Monday, October 31, 2011

Iowa, Meet Mr. Perry (TIME)

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Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/155578276?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Russian tenor Nikolai Baskov wants to conquer US (AP)

NEW YORK ? Over the past decade, Nikolai Baskov has emerged as one of the biggest selling recording artists in Russia.

He's a favorite of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, and his performances ? with dramatic lighting and dazzling showmanship ? are becoming legendary there and in Europe.

Now, the rest of the world may be in Baskov's grasp. The classically trained vocalist has his eyes ? or more appropriately, voice ? on seizing the rest of the world with his powerful range.

"For me, really this is the beginning. Because I've accomplished so much in my country, I'm used to being received at a certain level, but I also appreciate a certain level of anonymity here when I'm in New York," he said in an intimate performance earlier this month. "The public perception of me has been really phenomenal. In America, if they love you, they love you unconditionally, which separates the U.S audiences and American audiences from any other audiences in the world."

Classically trained in Russia, Baskov turned down an offer to study in the United States at Julliard. That opportunity came during tough times in Moscow; Baskov opted to study at home. He also admitted he couldn't be away from his mother for that long.

"I love my mom more than anything else in the world," Baskov, 35, said.

"My mom made me believe since I was very young," he added. "She always told me that I was destined to be an artist."

His father was not as optimistic ? at least not at first. As a high-ranking officer in the Russian military, the elder Baskov saw a different life for his son. But as he began to perform, his father slowly became more comfortable with his son's dream. The support began in the early stages of his career and has grown throughout the years.

Now that he's an adult, he still stays very close to his parents.

"No matter where I am in the world, I call her," Baskov said. "And my father too."

The tenor's stratospheric rise to the top of the Russian charts began with a music video of the song "Caruso." It was picked up by every television outlet in Russia, and was played for months. Based on the popularity of that song and video, he became began to perform, and quickly learned how to charm audiences with his charisma and stage persona.

His favorite artists include Barbara Streisand and Lady Gaga.

"I can't stop myself from watching Lady Gaga perform," Baskov says with. "She makes music so interesting to watch."

Besides Gaga and Streisand, Baskov cites Italian crooner Mario Lanza as his main influence.

"I admire everything about him, from the way he carries himself on stage to the way he sings."

In June, PBS ran Baskov's Moscow concert from the famed Luzhniki Arena. Earlier this month, that performance was released on CD and DVD as "Romantic Journey."

Baskov will tour North America early next year with dates in Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Hartford, and other cities.

He will also perform in New York, which is a favorite.

"There is so much life here, and I love the shopping," he said.

___

Online:

http:// www.nikolaibaskov.com

___

John Carucci covers entertainment for The Associated Press. Follow him at http://www.twitter.com/jcarucci_ap

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111031/ap_en_mu/us_music_nikolai_baskov

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How long will it take an energy-efficient washer/dryer to pay for itself?

The big cost in washing clothes is heating the water, so if you really want to save money, use less hot water

Saving Pennies or Dollars is a new semi-regular series on The Simple Dollar, inspired by a great discussion on The Simple Dollar?s Facebook page concerning frugal tactics that might not really save that much money. I?m going to take some of the scenarios described by the readers there and try to break down the numbers to see if the savings is really worth the time invested.

Skip to next paragraph Trent Hamm

The Simple Dollar is a blog for those of us who need both cents and sense: people fighting debt and bad spending habits while building a financially secure future and still affording a latte or two. Our busy lives are crazy enough without having to compare five hundred mutual funds ? we just want simple ways to manage our finances and save a little money.

Recent posts

Aimee writes in: how many loads of laundry do i need to do to have an energy efficient pay for itself?

Obviously, this is going to vary quite a lot depending on the specific ?normal? washing machine and the specific high-efficiency washing machine. I?ll go into the calculations using some aggregated statistics to show how many loads, on average, you?d have to do in a high-efficiency machine to make up for the extra cost.

CNet reports that you can buy a normal top-loading washing machine for $300-$650 and a high-efficiency machine for $600-$1,600. We?ll take the 40th percentile in both ranges, as it will more or less average the ones readers might actually buy and ignore the very high end ones with unnecessary bells and whistles.

