Exclusive for Biomedical Engineers

Journal of Developmental Biology and Tissue Engineering (JDBTE)

noreply@blogger.com (Mejora) — Tue, 9 Nov 2010 04:30:00 -0800

Dear Colleague, The Journal of Developmental Biology and Tissue Engineering (JDBTE) is a multidisciplinary peer-reviewed journal published monthly by Academic Journals (www.academicjournals.org/JDBTE ).JDBTE is dedicated to increasing the depth of research across all areas of this subject.

JDBTE welcomes the submission of manuscripts that meet the general criteria of significance and scientific excellence in this subject area, and will publish: · Original articles in basic and applied research· Case studies· Critical reviews, surveys, opinions, commentaries and essays We invite you to submit your manuscript(s) to jdbte.journal@gmail.com for publication. Our objective is to inform authors of the decision on their manuscript(s) within four weeks of submission. Following acceptance, a paper will normally be published in the next issue. Instruction for authors and other details are available on our website;http://www.academicjournals.org/JDBTE/Instruction.htm

Editors and reviewers JDBTE is seeking qualified researchers to join its editorial team as editors, subeditors or reviewers. Kindly send your resume to jdbte.journal@gmail.com .

JDBTE is an Open Access Journal One key request of researchers across the world is unrestricted access to research publications.Open access gives a worldwide audience larger than that of any subscription-based journal ad thus increases the visibility and impact of published work. It also enhances indexing, retrieval power and eliminates the need for permissions to reproduce and distribute content. JDBTE is fully committed to the Open Access Initiative and will provide free access to all articles as soon as they are published. Best regards, Emebane ExcelEditorial AssistantJournal of Developmental Biology and Tissue Engineering (JDBTE)E-mail: jdbte.journal@gmail.comwww.academicjournals.org/JDBTE

Higher Education Abroad

noreply@blogger.com (Mejora) — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 04:56:00 -0700

Research and Markets: U.S. Market for Orthopedic Biomaterials 2010 Reveals in 2009 the Orthopedic Biomaterials Market was Valued at Almost $3.5 Billio

noreply@blogger.com (Mejora) — Thu, 24 Jun 2010 02:43:00 -0700

DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Research and Markets(http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/e4f5eb/u_s_market_for_or) has announced the addition of the "U.S. Market for Orthopedic Biomaterials 2010 (Executive Summary)" report to their offering.

In 2009, the orthopedic biomaterials market was valued at almost $3.5 billion. The total orthopedic biomaterials market has experienced growth, despite the economic downturn, which began in 2008. The market started to spike in 2009 and peaked in 2010 largely driven by rapid growth in the stem cell, hyaluronic acid and synthetic bone graft substitute market segments.

This comprehensive report critically examines the following market segments:

Bone graft substitutes
Cartilage repair
Growth factors
Hyaluronic acid
Machined allografts
Resorbable fixation
Stem cells
Tendon grafts
Platelet rich plasma
Bone marrow concentration systems

This report provides a comprehensive and detailed analysis of market revenues by device type, market forecasts through 2016, unit sales, average selling prices, market drivers and limiters and a detailed competitive analysis, including manufacturer market shares and product portfolios.

Key Topics Covered:

Executive Summary

1.1 Total Orthopedic Biomaterials Market

1.2 Growth Factor And Bone Graft Substitute Market

1.3 Machined Bone Allograft Market

1.4 Hyaluronic Acid Viscosupplementation Market

1.5 Resorbable Fixation Device Market

1.6 Tendon Graft Market

1.7 Cartilage Repair Market

1.8 Platelet And Bone Marrow Concentration Market

1.9 Stem Cell Market

1.10 Leading Competitors

For more information visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/e4f5eb/u_s_market_for_or

Introduction to Biotribology

noreply@blogger.com (Mejora) — Sun, 21 Mar 2010 05:32:00 -0700

The science of Tribology (Greek tribos: rubbing) concentrates on Contact Mechanics of Moving Interfaces that generally involve energy dissipation. It encompasses the science fields of Adhesion, Friction, Lubrication and Wear.

Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)) can be named as the father of modern tribology. He studied an incredible manifold of tribological subtopics such as: friction, wear, bearing materials, plain bearings, lubrication systems, gears, screw-jacks, and rolling-element bearings. 150 years before Amontons' Laws of Friction were introduced, he had already recorded them in his manuscripts. Hidden or lost for centuries, Leonardo da Vinci's manuscripts were read in Spain a quarter of a millennium later.

To the pioneers in tribology one counts besides Leonardo da Vinci also Guillaume Amontons (1663-1705), John Theophilius Desanguliers (1683-1744), Leonard Euler (1707-1783), and Charles-Augustin Coulomb (1736-1806). These pioneers brought tribology to a standard, and its laws still apply to many engineering problems today. Some of their findings are summarized in the following three laws:

1. The force of friction is directly proportional to the applied load. (Amontons 1^st Law)

2. The force of friction is independent of the apparent area of contact. (Amontons 2^nd Law)

3. Kinetic friction is independent of the sliding velocity. (Coulomb's Law)

These three laws were attributed to dry friction only, as it has been well known since ancient times that lubrication modifies the tribological properties significantly. However, it took quite a long time until lubrication was studied pragmatically and lubricants were not just listed such as a "cooking formula". It was Nikolai Pavlovich Petrov and Osborne Reynolds around 1880, who recognized the hydrodynamic nature of lubrication, and introduced a theory of fluid-film lubrication. Still today, Reynolds' steady state equation of fluid film lubrication

is valid for hydrodynamic lubrication of thick films (> mm) where the frictional (drag) force, F, is proportional to both the sliding velocity, v, and the bulk fluid viscosity h, and inversely proportional to the film lubricant thickness, D. The hydrodynamic theory breaks down below a critical thickness threshold that is expressed in the Stribeck-Curve (Richard Stribeck 1902).

In the twentieth century the theories of dry friction and lubricated friction were further developed. Solid-like behavior of lubricants in the ultrathin film regime (> mm) led to theory of Boundary Lubrication, which was proposed by W.B. Hardy (1919). The adhesion concept of friction for dry friction, already proposed by Desanguliers, was applied with great success by Bowden and Tabor to metal-metal interfaces.

