Osteochondrosis

Ice Age saber-tooth cats and dire wolves experienced a high incidence of bone disease in their joints, according to new research. Ice Age saber-tooth cats and dire wolves experienced a high incidence of bone disease in their joints, according to a study published July 12, 2023 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Hugo Schmökel of Evidensia Academy, Sweden and colleagues. Osteochondrosis is a developmental bone disease known to affect the joints of vertebrates, including humans and various domesticated species. However, the disease is not documented thoroughly in wild species, and published cases are quite rare. In this study, Schmökel and colleagues identify signs of this disease in fossil limb bones of Ice Age saber-tooth cats (Smilodon fatalis) and dire wolves (Aenocyon dirus) from around 55,000 to 12,000 years ago. Researchers examined over 1,000 limb bones of saber-tooth cats and over 500 limb bones of dire wolves from the Late Pleistocene La Brea Tar Pits, finding small defects in many bones consistent with a specific manifestation of bone disease called osteochondrosis dissecans (OCD). These defects were mainly seen in shoulder and knee joints, with an incidence as high as 7% of the examined bones, significantly higher than that observed in modern species. This study is limited to isolated bones from a single fossil locality, so further study on other fossil sites might reveal patterns in the prevalence of this disease, and from there might shed light on aspects of these animals' lives. It remains unclear, for example, whether these joint problems would have hindered the hunting abilities of these predators. Furthermore, OCD is commonly seen in modern domestic dogs which are highly inbred, so it's possible that the high incidence of the disease in these fossil animals could be a sign of dwindling populations as these ancient species approached extinction. The authors add: "This study adds to the growing literature on Smilodon and dire wolf paleopathology, made possible by the unparalleled large sample sizes at the La Brea Tar Pits & Museum. This collaboration between paleontologists and veterinarians confirms that these animals, though they were large predators that lived through tough times and are now extinct, shared common ailments with the cats and dogs in our very homes today."

ATHENS, Ga.--( BUSINESS WIRE )--Dalan Animal Health, Inc. (“Dalan”), a biotech company pioneering insect health, announced today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) granted a conditional license for vaccination of honeybees against American Foulbrood disease caused by Paenibacillus larvae . Honeybees are a critical component of agriculture. One-third of the global food supply relies on pollination, and healthy commercial hives are essential to secure high crop yields. However, honeybees are plagued by American Foulbrood, with previously no safe and sustainable solution for disease prevention. Overt clinical cases of American Foulbrood are notifiable in the USA and Canada, and the only treatment method relies on the incineration of bees and infected hives and equipment. “This is an exciting step forward for beekeepers, as we rely on antibiotic treatment that has limited effectiveness and requires lots of time and energy to apply to our hives,” explained Trevor Tauzer, owner of Tauzer Apiaries and board member of the California State Beekeepers Association. “If we can prevent an infection in our hives, we can avoid costly treatments and focus our energy on other important elements of keeping our bees healthy.” “We are committed to providing innovative solutions to protect our pollinators and promote sustainable agriculture. Global population growth and changing climates will increase the importance of honeybee pollination to secure our food supply. Our vaccine is a breakthrough in protecting honeybees. We are ready to change how we care for insects, impacting food production on a global scale,” said Dr. Annette Kleiser, CEO of Dalan Animal Health. The bacterin was developed by Dalan Animal Health, and is manufactured by Diamond Animal Health (Des Moines, IA), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Heska (“Heska”; NASDAQ: HSKA). “We are grateful for the help and assistance that Diamond has been able to offer – not just in manufacturing development, but also regulatory expertise,” said Kleiser. The USDA has issued the conditional license in the first instance for two years. Dalan will distribute the vaccine on a limited basis to commercial beekeepers and anticipates having the vaccine available for purchase in the United States in 2023. About the vaccine The vaccine, which contains killed whole-cell Paenibacillus larvae bacteria, is administered by mixing it into queen feed which is consumed by worker bees. The vaccine is incorporated into the royal jelly by the worker bees, who then feed it to the queen. She ingests it, and fragments of the vaccine are deposited in her ovaries. Having been exposed to the vaccine, the developing larvae have immunity as they hatch. Pivotal efficacy studies have indicated that oral vaccination of honeybees may reduce larval death associated with American Foulbrood infections caused by P. larvae . The vaccine is non-GMO and can be used in organic agriculture. About Dalan Animal Health, Inc Dalan Animal Health ( www.dalan.com ) seeks to prevent diseases that affect invertebrates to increase the profitability and yield to producers worldwide. The company’s platform technology uses a transgenerational immune priming approach whereby the maternal animal passes immune modulators (e.g., antigens, anti-microbial molecules) to the next generation larvae before they hatch. The company intends to use this approach to develop vaccines for other honeybee diseases and underserved industries, such as shrimp, mealworms, and insects used in agriculture. The company’s headquarters is in Athens, Georgia, at the University of Georgia’s Innovation Hub.