This means we?ll be using a cost of $440 for the normal machine and $1,000 for the high-efficiency machine. That?s a difference of $560.

What about energy and water use? I used the energy calculator on the Mr. Electricity site and calculated that a top-loading (normal) washer would use $0.62 in energy and water per load, while a front-loading (high-efficiency) washer would use $0.41 in energy and water per load. I assumed that you?d be doing equal amounts of hot, warm, and cold washing and an electric water heater with a cost of $0.12 per kilowatt hour in obtaining those numbers.

That means, for each load of laundry done, a high-efficiency washer would save you $0.21 per load.

At a rate of $0.21 per load, you?d have to do 2,667 loads to make the high efficiency washer worthwhile.

That?s a lot of loads at first glance. However, the average American household does almost 400 loads per year, which means you?d be at that level in about six and a half years.

Of course, much of this calculation is dependent on the exact numbers used. Let?s say, for example, you?re comparing the lowest-end top loader with the lowest-end front loader, you?d have a difference of $300 instead of $560. That would only require you to do 1,428 loads to catch up. That?s about three and a half years.

Let?s say you?re living in an area with an energy cost of $0.15 per kilowatt hour. Your savings per load would jump to $0.22 per load, requiring you to have to do only 1,364 loads to catch up. You?re getting down to three years and a few months.

Here?s the real truth: the big cost in washing clothes is the cost of heating the water. If you want to start saving money on each of your laundry loads, the best way to start is to minimize your cost of heating your water. A simple step would be to turn down the heat level on your water heater. A more drastic (and expensive up front) step that would save money in the long run is to use a tankless water heater.

For me, it would come down to cash on hand. If I were buying on credit, I would get the least expensive washing machine I could, as the interest on credit card debt destroys any energy efficiency savings I might get. If I were paying cash and could afford either option, though, I?d get a reliable energy efficient one, sticking with recommendations from Consumer Reports.

The Christian Science Monitor has assembled a diverse group of the best economy-related bloggers out there. Our guest bloggers are not employed or directed by the Monitor and the views expressed are the bloggers' own, as is responsibility for the content of their blogs. To contact us about a blogger, click here. To add or view a comment on a guest blog, please go to the blogger's own site by clicking on www.thesimpledollar.com.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/Ouf9LhTzNKs/How-long-will-it-take-an-energy-efficient-washer-dryer-to-pay-for-itself

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Sunday, October 30, 2011

NYU College of Nursing Receives $1 million HRSA grant to enhance the doctor of nursing practice program

NYU College of Nursing Receives $1 million HRSA grant to enhance the doctor of nursing practice program [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 28-Oct-2011
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Contact: christopher james
christopher.james@nyu.edu
212-998-6876
New York University

New York University College of Nursing (NYUCN) received a three-year, $1,018,323.00 grant from the Human Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) to facilitate "Enhancing Clinical Leadership Through DNP Education" at NYUCN.

"The purpose of this project is to prepare advanced education nurses to improve the quality of care through the enhancement of advanced nursing education and practice in a recently instituted post-master's Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program at NYUCN," said NYUCN Clinical Associate Professor Jamesetta A. Newland, PhD, FNP-BC, FAANP, DPNAP.

"The DNP is the logical evolution of graduate curricula created by the increasingly complex role of advanced practice nurses (APNs) today and in the future. The NYUCN program will blend clinical expertise and leadership based on evidence-based practice (EBP), organizational, policy, economic, and leadership content," Newland said.

The project's overall goal is to prepare APNs to assume clinical leadership positions in health care organizations and become clinical faculty in advanced nursing education programs. Three objectives for the project include:

1) Improve clinical leadership preparation of nurse practitioners (NPs) and [certified] nurse midwives (CNMs) at a system or organizational level, to promote excellence in practice, lead change, and improve the quality of health care for underserved populations;

2) Enhance cultural competence of NPs and CNMs by threading core cultural competency content across the DNP curriculum in health promotion and disease prevention for culturally diverse populations; and

3) Enhance the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of NPs and CNMs about EBP and competencies, to critically appraise and translate the latest evidence into clinical practice to improve health care outcomes and quality of care for underserved populations, demonstrating cultural competence.

