

Dr. Robert Webber of DSX Therapeutics to Present - Friday, September 12th

Dr. Robert J. Webber is the founder and CEO of DSX Therapeutics, Inc. Dr. Webber was trained at the UCLA School of Medicine in the Department of Biological Chemistry. He was the founder, CEO and Chief Scientific Officer of Research & Diagnostic Antibodies®, the parent company of DSX Therapeutics, Inc. He is a pioneer in producing monoclonal antibodies, their use in diagnostic tests, and their utility as highly targeted treatments of disease. Dr. Robert Webber is the inventor or co-inventor of four issued patents and 13 pending US and foreign patent applications.

DSX Therapeutics, Inc. -Going After $19 Billion Sepsis Market

North Las Vegas-Based DSX Therapeutics has developed the first new diagnostic test to identify Sepsis 24 to 48 hours before the symptoms become apparent. In addition, DSX Therapeutics has also discovered a breakthrough therapy to treat this life-threatening problem.

Over 7 million people annually become susceptible to Sepsis and 250,000 Americans die from Sepsis each year. DSX Therapeutics is going after the $864 million diagnostic market and later the $19 billion treatment market for Sepsis. The scientists at DSX Therapeutics Inc. were conducting clinical trials for a new sepsis in vitro diagnostic (IVD) test, when they discovered that iNOS was an early biochemical marker for the onset of sepsis. They also realized that iNOS appeared to be centrally involved in the pathology of sepsis. The initial discovery culminated in the filing of patent applications to protect three novel therapeutic treatment modalities for sepsis and severe sepsis.

Sepsis Kills 250,000 Americans: Tenth Leading Cause of Death

Sepsis is the number one cause of death in Intensive Care Units. Most people believe that Sepsis is an infection. It is not. Sepsis results from an individual's hyperinflammatory response to cell wall components from dead micro-organisms, such as bacteria, fungi, and yeasts. Unfortunately, Sepsis has very low Standard of Care in hospitals and hospital-acquired infections (nosocomial infections) are preventable events that affect approximately 2 million people in the USA every year and result in approximately 250,000 deaths per year. Currently, no early diagnostic test nor effective treatment exists for sepsis and severe sepsis. DSX Therapeutics has identified a biomarker and a treatment.

Chem Society Meeting in Las Vegas Researchers from UNLV & NevCancer

A number of Researchers from UNLV and Nevada Cancer Institute will be presenting at the American Chemical Society - 42nd Western Regional Meeting at the Riviera Hotel in Las Vegas from September 23rd to the 27th. Some of the topics are as follows:

"Proteomics in Cancer Research" by Dr. Ron Gary, UNLV

"Medicinal Chemistry in Cancer Drug Development" by Dr. Ron Fiscus, NevCancer

"New Developments in Biofuels Research" by Dr.Oliver Hemmers, UNLV

"Biodefense and Emerging Pathogen" by Dr. Ernesto Abel-Santos, UNLV

"Materials for Renewable Energy Applications" by Dr. Clemens Heske

"Lab-on-a-Chip Technology: Microfluidics/nanofluidics, for Chemical and Biochemical Applications" by Dr. Shizhi Qian, UNLV

"Radiochemistry in the Advanced Nuclear Fuel Cycle" by Dr.Ken Czerwinski, UNLV

More information can be found at http://membership.acs.org/W/wrm2008/index.htm
The Southern Nevada Section of the American Chemical Society and the Two Year College Chemistry Consortium (2YC3) are hosting the conference.

Pre-Med Advising Program at UNLV is Outstanding! 87% Acceptance into Med Schools

UNLV College of Science implemented a comprehensive Pre-Health Science Professional Program in January of 2005. As a result of this program, 87.5% of the students, gained acceptance to medical school. UNLV now exceeds the national acceptance percentage for medical school applicants of 48% for the last five years. Pre Med Program

UNLV Genomics Lab is Productive-51 Research Papers So Far

The Genomics Laboratory has enabled UNLV to publish 51 scientific peer reviewed science journals form 2005 to 2007 in the areas of BioMedical, Molecular Biology and Bioinformatics, and Physiology.

UNLV's College of Science's Fascinating Research

Ken Czerwinski leads a radiation chemistry program to improve medical treatment for cancer and to improve disposal of nuclear materials.

Frank van Breukelen studies hibernating ground squirrels to improve human organ transplant techniques.

Michelle Elekonich investigates aging and muscle use in honey bees to address human illness.

Ron Gary examines cellular responses to DNA damage with cancer treatment applications.

David Lee applies biomechanics to create robotic equipment with applications for human prosthetics and the repair of knee and ankle joints.

Carl Reiber looks at the physiology of shrimp to improve our knowledge of human cardiovascular functions.

Jeffrey Shen focuses on bioinformatics tools for genome analyses and gene annotations.

Anton Westveild creates mathematical models to spur cancer research investigations.

Helen Wing explores the biology and pathogeneses that causes dysentery in humans.

