Arc Institute’s Post

Exciting new research on andrographolide (from Andrographis paniculata) head-to-head with NSAIDs in a cell model of inflammation

There is significant progress on the journey to #endTB and can be hopeful as we build our capacity to prevent it by scaling up TB Preventive Therapy, High quality screening by leveraging the Digital X-Ray Technology, early TB detection by onboarding alternative sample types and newer cost effective technologies, shorter yet effective TB treatment for both Susceptible and Resistant TB strains, Health education among others. We appreciate all the stakeholders, especially the valuable advocates, scientists, researchers, funding agencies, governments and the implementing mechanisms. FIND The Global Fund USAID Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Cepheid

TB care and delivery needs to get closer to patient and communities for us to successfully eliminate it. The tongue swab will be a potential game change in helping identify a lot of vulnerable TB cases much sooner, bringing diagnostic tech closer to the patient, especially in low-resource settings. Treemouse had partnered with Clinton Health Access Initiative, Inc. on assessing the adoption feasability of a tongue swab as well as 2 other low-tech, diagnostic tools that are under-development. Our study had covered India and South Africa, accounting for almost half of the world's TB burden. We assessed how readily would the healthcare system (public and private) adopt these tools, where would they fit in with respect to the current protocols and what kind of regulatory support was needed to introduce them. Sputum collection remains an unpleasant experience for the patient and the health workers involved in the process. It is therefore very encouraging to see the technology maturing to deliver on patient-centric TB care. #patientcentrictbcare #tbmuktbharat #humancenteredstrategy #healthcare

Here are three areas that observational studies have found may help: https://ow.ly/FE8650SoER2

I’m excited to share the publication of our latest article! ⏰ If you are interested in learning more about macrophages’ circadian rhythms in response to malaria-infected RBCs, check it out using this link:

So our moms are not wrong when they force us to drink more water when we are ill. Read more about how T cells mobilization is assisted by salt and water in this insightful article !

Check out my review on neuroimmune interactions in the lung with Olaf Perdijk Ben Marsland and Nicola Harris now online on Annual Reviews!

Our latest paper on the regulatory mechanisms of the neurological aspects of long COVID just came out. https://lnkd.in/deiZFmYS

There are big scientific breakthroughs in human biology that come from studying rare diseases. Since CZI launched the Rare As One Network to support patient-led organizations as they accelerate rare disease research, we've been learning every step of the way.  We’ve learned that CZI can be a connector and convener, creating a network effect to help rare disease organizations learn from and lean on each other. We’ve seen the power of collaboration—when groups work across related diseases, they accelerate understanding of human biology and develop new treatments and cures. And just as I saw as a pediatrician, we’ve been reminded that rare disease patients and their families can and will move mountains to advance research. Building on these lessons, we're launching a new cohort of the Rare As One Network to strengthen the network effect even more by focusing on areas of scientific commonality. Our goal is to create even stronger cross-disease collaboration and accelerate research in these classes of rare disease. #RareDisease #RareDiseaseAwareness #RareAsOne

Inequality of access and uneven distribution of medical resources; the high cost of care; the complexities of healthcare insurance, are challenging patients, healthcare providers, federal and state governments. The interests of healthcare stakeholders such as insurance companies, hospitals, healthcare providers, government, and patients are often misaligned. These misalignments occur daily in the practice of a healthcare provider, and result in lost time and health that are not often included in the calculus of the insurer. As an example, the high regulatory costs of drug and device development force the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry to target their development to large patient populations in upper-higher income countries, while development of therapies for less common diseases or those endemic to low- and middle-income countries lags behind; and where personalized therapeutics for all remains an unfulfilled dream. Unfortunately, rare diseases sit in the coldest spot. The dilemma of leaving rare diseases R&D behind remains unresolved. For instance, Medulloblastoma, a rare and malignant childhood brain tumor shows a incidence rate of 0.12 per 100,000 (2001-2005 WHO data) , approximately 350 patients are diagnosed with medulloblastoma each year in the States. (Data, Childhood Cancer Research) The small patient population makes it difficult to meet the usual clinical trial size requirements, hindering both funding and patient enrollment. Changing regulations for rare diseases to accommodate these unique circumstances could indeed foster more innovation and investment in therapeutic development. This could involve tailored regulatory frameworks recognizing the challenges posed by rare diseases, potentially incentivizing venture investment in this critical area. I envision opportunities for regulatory policy to radically revise these imbalances and imperfections in rare diseases sector by devising novel strategies that incentivize all major stakeholders.