The curriculum has been designed to give students advanced knowledge and leadership skills within a rich, stimulating, and challenging environment. The NYUCN has numerous linkages with other schools and organizations within the University, large and small medical centers, and community-based clinical practices. Courses will be taught using an executive format to make full-time study possible, using faculty from the NYUCN with expertise in gerontology/aging, chronic disease prevention and management, workforce strategy and capacity, and infectious disease/global public health; and exceptional faculty from the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development and the Wagner School of Public Service.

The DNP students will be assessed at the beginning and end of the academic program on the main concepts of leadership (Change Style Indicator); cultural competence (Transcultural Self-Efficacy Tool), and EBP (EBP Beliefs and Implementation Scales). The DNP program will also implement the NYUCN systematic outcomes assessment plan (SOAP), which utilizes feedback from students, alumni, and employers for evaluation. DNP students' scholarly clinical Capstone Project will also provide additional data for evaluation.

"DNP graduates will significantly and positively impact health care outcomes," said Newland. "They will be prepared to lead inter-professional practice initiatives at a systems level that focus on patient safety, quality of care, and performance improvement," she said.

###

About the New York University College of Nursing

NYU College of Nursing is a global leader in nursing education, research, and practice. It offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing; Master of Arts and Post-Master's Certificate Programs; a Doctor of Philosophy in Research Theory and Development, and a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. For more information, visit www.nyu.edu/nursing.


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?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


NYU College of Nursing Receives $1 million HRSA grant to enhance the doctor of nursing practice program [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 28-Oct-2011
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: christopher james
christopher.james@nyu.edu
212-998-6876
New York University

New York University College of Nursing (NYUCN) received a three-year, $1,018,323.00 grant from the Human Resources & Services Administration (HRSA) to facilitate "Enhancing Clinical Leadership Through DNP Education" at NYUCN.

"The purpose of this project is to prepare advanced education nurses to improve the quality of care through the enhancement of advanced nursing education and practice in a recently instituted post-master's Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program at NYUCN," said NYUCN Clinical Associate Professor Jamesetta A. Newland, PhD, FNP-BC, FAANP, DPNAP.

"The DNP is the logical evolution of graduate curricula created by the increasingly complex role of advanced practice nurses (APNs) today and in the future. The NYUCN program will blend clinical expertise and leadership based on evidence-based practice (EBP), organizational, policy, economic, and leadership content," Newland said.

The project's overall goal is to prepare APNs to assume clinical leadership positions in health care organizations and become clinical faculty in advanced nursing education programs. Three objectives for the project include:

1) Improve clinical leadership preparation of nurse practitioners (NPs) and [certified] nurse midwives (CNMs) at a system or organizational level, to promote excellence in practice, lead change, and improve the quality of health care for underserved populations;

2) Enhance cultural competence of NPs and CNMs by threading core cultural competency content across the DNP curriculum in health promotion and disease prevention for culturally diverse populations; and

3) Enhance the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of NPs and CNMs about EBP and competencies, to critically appraise and translate the latest evidence into clinical practice to improve health care outcomes and quality of care for underserved populations, demonstrating cultural competence.

The curriculum has been designed to give students advanced knowledge and leadership skills within a rich, stimulating, and challenging environment. The NYUCN has numerous linkages with other schools and organizations within the University, large and small medical centers, and community-based clinical practices. Courses will be taught using an executive format to make full-time study possible, using faculty from the NYUCN with expertise in gerontology/aging, chronic disease prevention and management, workforce strategy and capacity, and infectious disease/global public health; and exceptional faculty from the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development and the Wagner School of Public Service.

The DNP students will be assessed at the beginning and end of the academic program on the main concepts of leadership (Change Style Indicator); cultural competence (Transcultural Self-Efficacy Tool), and EBP (EBP Beliefs and Implementation Scales). The DNP program will also implement the NYUCN systematic outcomes assessment plan (SOAP), which utilizes feedback from students, alumni, and employers for evaluation. DNP students' scholarly clinical Capstone Project will also provide additional data for evaluation.

"DNP graduates will significantly and positively impact health care outcomes," said Newland. "They will be prepared to lead inter-professional practice initiatives at a systems level that focus on patient safety, quality of care, and performance improvement," she said.

