Gulf Medical University College of Medicine and ScholarRx Announce Medical Education Partnership
LOUISVILLE, Ky., Dec. 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Today the Gulf Medical University College of Medicine (GMU) and ScholarRx announced a collaboration to further the College’s educational mission. GMU has adopted the Rx Bricks online service from ScholarRx, a revolutionary digital learning platform that supports the curriculum and enhances pre-clinical instruction.
Prof. Hossam Hamdy, Chancellor, Gulf Medical University states, “Gulf Medical University’s partnership with ScholarRx ensures that the content of the medical curriculum is benchmarked with similar top U.S. medical colleges using the same program. The Rx Bricks of ScholarRx provide our students with up-to-date medical knowledge through educationally sound courses delivered by expert faculty. As a leading medical university in the Middle East, Gulf Medical University will contribute to the continuous development of ScholarRx by integrating its Virtual Patient Learning (VPL) technology in the Rx Bricks, conducting research, and evaluating the educational impact of ScholarRx. I am sure our students and faculty will appreciate the value of ScholarRx.”
GMU uses the innovative Rx Bricks digital learning platform from ScholarRx to better engage and align medical students with the curriculum. This has become especially important as more learning is taking place online. With this new set of resources, faculty teaching GMU students can:
- Assign specific Rx Bricks through their learning management system
- Use question banks accompanying the Rx Bricks for both formative and summative assessments, and
- Provide foundational support to their virtual patient learning sessions.
“Collaboration with ScholarRx has enriched and added value to our existing online learning resources, as the College of Medicine has been able to seamlessly integrate the Rx Bricks in the medical curriculum. Faculty and students alike have embraced it with ease due to the user-friendly nature of the resource,” said Prof. Manda Venkatramana, Vice-Chancellor Academics and Dean, College of Medicine at Gulf Medical University.
“GMU has developed into a leading institution for medical education in the Middle East under the visionary leadership of Chancellor Hamdy and Vice-Chancellor Manda,” said Dr. Tao Le, Founder and CEO of ScholarRx. “We are pleased to support their remarkable work in digital curricular innovation.”
About Gulf Medical University College of Medicine
The vision of the university is to be a leading international academic healthcare institution through the integration of quality health professions education, research, healthcare, and social accountability for sustainable community development. The College of Medicine, in existence since 1998, has managed to not only impart quality medical education, but has also created a network of healthcare services, a conducive research milieu, and developed unique related avenues for professional development, policy, and leadership to meet the healthcare needs of the nation and the region.
About ScholarRx
ScholarRx is a mission-driven education organization currently serving over 150,000 medical students and physician learners annually. ScholarRx has developed a revolutionary componentized, multi-competency curricular platform that empowers medical schools and their faculty to rapidly develop high-quality education experiences, even in resource-poor environments.
SOURCE ScholarRx
Related Links
http://www.scholarrx.com
Lobe Sciences Announces Launch of Preclinical Study in Collaboration with the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
(MENAFN – Newsfile Corp) Lobe Sciences Announces Launch of Preclinical Study in Collaboration with the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Vancouver, British Columbia–(Newsfile Corp. – November 30, 2020) – Lobe Sciences Ltd. (CSE: LOBE) (OTC Pink: GTSIF) (” Lobe ” or the ” Company “) is pleased to announce the launch of preclinical research studies using psilocybin and N-Acetylcysteine (” NAC “) for the treatment of mild traumatic brain injury/concussion (” mTBI “) with post-traumatic stress disorder (” PTSD “). The study is in collaboration with a multidisciplinary team of scientists and physicians at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine under the lead of Michael E. Hoffer, M.D., professor of otolaryngology and neurological surgery.
NAC has been shown to be safe and efficacious in a phase I human clinical study in treating military personnel who had suffered mTBI. The initial research focus is to demonstrate the safety and efficacy of the combination of psilocybin and NAC using broadly accepted rodent models. Final results are expected in 2021. Once this is established, more specific work can examine dose response, medicine uptake, and medicine levels. The research team at the Miller School of Medicine has conducted prior studies involving NAC with mTBI and has a license from the United States Drug Enforcement Administration to conduct research using Schedule I controlled substances, which includes psilocybin.
