NEW BIOINFORMATICS ADVANCES Compositional Data Analysis using Kernels in Mass Cytometry Data Pratyaydipta Rudra , Ryan Baxter , Elena W Y Hsieh , Debashis Ghosh Bioinformatics Advances , vbac003, https://doi.org/10.1093/bioadv/vbac003 Abstract Motivation Cell type abundance data arising from mass cytometry experiments are compositional in nature. Classical association tests do not apply to the compositional data due to their non-Euclidean nature. Existing methods for analysis of cell type abundance data suffer from several limitations for high-dimensional mass cytometry data, especially when the sample size is small. Results We proposed a new multivariate statistical learning methodology, Compositional Data Analysis using Kernels (CODAK), based on the kernel distance covariance (KDC) framework to test the association of the cell type compositions with important predictors (categorical or continuous) such as disease status. CODAK scales well for high-dime...
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New Paper Issued on Lupus The Efficacy and Safety of Anifrolumab in Japanese Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: TULIP-2 Subanalysis Modern Rheumatology , roac010, https://doi.org/10.1093/mr/roac010 Published: 22 February 2022 https://academic.oup.com/mr/advance-article/doi/10.1093/mr/roac010/6521716?login=true ABSTRACT Objectives Evaluate the efficacy and safety of anifrolumab in the subpopulation of Japanese patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in the phase 3 TULIP-2 trial. Methods TULIP-2 was a 52-week randomized placebo-controlled trial (N=362) that evaluated efficacy and safety of anifrolumab 300 mg IV every 4 weeks vs. placebo in patients with moderate to severe SLE, and were receiving standard therapy. We performed a post hoc analysis of the primary and key secondary endpoints, and safety, of TULIP-2 in the Japanese subpopulation. Results In the Japanese subpopulation (anifrolumab, n=24; placebo, n=19), the proportion of patients who achieved a Br...
CRISPR CASE HEARD BY BOARD According to IPWatchDog dot com, the CRISPR case has been heard: PTAB Hears CRISPR Gene Editing Debate : On Friday, February 4, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) heard oral arguments in an interference proceeding about who was first to invent the use of single-guide CRISPR-Cas9 genome engineering technology in eukaryotic cells. The two teams of scientists involved are 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry recipients University of California, Berkeley, Professor Jennifer Doudna and her colleague Emmanuelle Charpentier, along with their teams at their respective institutions, versus the Broad Institute, led by Feng Zhang. The hearing was livestreamed here . https://www.ipwatchdog.com/2022/02/04/barks-bites-friday-february-4-crispr-gene-editing-tech-debated-ptab-phrma-calls-deeply-concerning-trips-waiver-ustr-deadline-closes-comments-sep-draf/id=145361/
USPTO TO STOP ISSUING PAPER PATENT GRANT CERTIFICATES Jim Singer, Esq. has posted a great blog on his blogsite pointing out that the USPTO will no longer be routinely giving out paper patent grants with the certificate and ribbon. Those certificates were long prized by inventors, and many of them would frame them and put them on their walls; others of course, did not such thing. The good news is, you can still get the paper certificate with all the bells and whistles, but you will (as always with the USPTO) have to pay an extra fee. Here's the link to Jim's great article: https://ipspotlight.com/2021/12/13/end-of-an-era-uspto-proposes-to-phase-out-hard-copy-patent-and-trademark-certificates/
THE CURRENT WAR: A GREAT FILM ABOUT INVENTIONS AND PATENTS So my wife and I recently watched a terrific film which was actually released back in 2017, called "The Current War", which is about Edison and Westinghouse battling over whether AC (Alternating Current" or DC (Direct Current) would become the standard for electrification of the United States. The film is quite literally about inventions, patents, and highlights the critical importance of intellectual property as early as the 1880s in securing the greatest value for your business enterprise. Highly recommended for everyone in the industry; and for science students, law students interested in IP, and anyone interested in the history of IP. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2140507/
Winnie the Pooh - Public Domain v Trademark Ownership Brett Trout Esq. has written a terrific blog post on Public Domain v. Trademark Rights in a very funny article about Winnie the Pooh by AA Milne: https://blawgit.com/2022/01/22/who-owns-the-pooh/ In part, he states: As of January 1, 2022 Winnie the Pooh entered the public domain. But what does that mean? Can you write a book about Winnie the Pooh and Tigger too? No. Can you sell Winnie the Pooh branded socks? No. Can you start a Winnie the Pooh comic strip? Probably not. But why? The answer is that although the original copyright in Winnie the Pooh has moved into the public domain, the copyrights in all of his friends and all of the books published after 1926 are still in force. More importantly, all of the trademarks covering Winnie the Pooh goods and services are still in force and may never expire. Id.
President Biden forms "Cancer Moonshot" Program, Appoints Board Members President Biden has signalled a new Federal commitment to oncology research by creating a "Cancer Moonshot" Program and Board. This is a critical step in supporting not just basic research, but in applied oncology research. With CAR-T and other gene therapy approaches as well as other approaches now demonstrating clinical trial effectiveness, this is a propitious time to focus on cancer and oncology. https://www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/moonshot-2-0-biden-wants-50-drop-cancer-death-rate-by-2047-establishes-cancer-cabinet