Adhesion is a term relating to the force required to separate two bodies in contact with each other. Desanguliers (1734) proposed adhesion as an element in the friction process, a hypothesis which appeared to contradict experiments because of the independence of friction on the contact area (Amontons 2^nd Law). Therefore the tribologists rejected Desanguliers' proposal and devoted their attention to a more geometrical hypothesis of friction, the interlocking theory of mechanical asperities. The contradiction between the adhesive issue and Amontons 2^nd Law cleared up by the introduction of the concept of the real area of contact. The real area of contact is made up of a large number of small regions of contact, in the literature called asperities or junctions of contact, where atom-to-atom contact takes place. Bowden and Tabor (1954) showed that the force of static friction between two sliding surfaces is strongly dependent on the real area of contact. A very important outcome of their work, which led to the asperity contact theory of friction, is their detailed discussion about adhesive wear. In contrast to abrasive wear which applies to the form of wear arising when a hard, rough surface slides against a softer surface, in adhesive wear, asperity junctions plastically deform above a critical shear strength, which depends on the adhesive forces of the two surfaces in contact. Assuming during a frictional sliding process a fully plastic flow situation of all asperities, friction is found to change linearly with the applied load as demanded by Amontons 1^st Law.

Bowden and Tabor investigated friction also from the perspective of a purely elastic sliding process. They used a simplified single asperity model of contact based on the Hertzian elastic theory, and found a non-linear friction-load dependence (F=L^2/3), which clearly contradicted Amontons 1^st Law and the experiments conducted at that time. It was Archard (1953), who recognized that there was no contradiction between an elastic single asperity model and Amontons 1^st law that is based on a contact that involves many asperities. Instead of assuming a constant number of asperities as Bowden and Tabor did, Archard assumed a load dependent number of asperities. With this assumption the controversy between the elastic multiple asperity hypothesis and Amontons 1^st Law could be resolved. Greenwood and Williamson further improved the method with a Gaussian and exponential distributions of asperities. With the inception of the atomic force microscope (AFM) and friction force microscope (FFM) Bowden and Tabor's single asperity elastic theory (F=L^2/3) could be experimentally verified.

Reynolds fluid film lubrication bases strongly on the assumption that no slip occurs at the fluid solid interface. The condition of no-slip, today described by physical adsorption, brought Hardy to the idea of boundary lubrication. The boundary lubrication is only of molecular thickness. In most cases the lubricant thin film, which acts like a soft solid lubricant, shows incomplete coverage. Wear occurs at these breakthroughs exhibiting complex friction-load dependences. The term boundary lubricant is used for thin organic layer lubricants which can reduce the coefficient of friction by a factor of 20, and the rate of wear by 10,000 or more. Thermodynamic activation models based on Eyring's cage model have been used to describe the frictional phenomena in boundary lubrication of Langmuir Blodgett films (Briscoe, Evans: 1981), and simple fluid lubrication such as hexadecane (He, Overney: 2000).

The shear properties of thin fluid layers under external compressions have found great interest over the last two decades. Surface forces apparatus (SFA) studies, pioneered by Tabor, Israelachvili, McGuiggan and Gee, showed liquids to behave like solids, i.e., cable of storing energy. Interestingly, liquids under these conditions exhibit very high viscosities but unexpectedly low shear resistances.

3rd Thesinge biofilm meeting

noreply@blogger.com (Mejora) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 06:23:00 -0700

Thesinge biofilm meetings attempt to provide open, provocative discourse to stimulate thinking and creative approaches in a friendly, family-style atmosphere.There are no proceedings, only an abstract/program book, and active exchange.

What’s it about?

Biofilm research is booming since the field of application is extremely wide. Over the past decade, new techniques have become available for the basic study of interactions between microorganisms and surfaces to answer questions like:

•“What makes them stick? What causes them to detach? Why do they form a biofilm?”
Although the meeting is set-up to include all fields of application, primary focus is on biomaterials implant-related infections - the number one cause of implant failure.

Prevention of biofilm formation is the ultimate goal in nearly every field of application. This has stimulated a worldwide search for new antimicrobial surfaces and approaches.
The Thesinge meeting will highlight new developments in antimicrobial coatings:

•“Why silver? Do QUATS really work? What are options for antimicrobial-releasing coatings?”
Objectives/goals :All participants are asked to contribute intellectual and other creative input to inspiring new ideas, new approaches and new information to participants.

Let’s make sure that we do not surrender to the biofilm!
Come and help find new solutions.

http://www.rug.nl/umcg/faculteit/disciplinegroepen/biomaterialen/biofilmmeeting/index

Biofilms4 International Conference, 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Mejora) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 06:21:00 -0700

Dear Biofilm researchers,

We are pleased to announce that the fourth International Biofilms Conference will be held in Winchester, U.K., from Wednesday 1st to Friday 3rd September, 2010.

Please check this site http://www.biofilms4.com/ regularly for updates or enter your email address here to be kept up to date of any new information.

If you have any queries of questions please feel free to contact the events organisers Kinetix Events at biofilms4@kinetixevents.co.uk

We look forward to seeing you at Biofilms4, 2010.

Post-doctoral scientist position in Biomaterials

noreply@blogger.com (Mejora) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 10:52:00 -0700

Overview

A post-doctoral research scientist position (stipend) is available in the Division of Glycoscience at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH) in Stockholm, Sweden. The research will be conducted in the context of CarboMat – The KTH Advanced Carbohydrate Materials Consortium.

KTH is the largest technical university in Sweden. Education and research cover a broad spectrum within natural sciences and engineering, as well as architecture, industrial engineering and management, urban planning, work science and environmental engineering. There are circa 13,300 full-year undergraduate students, 1,500 postgraduate students and 3,900 employees.

budget of 30 MSEK over 5 years (2010-2014), including matching funding from the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH). CarboMat is a multi-disciplinary program that involves the research of four professors at KTH in the Division of Glycoscience (School of Biotechnology) and Division of Biocomposites (School of Chemical Science and Engineering). The overall objective of the program is to harness carbohydrate enzymology, polysaccharide (bio)chemistry, and nanocomposite design to produce novel high-performance and environmentally sustainable materials from renewable biomass. Key target applications include bio-active and stimuli-responsive materials; innovative membranes for filtration, diagnostics and environmental remediation; and functional textiles and structural biocomposites.

Research project

The objectives of the research project are (1) the introduction of functionalized biopolymers in Gluconoacetobacter xylinus cultures for the production of cellulose nanofiber composites; (2) characterization to understand the relations between structure and properties; (3) to exploit applications in bio-molecular recognition and separation, responsive and active materials. The successful candidate is expected to play a leading role in a multi-disciplinary research team of postgraduate students and other post-doctoral scientists, both within CarboMat and through interactions with the newly formed Wallenberg Wood Science Center at KTH. The host laboratory offers state-of-the-art equipment and resources for achieving these objectives and has an established track record in these areas.