The Miller School of Medicine is an internationally recognized leader in medical research, ranked No. 39 among the top medical schools in the nation by Blue Ridge Institute for Medical Research. In 2019, the medical school submitted 1,968 research proposals and was awarded $149 million in research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Advances in neuro-diagnostic assessment have revealed mild traumatic brain injury (concussion) is more common than previously thought and potentially associated with a host of negative health outcomes. The Centers for Disease Control (” CDC “) estimates that there are 3 million emergency room visits and over 230,000 hospitalizations due to TBI in any given year in the United States alone. Also, at the same time there are 5.3 million Americans living with the effects of mTBI (a 53% increase over ten years ago). The World Health Organization calls traumatic brain injury a “silent epidemic” that affects over 70 million individuals across the world. The United States Department of Defense estimates that over 345,000 individuals are affected by mTBI and that 20% of all service members who deploy suffer mTBI. mTBI and PTSD are significant health care issues that often co-occur and impact each other.
Dr. Hoffer, the principal investigator on the study, said, “This a very important extension of our work with NAC and other medicines to identify new treatments for mTBI and PTSD. We are hopeful that this new combination of psilocybin with NAC will lead us to better solutions for those suffering from mTBI and/or PTSD.”
Maghsoud Dariani, Chief Science Officer of Lobe said, “We are very excited to begin the preclinical studies in collaboration with Dr.
Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine Partners With MANRRS to Increase Diversity in Veterinary Profession
Pet owners represent a much more diverse population than the veterinary professionals who care for them and their animals, a gap the American Veterinary Medicine Association (AVMA)1 and the Association of American Veterinary Colleges (AAVMC) 2 are working hard to fill. Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine (RUSVM) is committed to being part of the solution and is proud to announce a new partnership with Minorities in Agriculture, Natural Resources and Related Sciences (MANRRS). This collaboration will further RUSVM’s long-term commitment to increase diversity in the veterinary profession and strengthen the pipeline of highly qualified, diverse students pursuing an education in veterinary medicine.
The partnership will introduce RUSVM to MANRRS chapters across the U.S. with MANRRS members gaining access to exclusive webinars and virtual workshops from RUSVM to increase exposure to the profession. Additionally, qualified students may apply for a newly launched MANRRS scholarship. The partnership will also help establish a professional chapter of MANRRS at RUSVM that will create mentoring opportunities for current RUSVM students and enhanced networking opportunities. To learn more about this partnership, click here.
“It is vitally important that the field of veterinary medicine is representative of the communities that we serve, and Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine is thrilled to take this important step toward increasing diversity in the field,” said Sean Callanan, MVB, CERTVR, MRCVS, PHD, FRCPATH, DIPLECVP, dean of Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine. “As one of the most ethnically diverse AVMA-accredited veterinary schools, the partnership with MANRRS will provide new opportunities for prospective, current and former students, and pave the way for a more diverse workforce.”
According to an American Veterinary Medicine Association (AVMA) report, more than one-third of African Americans surveyed own a pet. However, the vast majority of practicing veterinarians in the U.S. are white3, highlighting a disparity in the diversity of the profession and the people that they serve.
“While facing the dismal reality that more than 85% of Veterinarians are white, MANRRS is committed to partnering with RUSVM to provide underrepresented students access to pursue a career in veterinary medicine,” said Ebony Webber, chief operating officer for MANRRS. “Provided that MANRRS is one of the only and largest organizations focused on diverse talent in agriculture, our student and professional members expect MANRRS to advocate for diversity, equity, and inclusion in areas where minorities are needed to help solve the world’s biggest challenges relating to animal health.”
RUSVM, supported by its parent company, Adtalem Global Education, is committed to cultivating a culture of diversity and inclusivity and creating a diverse global workforce that reflects that culture. To learn more about Adtalem’s commitment to diversity and inclusion, click here.
About Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine
Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine (RUSVM) is an institution of Adtalem Global Education (NYSE:ATGE, member S&, P MidCap 400 Index)). Founded in 1982, RUSVM is committed to preparing students to become members and leaders of the worldwide public and professional healthcare team and to advance human, animal and
Gain Therapeutics and University of Maryland School of Medicine Announce Research Collaboration
BETHESDA, Md. and BALTIMORE, Nov. 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Gain Therapeutics, Inc. (“Gain”), today announced a research collaboration with the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), to investigate Gain’s structurally targeted allosteric regulators (STARs) in cellular models of neuronopathic Gaucher disease (nGD) and Parkinson’s disease (PD). STARs are proprietary small molecules targeting novel allosteric binding sites on enzymes. These small molecule drug candidates are designed to cross the blood brain barrier and penetrate other hard to treat organs such as bone and cartilage, stabilize the effective enzyme to restore function and reduce toxic substrate. Research will be led by Ricardo A. Feldman, Ph.D., Associate Professor, of Microbiology and Immunology in UMSOM.