Clemens Heske studies hydrogen fuel applications and is in charge of a large DOE- funded hydrogen fuel project.

Dong-Chan Lee researches new electron-deficient semiconductors, organic field effect transistors, photovoltaic cells and nanostructured materials.

Brian Hedlund conducts research on unique thermophilic life forms in Nevada's hot springs which has resulted in promising industrial enzymes for use in biomass applications.

Ernesto Abel-Santos explores biotoxins and anthrax remedies.

Steve Roberts studies the biomechanics and aerodynamics of insects to create miniature robotic flying machines.

Adam Simon explores volcanoes to better utilize thermal energy resources in Nevada and around the globe.

Chulsung Bae experiments with energy storage and fuel cell membranes for hydrogen cars.

Balakrishman Naduvalath applies theoretical and computational algorithms to study chemical reaction and processes of interest in the earth's atmosphere with issues for atomic and molecular physics.

UNLV Energy Symposium: BioFuel, Solar, Hydrogen, Algae & More

August 20th at UNLV -Public Welcome

This year's Renewable Energy Symposium will have a number of timely talks:

"Solar Thermal Power" by John O'Donnell, VP of Ausra. Ausra has built a 130,000-square-foot facility in Las Vegas that opened in July 2008 that will eventually employ 50 people, who will be able to manufacture about four square miles of solar-thermal collectors a year, enough to generate 700 megawatts of electricity. (A megawatt can fuel anywhere from 400 to 1,000 homes depending on their energy consumption)

"New Bio-Energy Technologies" by Jay Johnson of Noresco. NORESCO is one of the largest U.S. energy services companies specializing in the development, design and operations of energy efficiency projects. Over the past two decades, NORESCO has implemented more than $2 billion in energy projects at more than 2,000 sites throughout the United States and abroad.

"Micro-Algae Could Play a Significant Role in Achieving Energy Independence" by Thomas Nartker of UNLV. UNLV could become the center of research and development of this promising, bio-fuel. Algae-biofuels could easily replace oil in the United States.

"Solar-Thermochemical Hydrogen Production Project - Progress Toward Industrial Scale Water Splitting" by Dr. Roger Rennels of UNLV. Hydrogen production by thermo-chemical water-splitting is a chemical process that accomplishes the decomposition of water into hydrogen and oxygen using only heat or a combination of heat and electrolysis instead of pure electrolysis. It is a goal of clean, renewable energy to create hydrogen production using only water and clean renewable solar energy.

"FCAST - The Fuel Cell and Storage Technology Project at UNLV" by Dr. Clemens Heske of UNLV. Dr Clemens is running this million dollar, DOE-funded research to establish develop hydrogen fuel cells and storage. The project includes 12 researchers at UNLV studying fuel cell membranes, nanomaterial fabrication, nanospectroscopy, carbon nanotubes, hydrogen absorption and other areas.

"New Functional Polymers for Alternative Energy Applications" by Dr. Chulsung Bae of UNLV. Dr. Bae is also working Dr. Heske Fuel Storage project. He received a Ph.D. in chemistry at USC in 2002 . In 2002, he moved to Yale University to carry out postdoctoral studies with Professor John F. Hartwig investigating functionalization of C-H bonds in alkanes and polyolefins.

"Saving 35% Electricity by By Improving Efficiency" by Brian Taylor of Power Efficiency Corporation (PEC). Las Vegas-based PEC has a patent pending device that saves up to 35% of the energy of electric motors. PEC has sold three of its units to Las Vegas hotels for their elevators and escalators. Brian Taylor is a Senior VP with PEC

Dr. Hemmers Makes The Case Algae-Based Biofuels -5,000 Gallons an Acre

"One acre of algae can produce 5,000 gallons of biodiesel as compared to corn which produces 420 gallons per acre," said Dr. Oliver Hemmers, the Director of Strategic Energy Programs at UNLV. Dr. Hemmers gave a presentation to the Nevada Biotechnology and Bioscience Consortium at their June 2008 meeting on biofuels.

Asked how long it would take to produce 5,000 gallons, Dr Hemmers went on to say, "One season. The longer and colder a winter is the shorter the period, similar to other crops. In warmer areas the production could be as high as 15,000 gallons per acre just because of the longer warm period." Some of the proposed algae-based fuel projects have suggested building the systems next to coal burning power plants.

The CO2 emissions could be used to feed the algae along with sun. Algae can capture up to 80% of the CO2 output of a plant which on average, produces over 5 million metric tons of CO2. A coal burning plant combined with an algae-pond system could produce 156 million gallons of biodiesel a year, at $2.25 a gallon that would be $351,000,000 in revenue a year.

A number of the researchers at UNLV believe that an algae pond system should be set up next to the Reid-Garnerville plant outside of Moapa, Nevada (90 miles north of Las Vegas) and it could be used to clean up one of the dirtiest per capita coal burning plants in the country and produce millions of gallons of biodiesel.