Requirements

The selected candidate must hold a Ph.D. degree (or equivalent) in composite or polymer science. Candidates with experience in carbohydrate chemistry and/or biochemistry will be strongly favored, and familiarity with NMR, XRD, SEM, TEM, and AFM is desirable.

To address its varied work, KTH aims to employ a diversity of talent and thus welcomes applicants who will add to the variety of the University, especially as concerns its gender structure.

Form of contract

Time-limited stipend

Start date

According to agreement

Application procedure

Closing date for application: March 19, 2010
Reference number: B-2010-0045, dossier 33

The application should include a cover letter with motivation and a detailed CV including the applicant’s degrees, post-doctoral experience, and other relevant research experience. In addition, candidates are asked to supply the names and full contact information for three (3) personal/professional references.

The application should be sent by e-mail to Asst. Prof. Qi Zhou

qi@kth.se

and Prof. Vincent Bulone

bulone@kth.se

with a cc: to administrator Lotta Rosenfeldt (lottar@biotech.kth.se).

N.b.: Applicants are requested to specify the reference number above in the e-mail subject line.

Contact persons for further information

Asst. Prof. Qi Zhou or Prof. Vincent Bulone
Division of Glycoscience
School of Biotechnology
Royal Institute of Technology (KTH)
AlbaNova University Centre
106 91 Stockholm
Sweden

qi@kth.se

bulone@kth.se

Tel: +46 8 5537 8383 (Asst. Prof. Zhou) or +46 8 5537 8841 (Prof. Bulone)

Organization website:

http://www.biotech.kth.se/glycoscience/

Union representative

Rikard Lingström, SACO
Phone: +46 8 790 8292

rlm@kth.se

2010 Biomaterial Conferences

noreply@blogger.com (Mejora) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 10:47:00 -0700

February

February 14-18, 2010 The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS) 2010 Annual Meeting & Exhibition
Seattle, Washington
http://www.tmsorg/meetings/annual-10/AM10home.aspx

March

March 7-10 14th annual Hilton Head Workshop: Regenerative Medicine: Advancing to Next Generation Therapies
Hilton Head Island, SC
Abstract deadline: November 13, 2009
www.hiltonhead.gatech.edu

April

April 21-24: 2010 Society For Biomaterials Annual Meeting and Exposition Seattle, Washington

April 21–23 Bone Tissue: Hierarchical Simulations for Clinical Applications Workshop
UCLA campus, Los Angeles, California
http://ortho.ucla.edu/body.cfm?id=136
http://www.ipamucla.edu/programs/bone2010

May

May 27–29 ASAIO's 56th Annual Conference
Hilton Baltimore
www.asaio.com

August

August 11–14, 2010 Advances in Tissue Engineering Short Course
Rice University, Houston, Texas
http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~mikosgrp/pages/ATE/ate.htm

The purpose of this meeting is to survey the latest knowledge and technologies in the world of patient-specific therapeutics – from transplantation of cells and tissues to artificial organs.

September

September 1–4 BIOSPINE 3 – 3rd Congress of Biotechnologies for Spinal Surgery organized by Regenerate (European Network for Regenerative Medicine)
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
www.biospine.org

November

November 7–12 Tenth International Conference on the Chemistry and Biology of Mineralized Tissues
Carefree Resorts, Carefree, Arizona
www.iccbmt.org

Advances in Tissue Engineering 2010

noreply@blogger.com (Mejora) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 10:47:00 -0700

Advances in Tissue Engineering 2010
18th Annual Short Course
August 11 through 14, 2010
Rice University, Houston, Texas Focusing on advances in the science and technology of tissue engineering and featuring leading scientists from Rice University, the Texas Medical Center, industry, and other institutions.
The course will survey the latest knowledge and technologies in the world of patient-specific therapeutics - from transplantation of cells and tissues to artificial organs. Course Features Program & Speakers

CONTACT AND INFORMATION

BIOTRIBOLOGY: The Tribology of Living Tissues

noreply@blogger.com (Mejora) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 10:41:00 -0700

BIOTRIBOLOGY

The study of friction, lubrication and wear in biological systems, specifically articular joints.

As in man-made machines, excessive wear and tear of moving parts can cause grave breakdowns in the human body. When artificial materials such as polyethylene or titanium perform poorly in the real world of bone, muscle and blood, a special subset of tribologists are summoned. These specialists in biological friction and lubrication-called biotribologists-are helping medical researchers understand wear-related breakdowns and create treatments that get the body up and running again.

With 206 bones in the adult human body, powered by about 600 muscles, there is much to understand and much that can go wrong, tribologically speaking. In addition to bones and muscle, the body relies on many other moving parts: the beating heart, chewing teeth and blinking eyes. The body also produces its own unique lubricants-tears, saliva and synovial joint fluid-which biotribologists must understand as completely as their counterparts in machine labs grasp the properties of oil and synthetic lubricants.

"From a scientific viewpoint, there are many interesting questions about the tribology of moving tissues," says Myron Spector, professor of orthopedic surgery at Harvard Medical School. "In the human body many tissues move in relation to one another, and the body has to allow for that movement or the tissue will split and break down."

MAKING HIP REPLACEMENTS LAST

Artificial hips are widely considered the most successful advance in orthopedic surgery in the last 100 years. With its high success rate, hip replacement surgery offers people with diseased joints not only freedom from pain but also the chance to walk, run or even dance again. An estimated 300,000 people in the United States undergo hip-replacement procedure each year.

Still, the success is incomplete. Based on the wear characteristics of their component materials, artificial hips should last a patient's lifetime. But in reality these devices last only 12 to 15 years in the human body. Replacing them means another major surgery for the patient.

Biotribology on the microscale and nanoscale

noreply@blogger.com (Mejora) — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 10:39:00 -0700

Biotribology on the microscale and nanoscale

20 January 2009

Prof Ille C. Gebeshuber
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Malaysia
http://www.ille.com

Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology

Biochemistry

Engineering

Engineering (miscellaneous), Mechanics of Materials

Materials Science

Biomaterials

Physics and Astronomy

Surfaces and Interfaces

Biotribologists gather information about biological surfaces inrelative motion, their friction, adhesion, lubrication, and wear, and apply this knowledge to technological innovation as well as to thedevelopment of environmentally sound products.

In micro- and nanotribology, at least one of the two interacting surfaces in relative motion has a relatively small mass, and the interaction occurs mainly under lightly loaded conditions. In this situation, negligible wear occurs and the surface properties dominate the tribological performance (Bhushan 2000). Biological systems also excel at this scale and might serve as templates for developing the next generation of tools based on nano- and micrometer scale technologies (Scherge and Gorb 2001).

