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Illicit Drug Use Mapped Using Wastewater
A team of researchers has mapped patterns of illicit drug use across the state of Oregon using a method of sampling municipal wastewater before it is treated.
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Lambda Legal Files Suit Against Assisted-Living Facility For Allegedly Discriminating Against HIV-Positive Resident
Lambda Legal, a group that represents HIV-positive people, on Tuesday filed a law suit against the Fox Ridge assisted-living facility in North Little Rock, Ark., for allegedly evicting a resident because he is HIV-positive, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reports.The Rev. Robert Franke, a retired biology and religion professor who was diagnosed with HIV in 1987, moved into Fox Ridge, which is operated by Parkstone Living Center, in February. The day after he moved into the facility, an unidentified administrator told his daughter, Sara Franke Bowling, that her "superiors" said Franke needed to be discharged from the facility "because of his HIV." Franke disclosed his HIV status on application materials before moving into the facility. The suit alleges that Parkstone violated the Fair Housing Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Arkansas Civil Rights Act and requests a permanent injunction to prevent the facility from denying apartments or services to people living with HIV/AIDS. The suit also seeks compensatory and punitive damages and attorneys" fees and costs. The case was assigned to U.S. District Judge G. Thomas Eisele. The facility declined to comment on the suit. Julie Munsell, a spokesperson for the state Department of Human Services, said Arkansas law allows for people who have been discharged for assisted-living facilities to remain in the facility pending a hearing if the discharge is appealed. Munsell said the department"s Long-Term Care Division received notice that Franke was appealing the discharge but that the appeal was later dismissed without a hearing. According to Munsell, facilities are not permitted to discharge residents based on medical diagnoses but that some facilities have said they do not have the capacity to provide care for certain conditions. Munsell also said that Fox Ridge is "claiming that they did not admit this client so there is no need for a hearing." Scott Schoettes, staff attorney for Lambda"s HIV Project, said that Franke was not seeking medical care from Fox Ridge, although the facility does provide medical services. "He didn"t require any services beyond which they were licensed to provide," Schoettes said. Franke"s eviction is "particularly blatant and egregious, but unfortunately, not all that uncommon," Schoettes said, adding, "This happens all across the country. We want to send a message that this kind of discrimination is not going to be tolerated" (Satter, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 5/13).
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Printing New Organs: Foundation Funds Medical Technology That Replicates Human Tissue
Methuselah Foundation has identified Organovo, Inc. as a leader in the extraordinary science of bio-printing. The US Department of Health and Human Services predicts: "Within 20 years regenerative medicine will be the standard of care for replacing all tissue/organ systems in the body." Organovo, with the support of Methuselah Foundation, is applying its breakthrough organ printing technologies to make that prediction a reality.
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Clinical Data, Inc. Expands FAMILION(R) Long QT Syndrome Test By Doubling The Number Of Genes

PGxHealth, a division of Clinical Data, Inc. (NASDAQ: CLDA), a biotechnology company developing targeted therapeutics and genetic and pharmacogenomic tests to detect diseases and predict drug safety, tolerability and efficacy, announced at the Heart Rhythm Society meeting that it will double the number of genes in its FAMILION Long QT Syndrome (LQTS) Test. By detecting genetic mutations in individuals and their families, the FAMILION LQTS Test can help guide treatment to prevent possible sudden cardiac death. This newly enhanced LQTS Test follows the 3-gene expansion of the FAMILION Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) Test released earlier this year and demonstrates the Company"s leadership in genetic testing for inherited cardiac disorders. "The addition of these five LQTS genes demonstrates our commitment to expand the scope of our tests as the clinical utility of new information is endorsed by the medical community," said Drew Fromkin, President and CEO of Clinical Data. "We are also pleased that the investments we have made in our laboratory operations, physician and patient support services and payor reimbursement function will enable us to offer this enhanced LQTS Test without increasing our price." Also at the Heart Rhythm meeting, PGxHealth scientists, together with academic collaborators, are presenting three scientific abstracts relating to inherited cardiac conditions. Presentations include: - Spectrum and Prevalence of Mutations for the First 2500 Consecutive Unrelated LQTS Patients Referred for FAMILION® Long QT Syndrome Genetic Testing. Abstract # PO03-4 - A Worldwide Compendium of Putative Brugada Syndrome Associated Mutations in the SCN5A-Encoded Cardiac Sodium Channel. Abstract # PO06-6 - Case-Control Genetic Comparison of the Cardiac Ryanodine Receptor in Catecholaminergic Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia. Abstract # PO02-160 "PGxHealth welcomes the opportunity to join academicians and healthcare providers from around the world again this year at the Heart Rhythm Society meeting, as we continue to disseminate vital information that will advance the understanding of heart disease and further inform treatment decisions," said Carol R. Reed, MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Clinical Data. In related news, PGxHealth has filed a patent application with the Unites States Patent and Trademark Office pertaining to 336 new mutations in the Long QT genes. "This patent filing builds upon our existing intellectual property in LQTS testing and is consistent with our commitment to bring new and enhanced tests to physicians and their patients," added Fromkin. For More Information on the FAMILION family of tests, please contact PGxHealth Customer Service at 877-2-PGxHealth (877-274-9432) or visit http://www.pgxhealth.com. PGxHealth Clinical Data, Inc.


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