December Luncheon Meeting

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• December Luncheon Meeting
• Steve Mandell, Chairman
• Pepper Hamilton LLP
• Annual Holiday Luncheon Science Quiz

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• Science in the News
• Quiz Questions

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• What material obtained from recycling has been
  found to be superior to, and cheaper than, other
  materials for waste water filtration?
• Old tires, chopped and ground to crumbs -
  Washington Post, Science Notebook.

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• A Philadelphia company is using the remnants of
  cooking grease, the slimy sticky gunk that
  collects in restaurant drains, usually hauled
  away for a price to make what useful material?
• Alternative fuelPhiladelphia Fry-O-Diesel is
  focused on making biodiesel fuel NPR, Morning
  Edition, 12/06/06.

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• Business Week suggests five wild geo-engineering
  fixes for dealing with Global warming. Name
  three.
• a. Solar shade around the earth,
• b. Algae farming, c. Cloud factories,
• d. Moving oceans, e. Salting the seas -
  BusinessWeek, 11/27/06.

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• The rice crop futures market was thrown into
  turmoil when Bayer CropScience of Research
  Triangle announced in August that the U.S. rice
  supply had been contaminated with Bayers
  genetically engineered rice LL601. Rice prices
  have plummeted, exports have been blocked by
  other countries objecting to frankenfood and
  300 farmers are suing Bayer. Who does Bayer
  blame for the mishap?
• The farmers and Act of God - Washington Post,
  11/22/06.

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• Three organizations joined together to form The
  J. Craig Venter Institute. Name at least two of
  the three.
• TIGR (The Institute for Genomic Research), the
  J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI) and the J. Craig
  Venter Science Foundation (JCVSF). The JCVI was
  renamed The Center for Advancement of Genomics
  (TCAG). - Press Release from http//www.venterinst
  itute.org/

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• Pfizer invested 1 billion and lost a potential
  15 Billion in annual sales with its most
  promising experimental heart drug, Torcetrapib,
  when it was found to be ineffective. What was it
  supposed to do?
• Increase HDL, the good cholesterol - New York
  Times, 12/5/06.

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• Why did Torcetrapib fail?
• Because it caused heart failure - New York
  Times, 12/5/06.

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• In a time of all time high cost biotech deals,
  what new business approach is being taken by
  biotechs to license their technologies to large
  pharmaceutical companies?
• Using auctions with multiple bidding
  partnersdriving the price of deals up.

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• New DNA analyzers have been developed which will
  let scientists study the DNA of what extinct
  group of human forebears?
• Neanderthal - Washington Post, 11/16/06.

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• Neanderthals existed in Asia 45,000 years ago and
  ended in extinction from Europe 15,000 years
  later. Evolutionary geneticists will be able to
  analyze Neanderthal DNA from small fragments of
  bone, to determine what makes humans unique and
  different from these closest to human cousins.
  What will scientists compare between Neanderthals
  and modern humans?
• a. Facility with language i.e. increased brain
  size and/or appearance. b. Any evidence of
  interbreeding - Newsweek, 12/11/06

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• Why is there is a ban on some toy sales in San
  Francisco?
• The plastic used contains toxins - San Francisco
  Chronicle, 11/19/06.

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• What disease has been recently reported to
  increase the spread of the HIV (AIDS) virus by
  boosting the viral load?
• Malaria has helped infect hundreds of thousands,
  even millions in sub-Saharan Africa - Washington
  Post, 2006.

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• For what two diseases did the local company,
  Advancis Pharmaceutical, succeed with a treatment
  in phase three clinical trials?
• Strep throat and tonsillitis - Washington
  Business journal, 12/15/06.

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• How far might some disabled parents go to ensure
  that their children are genetically similar to
  them?
• Using amniocentesis to intentionally choose
  malfunctioning genes to produce disabilities like
  deafness or dwarfism - New York Times, 12/5/06.

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• A substance, derived from a member of the ginger
  family, aframomum melegueta, and found on the
  West Coast of Africa, is being investigated as a
  powerful type of anti inflammatory drug. It would
  work like Celebrex or Vioxx , but with,
  hopefully, none of their negative side effects.
  Observations on the behavior of which species
  have led to this discovery?
• Gorilla - The Washington Post, 2006.