###

About the New York University College of Nursing

NYU College of Nursing is a global leader in nursing education, research, and practice. It offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing; Master of Arts and Post-Master's Certificate Programs; a Doctor of Philosophy in Research Theory and Development, and a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. For more information, visit www.nyu.edu/nursing.


[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-10/nyu-nco102811.php

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Google Issues Update to Google TV (NewsFactor)

Google is taking another shot at reinventing television. On Friday, the software giant said it is rolling out an updated Android Honeycomb 3.1 version of its TV service to users.

Google TV integrates Web content with TV programming. The update features a simpler interface, easier access to the company's YouTube site and other online streaming video content, and the availability of selected apps by Android developers.

'Bringing Millions of New Channels'

In a Friday posting on the official Google TV blog, two Google executives outlined the new update. Vice President for Product Management Mario Queiroz and Director of Engineering Vincent Dureau wrote that the new, post-Internet chapter of television is not about replacing cable TV, broadcast TV, or "replicating what's on TV to the Web."

Instead, they wrote, it's about "bringing millions of new channels to your TV from the next generation of creators, application developers, and networks," such as the Google-owned YouTube.

Queiroz and Dureau say that "the initial version of Google TV wasn't perfect," but the new software update is trying to move the effort forward by keeping it simple, making it easy to find something worth watching, making the YouTube experience better on TV, and bringing more apps to TV.

Google TV, announced in spring of last year, combines access to Web sites, a search engine and streaming video with a high-definition TV. Sony sells HD sets and Blu-ray players with Google TV capability, and Logitech offers a box that can enable existing hardware.

For instance, if a viewer wanted to watch Modern Family, and had seen all of the episodes available at coming airtimes or recorded to a DVR, the viewer could watch streaming versions from Web sources on the TV set -- if they're available. Other features include the ability for a user to employ an Android smartphone as a voice-recognizing remote control for the TV.

Intel and Smart TV

The software upgrade will roll out next week to Sony products that support the technology, and shortly thereafter to Logitech.

Google also has a partnership for the system with Dish Network, but so far, there are no partnerships with the major broadcast networks. Google has had difficulties with the major networks, but the company is trying to position its TV service as an added value.

Last year, several networks blocked versions of their most popular TV shows when accessed over the Web via Google TV. The shows included The Office, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and Modern Family. Additionally, the popular Hulu site, which is owned by NBC, Disney and News Corp., also blocked its availability on the service.

The equipment manufactured by Sony and Logitech for Google TV are built around a version of Intel's Atom processor. But, according to a new report released Friday by market researcher iSuppli, Intel is now placing less emphasis on the development of chips for smart TVs such as Google TV.

The research firm says that market is a tough one for the chipmaker, which prefers to look to smartphones and tablets as possible growth areas.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/personaltech/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nf/20111028/bs_nf/80800

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Hancock's new video a group effort (AP)

NEW YORK ? Herbie Hancock was a music video trailblazer: In 1984, he garnered five trophies at the first MTV Video Music Awards for his "Rockit" video, which featured robot-like sculptures moving in sync with the song's turntable scratching.

Now more than 25 years later, he's experimenting with a new technique for making a music video.

On Wednesday night, cameras were handed out to 25 photographers ? professionals and hobbyists alike ? who shot continuously as Hancock performed his funky "Chameleon" on the keytar, a synthesizer keyboard that he straps over his shoulder like a guitar.

"We're doing something really special," said Hancock in an interview before performing a brief set with his quartet before invited guests. "What they're going to do is make a flip book (of photographs) that's going to sync to the music."

"It's like the audience is going to make the music video. That's why it's crowd-sourced."

The 71-year-old Hancock made the video, due to be released in early December as part of a Canon promotional campaign, during a break from his first U.S. solo tour without any other musicians accompanying him on stage. Hancock did a brief European tour in the `80s playing solo acoustic piano, but this time he's reinventing the solo concept with all kinds of high-tech gadgetry.

"I'm able to have both the acoustic piano and a synthesizer and my iMac computer," said Hancock, who studied electrical engineering in college. "I'm actually using some devices that right now are really on the cutting edge. I have a controller board with buttons, knobs, faders and sliders in order to manipulate some sound clips."