Dr. Hemmers said that Dr. Thomas Nartker, a Chemical Engineer at UNLV approached him about the potential of algae-based biofuels. A project like this would require scientists and engineers to work together. Because the algae grows exponentially, the challenge would be how to effectively deal with the volume that is produced. These are good challenges especially during these times of rising fuel prices.

2008 Big Events in Science

Las Vegas will host a handful of special events this summer and fall that will be unique and offer a great opportunity for Las Vegans to attend some incredible meetings.



August 6, 2008
Biotechnology Day at UNLV

A full day of displays of undergraduate research, speakers, a joint luncheon with Nevada Biotechnology & Bioscience, a special presentation from the National Science Foundation and tours of UNLV’s Genomics laboratory.

See more information at http://www.nevbio.org/

August 19, 2008
National Clean Energy Summit at UNLV

Senator Harry Reid, UNLV and the Center for American Progress Action Fund are putting a day-long clean energy summit at UNLV’s Cox Pavilion. Reid said that he believes Nevada can be a world leader in the renewable energy industry because of its rich solar, wind and geothermal resources. As the Majority Leader, clean energy and Nevada’s central role in this revolution will be a top legislative priority of his for the next Congress. Some of the speakers include luminaries such as former President Bill Clinton, energy developer T. Boone Pickens, former Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin, Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano and Colorado Governor Bill Ritter.

Go to http://www.cleanenergysummit.org/ for more information.

August 20, 2008

UNLV’s 2nd Annual Renewable Energy Symposium

The 2008 UNLV Renewable Energy Symposium will be presented by UNLV’s Office of Strategic Energy Programs and co-sponsored by the Division of Research and Graduate Studies. UNLV faculty will give presentations on hydrogen fuel storage, solar-thermochemical production of hydrogen, catalyst production for the biodiesel industry, micro-algae as a possible solution to capture CO2 from coal burning power plants and turning algae into biodiesel. The US and Nevada Forest Services and a private company will present on Bio-Energy. Nevada Power will talk about meeting the renewable energy requirements of Nevada. The event is open to researchers, educators, students, policy makers, the private-sector and the public. This symposium is one of several events that will take place at UNLV during the week of August 18 to 22.

More details can be found at http://osep.unlv.edu/Esy2008.

September 23-27, 2008

American Chemical Society - 42nd Western Regional Meeting

The Southern Nevada Section of the American Chemical Society and the Two Year College Chemistry Consortium (2YC3) are hosting the American Chemical Society - 42nd Western Regional Meeting. Researchers from around the country, including a large number from UNLV will be presenting on a number of subjects such as Radiochemistry and Radiation Detection, Future Energy Sources and Material Science, Biomedical and Cancer Research, Organic Chemistry/Natural Products, Environment/water research and Chemistry Education to be held at the Riviera Hotel & Casino.

More information can be found at http://membership.acs.org/W/wrm2008/index.htm

October 8-10, 2008

1st Annual WaterSmart Innovations Conference

The Southern Nevada Water Authority, the EPA's WaterSense program and other international organizations are hosting the largest conference of its kind in the world.
The WaterSmart Innovations Conference and Exposition will be the premier venue for showcasing new water-efficiency technology to industry and business from around the globe. The seminars and exhibit hall are open to the public. It will be held Oct. 8-10, 2008, at the South Point Hotel & Casino.See more information at http://www.watersmartinnovations.com/

New Treatment for Congestive Heart Failure in Las Vegas-July 10th Meeting

Dr. Richard M. Sweet, M.D. is the Medical Director of HemoTherapeutics which is opening an outpatient Aquapheresis treatment center. Aquapheresis is a method to safely remove excess fluid and salt from hear failure patients. Once filtered, the clean blood is returned to the body through a second catheter.By using the system, up to four liters of fluid can be removed in an eight-hour period with no significant impact on blood pressure, kidney function or electrolyte balance.He is speaking at the July 10, 2008 NevBio Meeting.

Dr. Edward Philbin, Medical director of the Heart Failure Program at Albany Medical Center told the Daily Gazette of Schenectady, New York that Aquapheresis is an innovative therapy that removes dangerous levels of excess fluid in patients suffering from congestive heart failure.

Congestive heart failure is the most expensive diagnosis in the medicare Program-over $30 Billion. The therapy has proven to be more effective in removing excess fluid than standard treatment and reduces the likelihood of repeated hospitalizations for congestive heart failure, said Philbin.

"The new research coming out and studies we are participating in would suggest that aquapheresis is more effective and safer than diuretics," he added. Aquapheresis is the first major advancement for acute fluid removal in the setting of acute heart failure since the introduction of diuretics more than 50 years ago.

Philbin explained that aquapheresis uses the process of ultrafiltration to remove excess sodium and water from the body. Blood is withdrawn through a catheter and circulated through the filter system that separates the fluids from the blood.

The Nevada Biotechnology & Bioscience meeting is Thursday, July 10, 2008 at Tommy Bahama's Tropical Cafe in Town Square at 6635 Las Vegas Blvd. The cost is $35.

RSVP with Judith at 702-839-7222 or jrebholz@cvbt.org.