生命科學學群:研究領域廣泛，新一波台灣生技熱 遠見雜誌2011年5月號 2011大學入學指南特刊 作者：呂愛麗 技術方法不斷演變，但思維能力和解決問題的能力卻是成果與發展方向的關鍵。生命科學學群，這個研究領域廣泛的學科，即是人類生命發展與生技研發的重要基礎。生命科學學群的學生，可望趕上台灣新一波的生技熱。目前，生技公司在台上市蔚為風潮。德英生技於今年3月21日掛牌﹔合一生技、太景生技、中裕新藥等，今年也考慮申請在台上市櫃。雖然台灣多數生技新藥公司營收獲利尚未起飛，但潛力是有的。例如，中裕新藥在3月宣布，該公司研發中的蛋白質新藥「TMB-355」的臨床試驗進度，近日將完成二期人體臨床試驗收。這個新藥是全球第一項抗愛滋病的蛋白質新藥，於去年第四季已獲得美國食品藥物管理局通過，將可進行第三期臨床試驗。跨國大藥廠羅氏、輝瑞及葛蘭素史克藥廠都是潛在授權對象，法人預估授權金有機會上看4.2億美元。人類基因解碼，讓生命科學領域有突破性的發展。 從簡單的化學分子，即去氧核糖核酸，或一般大家熟知的DNA，到一個生命被孕育、成長，與環境的互動；從最簡單的微生物、到複雜的動物、植物、人體，都是研究範疇。由此可見，生命科學領域非常廣泛，任何與生命有關的科學，都是生命科學研究的課題。 五、六年前，國內曾經掀起一股生物科技熱潮，「生物技術」被選為我國未來具發展潛力的明星產業之一，「兩兆雙星」因此而熱極一時。2009年，生物科技再度被點名為台灣未來重點培植的六大產業之一，行政院啟動「生技起飛鑽石行動方案」，希望2012年，台灣生技產業產值「翻一番」，倍增至2600億元。不過，國立台灣大學生命科學院副院長兼系主任陳俊宏提醒大家，千萬別將生命科學和生物科技搞混，兩者不完全相同。
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
微整該選哪一個? 舒顏翠? 玻尿酸?
不可不知！醫學美容最夯療程？ 吳茜雯 2012年7月17日 11:17記者吳茜雯／綜合報導俗話說「愛美是女人的天性」，可說是亙古不變的道理。因此，不少女性為了讓自己的外型更加亮眼，除了平時在臉上、身體塗抹保養品之外，也會借助醫學美容的一臂之力，各種治療方式也如雨後春筍般冒出頭。嘉仕美整形外科診所醫師張格彰表示，儘管醫學美容日新月異，但微整形中的肉毒桿菌以及玻尿酸可說是不變的流行項目。概論來說，肉毒桿菌主攻「減少」，包括消除動態皺紋、咀嚼肌、以及體積的變少等；玻尿酸則是力求「增加」，主要針對蘋果肌、雙頰凹陷、法令紋的問題。其中，又以肉毒桿菌最受消費者歡迎。隨著年齡的增加，皮膚底層的膠原蛋白會逐漸流失，使得女性幾乎視抗老為首要課題。對此，張格彰指出，最新的液態拉皮手術「3D聚左旋乳酸」(舒顏翠)，類似玻尿酸的方式，具有拉提的作用。張格彰提到，與玻尿酸不同的是，玻尿酸優點在於立即填充，但3D聚左旋乳酸是以粉末狀打進皮膚，可以提供支架，促進膠原蛋白的增生。至於與以往的醫美相比，現階段的醫學美容有何不同？張格彰表示，基本上的元素都是一樣，只是用途、方式變得更多，像肉毒桿菌可以減少咀嚼肌，還能瘦臉、瘦小腿。張格彰指出，由於微整形訴求立即性，儘管維持的時間不長，但仍受到許多年輕人的青睞；不過較年長的消費者多半希望能夠達到永久效果，因此對醫學美容反而卻步。除了年齡層降低外，張格彰也說，愛美不是女性的權利，許多男生也會進行微整形。此外，張格彰說，夏天與冬天的客群訴求也不同，夏天因為天氣炎熱、陽光直曬等原因，因此雷射除斑的患者較少，多半是進行局部性的除狐臭、瘦小腿等立即性手術。而抽脂等大手術，由於術後恢復時間較長，還得穿瘦身衣等，患者通常會等到冬天才接受治療。張格彰建議，手術後的保養十分重要，像是雷射後必須注重防曬、打玻尿酸需多加保濕、抽脂完也得穿上至少1至3 個月、最佳時間為半年的塑身衣等，否則可能無法達到預期效果，實為可惜。
上帝的機會? 誘導多功能幹細胞 iPS?
