DRUGS for non-communicable diseases like epilepsy are being hardest hit by funding shortfalls affecting Zimbabwes public health sector. While the government is struggling to meet its budget commitments, donors are more focused on communicable diseases like HIV and TB. Tsarai Moto (not her real name), 25, from Musami village in Mashonaland East Province has to travel to Harare, about 80km away, for her anti-epileptic medication every month because of shortages of the drug in her area. She told IRIN that during these trips, she frequently experienced seizures as a result of having gone for days without taking her medication. My money and valuables have been stolen during the seizures and left me stranded, she said. Moto is one of an estimated 2 percent of people affected by epilepsy in Zimbabwe, according to the Epilepsy Support Foundation of Zimbabwe (ESFZ), an NGO that provides medical and psycho-social support services to people with the condition. Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures. These seizures can be successfully controlled with anti-epileptic drugs, but according to WHO, nine out of every 10 people with epilepsy in Africa go untreated. ESFZ estimates that 86 percent of people with epilepsy in Zimbabwe are not … Continue reading →

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Tony Burke was an energetic 2-year-old who loved drawing purple pictures of Barney and jumping on trampolines. But then his parents began to notice how he would grunt instead of talk, and couldnt look anyone in the eye. Before his third birthday, in 2005, he was diagnosed with autism. It felt like my heart had been ripped out, said his mother, Suzanne Burke of Philadelphia. Seeking the best care, his parents found applied behavior analysis (ABA), a one-on-one therapy considered the most effective treatment to date for autism. While doing ABA, Tonys grunts became words like cookie and juice, which later evolved into sentences, such as Can I have some juice? The intensive therapy was working. But then the familys insurance started denying claims. Even though laws in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey require insurers to pay for ABA, Tonys therapy wasnt covered in school, where he most needed help. And it was impossible for the Burkes to pay the nearly $80,000 a year this therapy costs. Without ABA, Tonys language skills plummeted. His behavior spiraled out of control. You feel helpless, said Tonys father, John Burke. While autism laws were enacted before 2010 in both states, … Continue reading →

52 minutes ago by Nancy Owano Data, data everywhere and now as ever researchers need the best tools to make the data useful. In medicine, searching through genomic data can take some time. A startup called One Codex hopes to make difference with their genetic search platform that can process data sets quickly. A report on their work on Friday in TechCrunch noted the advantage of One Codex speed. "Currently," wrote Julian Chokkattu, "the most commonly used tool for genome searching is by using an algorithm called BLAST, Basic Local Alignment Search Tool, which compares primary biological sequence information." For Nick Greenfield, cofounder of One Codex, uploading a file to BLAST took two minutes and 30 seconds to process, compared with the One Codex system where the number was less than 1/20th of a second. The company defines One Codex as a search engine for genomic data. The TechCrunch piece describes what they offer as a service platform for genomics. Apart from using search technology," said Chokkattu, the platform also acts as an indexed, curated reference. The company said that it can search the world's largest index of bacterial, viral, and fungal genomes. A key advantage is speed. The product … Continue reading →

David Higgins of San Diego, a biotech veteran and an advocate for people with Parkinson's disease, has joined the governing board of California's stem cell agency. Higgins, who has Parkinson's himself, replaces Joan Samuelson on the Independent Citizens' Oversight Committee that governs the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. The institute is distributing a total of $3 billion in state bond money in a years-long bid to turn stem cell research into therapies. Higgins' appointment was announced this week. He was chosen by state Controller John Chiang to take the patient advocate position for Parkinson's disease. Higgins is president of the board for the Parkinson's Association of San Diego. David Higgins / Parkinson's Association of San Diego He holds a Ph.D. in molecular biology and genetics from the University of Rochester, and has worked at the biotech companies Invitrogen, Chiron and Idun Pharmaceuticals. Higgins now serves as an adviser to iDiverse, a gene technology company in Del Mar. In addition, he's a board member for the Center for Ethics in Science and Technology. And he serves as the San Diego representative for the Parkinson's Action Network, which lobbies elected officials on policies regarding Parkinson's research and treatment. Higgins is a good … Continue reading →