Under the terms of the collaboration, UMSOM will investigate Gain’s STAR candidates in macrophage and neuronal models of nGD and GBA-associated PD. These diseases are characterized by mutations in the GBA gene, where misfolding of the enzyme encoded by GBA (beta-glucocerebrosidase (GCase)) interferes with its normal transport to the lysosome. The research program will aim to further elucidate the mechanism of action of Gain’s STAR candidates by studying their effect on GCase, including GCase’s enzyme activity and transport to the lysosome. Additionally, other effects such as prevention of alpha-synuclein aggregation in PD dopaminergic neurons will be evaluated.
“We are exceedingly proud to be advancing our work in nGD and Parkinson’s in close collaboration with the University of Maryland School of Medicine,” said Eric Richman, Chief Executive Officer at Gain. “The expertise and experience of UMSOM and Dr. Feldman will be instrumental as we work to further validate the exciting potential of Gain’s STAR candidate for these devastating diseases. I am confident these foundational studies will bring us closer to a potential new treatment option for those with these disorders.”
Dr. Feldman added, “Our laboratory has used human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) models of GD and GBA-associated PD to uncover the molecular mechanisms leading to these diseases. We have also developed very sensitive assays to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of small molecules in reversing the phenotypic abnormalities caused by mutant GBA in the cell types affected by these diseases, including macrophages and neuronal cells. I have been impressed by Gain’s initial results evaluating the potential of STARs in correcting enzyme misfolding and restoring function, and look forward to working with Gain’s team to further advance its program to treat these diseases.”
Gain and UMSOM intend to report initial data from the collaboration in the first half of 2021.
About Gain Therapeutics, Inc.
Gain Therapeutics is redefining drug discovery with its SEE-Tx™ target identification platform. By identifying and optimizing allosteric binding sites that have never before been targeted, Gain is unlocking new treatment options for difficult-to-treat disorders characterized by protein misfolding. Gain was originally established in 2017 with the support of its founders and institutional investors such as TiVenture, 3B Future Health Fund (previously known as Helsinn Investment Fund) and VitaTech. It has been awarded funding support from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for
Baylor Scott & White Health announces new affiliations with Baylor College of Medicine and Texas A&M University to further expand the pipeline of exceptional clinical talent for Texas
Baylor Scott & White Health, the largest not-for-profit health system in the state of Texas, today announced two separate academic affiliations: a new affiliation with Baylor College of Medicine and an expanded affiliation with its long-time partner Texas A&M University. Both alliances are aimed at training future clinicians and developing programs that advance high-quality care and healthcare innovation.
“We believe these long-term partnerships will ensure that our patients will have access to breakthrough medical discoveries and cutting-edge treatments from world-class physicians for generations to come,” said Peter J. McCanna, president, Baylor Scott & White.
Baylor Scott & White offers the full continuum of care, from primary to award-winning specialty care, through an integrated care delivery network of 52 hospitals and more than 1,100 access points including flagship academic medical centers in Dallas and Temple. Baylor Scott & White extends investigational expertise across more than 50 medical specialties through Baylor Scott & White Research Institute, which provides the business and regulatory infrastructure to accelerate medical breakthroughs and innovative new treatment models. Baylor Scott & White Research Institute oversees nearly 2,000 active trials each year.
Establishing a new Baylor College of Medicine regional medical school campus in Temple
Baylor Scott & White and Baylor College of Medicine today announce a new affiliation to enhance the organizations’ collective impact on the statewide effort to train more students to become physicians.
Additionally, the affiliation will allow for opportunities for expanded research and program development, with the ultimate goal of improving health and healthcare for Texans.
The new 20-year relationship will be anchored by the development of a progressive four-year regional medical school campus in Temple, Texas, where Baylor College of Medicine will offer a curriculum highlighted by an approach that fully integrates health system and university resources to deliver adaptive and personalized medical education.