--Accomplished neurologist and recognized industry leader brings deep scientific and clinical experience to Expansion board BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Expansion Therapeutics, Inc. , a biotechnology company focused on developing transformative oral medicines for severe RNA-mediated diseases, today announced the appointment of Raymond J. Kelleher, M.D., Ph.D., to its Board of Directors representing Cormorant Asset Management. Dr. Kelleher is an accomplished neurologist and neuroscientist, company founder, and investor, who serves on several boards for leading biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: Raymond J. Kelleher, M.D., Ph.D. (Photo: Business Wire) “We are delighted to welcome Dr. Kelleher to our board as we advance the development of our pipeline of small molecule medicines for severe RNA-mediated neurodegenerative diseases,” said Renato Skerlj, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and President of Expansion Therapeutics. “His depth and breadth of neurology experience coupled with his broad scientific, clinical and industry knowledge will be invaluable as we continue to build Expansion as a leading company in developing transformative oral medicines that could dramatically change patient outcomes for diseases where treatment options are currently limited.” Scott Rocklage, Ph.D., Board Chairman added, “We look forward to collaborating with Dr. Kelleher and benefiting from his extensive board and leadership experience at both large and small innovative pharmaceutical and biotech companies. His contributions to Expansion will provide tremendous support for the company’s continued growth and development.” Dr. Kelleher currently serves as Managing Director at Cormorant Asset Management in charge of investing in private and public companies across a range of therapeutic areas. He represents Cormorant on the boards of Arkuda Therapeutics, BiVACOR, and ONK Therapeutics as director, and Chroma Therapeutics, Umoja Biopharma, Interius BioTherapeutics, Garuda Therapeutics, and DTx Pharma as board observer. He also serves on the faculty at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, where his laboratory has made important contributions to understanding the molecular and cellular basis of cognition and cognitive disorders. His work has been widely published in Cell, Nature, Neuron, PNAS, and elsewhere, and his research accomplishments have been recognized with national awards including the Pew Scholars Award in the Biomedical Sciences, the John Merck Scholars Award, and the National Institutes of Health Independent Scientist Award. Dr. Kelleher also maintains an active clinical neurology practice at Massachusetts General Hospital specializing in neurodegenerative disorders, particularly Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. “I look forward to partnering with Expansion’s leadership team and board as the company progresses its pipeline of novel RNA-targeted drug candidates through preclinical and clinical development,” said Dr. Kelleher. “Expansion’s differentiated platform holds tremendous promise in delivering disease-modifying therapies to treat a wide range of RNA-mediated diseases that have the potential to transform patients’ lives.” Dr. Kelleher received B.S. degrees in biology and literature from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an M.A. in french from Harvard, and an M.D. and Ph.D. in cell biology from Stanford, where he discovered the mediator of transcriptional activation while working with Nobel Laureate Roger Kornberg. He conducted postdoctoral research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology with Nobel Laureate Susumu Tonegawa, where he discovered a key role for translational control in memory formation. He completed his internship in internal medicine and residency in neurology at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. About Expansion Therapeutics Expansion Therapeutics is a biotechnology company focused on developing transformative oral medicines for severe RNA-mediated diseases including neurodegenerative disorders. Based on exclusive worldwide rights to groundbreaking research from the laboratory of Matthew D. Disney, Ph.D., at Scripps Research, Expansion has assembled the intellectual property, know-how, and proprietary enabling technologies and tools necessary to facilitate the creation of potent and specific small molecule RNA modulators. Through this unique platform, Expansion is building a portfolio of novel RNA-targeted drug candidates with activity across a broad number of severe RNA-mediated disease indications. Expansion has sites in Boston and Cambridge, Massachusetts and Jupiter, Florida. For more information, visit .