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• 16. The D.C. Council has approved 11.5 Million
  for the design phase of a 200,000. million
  facility to house the medical examiners office.
  By 2010, DC will have a lab with an ability that
  most states already have. What other functions
  will the lab provide?
• A DNA forensics lab and a public health,
  bio-safety level three, lab to test the danger of
  biological and chemical substances - Washington
  Business Journal, September 8-14, 2006.

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• A local doctor, Patrick Melder, whose practice is
  at Bethesdas Suburban hospital, devised a new,
  hand held camera that will transform the way what
  type of medical test is done?
• Endoscopies - Dr. Melders 9-month old
  company Envisionier Medical Technologies has
  raised almost 1 million and has been admitted
  into the Maryland Technology Development Center
  incubator in Rockville - Washington Business
  Journal, September 22-28, 2006.

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• 18. What is the idea behind the formation of
  CoGenesys Inc. started by Craig Rosen, formerly
  of Human Genome Sciences, Inc.?
• The company will become a drug development
  engine for big pharma, by testing new products
  long enough to convince big pharma to buy them to
  fill their pipeline. They are not interested in
  taking their products through the most expensive
  testing or in selling drugs to patients -
  Washington Post, 7/31/06.

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• 19. A Gaithersburg company, GeneDx, was started
  by its co-founders in 2000 for about 28,000, a
  discarded desktop computer and two desk chairs.
  Who recently purchased the company, which
  develops genetic diagnostics and tests for rare
  disorders primarily in children, for 17 million
  in stock and cash?
• A New Jersey company, Bio Reference
  Laboratories purchased the company and will leave
  it in place to develop adult disorder testing -
  Washington Business Journal, September 8-14,
  2006.

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• What country is pumping 3.5 billion into making
  its biotech and nanotech sectors among the best
  in the world? Montgomery County is working hard,
  more than with any other country, to cultivate
  and bring new biotechs from this country to
  Maryland.
• South Korea - Washington Business Journal,
  October 27 November 2, 2006.

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• What disease is the biggest killer of the worlds
  children, killing 2 million a year, more than
  aids, malaria and measles combined?
• Pneumonia - New York Times, 12/5/06.

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• 22. What is the most common medical mistake,
  according to the Health Literacy Advisory Board
  at the American College of Physicians Foundation,
  causing 530,000 adverse drug events each year,
  some leading to hospitalization and even death?
• Medication Error including poorly
  communicated directions on pill bottle labels.
  The most common problems associated with medicine
  error are the need for more explicit directions,
  confusing icons on medicine bottles, archaic
  language used to describe how to consume
  medicines, lack of patient care in reading
  labels, and lack of questions for the Dr. and
  pharmacist about the confusing directions - NPR,
  Your Health, 12/7/06.

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• 23. In early December, in a controversial
  decision, the FDA affirmed the safety of what new
  generation product?
• Drug eluting artery stents, used widely
  to keep clogged heart arteries open, may increase
  the risk of potentially dangerous blood clots.
  However, if used properly, no evidence exists
  that they boost the likelihood of having a heart
  attack or dying - Washington Post, 12/8/06.

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• 24. What revolutionary technology allows us to
  peer into the future, is transforming medicine
  and the way we think about health?
• Genetic testing will allow us to
  understand, diagnose, treat, and predict risk for
  many diseases in the near future if they are not
  already available - Newsweek, 10/11/06, p. 53.

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• 25. What is the exact title of the April 17th 6th
  Annual BIO IT Coalition conference?
• The State of Healthcare Medical
  Technology in 2020

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• Life Science (Medical) Word Qiuz

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• Erlichiosis
• A tick borne infection caused by the bacterial
  genus Erlicia. It exhibits flu like symptoms
  including headache, muscle aches, chills, nausea,
  and vomiting.

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• Bissinosis
• Brown lung disease caused by inhaling dust and
  fibers from hemp, flax, and cotton processing. 
  It exhibits asthma like symptoms and could
  chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

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• Malleolus
• One of the prominent bony humps of the ankle.

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• Strongyloidiasis
• An infestation caused by the parasite
  Strongyloides stercoralis occurring In tropical
  regions.  It exhibits an itchy rash on the feet,
  stomach pain, nausea, diarrhea, weight loss, dry
  cough, and a loss of the sense of well-being. 

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• Tenosynovitis
• A rheumatoid inflammation of a tendon that
  includes the synovium (joint lining).  It occurs
  in areas of small numerous joints such as the
  hands or feet,