A few examples of biological systems with amazing tribological properties at the micro- and nanoscale level are given below:

* Diatoms arealgae just a couple of micrometers in size (Round, Crawford and Mann 1990) that have rigid surfaces inrelative motion and have evolved self-healing adhesives, nanostructuredamorphous silica surfaces, and interconnected junctions (Gebeshuber 2007, Gebeshuber and Crawford 2006, Gebeshuber et al 2002).

* White blood cells serve as the police of the body's immune system. Theyflow in the blood stream and have to be stopped at the site of aninflammation. An exquisite arrangement of different, switchableadhesives enables controlled deployment of anti-inflammatory agents inour bodies (Orsello et al 2001).

* The Gecko can easily climb up walls and run on ceilings. The measurement of the adhesive force exerted by a single Gecko hair (Autumn et al 2000) has opened a new field of research: dry adhesives.

*Tough underwater adhesives produced by diatoms and the molecular mechanistic origin of the ‘glue’ responsible for the high fracture resistance of the abalone shell (Smith et al 1999) conclude the biological examples.

Current synthetic adhesives and lubricants are not perfect, and the low friction coefficients in many natural systems are yet to be achieved in artificial systems. Technological innovations, completely new ideas, and unconventional approaches can all be learned from nature. These approaches have been tested and improved upon for millions of years; they are continuously being optimized with respect to their function and environment. The perfect material is not pure, homogenous, and with constant parameters, but can be controlled over time, has the capacity to self-repair, and disintegrates after disposal. Living systems possess all these abilities.

Biomicro- and nanotribology, the investigation of micro- and nanoscale tribological principles in biological systems, may be a path to realizing simultaneously ‘smart’, dynamic, complex, environmentally friendly (nontoxic, biodegradable, able to be integrated in biogeochemical cycles without sinks), self-healing, and multifunctional lubricants and adhesives. A biomimetic and bioinspired approach to tribology should therefore be considered further (Gebeshuber and Drack 2008).

Biomedical Engineering journal on-line

noreply@blogger.com (Mejora) — Thu, 5 Nov 2009 22:36:00 -0800

http://www.biomedical-engineering-online.com/

2010 Biomaterials Meetings

noreply@blogger.com (Mejora) — Thu, 5 Nov 2009 22:27:00 -0800

January

January 25-27 Cell & Gene Therapy Forum 2010
The Grand Hyatt Hotel, Washington, DC
www.phacilitate.co.uk/cgtherapy

March

March 7-10 14th annual Hilton Head Workshop: Regenerative Medicine: Advancing to Next Generation Therapies
Hilton Head Island, SC
Abstract deadline: November 13, 2009
www.hiltonhead.gatech.edu

April

April 21-24: 2010 Society For Biomaterials Annual Meeting and Exposition Seattle, Washington

May

May 27–29 ASAIO's 56th Annual Conference
Hilton Baltimore
Abstract Deadline January 19, 2010
www.asaio.com

September

September 1–4 BIOSPINE 3 – 3rd Congress of Biotechnologies for Spinal Surgery organized by Regenerate (European Network for Regenerative Medicine)
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
www.biospine.org

International PHD Programmes

noreply@blogger.com (Mejora) — Mon, 2 Nov 2009 06:23:00 -0800

Check the website given below

http://mobility.embo.org/index.php?option=com_weblinks&view=category&id=458%3Ainternational-phd-programmes&Itemid=164

noreply@blogger.com (Mejora) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 10:34:00 -0700

Materials Innovations for Infection Prevention

London, UK

Organization

Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining

Preventing the spread of infection through the innovative use of materials and design.

The spread of swine flu, MRSA, C. difficile and other infections in the healthcare environment is something that must be tackled on all fronts if we wish to contain the threat to patients, staff and employees working with infected people. In addition to the antiviral treatments available, the innovative use of materials and related technologies has an extremely important secondary role to play within hospitals, health centres, nursing homes, and even the home and office environments. This one day conference will explain the threat, and look at a number of ways of reducing the spread of infection including:

the use of innovative design solutions to minimise the spread of infection and prevent the build up of bacteria on furnishings as well as medical equipment, and the use of patient isolation
the use and application of functional materials for applications such as hard surfaces, textiles (bedding, clothing and soft furnishings), paints and medical devices
the future alternatives to today's solutions and the use of nanotechnology
detection systems to sense and monitor superbugs
smart solutions and new equipment to kill harmful bacteria and deep clean infected areas.

The conference will outline the work being done by the NHS, through the National Innovation Centre and the NHS Healthcare Acquired Infection (HCAI) Technology Innovation Programme, and it will identify the methods of getting new products and solutions into the NHS through the Design Bugs Out project and the Smart Solutions programme.

Chair: Sue Dunkerton , HealthTech and Medicines Knowledge Transfer Network

· Keynote 1: The Threat Explained, Professor Clive Beggs, Professor of Medical Technology at the University of Bradford

· Keynote 2: The Healthcare Acquired Infection (HCAI) Technology Programme. Paul Cryer, Programme Manager, Department of Health, HCAI Technology Innovation Programme

· Infection Prevention: the Journey to Market. Chris Dyke, Medilink West Midlands

· Biofilm Models for the Testing of Antimicrobial-Releasing Materials . Dr Jonathan Pratten, UCL Eastman Dental Institute

· Recent Developments in Copper Protection. Mark Tur, Copper Development Agency

· Antimicrobial Fabrics – An Overview. Brian McCarthy, Technical Textiles, Materials KTN

· Application and Evaluation of Durable, High Activity, Antimicrobial Coatings Based on Nano Ag by Chemical Vapour Deposition. Howard Foster, Parasitology and Disease Research Centre, School of Environment and Life Sciences, University of Salford

· Inorganic Nanomaterials for Antimicrobial Protection. Selvaraj Subbiah, Intrinsiq Materials

· Ultra Thin, Prophylactic Liquid Glass (SiO2) Coatings for Use in Healthcare and Associated Environments. Neil McClelland, Project Manager, Nanopool GmbH

· Lenticular Posters as a Visual Stimulus for Infection Control. Robbie Rohan, P4YT

· Nanosensors for Superbugs and Superdrugs, Dr Rachel McKendry, London Centre for Nanotechnology, University College London

· Open Air Factor- A Cascade Reaction of Hydroxyl Radicals , Alan Mole, Tri-Air Developments Ltd.