"It's been working out really well because it has freed me up to be my own drummer and bass player. ... I'm not bound by keeping a particular rhythm or a particular time sequence," he said. "I have the capability of being much more cinematic with a live performance."

Hancock is closing out his fall tour next month with three concerts in Calgary, Alberta; Portland, Ore., and Seattle, at which he will be performing "Rhapsody In Blue" on acoustic piano with a symphony orchestra. The inspiration came after he performed a portion of the George Gershwin masterpiece with classical pianist Lang Lang at the 2008 Grammy Awards, where he also surprisingly won album of the year honors for "River: The Joni Letters."

"I determined that it's time for me to go back to my roots of classical music and to explore that now in my adult life as a professional musician," said Hancock, a child prodigy who performed a Mozart piano concerto with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at age 11. "I listened a lot to classical music ... and used elements that I stole from Ravel or Stravinsky in my style of piano playing and compositions."

Hancock says "Rhapsody" has jazz overtones and he may improvise a little in some places. That he says is part of the classical tradition.

"Bach, Beethoven and Mozart ... were improvisers, but the art of improvisation in classical music got lost along the way," he said.

____

Online:

http://www.herbiehancock.com

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111027/ap_en_mu/us_music_herbie_hancock

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Saturday, October 29, 2011

Lady Liberty's Badass Freedom Cams Are Live [Statue Of Liberty]

We were excited to hear that the Statue of Liberty had been outfitted with some rad webcams in honor of her 125th birthday. Well Big Mother's eyes in the sky just went live and holy hell are they cool. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/16JM9sfBJ1U/lady-libertys-badass-freedom-cams-are-live

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BYD's e6 goes on sale in China, still mulling trek across Atlantic

While it has yet to show up stateside as promised, that hasn't stopped BYD from beginning consumer sales of its EV back home in China. Shenzhen citizens are finally getting a crack at owning an e6 after seeing it on the city's streets in taxi and governmental garb for over a year. On sale for 369,800 RMB (or about $57,000), buyers will only have to part with 249,800 RMB (or about $38,000) come check writing time, thanks to extensive rebates from the government. In exchange for all that cash, you'll get an auto equipped with BYD's "i" system, which lets you access vehicle functions and info (like keyless entry and the car's location) from your smartphone. BYD-i comes onboard a five-seat crossover with a range of up to 190 miles (!) that supports rapid charging -- apparently there's plenty of the speedy power stations in Shenzhen. Those keen to charge at home will also get some installation "assistance" from the automaker, which we'll assume means a subsidy. Given that BYD's electric buses will hit our shores soon, China's first "domestic, long-range, all-electric" crossover can't be that far behind, right? PR awaits you, after the break.

Continue reading BYD's e6 goes on sale in China, still mulling trek across Atlantic

BYD's e6 goes on sale in China, still mulling trek across Atlantic originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Oct 2011 18:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/maSKrOxOGE8/

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Escort's SmartCord Live brings radar detection, KRS-One to your smartphone (video)

Evading the long arm of the law, as we all know, is infinitely easier with a radar detector onboard -- and even easier if said detector is hooked up to a cloud. That's the idea behind the SmartCord Live, a new power cord from the eagle-eyed folks at Escort. Once connected to your car's radar detector and lighter socket, this Bluetooth-enabled bundle will communicate with your iPhone or Android handset through a specialized app. Once that's taken care of, you'll be hooked up to Escort Live -- a so-called "social network for the road." There, you'll find access to Escort's Defender database, full of real-time geographic information on verified speed traps, red light cameras and other roadway surveillance systems. Once your detector picks up a threat, you can press a "report" button on the cord or app to instantly send out a big "five-oh" to all other Escort users in the area, while boosting your Karma quotient, in the process. Find out more about the cord and its corollary system, after the break.