“This is a great opportunity to expand Baylor College of Medicine’s outstanding medical education programs to a regional medical school campus,” said Dr. Paul Klotman, president, CEO and executive dean of Baylor College of Medicine. “We are looking forward to being in Temple.”
Through a holistic recruiting process, Baylor College of Medicine focuses on recruiting a diverse class of students who are from and reflective of the communities that Baylor Scott & White serves. An inaugural class of 40 medical students is anticipated to begin training in Fall 2023. The campus will increase by 40 students a year over four years. The medical school is excited to welcome 160 more students to experience the caliber of education offered by Baylor College of Medicine.
Baylor College of Medicine will strive to maintain a high percentage of Texas residents in the medical school. The goal of the new affiliation is to further expand the physician workforce pipeline for Texas with graduates having the opportunity to serve as future leaders in communities and providing outstanding clinical care for the people of Texas.
The regional medical school campus in Temple will be overseen by the Baylor College of Medicine School of Medicine Dean, and
LexaGene Places MiQLab System at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine
BEVERLY, Mass., Nov. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — LexaGene Holdings, Inc., (TSX-V: LXG; OTCQB: LXXGF) (the “Company”), a molecular diagnostics company that develops fully automated rapid pathogen detection systems, is pleased to announce that it has placed a MiQLab™ system into the clinical microbiology laboratory at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Veterinary Medicine (Penn Vet) as part of its Early Access Program. Penn Vet provides testing for animal patients at both the Ryan Veterinary Hospital and patients of practices across the US, processing thousands of samples each year.
Dr. Jack Regan, LexaGene’s CEO and Founder, states, “We are very excited to be placing our first completed commercial MiQLab system in the Penn Vet microbiology laboratory for their evaluation. This is a tremendous step in delivering our technology into the veterinary market and beyond.”
The MiQLab system represents a true breakthrough for veterinary medicine as there is currently no technology available that has been designed for in-clinic, point-of-care multiplex testing for pathogens and markers of antibiotic resistance. This new technology will empower veterinarians to make faster, evidence-based treatment decisions for greater confidence in the therapies they are prescribing.
LexaGene’s Early Access Program is an opportunity for forward-looking veterinarians to gain early access to the commercial application of the technology to significantly improve their current turnaround times for testing.
Dr. Shelley Rankin, Professor of Microbiology, Head of Diagnostic Services and Chief of Clinical Microbiology at Penn Vet, states, “My laboratory is looking forward to evaluating this fully automated instrument that will allow us to rapidly test clinical samples by PCR to identify pathogens and antimicrobial resistance factors. I’ve been in this field for many years and I am passionate about advancing diagnostics. LexaGene’s technology is the first automated PCR technology available in the veterinary field and the closest I’ve seen to a “STAT” microbiology test. I’m very excited to have this unique opportunity to evaluate the MiQLab at Penn Vet. I hope that it will provide us with the ability to quickly return results to clinicians, which will have a significant impact on patient treatment decisions and antimicrobial stewardship in veterinary medicine.”
The initial application of MiQLab focuses on the rapid detection of 20 targets that include common bacterial pathogens infecting companion animals and their associated antimicrobial resistance markers of therapeutic and public health significance. Penn Vet will evaluate the instrument with a range of specimen types, and data collected from the MiQLab will be used to help further determine sensitivity, specificity, and antimicrobial concordance of the test in relation to clinical standards.
To be added to the LexaGene email list, please subscribe on the Company website.
On Behalf of the Board of Directors
Dr. Jack Regan
Chief Executive Officer & Director
About LexaGene Holdings Inc.
LexaGene is a molecular diagnostics company that develops molecular diagnostic systems for pathogen detection and genetic testing for other molecular markers for on-site rapid testing in veterinary diagnostics, food safety and for use in open-access markets such as clinical research, agricultural testing and
Harrington Discovery Institute At University Hospitals And Case Western Reserve School Of Medicine Open Call For 2021 Harrington-MSTP Scholar Award
CLEVELAND, Nov. 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have issued a call for proposals for the 2021 Harrington-MSTP (Medical Scientist Training Program) Scholar Award to help the next generation of physician-scientists advance their discoveries into breakthrough medicines. This program is a two-year scholarship for MSTP students at the School of Medicine whose work has been identified as innovative, creative and having potential to progress towards clinical application.