· The Use of UV Light in Infection Control. John Burrows, Pathogen Solutions Ltd

· NHS Smart Ideas: Temporary Isolation Unit, Mike Phillips, Renfrew Group

· Design Bugs Out Part 1: Hospital Equipment. Grace Davey, Helen Hamlyn Centre, RCA

· Design Bugs Out Part 2: Design Principles of Hospital Furniture. Geoff Hollington, Design Consultant

Who Should Attend
The conference will appeal to researchers, producers, specifiers and manufacturers of healthcare related products and devices, and those responsible for infection control in the broadest sense, both within healthcare, but also within the home and office environments.

Cost: £260+VAT . Concessions available for event partner and IOM3 members, students and unemployed.

Event Partners:
HealthTech and Medicines KTN , the Infection Prevention Society , the S ociety for Applied Microbiology , the Engineering in Medicine and Health Division of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers , Medilink West Midlands , the IET and biomat.net .

Further information from www.iom3.org/events/infection or contact dawn.bonfield@iom3.org .

2nd Chinese-European Symposium on Biomaterials in Regenerative Medicine

noreply@blogger.com (Mejora) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 10:32:00 -0700

2nd Chinese-European Symposium on Biomaterials in Regenerative Medicine

16-20 November 2009

Barcelona, Spain

Organization

The European Society for Biomaterials (ESB), Chinese Committee for Biomaterials (CCBM) and the Institut de Bioenginyeria de Catalunya

Presentation
The European Society for Biomaterials (ESB) and the Chinese Committee for Biomaterials (CCBM) are pleased to announce the 2nd joint symposium on Biomaterials in Regenerative Medicine, which will be held in Barcelona from 17 to 20th November 2009.

After the successful first joint symposium held in Suzhou (China) on April 2006, this 2nd meeting will be the perfect opportunity for Chinese and European researchers to gather together again. Last highlights and achievements in biomaterials and tissue engineering will be presented and future trends and challenges will be discussed. The meeting will offer the most suitable platform for networking and partnering and will for sure foster EU-China collaborations.

Deadlines
Abstract submission period: 02/02/09 - 01/04/09
Acceptance notification: 15/05/09
Early registration deadline: 15/07/09
Registration deadline: 30/10/09

Topics include
Biological response
Biomaterials surfaces
Biomechanics
Ceramics
Composites
Drug/gene delivery (controlled release)
Injectable biomaterials
Material properties/characterization
Metals
Modeling
Biological tissues
Nanotechnology/nanostructured biomaterials
Polymers
Tissue engineering /Regenerative Medicine
Translational and clinical research

Third International NanoBio Conference

noreply@blogger.com (Mejora) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 10:30:00 -0700

NanoBio-Zurich 2010

Registration and abstract submission is now open

The Third International NanoBio Conference will take place at ETH Zurich, August 24-27, 2010. For this 4-day conference, we will have at least 38 invited, internationally renowned speakers for plenary and two parallel sessions, as well as poster sessions and an industrial exhibition. We expect around 500 participants, 250 - 300 posters and about 15-20 exhibitors.

This meeting gathers the leaders of this progressive field from all over the world helping scientists to get an update on the most recent achievements in the different topics of nanobiotechnology, to discuss, to network, to exchange stimulating new ideas, and to take responsibility in forming public opinion about nanobiotechnology.

Sessions topics include:

NanoBio Sensing
NanoBio Materials
NanoBio Interfaces
NanoBio Devices
Drug delivery & Nanomedicine
Nanomedical imaging
Nanotoxicology
Biomimetic and Bioinspired Nano-Structured Materials and Interfaces
Nano-scale Characterization Techniques and Single Molecule Analysis

Follow this link to see the flyer for the Third International NanoBio Conference 2010, Zurich

NanoBio-Zurich 2010_Flyer

Stem cells 'can treat diabetes'

noreply@blogger.com (Mejora) — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 10:28:00 -0700

An experimental stem cell treatment has enabled patients with type 1 diabetes to go for as long as four years without insulin injections, researchers say.

A US-Brazilian project with 23 patients found most were able to produce their own insulin after a transplant of stem cells from their own bone marrow.

Even those who relapsed needed less insulin than before.

But writing in the journal JAMA, the team warned the treatment may only work in those very recently diagnosed.

The treatment is designed to stop the immune systems of those with type 1 diabetes, a condition which usually develops in childhood, from mistakenly destroying the cells which create insulin.

To measure its effectiveness, team from Northwestern University in the US and the Regional Blood Centre in Brazil, looked at levels of C-peptides, which show how well the body is producing insulin.

Twenty of the 23 patients who received the treatment became insulin-free - one for as long as four years. Eight had to return to insulin injections, but at reduced levels.

The treatment did not work in three of the patients, and it was also unlikely to work in patients more than three months after diagnosis of diabetes, said Dr Richard Burt of Northwestern. This was because by this stage, the immune system had destroyed the body's islet cells.

It was also unlikely to be have any therapeutic benefits for those with type 2 diabetes, mainly associated with obesity, as these patients still make insulin.

Dr Iain Frame, director of research at Diabetes UK, said: "although this remains an interesting area of research, the importance of a limited extension to this study should not be overstated - this is not a cure for Type 1 diabetes."

He added: "we would like to see this experiment carried out with a control group for comparison of results and a longer-term follow up in a greater number of people.

"It is important that the researchers look at the causes of the apparent improvement in insulin production and C-peptide levels in some participants. In particular, it is crucial to find out whether this is associated with the timing of the treatment or possible side effects of it rather than the stem cell transplant itself.

"It would be wrong to unnecessarily raise the hopes of people living with diabetes about a new treatment for the condition on the back of the evidence provided in this study."

-BBC News

European Society of Biomaterials 2009, Lausanne

noreply@blogger.com (Mejora) — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 08:17:00 -0700

Boom time for biomaterials

noreply@blogger.com (Mejora) — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 23:51:00 -0700

Rapid developments are afoot in the field of biomaterials, and are likely to have major effects on patient care soon. But science isn't the only thing defining the pace of progress.
Introduction
In this issue of Nature Materials we take a look at recent advances in the field of biomaterials — the study of interactions between in vivo or in vitro biological systems and materials — and look at what we can expect in the future. The move of modern biomaterials from lab to hospital may seem to be a rapid one, but humans have been augmenting the body with implants for centuries. As far back as 200 AD it is thought that iron dental implants were used in Europe, and the Mayans fashioned nacre teeth from sea shells around 600 AD; both types of material became integrated into the bone after implantation1.

