New liquid crystal materials enabling revolutionary display devices

The Display and Beam Steering Thrust of the AFOSR Liquid Crystal MURI addressed key materials and device technology issues affecting performance of liquid crystal (LC) electro-optic (EO) devices, particularly device structures useful in information Displays and for Laser Beam Steering and Switching. Two basic themes were development of bulk LCs having high performance characteristics (nematic LCs, and chiral smectic LC devices having analog response), and development of novel LC electro-optic structures. Research on novel device structures led to advances in LC alignment and on photonic band-gap materials

Rheological Link Between Polymer Melts with a High Molecular Weight Tail and Enhanced Formation of Shish-Kebabs

Presence of an ultra high molecular weight (UHMw) fraction in flowing polymer melts is known to facilitate formation of oriented crystalline structures significantly. The UHMw fraction manifests itself as a minor tail in the molar mass distribution and is hardly detectable in the canonical characterization methods. In this study, alternatively, we demonstrate how the nonlinear extensional rheology reveals to be a very sensitive characterization tool for investigating the effect of the UHMw-tail on the structural ordering mechanism. Samples containing a UHMw-tail relative to samples without, exhibit a clear increase in extensional stress that is directly correlated with the crystalline orientation of the quenched samples. Extensional rheology, particularly, in combination with linear creep measurements, thus, enables the conformational evolution of the UHMw-tail to be studied and linked to the enhanced formation of oriented structures

Promotion of Prescription Drugs to Consumers and Providers, 2001–2010

Background: Pharmaceutical firms heavily promote their products and may have changed marketing strategies in response to reductions in new product approvals, restrictions on some forms of promotion, and the expanding role of biologic therapies. Methods: We used descriptive analyses of annual cross-sectional data from 2001 through 2010 to examine direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) (Kantar Media) and provider-targeted promotion (IMS Health and SDI), including: (1) inflation-adjusted total promotion spending ($and percent of sales); (2) distribution by channel (consumer v. provider); and (3) provider specialty both for the industry as a whole and for top-selling biologic and small molecule therapies. Results: Total promotion peaked in 2004 at US$36.1 billion (13.4% of sales). By 2010 it had declined to $27.7B (9.0$370 million (8.8% of sales) spent on promotion, top biologics were promoted less, with only $33 million (1.4% of sales) spent per product. Little change occurred in the composition of promotion between primary care physicians and specialists from 2001–2010. Conclusions: These findings suggest that pharmaceutical companies have reduced promotion following changes in the pharmaceutical pipeline and patent expiry for several blockbuster drugs. Promotional strategies for biologic drugs differ substantially from small molecule therapies

New Liquid Crystal Materials Enabling Revolutionary Display Devices

The Display and Beam Steering Thrust of the AFOSR Liquid Crystal MURI addressed key materials and device technology issues affecting performance of liquid crystal (LC) electro-optic (EO) devices, particularly device structures useful in information Displays and for Laser Beam Steering and Switching. Two basic themes were development of bulk LCs having high performance characteristics (nematic LCs, and chiral smectic LC devices having analog response), and development of novel LC electro-optic structures. Research on novel device structures led to advances in LC alignment and on photonic band-gap materials

Randomized, Prospective, Double-Masked, Controlled Phase 2b Trial to Evaluate the Safety & Efficacy of ALG-1001 (Luminate®) in Diabetic Macular Edema

Purpose : Currently, there is only one predominant treatment paradigm for diabetic macular edema (DME): anti-VEGF agent as first line, followed by corticosteroids as second line. We performed a double-masked, placebo-controlled, randomized multi-center phase 2b trial to evaluate the safety & efficacy of ALG-1001, a novel first-in-class integrin inhibitor, as compared to bevacizumab in DME. Methods : 80 subjects were randomly assigned to 5 treatment groups: 1.25mg bevacizumab control arm of 5 monthly injections (Group 1); single treatment of 1.25mg bevacizumab at week 0 followed by three ALG-1001 injections (1.0mg or 0.5mg) at weeks 1, 4 and 8 (Groups 2 & 3); ALG-1001 (1.0mg or 0.5mg) given in direct combination with bevacizumab 1.25mg at weeks 1, 4 and 8 (Groups 4 & 5). Efficacy outcomes were change from baseline in BCVA and OCT CMT at week 20. Results : 65 subjects were included in the per protocol population. Group 2 demonstrated the best efficacy among the ALG-1001 groups. Mean change in BCVA were 6.7 and 7.1 letters for 1.25mg bevacizumab and ALG-1001 1.0mg in sequential treatment, respectively. BCVA improved earlier than CMT improvements suggesting a new mechanism of action unlike anti-VEGF. There were no drug related SAEs in ALG-1001 groups. Conclusions : Primary endpoint of non-inferiority in BCVA was met with sequential dosing of a single bevacizumab treatment plus 3 doses of 1.0mg ALG-1001 vs 6 doses of 1.25 mg bevacizumab (≤3 letters difference) at week 20. ALG-1001 showed 12-week durability in all study subjects in sequential therapy arms