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Welcome
to the premier edition of "Insights",
the scientific newsletter. This publication
has been designed to creatively and effectively
communicate the world of science in all of
its wonder and amazement to a wide range of
people. It will be of interest to corporations
and professionals that have an interest in
expanding their knowledge and broadening their "insight" in
this fascinating world.
You are receiving
this issue because at some point over the past
year we have had the opportunity to meet with
you, and exchange ideas and common interests
in this field.
We truly hope that
you enjoy reading this premier issue and invite
you to submit any comments or suggestions for
future articles that you may have.
To ensure that you receive future issues of "Insights",
please confirm your subscription by clicking
the "Confirm" link at the end of this newsletter.
We invite you to forward this newsletter
to others that might be interested in it (using
the "Forward" link at the end of this newsletter).
Thank-you for your interest and enjoy.
Yours truly,
Bonnie Kuehl, PhD
Executive Director
Scientific Insights Consulting Group Inc.
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Sugar Coating It? |
Is it possible that Sucrosa, Appeasor and Pacifex are the next big blockbuster drugs? Probably
not, as these are simply the suggested names
for placebo. You know that innocuous sugar
pill or "inactive" control that is
a part of so many clinical studies.
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The
placebo effect, as it is commonly known,
has seen many individuals significantly improve
their condition without ever receiving the
actual drug or active compound.
There
is a new understanding in the medical field
that it is not just the drug or active compound
that assists in the healing process. Healthcare
practitioners, scientists, pharmaceutical companies
and medical marketing groups understand now
more than ever that an effective medication/therapeutic
is the sum of all of its parts.
Symptom relief and healing is about more than
the active ingredient. For the patient, the
benefit derived from a medication is a combination
of the active ingredient as well as the delivery
vehicle. Ultimately, the ingredients matter,
all of them.
One recently published paper demonstrated
that the base of a topical therapy healed 56%
of patients while the base plus the active
ingredient healed 78%. (1) This and other studies
show that the base is complimentary to or even
works synergistically with the active ingredient
to improve, and ultimately assist in the healing
of the condition.
Ingredients Matter!
Understanding what the
ingredients do, both the active and the delivery
vehicle, is now just as important as the understanding
of how the active therapeutic works. Drug design
is more complex than ever as the drug developer
needs to work closely with a medical marketing
group to understand the ingredients that are
acceptable to healthcare practitioners and
consumers alike.
An example of this would be "lanolin".
Although lanolin is an excellent moisturizer
and yields an elegant lotion, try and market
this lotion. Healthcare providers believe that
it may cause contact allergies and sensitivity
in many patients. Medical research has shown
however, that less than 2% of the population
would be affected in this way. (2)
What's in it, the ingredient list is now as
important as the active ingredient. Who could
have imagined that the non-medicinal ingredients
could be as important and even profitable on
their own as a 'drug'?
In fact, some pharmaceutical
companies understand the importance of vehicle
and have built entire organizations around
the concept of optimizing effects like "the
placebo effect" of the vehicle to extend
the patent life or to acquire new product patents.
This allows these companies to extend the product
lifecycle and offers a great anti-generic strategy.
Value added
Knowing the role of each ingredient in a product
will help you market and sell that product
or therapeutic more effectively. Everyone
is looking for value today. Using one product
that offers a dual function, one from the
active and the other from the vehicle, offers
healthcare providers and consumers extra
value from the same old product.
1 Parneix-Spake A, Goustas P, Green R. Eumovate
(clobetasone butyrate) 0.05% cream with its
moisturizing emollient base has better healing
properties than hydrocortisone 1% cream: a
study in nickel-induced contact dermatitis.
J Dermatolog Treat. 2001 Dec;12(4):191-7.
2 Wakelin SH, Smith H, White IR, Rycroft RJ,
McFadden JP. A retrospective analysis of contact allergy to lanolin.Br J Dermatol.
2001 Jul;145(1):28-31.
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Translating
Science
(What do they mean?) |
Have you ever
tried to explain
to your grandmother
how a computer
works, or the
Internet? How
about the look
you get from
a 5 year old
when you try
to explain how
the brain can
send and receive
messages?
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As
a scientist, try explaining what it is you do
for a living and all you get is, wait for it,
the "glazed over eyes", not just from
a grandmother or a 5 year old, but from almost
everyone who had either the courage or misfortune
to ask.
Detailed information on how cells multiply or
describing signalling pathways within cells can
be an immediate conversation stopper. I have
found that using analogies to common everyday
life examples helps to prevent those glazed eyes
and dumbfounded looks.
Here is an example: The synthesis of new proteins
in a cell.
DNA becomes RNA, then ribosomes bind the RNA,
amino acids are delivered in a certain sequence,
and then there is a finished protein which
is now folded and ready to fulfill its role
in the cell.
What if you described the process as, let's
say, a car manufacturing plant? The RNA can
play the roll of the blueprint for the car.
The ribosomes are the assembly line workers.
The amino acids are now the actual parts of
the yet to be finished car. Proteins are the
finished cars.
Proteins are as different as
the makes, models, and colours of cars. Each
make/model/colour has a specific job within
the cell. Explaining using analogies, can give
almost everyone a basis for understanding.
Translating science into english includes
putting science into an everyday example that
people can understand. Once they understand
the system they can understand how it works
and instead of seeing puzzled looks you see
understanding. But, then the questions start
and you have to be prepared to answer those
simply as well.
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The creativity of Science - Going
beyond the facts |
Is science nothing
more than drudgery? Same thing, day after day?
Well sometimes it is. The success of science
is built over the long term. Small successes
lead to great rewards but be prepared
for the journey.
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Addressing
a scientific question or medical need is like
putting a big puzzle together with pieces from
around the world. A lab or clinic in Germany
might identify a small piece of information
which may or may not be significant at the
time, another lab in Canada does the same.
Each piece of information is interesting and
tells a small story, forming one corner of
the puzzle. But, when someone puts those separate
puzzle pieces together (ahh - the wonders of
publications!!) they start to see a whole picture.
Just like that we are on our way to a new understanding.
The information combined is enough for that
leap of faith, a scientific insight, which
furthers the research and continues to seek
out the ultimate answer.
An example of small pieces leading to a big
picture is happening in the medical field.
Dermatologists are seeing an increase in atopic
dermatitis, respirologists are seeing an increase
in asthma, and allergists are seeing an increase
in allergies. Each a small interesting piece
to a larger puzzle.
When each specialty began to look for
the reason for these increases a link was found
between atopic dermatitis, asthma and allergies.
Putting the pieces together it appears that
atopic dermatitis is the skin response to the
same condition that leads to asthma and allergies.
Separate pieces that alone told a story but
together give a picture and a new strategy
for treating these seemingly distant conditions.
This link was found because someone was creative
and went "beyond the facts". Creativity
in science is essential for forming theories.
The ability to take many disparate facts and
synthesize a theory for testing - regardless
of where the facts come from- is part of the
creative process and the leap to a solution.
And how important is the theory? It is what
drives the direction of science. Science is
not about doing benchwork and clinical trials,
but thinking. So, what is the most important
tool in science? Simple - the scientific insight
that comes from a creative brain.
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Scientific Insights Consulting Group strives
to make science and medicine understandable.
We work with our clients as scientific advisors,
to build professional relations, to communicate
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contact us directly at bk@scientificinsights.com or
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All writing ©2005,
Scientific Insights Consulting Group Inc. |
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