Continue reading Escort's SmartCord Live brings radar detection, KRS-One to your smartphone (video)

Escort's SmartCord Live brings radar detection, KRS-One to your smartphone (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Oct 2011 08:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/phfbhmcW_Ps/

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Friday, October 28, 2011

Discovery announced in Science represents 'new paradigm' in the way drugs can be manufactured

Discovery announced in Science represents 'new paradigm' in the way drugs can be manufactured [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 27-Oct-2011
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Contact: Gabrielle DeMarco
demarg@rpi.edu
518-276-6542
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, announce new method to build important heparin drug

Troy, N.Y. Robert Linhardt is working to forever change the way some of the most widely used drugs in the world are manufactured. Today, in the journal Science, he and his partner in the research, Jian Liu, have announced an important step toward making this a reality. The discovery appears in the October 28, 2011 edition of the journal Science in a paper titled "chemoenzymatic synthesis of homogeneous ultra-low molecular weight heparins."

Linhardt, the Ann and John H. Broadbent Jr. '59 Senior Constellation Professor of Biocatalysis and Metabolic Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Jian Liu, a professor in the Eshelman School of Pharmacy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, have discovered an entirely new process to manufacture ultra-low molecular weight heparin.

The research shows that the drug is identical in performance and safety to the current and successful anticoagulant fondaparinux, but is purer, faster, and less expensive to produce.

"This research represents an entirely new paradigm in drug manufacturing," Linhardt said. "With this discovery, we have successfully demonstrated that replacing the current model of drug production with a chemoenzymatic approach can greatly reduce the cost of drug development and manufacturing, while also increasing drug performance and safety, and reduce the possibility of outside drug contamination. It is our hope that this is the first step in the adoption of this method for the manufacture of many other drugs."

The new process uses chemicals and enzymes to reduce the number of steps in production of fondaparinux from approximately 50 steps down to just 10 to 12. In addition, it increases the yield from that process 500-fold compared to the current fondaparinux process, and could decrease the cost of manufacture by a similar amount, according to Linhardt.

Fondaparinux, which is sold as a name-brand drug and was also recently approved by the FDA as a generic drug, is a synthetic anticoagulant used to treat deep vein thrombosis, with over $500 million in annual sales. It is part of a much larger family of anticoagulant drugs known as heparins. But, unlike most heparin products, it is chemically synthesized from non-animal materials. All other heparin-based drugs currently on the market use materials from the intestines of pigs and lungs of cattle as source materials. Such animal materials are more likely to become contaminated, according to Linhardt.

"When we rely on animals, we open ourselves up for spreading viruses and prion diseases like mad cow disease through the use of these heparins," Linhardt said. "And because most of the raw material is imported, we often can't be sure of exactly what we are getting."

But, fondaparinux is extremely costly to produce, according to Linhardt. "The process to produce the drug involves many steps to purify the material and creates tons and tons of hazardous waste to dispose of," Linhardt said.

The new process developed by Linhardt and Liu greatly reduces the number of steps involved in the production of the drug. This reduces the amount of waste produced and the overall cost of producing the drug.

"Cost should no longer be a major factor in the use or production of this drug," Linhardt said.

The process uses sugars and enzymes that are identical to those found in the human body to build the drug piece by piece. The backbone of the material is first built sugar by sugar and then decorated with sulfate groups through the use of enzymes to control its structure and function in the body.

Linhardt and Liu have already begun testing the drug in animal models with successful results and think the drug could be quickly transferred to the market.

"Because the new drug is biologically identical in its performance to the already approved fondaparinux, the approval process for this new drug should work very similar to the approval process used for fondaparinux," Linhardt said. He also thinks that this combined chemical and enzymatic synthesis can be quickly brought to patients in need and adapted for the production of many other improved carbohydrate-containing drugs.

"During this study, we were able to quickly build multiple doses in a simple laboratory setting and feel that this is something than can be quickly and easy commercialized to reduce the cost of this drug and help to shift how pharmaceutical companies approach the synthesis of carbohydrate-containing drugs."

The finding is part of a much larger body of work occurring in the Linhardt lab to completely replace all types of heparin-based or other glycoprotein-based drugs with safer, low-cost, synthetic versions that do not rely on foreign, potentially contaminated animal sources. More information on this research can be found here, here, and here.

###

The research is funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Linhardt and Liu were joined in the research by Yongmei Xu, Haoming Xu, Renpeng Liu, and Juliana Jing of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Sayaka Masuko of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; and Majde Takieddin and Shaker Mousa of the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.


