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NutraCast Podcast: Michelle Ricker on biohacking

Youâve likely heard of life hacks, which are tricks or shortcuts that help you be more efficient in life. You may or may not have heard of biohacks. But chances are, youâve already tried some without even knowing it. You might even be biohacking right nowâ




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Bifido probiotic may enhance effects of exercise and boost training results: Study

Combining exercise with a bacterial strain isolated from an Olympic weightlifting gold medalist may synergistically increase endurance compared to training or the probiotic alone, suggests data from a mouse study.




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Experts lay out post-pandemic retailing strategies

Marketing experts recommend that brands formulate a strategy to be as nimble as possible to deal with the as yet unknown changes to the supplement marketplace in the post pandemic world. A greater online capability is seen as one of key parts of that toolkit.




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How Could Science #BreaktheInternet?

I saw the Breakthrough Prizes announced this weekend and was excited to learn about the interesting scientists on the list, including Jennifer Doudna who many of us in life science recognize for her CRISPR/Cas9 work. I’ll start out saying that I am glad to see a group of such influential people (Sergey Brin and Anne Wojcicki, Mark

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Supporting Biotech Development in Madison

As part of our follow up to our recent Biotech in Wisconsin Meetup about professional development skills, we are asking folks to fill out this poll.




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Case Study: When does “technology” turn into medical device

This semester I’ve embarked on an adventure to co-teach a class in the University of Wisconsin-Madison Masters in Biotechnology program. What sold me on the experience was the majority of my responsibility is interacting with second year students on their final major project (essentially their thesis). That said, I will give one lecture, which will be “health

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Precision in Oncology: Using the Macro and Micro

Last week, the New York Times had a nice piece “A Faster Way to Try Many Drugs on Many Cancers” on basket clinical trials, which matches patients to a therapy based on the genetics of their tumor as opposed to the site of their primary tumor. This type of trial feeds into the current excitement about precision

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Blood: Underappreciated Resource in the Health/Disease?

Alternative title: Pitching a VC on Disruption of Blood Testing You may have seen some recent editorials about the necessary frequency of blood tests for healthy individuals, many of them prompted by a series of tweets from Mark Cuban: Although there are certainly potential dangers in expecting any and all test results to be immediately

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None Better than One? (A Brief Note on VC in Smaller Hubs)

Biotech venture funding metrics continue at historic highs, highlighting that the robust financing environment in the public markets continues to fuel the private markets as well.  – Bruce Booth, partner Atlas Venture in Data Snapshot: Venture-Backed Biotech Financing Riding High, April 2015 Here in Madison, Wisconsin, you might not know that was true if you

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Some Questions On The Future Of The Coronavirus Vaccine, Answered

Scientists work tirelessly to find a coronavirus vaccine. But there are some questions to answer: How soon a viable vaccine would be developed? Would billions of people worldwide be able to to get it?




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V-E Day: Europe Celebrates A Subdued 75th Anniversary During COVID-19 Pandemic

"Today, 75 years later, we are forced to commemorate alone, but we are not alone!" Germany's President Frank-Walter Steinmeier says, celebrating international unity in the post-war era.




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More Census Workers To Return To Rural Areas In 9 States To Leave Forms

The Census Bureau says it plans to continue its relaunch of limited 2020 census operations on May 13, when the next round of workers is set to resume hand-delivering paper forms in rural communities.




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Coronavirus FAQs: Do Temperature Screenings Help? Can Mosquitoes Spread It?

And as summer nears, the question must be asked: Is it risky from a COVID-19 standpoint to go in a swimming pool?




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What Happened Today: Health Care System Crumbles, Testing Questions

Marc Lipsitch, a professor of epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, answers questions about access to testing for COVID-19, false-negative results and the challenges of mass testing.




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Public Health Experts Say Many States Are Opening Too Soon To Do So Safely

By Monday at least 31 states will be open or partially open. This as President Trump pushed for the country to get back to work despite public health experts warning that it's too soon.




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COMIC: Hospitals Turn To Alicia Keys, U2 And The Beatles To Sing Patients Home

Call them victory anthems. Every time a patient with COVID-19 is well enough to be discharged, hospitals in New York and elsewhere play songs of celebration over the intercom. A doctor explains.




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Reopening After COVID: The 3 Phases Recommended By The White House

President Trump wants businesses to start reopening after the coronavirus forced shutdowns. Here's what the White House task force recommends for states.




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Anti-Vaccination Activists Join Stay-At-Home Order Protesters

Among those rallying against state shutdown orders are anti-vaccination activists. They see these protests as a way to form political alliances that promote their movement.




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So, You're Not Talking Much In Quarantine. Here's How To Keep Your Voice Healthy

With social distancing, many people are speaking less and their voices sound raggedy. NPR's Scott Simon talks with speech pathologist Sandy Hirsch, about keeping the voice sounding as it should.




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Tracking The Pandemic: How Quickly Is The Coronavirus Spreading State By State?

View our map and graphics to see where COVID-19 is hitting hardest in the U.S., which state outbreaks are growing the fastest and which are leveling off.




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Coronavirus World Map: Tracking The Spread Of The Outbreak

A map of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths around the world. The respiratory disease has spread rapidly across six continents and has killed thousands of people.