誘導多功能幹細胞分化能力因人而異 2012年07月18日 09:03:21來源： 新華網新華網東京７月１７日電（記者藍建中）日本京都大學的一個研究小組１７日在美國《國家科學院學報》網絡版上報告說，他們發現在利用誘導多功能幹細胞（ｉＰＳ細胞）培育肝臟細胞時，由于提供初始細胞的志願者身體條件不同，培育出的ｉＰＳ細胞的分化能力存在很大差異。ｉＰＳ細胞是提取特定人體細胞（初始細胞）並向其內部植入特殊基因後培育而成的，它們有潛力分化成多種人體組織細胞。但日本研究者發現，ｉＰＳ細胞分化成肝臟細胞和心肌細胞的效率因初始細胞的特點而異，也會因提供者的遺傳特性和培養條件等產生差異。京都大學ｉＰＳ細胞研究所的青井貴之和山中伸彌領導的研究小組，從３名志願者的皮膚細胞和白血球中採集細胞，培育出ｉＰＳ細胞，然後鑒別其是否發育成肝臟細胞。結果發現，源自不同志願者的ｉＰＳ細胞分化出的肝臟細胞數量，在某檢測指標方面存在３倍左右的差距，這表明初始細胞提供者的身體條件對ｉＰＳ細胞的分化能力具有重大影響。研究小組認為，雖然參加這項研究的志願者人數很少，尚無法得出最終結論，但這一發現有望成為再生醫療領域應用ｉＰＳ細胞的重要參考。研究小組準備今後繼續進行詳細研究，以期了解ｉＰＳ細胞分化能力出現差異的具體原因。
Free generic drug policy (India) to redefine health insurance
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Namrata Acharya / Kolkata Jul 17,
2012, 00:56 IST Insurers may be burning their fingers in urban health
portfolios for some time now, but the government’s rural healthcare initiatives,
including its decision to provide free generic drugs to public hospitals, are
set to offer fresh avenues of growth for them.The recent government decision to
provide free generic drugs to government hospitals at an expense of $5.4
billion (Rs 29, 820 crore) could be a game-changer for the health insurance
business in India. While insurers suffer a high claim ratio in urban centres, in
excess of 100 per cent, the cost of health insurance in rural centres is
expected to come down with the new regulation.The cost of a generic drug is 80
to 85 per cent lower than the branded product, according to data from the US
Food and Drug Administration. In case of health insurance, medicines account
for 15-20 per cent of healthcare costs. This component is higher in rural areas,
which generally have poor hospitalisation facilities. Also, in the case of
several critical diseases, the cost of medicines is much higher than the
hospitalisation cost.“If the government decides to
provide free generic drugs to hospitals, the impact will be huge, and the cost
of health insurance would come down by a few times. The cost of branded
medicines in health insurance is huge,” said Kuldip Singh, director and general
manager, National Insurance Co Ltd.Notably, a number of government-sponsored
micro-insurance schemes have quietly changed the landscape of health insurance.A
Planning Commission document, dated January 31, 2011, states three major
schemes (Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY), Rajiv Aarogyasri and Kalaignar)
have in as many years covered roughly 247 million, a fifth of India’s
population.“Comparatively, the breadth of the coverage
is by any global standards quite breathtaking and has occurred at a rapid rate
in a span of three years, and this feat could be achieved even among the
vulnerable population and informal workers, where the penetration has been
difficult till recently,” the document said. This is in contrast to urban
health insurance schemes, where insurers are being forced to raise premium due
to high claim ratio. Recently, the finance ministry had asked four general
insurance companies—New India Assurance Co Ltd, United India Insurance Co Ltd, National
Insurance and Oriental Insurance Co Ltd—to reduce losses in the group health
insurance segment by increasing premium.The net combined losses of the four
insurance companies on group health insurance were estimated at Rs 1,500 crore
in 2011-12. Group health insurance schemes constitute more than 50 per cent of
the health insurance business of most public sector companies.While in group
insurance schemes the claim ratio is often as high as 150 per cent, in
government-sponsored schemes it ranges from 95 to 100 per cent, said an
executive of an insurance company, requesting anonymity.“The way forward for health insurance could be to tap the rural segment, as
the penetration is low and profit margins are better,” the executive said.It is
the mix and variation of rural micro-insurance policy that gives insurers a
profit margin. For example in RSBY, the variation in burnout ratio (evolved
specifically for the schemes) is reported to be in the range of 27 -136 per
cent in a large number of districts.“This is given the fact that in
several districts the utilisation rate of hospitals is extremely low. Commercial
insurers are obviously making usurious profits,” said the Planning Commission
document. At present, 80 per cent of all health expenditure in the country is
spent through personal resources. This is despite an increase in premium from
Rs 519 crore in 2000-01 to Rs 9,944 crore (19 times) in 2010-11.“The health insurance segment is expected to grow at 30-35 per cent. If the
government decides to provide generic, instead of branded, drugs, it will help
in reducing the claim ratio. However, it has to be clubbed with other supply
chain initiatives,” said Samir Bali of Accenture. Added P V S Lakshmi Prasad, deputy
general manager, United India Insurance: “In rural centres, the move to provide
free generic drug will definitely bring down the cost of insurance, but most
claims in health insurance still come from private hospitals.”
Monday, July 16, 2012
健保給付Nexavar (蕾莎瓦) 晚期肝癌!!!
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晚期肝癌標靶藥 8月起健保給付【聯合報╱記者施靜茹／台北報導】 2012.07.17 08:11 am 末期肝癌標靶治療
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