Artificial human epidermis in a liquid-culture flask; new skin grafts grown from patients' own cells have lower risks of rejection.
Although what constitutes the very first biomaterial may remain somewhat ill-defined, it is clear that modern biomaterials are evolving at an intense pace. From simple implants like intraocular lenses, which restore sight to millions of cataract patients every year and were first used more than half a century ago, to more complex materials that not only perform mechanical tasks in the body, but can also interact with and even direct the body's response for maximum restorative power. Indeed, researchers are becoming adept at creating grafts and implants that don't only mimic the body, but actually encourage it to 'colonize' the foreign material itself, growing new skin, cartilage or blood vessels. This boom is in part a result of more specific knowledge about the human body at the cellular level. The improved understanding of body tissue and its interaction with materials, together with the increase in collaboration from scientists from different disciplines to help disseminate this knowledge and enable its use in engineering, has allowed the rapid developments that we are now seeing.
The step changes in the approach to biomaterials are examined in our special issue: the evolution of biomaterials from simple embedded devices to more complex functional materials that control biological interactions is examined in our Commentary from James Burns, who argues that it is likely to be the most prosperous research and development direction in the future for the field2. And developments in the field of tissue engineering are reviewed by Molly Stevens and colleagues3, who are of the opinion that the field is better served by trying to generate less complex materials that can stimulate the body to heal and improve itself using biology as a tool, rather than concentrating on more and more complex materials to replace body tissues themselves.
A field such as biomaterials touches on many ethical questions, from sample sources to how advances are deployed into clinical care across the population. The wider public, politicians and policy makers quite rightly have a role in considering these questions, resulting in research in this area regularly being scrutinized and influenced by external factors. For instance, a current research area in biomaterials focuses on how materials properties, such as mechanical elasticity or chemical properties, can influence the differentiation and growth of cells; indeed, this is a common theme for papers within our own pages4, 5. For this type of study, stem cells are of particular use, as they begin as unspecialized cells with the ability to grow into different types of cell depending on need. The well-publicized ethical debate surrounding the sourcing of stem cells from embryos has been going on for some years, and is not limited to those that are used in biomaterials studies.
On 9 March 2009, President Obama lifted restrictions laid down by the Bush administration on federal funding for research into new stem cell lines. A single embryo can provide a theoretically limitless source of stem cells as the line can be grown indefinitely. However, researchers have been in need of stem cell lines with more diverse genetic make up, including those with genetic problems such as Parkinson's and autoimmune diseases. Obama's move has freed US scientists to add to the currently available 21 stem cell lines, broadening research possibilities into specific genetic problems. Clearly, these political and ethical debates are needed, but some US researchers felt that the Bush administration's stance put them at a disadvantage compared with their colleagues in other countries6. Legal factors, such as the fear of litigation mentioned by Robert Langer in our interview7, will also have a role in what research scientists and companies are willing and able to undertake and fund.
Back in the biomaterials research lab, the multidisciplinary approach that is helping to fuel growth fits perfectly with the ethos of materials science in general, and reflects the tactics used by a large number of our authors and readers. We look forward to seeing what happens next, and hope that science, not external factors, will be the major determinant of the nature of future research and the speed with which these developments occur.
Top of page
References
Ratner, B. D. et al. Biomaterials Science: An Introduction to Materials in Medicine (Academic Press, 2004).
Burns, J. W. Nature Mater. 8, 441–443 (2009). Article
Place, E. S., Evans, N. D. & Stevens, M. M. Nature Mater. 8, 457–470 (2009). Article
Mitragotri, S. & Lahann, J. Nature Mater. 8, 15–23 (2009). Article ChemPort
Benoit, D. S. W., Schwartz, M. P., Durney, A. R. & Anseth, K. S. Nature Mater. 7, 816–823 (2008). Article ChemPort
Owen-Smith, J. & McCormick, J. Nature Biotech. 24, 391–392 (2006). Article PubMed ChemPort
Nature Mater. 8, 444–445 (2009). Article

Nature Materials 8, 439 (2009) doi:10.1038/nmat2451

Siemens Introduces Next-Generation Molecular Diagnostics Technology for HIV-1 Viral Load Testing

noreply@blogger.com (Mejora) — Tue, 3 Mar 2009 06:35:00 -0800

21/01/2009Siemens AG, Healthcare Sector
Siemens Healthcare received CE marking approval to sell the new VERSANT kPCR Molecular System and the VERSANT HIV-1 RNA 1.0 Assay (kPCR) for monitoring the viral load of HIV-1 infected patients who are undergoing antiviral therapy. Viral load testing measures the plasma levels of the virus, which is critical when monitoring and guiding patients’ HIV therapy. "With nearly three million people diagnosed as HIV positive each year, innovation to improve both workflow and patient care is critical,” said Donal Quinn, CEO, Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics. “We are pleased to offer clinical laboratories leading-edge molecular technology that supports effective diagnosis and treatment of this challenging and devastating infectious disease." The VERSANT kPCR Molecular System, a kinetic polymerase chain reaction analyzer, delivers excellent assay performance with high sensitivity and broad range. The system delivers versatility through its quality nucleic acid extraction technology and ability to streamline workflow and improve efficiency in the clinical laboratory. The fully automated system offers enhanced software that interfaces with medical Laboratory Information Systems, which are used to download patient work-orders and upload patient test results. “The VERSANT kPCR Molecular System represents a significant expansion of our molecular diagnostics portfolio that will allow us to offer a growing menu of infectious disease and genomic tests, as well as sample preparation solutions for our customers,” said David Okrongly, senior vice president, molecular diagnostics, Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics. The VERSANT HIV-1 1.0 Assay (kPCR) is run on the VERSANT kPCR Molecular System and allows viral load changes to be distinguished accurately, improving HIV viral load management. It also demonstrates excellent precision across the entire reporting range and equivalent detection of HIV RNA genotypes.

