‘Next-Generation’ surveillance: an epidemiologists’ perspective on the use of molecular information in food safety and animal health decision-making

Advances in the availability and affordability of molecular and genomic data are transforming human health care. Surveillance aimed at supporting and improving food safety and animal health is likely to undergo a similar transformation. We propose a definition of ‘molecular surveillance’ in this context and argue that molecular data are an adjunct to rather than a substitute for sound epidemiological study and surveillance design. Specific considerations with regard to sample collection are raised, as is the importance of the relation between the molecular clock speed of genetic markers and the spatiotemporal scale of the surveillance activity, which can be control- or strategy-focused. Development of standards for study design and assessment of molecular surveillance system attributes is needed, together with development of an interdisciplinary skills base covering both molecular and epidemiological principles

New Scientific and Technological Developments of Relevance to the Fifth Review Conference

Ye

THE ROLE OF RISK ASSESSMENT IN MANAGING RISK

Risk and Uncertainty,

Novel approaches, including systems biology, to HIV vaccine research and development: Report from a Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise Working Group

The Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise convened a two-day workshop on August 10-11 2009, at the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center offices in Seattle, WA, to discuss the application of novel approaches,including systems biology, to HIV vaccine research and development. The goals of this Working Group were to identify key scientific issues and opportunities that have emerged since the Enterprise Scientific Strategic Plan1 was published in 2005, and to make recommendations to Enterprise stakeholders

Novel approaches, including systems biology, to HIV vaccine research and development: Report from a Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise Working Group

The Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise convened a two-day workshop on August 10-11 2009, at the Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center offices in Seattle, WA, to discuss the application of novel approaches,including systems biology, to HIV vaccine research and development. The goals of this Working Group were to identify key scientific issues and opportunities that have emerged since the Enterprise Scientific Strategic Plan1 was published in 2005, and to make recommendations to Enterprise stakeholders

Nanoinformatics: developing new computing applications for nanomedicine

Nanoinformatics has recently emerged to address the need of computing applications at the nano level. In this regard, the authors have participated in various initiatives to identify its concepts, foundations and challenges. While nanomaterials open up the possibility for developing new devices in many industrial and scientific areas, they also offer breakthrough perspectives for the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases. In this paper, we analyze the different aspects of nanoinformatics and suggest five research topics to help catalyze new research and development in the area, particularly focused on nanomedicine. We also encompass the use of informatics to further the biological and clinical applications of basic research in nanoscience and nanotechnology, and the related concept of an extended ?nanotype? to coalesce information related to nanoparticles. We suggest how nanoinformatics could accelerate developments in nanomedicine, similarly to what happened with the Human Genome and other -omics projects, on issues like exchanging modeling and simulation methods and tools, linking toxicity information to clinical and personal databases or developing new approaches for scientific ontologies, among many others

Pre-corneal tear film thickness in humans measured with a novel technique.

PurposeThe purpose of this work was to gather preliminary data in normals and dry eye subjects, using a new, non-invasive imaging platform to measure the thickness of pre-corneal tear film.MethodsHuman subjects were screened for dry eye and classified as dry or normal. Tear film thickness over the inferior paracentral cornea was measured using laser illumination and a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) camera. A previously developed mathematical model was used to calculate the thickness of the tear film by applying the principle of spatial auto-correlation function (ACF).ResultsMean tear film thickness values (±SD) were 3.05 μm (0.20) and 2.48 μm (0.32) on the initial visit for normals (n=18) and dry eye subjects (n=22), respectively, and were significantly different (p<0.001, 2-sample t-test). Repeatability was good between visit 1 and 2 for normals (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]=0.935) and dry eye subjects (ICC=0.950). Tear film thickness increased above baseline for the dry eye subjects following viscous drop instillation and remained significantly elevated for up to approximately 32 min (n=20; p<0.05 until 32 min; general linear mixed model and Dunnett's tests).ConclusionsThis technique for imaging the ocular surface appears to provide tear thickness values in agreement with other non-invasive methods. Moreover, the technique can differentiate between normal and dry eye patient types