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Extending the Patentable Life of 3D Printers: A Lesson From the Pharmaceutical Industry

Modern innovation typically occurs one step-improvement at a time. Some clients initially question whether their new application of an existing technology is patentable. Usually, the answer is ‘yes.’ Under U.S. law (and most other jurisdictions), an innovation to an existing technology is patentable so long as at least one claim limitation is novel and non-obvious....… Continue Reading




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Looking Forward/Looking Backward – Day 1 Notes from the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference

A large amount of wind, much discussion about the U.S healthcare, and the public getting soaked again – if you were thinking about Washington, DC and the new Congress, you’re 3,000 miles away from the action. This is the week of the annual JP Morgan Healthcare conference in San Francisco, with many thousands of healthcare...… Continue Reading





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Launching a drug during lockdowns



  • Marketing to health care professionals
  • New Drug Launches

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Can pharma become a digital industry?



  • in the news
  • Working in the industry
  • Pharma Digital Transformations

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A vaccine probably won’t arrive any time soon.




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Do HCP’s want to hear from pharma during COVID-19?



  • in the news
  • Marketing to health care professionals
  • Bad Research

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“We’re going to need a bigger boat”




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The MDCG MDR joint implementation plan

The MDCG just published a joint implementation plan regarding the MDR. Here is my summary and analysis. It’s not a happy story. Not the IVDR This implementation plan is not about the IVDR, and the fact that it is not about the IVDR is information in itself. It means that the MDCG is not even […]




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New MDCG Class I Article 120 (3) and (4) MDR guidance – nothing new but nice summary of requirements

I have blogged before about the effects and possibilities of the Corrigendum of December 2019 for class I medical devices. I refer you to that blog for the background to this discussion, which covers the mechanics of timing. The draft corrigendum discussed in that blog was adopted as described.  The new guidance The MDCG has […]




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The MDR and the Covid-19 recommendation – a possible template for fixing the MDR and IVDR bottleneck

What is this recommendation about? Obviously this recommendation is an attempt of the Commission to manage administative barriers to placing PPE (personal protective equipment) and medical devices on the market that would be needed in the struggle to get the current Covid-19 pandemic under control. In my view you can also see this as a […]




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Commission working on proposal to postpone MDR date of application for one year

After a statement on a press conference today by Stefan De keersmaecker that had many people very excited quickly, the official announcement came later in the afternoon: Here is what I think about this development. Work on a proposal ongoing The Commission announced that ‘work on a proposal to postpone the date of application’. This tells […]




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New MDCG guidance on temporary extraordinary measures related to medical device Notified Body audits during COVID-19 quarantine orders and travel restrictions

When it rains guidance, it pours. The MDCG just released Guidance on temporary extraordinary measures related to medical devices Notified Body audits during COVID-19 quarantine orders and travel restrictions. The guidance takes immediate effect and is valid for the whole period of duration of the pandemic COVID-19 as declared by the World Health Organisation. It […]




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I'm gaining weight in quarantine and I couldn't be more thrilled about it

If the worst thing that happens to me during this global pandemic is that I have to buy new pants, I will weep with gratitude.




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Face masks will be an even bigger part of L.A. life as reopening begins

Here is where masks are currently required, as well as proposals that would dramatically increase face-covering requirements.




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COVID-19 cases higher among San Diego's Latinos; advocates call for more testing

In several states and in parts of California, black and Latino people are dying of COVID-19 at higher rates than their white and Asian counterparts.




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First coronavirus, now 'murder hornets'? 'The Simpsons' predicts the future again

Bill Oakley, a writer on "The Simpsons," admitted on Twitter that perhaps the animated TV show did forecast some of our troubling current events.




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California tops 2,500 coronavirus deaths as fears of second wave temper reopening efforts

Los Angeles County, which continues to be the hardest hit area in California, announced 51 additional deaths linked to COVID-19 on Thursday.




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The Check-In: Justin Turner unsettled at thought of not playing again for the Dodgers

The Dodgers' Justin Turner and his wife Kourtney have delivered more than 500,000 meals to the needy since March. He'll be a free agent this winter.




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Coronavirus torpedoes 50th L.A. Pride parade; online celebration planned

The L.A. Pride parade, which would have marked its 50th year, joins the list of events canceled or postponed because of the coronavirus outbreak.




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Newsom unveils rules governing how quickly California communities can reopen businesses

Newsom said earlier this week that bookstores, florists and others can reopen for curbside pickup Friday, unless barred by tougher local restrictions.




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Drive-through celebrations and car parades nixed in Santa Clara County

The coronavirus outbreak has forced the cancellation of myriad life events. Santa Clara County won't even let you celebrate in your car now.




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Axl Rose called Steven Mnuchin an expletive on Twitter, sparking 2020's weirdest feud

Guns N' Roses frontman Axl Rose criticized Steven Mnuchin and Trump's coronavirus response, which irked the Treasury secretary and started a Twitter spat.




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U.N. nearly triples its coronavirus fundraising goal to $6.7 billion

The U.N. triples its fundraising target for fighting the coronavirus, even as President Trump plans to freeze U.S. aid to its principal health agency.




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Editorial: L.A.'s trails and parks are reopening. C'mon, people, don't screw it up this time

For goodness sake, if you're going to hike, wear a mask.




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'A wild ride': Expanding coronavirus testing takes center stage with reopening

Until millions of Americans can be tested weekly for coronavirus, states will walk blindly into restarts. But NIH director has a plan to ramp up.




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Editorial: California was ready for a recession, but nothing could have prepared it for coronavirus

The good news: The state is far better prepared to meet this challenge than it was a decade ago. The bad news: It will need help from the feds, and a lot of it.




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San Francisco will allow certain businesses to reopen beginning May 18

San Francisco will allow certain businesses to reopen beginning May 18 as it eases its stay-at-home orders. But officials warn that they will keep track to make coronavirus infections don't spike.




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Gov. Newsom doesn't see packed stadiums for sporting events anytime soon

California Gov. Gavin Newsom says he doesn't see full stadiums of fans for sports happening amid the coronavirus outbreak until a vaccine is available.