Since its founding in 2012, Harrington Discovery Institute–part of The Harrington Project for Discovery & Development–has supported 137 drugs-in-the-making in the US, Canada and the United Kingdom. Core to its mission, Harrington Discovery Institute recognizes and supports inventive physician-scientists through dedicated programs, including the global Harrington Prize (partnered with The American Society for Clinical Investigation), North American Scholar-Innovator Award, and the Cleveland, Ohio-based Harrington Investigator programs. With this program, now in its second year, the Institute has expanded its model to include the next generation of physician-scientists early in their career.
Through this award, Harrington Discovery Institute and the School of Medicine combine resources and capabilities to advance into new medicines the most promising research of Case MSTP students. Awardees will receive grant funding and dedicated therapeutic development support from Harrington Discovery Institute’s Therapeutics Development team, who are pharma-experienced industry leaders with a track record of bringing drugs to market.
“We are committed to helping physician-scientists improve the standard of care and address unmet needs in healthcare through their research. This program helps students take promising scientific discoveries and chart a path forward that maximizes potential for clinical success. Now more than ever, it is essential that we help close the gap between breakthroughs in the lab and much-needed treatments for patients. We are pleased to work closely with Case Western Reserve University to provide this opportunity,” said Jonathan S. Stamler, MD, President, Harrington Discovery Institute, Robert S. and Sylvia K. Reitman Family Foundation Distinguished Chair of Cardiovascular Innovation and Professor of Medicine at University Hospitals and Case Western Reserve University.
“This program provides tremendous value for the students selected, which they will carry with them throughout their careers. In working with former pharma executives, awardees are able to build new skills and gain a broader understanding of their research in relation to industry. The Case MSTP program has always focused on cultivating an innovation mindset with our students and providing them with the tools necessary for a successful career,” said Derek Abbott, MD, PhD, Program Director, Medical Scientist Training Program, Case Western Reserve School of Medicine.
Interested applicants from Case Western Reserve University’s MSTP program are asked to submit a Letter of Intent by December 7, 2020. Up to two award recipients will be selected and announced in spring 2021. For more information, visit: HarringtonDiscovery.org/MSTP.
Harrington Discovery Institute
The Harrington Discovery Institute at University Hospitals in Cleveland, OH — part of The Harrington Project for Discovery & Development — aims to advance
L7 Informatics Automates Lab Operations and Supports Washington University School of Medicine with Workflow for Its Saliva-based COVID-19 Test
AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — L7 Informatics announced that it has deployed L7|ESP to automate all lab operations starting with COVID-related workflow at the Genome Technology Access Center ([email protected]) in the McDonnell Genome Institute at the Washington University School of Medicine. The COVID-related workflow supports the new saliva test, developed by Washington University researchers, that is used to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
L7|ESP is CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments) compliant and enables diagnostic organizations to use a single platform for registering and processing samples, running complex analyses, generating reports, and provides complete end-to-end assay automation. L7|ESP is designed to increase reproducibility and efficiency while decreasing errors and turnaround time.
According to L7 Informatics President and CEO, Vasu Rangadass, Ph.D., “L7|ESP will enable the COVID-related workflow at Washington University’s McDonnell Genome Institute (MGI) to scale to 10,000 samples per week if need be, and this ability to scale-up could help support the number of tests that can be conducted.”
L7 carried out the content implementation at GTAC in four releases. The main tasks performed as part of this project include Sample Accessioning, Saliva Processing, RT/STA, Prepare and Load IFC Plate, Analysis/ Reporting, Inventory App, Protocols/workflows/workflow chain configs, and Locations App.
Richard Head, a professor of genetics and director of the Genome Technology Access Center at the McDonnell Genome Institute, added, “This is a COVID-19 test process that can be used at scale, and it is essential that test results are reproducible and samples can be processed efficiently. We have used L7’s ESP technology to help us reach that goal.”
About L7 Informatics
The L7 mission is to revolutionize the scientific process by streamlining process and data management and thereby accelerate precision health across life sciences, healthcare, and food value-chains. L7 Informatics provides software and services that enable synchronized solutions for scientific research and development. For more information, visit www.L7informatics.com.
Media Contact
Jessica Tobey
L7 Informatics, Inc.
[email protected]
978-771-1529
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SOURCE L7 Informatics, Inc.