Early Detection of Increased Thrombosis Risk

noreply@blogger.com (Mejora) — Tue, 3 Mar 2009 06:24:00 -0800

02/02/2009Siemens AG, Healthcare Sector
Siemens Healthcare has developed Innovance Antithrombin, a new test for determining congenital and acquired antithrombin deficiency. Insufficient levels of protein in blood can lead to increased thrombophilia. Reason: Antithrombin ensures balanced blood coagulation by reducing the activity of thrombin and coagulation factor Xa which are responsible for blood coagulation. Innovance Antithrombin detects insufficient antithrombin activity, enabling the early detection of an increased risk of thrombosis in patients. Innovance Antithrombin by Siemens Healthcare is a new chromogenic test for the automatic quantification of functionally active antithrombin in human citrated plasma. In contrast to antithrombin activity tests based on the inhibition of the coagulation factor thrombin, Innovance Antithrombin determines the activity of the antithrombin protein through the inhibition of coagulation factor Xa. This prevents distortion of the test result if a patient was given specific medication to prevent or treat thromboses, such as hirudin or other thrombin inhibitors. Innovance Antithrombin can be used with the automatic coagulation measuring devices from Siemens such as BCS and BCS XP as well as Sysmex CA-500, Sysmex CA-1500 and Sysmex CA-7000. The new test by Siemens is also suitable for diagnosing congenital or acquired antithrombin deficiencies which are known to be linked with an increased risk of thrombosis. Antithrombin deficiencies manifest themselves in reduced activity of the antithrombin protein. Two types of congenital antithrombin deficiencies are distinguished: in case of deficiency type I, the total quantity of existing antithrombin protein is reduced, whereas in case of deficiency type II, the protein concentration is normal, but the protein is defective in respect of its inhibitor function. Acquired antithrombin deficiency exists if less antithrombin protein is produced or more is spent than usual. This may result, for example, from liver diseases, DIC (disseminated intravascular coagulation), sepsis, acute hemolytic transfusion reaction, nephrotic syndrome or major surgical interventions. The test can also serve for monitoring the substitution therapy with antithrombin concentrates. The test kit components of Innovance Antithrombin are ready for use and therefore especially fast and easy to use. The test is based on a chromogenic measurement principle. Citrated plasma is mixed with a surplus of coagulation factor Xa. If heparin is present, part of coagulation factor Xa is bonded and deactivated by the antithrombin present in the specimen. Surplus, uninhibited coagulation factor Xa then splits a chromogenic substrate. In this process, coloring is released, the concentration of which is detected with a photometer. The higher the concentration of the produced coloring, the higher was the quantity of uninhibited coagulation factor Xa and the lower was the concentration of functionally active antithrombin originally present in the plasma specimen.

Infection: New Mode Found Of How Diseases Evolve

noreply@blogger.com (Mejora) — Tue, 3 Mar 2009 06:23:00 -0800

Researchers found a new way that bacteria evolve into something that can make humans sick. 20/02/2009
Researchers have discovered a new way that bacteria evolve into something that can make sick. The finding has implications for how scientists identify and assign risk to emerging diseases in the environment. The researchers found that bacteria can develop into illness-causing pathogens by rewiring regulatory DNA, the genetic material that controls disease-causing genes in a body. Previously, disease evolution was thought to occur mainly through the addition or deletion of genes. "Bacterial cells contain about 5,000 different genes, but only a fraction of them are used at any given time," Brian Coombes, lead investigator of the study, said. "The difference between being able to cause disease, or not cause disease, lies in where, when and what genes in this collection are turned on. We have discovered how bacteria evolve to turn on just the right combination of genes in order to cause disease in a host. It is similar to playing a musical instrument – you have to play the right keys in the right order to make music." With infectious diseases on the rise, the finding has implications on how new pathogens are identified in the environment. Scientists currently monitor the risk of new diseases by assessing the gene content of bacteria found in water, food and animals. "This opens up significant new challenges for us as we move forward with this idea of assigning risk to new pathogens," Coombes said. "Because now, we know it's not just gene content – it is gene content plus regulation of those genes." MEDICA.de; Source: McMaster University

Firms gloomier on outlook -By Robin Chan & Fiona Chan

noreply@blogger.com (Mejora) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 06:54:00 -0800

PESSIMISM is increasingly taking hold of local companies with most now resigned that things will get worse over the next few months.
The weak sentiment is affecting industries across the economic spectrum, from hotels to petroleum and manufacturing. 'Firms are becoming more realistic in their outlook,' said HSBC economist Prakriti Sofat. 'There is no escaping the fact that things are deteriorating much faster than expected.'
All clusters within the manufacturing sector are downbeat, according to a survey conducted among about 390 firms by the Economic Development Board in recent weeks.
And about 60 per cent of the 1,400 services companies surveyed by the Department of Statistics also anticipate slower business in the wake of the global economic decline.
The most downbeat industries in manufacturing are computer peripherals and petroleum while hotels in the services sector are mired in gloom with 100 per cent of those surveyed believing that there is no way but down.
All other sectors have at least a few firms which believe that things will improve by June.
A comparison with the same survey last October provides a stark illustration of just how quickly sentiment has deteriorated.
Last October, four in 10 hotels, restaurants and caterers were still optimistic. They predicted a brighter outlook for March this year, with more than 90 per cent expecting to keep the same number of jobs or hire more people by the year-end.
Now not a single hotel surveyed in the recent poll retains such optimism.
Manufacturing is almost as grim. Last October, only 18 per cent of firms were pessimistic but now that has rocketed, with 57 per cent of manufacturers expecting conditions to worsen in the next six months.
All manufacturing industries apart from biomedical manufacturing are predicting job cuts in the next few months. They believe output will fall across the board, ranging from a 14 per cent decrease in food, beverages and tobacco production to a 100 per cent drop in some electronic modules and components.
One of the few bright spots is pharmaceutical firms, with 26 per cent believing that things will look up, although more than half still think it will get worse.
Job cuts are the most visible manifestation of the mood.
Chipmaker Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing announced yesterday that it plans to cut more than 500 jobs here after forecasting a net loss of about US$147 million (S$221 million) for the first quarter.
The manufacturing sector lost 6,200 jobs in the last three months of last year, said the Manpower Ministry yesterday.
Employment is also likely to fall for services firms, according to the survey. In almost every industry, from wholesale and retail trade to financial and business services, there are more firms predicting job cuts than those anticipating more hires. Overall, 53 per cent of services firms expect things to get worse, with banks and fund managers among the gloomiest.
The Government expects the economy to shrink by up to 5 per cent this year after growing 1.2 per cent last year. Last week, Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam unveiled a $20.5 billion 'resilience' Budget to help firms improve cashflow and preserve jobs.
Ms Sofat said: 'We are seeing things being done to cushion the blow somewhat, but it remains to be seen how much of that will actually go through. There will be more layoffs over the year, there is no escaping that fact.'
This article was first published in The Straits Times on January 31, 2009.