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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Discovery announced in Science represents 'new paradigm' in the way drugs can be manufactured [ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 27-Oct-2011
[ | E-mail | Share Share ]

Contact: Gabrielle DeMarco
demarg@rpi.edu
518-276-6542
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, announce new method to build important heparin drug

Troy, N.Y. Robert Linhardt is working to forever change the way some of the most widely used drugs in the world are manufactured. Today, in the journal Science, he and his partner in the research, Jian Liu, have announced an important step toward making this a reality. The discovery appears in the October 28, 2011 edition of the journal Science in a paper titled "chemoenzymatic synthesis of homogeneous ultra-low molecular weight heparins."

Linhardt, the Ann and John H. Broadbent Jr. '59 Senior Constellation Professor of Biocatalysis and Metabolic Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Jian Liu, a professor in the Eshelman School of Pharmacy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, have discovered an entirely new process to manufacture ultra-low molecular weight heparin.

The research shows that the drug is identical in performance and safety to the current and successful anticoagulant fondaparinux, but is purer, faster, and less expensive to produce.

"This research represents an entirely new paradigm in drug manufacturing," Linhardt said. "With this discovery, we have successfully demonstrated that replacing the current model of drug production with a chemoenzymatic approach can greatly reduce the cost of drug development and manufacturing, while also increasing drug performance and safety, and reduce the possibility of outside drug contamination. It is our hope that this is the first step in the adoption of this method for the manufacture of many other drugs."

The new process uses chemicals and enzymes to reduce the number of steps in production of fondaparinux from approximately 50 steps down to just 10 to 12. In addition, it increases the yield from that process 500-fold compared to the current fondaparinux process, and could decrease the cost of manufacture by a similar amount, according to Linhardt.

Fondaparinux, which is sold as a name-brand drug and was also recently approved by the FDA as a generic drug, is a synthetic anticoagulant used to treat deep vein thrombosis, with over $500 million in annual sales. It is part of a much larger family of anticoagulant drugs known as heparins. But, unlike most heparin products, it is chemically synthesized from non-animal materials. All other heparin-based drugs currently on the market use materials from the intestines of pigs and lungs of cattle as source materials. Such animal materials are more likely to become contaminated, according to Linhardt.

"When we rely on animals, we open ourselves up for spreading viruses and prion diseases like mad cow disease through the use of these heparins," Linhardt said. "And because most of the raw material is imported, we often can't be sure of exactly what we are getting."

But, fondaparinux is extremely costly to produce, according to Linhardt. "The process to produce the drug involves many steps to purify the material and creates tons and tons of hazardous waste to dispose of," Linhardt said.

The new process developed by Linhardt and Liu greatly reduces the number of steps involved in the production of the drug. This reduces the amount of waste produced and the overall cost of producing the drug.

"Cost should no longer be a major factor in the use or production of this drug," Linhardt said.

The process uses sugars and enzymes that are identical to those found in the human body to build the drug piece by piece. The backbone of the material is first built sugar by sugar and then decorated with sulfate groups through the use of enzymes to control its structure and function in the body.

Linhardt and Liu have already begun testing the drug in animal models with successful results and think the drug could be quickly transferred to the market.

"Because the new drug is biologically identical in its performance to the already approved fondaparinux, the approval process for this new drug should work very similar to the approval process used for fondaparinux," Linhardt said. He also thinks that this combined chemical and enzymatic synthesis can be quickly brought to patients in need and adapted for the production of many other improved carbohydrate-containing drugs.

"During this study, we were able to quickly build multiple doses in a simple laboratory setting and feel that this is something than can be quickly and easy commercialized to reduce the cost of this drug and help to shift how pharmaceutical companies approach the synthesis of carbohydrate-containing drugs."

The finding is part of a much larger body of work occurring in the Linhardt lab to completely replace all types of heparin-based or other glycoprotein-based drugs with safer, low-cost, synthetic versions that do not rely on foreign, potentially contaminated animal sources. More information on this research can be found here, here, and here.

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The research is funded by the National Institutes of Health.

Linhardt and Liu were joined in the research by Yongmei Xu, Haoming Xu, Renpeng Liu, and Juliana Jing of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Sayaka Masuko of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; and Majde Takieddin and Shaker Mousa of the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.


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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2011-10/rpi-dai102711.php

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