Pfizer to buy Wyeth for $68B; cut 8,000 jobs

noreply@blogger.com (Mejora) — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 06:53:00 -0800

TRENTON, New Jersey - Pfizer Inc., the world's largest drugmaker, said on Monday it is buying rival Wyeth for $68 billion in a deal that will quickly boost Pfizer's revenue and diversification and if it works as advertised help the company become more nimble.
The deal came as New York-based Pfizer set out a full house of issues: a 90 percent drop in income, a hefty charge to end an investigation, a severe cut in its dividend, a shockingly low profit forecast for 2009 and 8,000 job cuts starting immediately.
That's all on top of the colossal problem triggering this deal: the expected loss of $13 billion a year in revenue for cholesterol fighter Lipitor starting in November 2011, when it gets generic competition.
Pfizer also plans by 2011 to cut about 8,190 jobs, 10 percent of its workforce, as part of what it expects will be a staff reduction totaling 15 percent of the combined companies' workers implying a total job loss of almost 20,000.
By buying Wyeth, Pfizer will mutate from a maker of blockbuster pills to a one-stop shop for vaccines, biotech drugs, traditional pills and nonprescription products for both people and animals.
But plenty of pharmaceutical industry mergers have not lived up to their initial promise, including the deals that enabled Pfizer to leapfrog to the top of the industry buying Warner-Lambert in 2000 and, in 2003, Pharmacia Corp. Pharmacia was itself the result of the difficult marriage of Michigan's Upjohn & Sweden's Pharmacia, which took years and eventually new management to get beyond culture clash and fully integrate.
Pfizer and Warner-Lambert, likewise, had differences over Warner's focus on consumer health and Pfizer's “big corporation" image, plus “no vision as to which divisions would win out and which people would keep their jobs," recalled analyst Steve Brozak of WBB Securities.
“A lot of the turmoil that those acquisitions created hurt morale and productivity there's no doubt about that," Pfizer Chief Executive Jeff Kindler conceded during a news conference.
“We're in a much better position to bring on board the scientists and programs and projects that Wyeth has," Kindler said.
The cash-and-stock deal, one of the industry's biggest ever, is expected to close late in the third quarter or in the fourth quarter. It comes as Pfizer's 2008 fourth-quarter profit takes a brutal hit from a $2.3 billion legal settlement over allegations it marketed pain reliever Bextra and possibly other products for indications that had not been approved.
“In one single transaction, the combination with Wyeth advances every single one of (our) strategies," Kindler told reporters during a news conference.
Those goals include increasing sales in emerging markets, enhancing the ability to treat specific diseases, such as Alzheimer's, and becoming a top player in vaccines and biologic drugs, which are made from living cells.
Pfizer, also known for the impotence pill Viagra, said it will pay $50.19 per share for Madison, New Jersey-based Wyeth.
Pfizer shares closed down $1.80, or 10.3 percent, to $15.65 Monday. Wyeth shares ended 35 cents lower at $43.39.
Analysts were split on how good the deal is but saw no benefit for consumers.
“This deal doesn't bring Pfizer the cure for Lipitor" revenue losses, but it brings short- and long-term cost savings, said Erik Gordon, biomedical analyst and professor at University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. “It increases Pfizer's research capabilities in biologics, and it's good for Wyeth because Wyeth will now be able to tap into Pfizer's marketing machine."
Credit Suisse analyst Catherine Arnold wrote to investors that the deal's addition to Pfizer earnings “should be massive," and could start even before the second year.
The deal likely will close, she added, and the amount of cash and debt that Pfizer has put together makes other suitors for Wyeth unlikely
Brozak said it still doesn't solve Pfizer's long-term problem of not having enough promising drug candidates.
“The question becomes what are they going to do to fill that research gap," Brozak said.
Meanwhile, Pfizer is halving its dividend to 16 cents per share and eliminating five of 46 manufacturing sites. Those closings will cost about $6 billion before taxes, of which $1.5 billion has been incurred, Pfizer said.
Pfizer has not identified which plants it will close. Wyeth said there's been no decision on job cuts among its staff due to the acquisition.
Pfizer said the new cost-cutting program will reduce spending by about $3 billion, $1 billion of which will be reinvested in the business.
Pfizer Chief Financial Officer Frank D'Amelio said the company will put up $22.5 billion in cash and $23 billion in stock for the purchase, with $22.5 billion in debt covering the rest.
The deal is being financed by five banks: Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Barclays, Citigroup, Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan Chase.
The tie-up will bring about $4 billion in cost savings by the end of 2012 and should add to Pfizer's earnings per share in the second full year after closing.
Both companies' boards approved the deal but Wyeth shareholders must do so. Wyeth's CEO, Bernard Poussot, will stay on through the transition but not beyond that. The companies did not discuss the fate of other top Wyeth managers.
The deal is likely to be reviewed by the Federal Trade Commission, which typically handles pharmaceutical acquisitions. FTC spokesman Mitch Katz said the agency doesn't comment on pending transactions.
Fitch Ratings downgraded Pfizer's credit rating to 'AA' from 'AA',' and placed the company's ratings on a negative watch. Fellow ratings agencies Moody's Investors Service and Standard & Poor's are reviewing their ratings.
Acquiring Wyeth adds strengths in vaccines and biologic drugs. Together, the two companies will have 17 products with annual sales of $1 billion or more.
Shortly after announcing the Wyeth deal, Pfizer said fourth-quarter profit plunged on a charge to settle investigations into off-label marketing. The company earned $268 million, or 4 cents per share, compared with profit of $2.72 billion, or 40 cents per share, a year prior. Revenue fell 4 percent to $12.35 billion from $12.87 billion.
Excluding about $2.3 billion in legal charges, the company says profit rose to 65 cents per share.
Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected profit of 59 cents per share on revenue of $12.54 billion.
In 2009, Pfizer expects earnings per share between $1.85 and $1.95, below forecasts for $2.49. The outlook includes costs of 21 cents per share related to financial strategies tied to the acquisition, Pfizer said.
Wyeth said Monday its fourth-quarter profit declined 5.6 percent, to $960.4 million, or 71 cents per share, down from $1.02 billion, or 75 cents per share, in the 2007 quarter.
Excluding restructuring charges, the company earned 78 cents per share in the latest quarter. Revenue fell 7 percent to $5.35 billion, dragged down partly by unfavorable currency exchange rates.
Analysts expected Wyeth to earn 79 cents per share on revenue of $5.79 billion.

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Stem cells 'can treat diabetes'

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Boom time for biomaterials

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Early Detection of Increased Thrombosis Risk

Infection: New Mode Found Of How Diseases Evolve

Firms gloomier on outlook -By Robin Chan & Fiona Chan

Pfizer to buy Wyeth for $68B; cut 8,000 jobs

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