Gizmorama - August 10, 2015

Good Morning,

There have been multiple stories about 3-D printers creating amazing, useful tools for NASA. Now, the FDA has approved the very first 3-D printed pill. Is this a good idea or a potential problem? It think it might be a tough pill to swallow.

Learn about this and more interesting stories from the scientific community in today's issue.

Until Next Time,
Erin

P.S. Did you miss an issue? You can read every issue from the Gophercentral library of newsletters on our exhaustive archives page. Thousands of issues, all of your favorite publications in chronological order. You can read AND comment. Just click GopherArchives

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*-- FDA approves first 3-D printed pill --*
BLUE ASH, Ohio - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first 3-D printed pill, an epilepsy medication designed to be easier to swallow for adults with swallowing disorders and children.

Although 3-D printing has been used to create devices, implants, prosthetics and tissues for both research and medical procedures, this is the first drug using the technology that has been approved for use.

3-D printing drugs would allow doctors to tweak the individual dose of drugs for patients, rather than having to approximate amounts of pre-measured doses or take chances with a drug available in only one dosage.

"For the last 50 years we have manufactured tablets in factories and shipped them to hospitals," Dr. Mohamed Albed Alhnan, a lecturer in pharmaceutics at the University of Central Lancashire, told the BBC. "And for the first time this process means we can produce tablets much closer to the patient."

Spritam, manufactured by Aprecia Pharmaceuticals, uses a porous formulation the company calls ZipDose, that disintegrates with "a sip" of liquid, making it easier to take. The pill is being manufactured using 3-D printing because of the ability to layer the medication and more tightly pack higher doses into a uniform pill, with dosages tailored for individual patients.

"In my experience, patients and caregivers often have difficulty following a treatment regimen," said Dr. Marvin Rorick, a neurologist at Riverhills Neuroscience in Cincinnati, in a press release. "Whether they are dealing with a swallowing disorder or the daily struggle of getting a child to take his or her medication, adherence can be a challenge. Especially for children and seniors, having an option for patients to take their medication as prescribed is important to managing this disease."

The drug was approved for use in the treatment of partial onset seizures, myoclonic seizures and primary generalized tonic-clonic seizures in adults and children with epilepsy.


*-- New app lets fishermen help FWS track endangered species --*
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is backing a new app to help officials better monitor and manage endangered species.

The app, the product of a partnership between FWS and fishing software company FishBrain, will enable anglers to identify and document threatened, endangered and candidate species.

The GPS-enabled app will allow fishermen to log encounters with some 50 at-risk species while on fishing trips. These logs will be shared with conservation officials, improving their understanding of endangered fish -- shedding light on their movements, preferred habitats and their overall health.

"The first step towards conservation is always education and engagement, and we are excited to work with FishBrain to help us reach a new audience," Gary Frazer, assistant director of the FWS Ecological Services Program, said in a press release.

"Anglers are extremely important to protecting and maintaining healthy aquatic habitats," Frazer added. "This is a unique opportunity to synthesize recreational anglers' information and knowledge in local waterways and expand our understanding of various species."

Biologists and ecologists with FWS had to narrow the pool of species included in the app -- from thousands down to just 50. Researchers focused on the most vulnerable species likely to be encountered by anglers in and around significant bodies of water.

"Of all the different hobbyists, anglers are among the best when it comes to being aware of the need for conservation," said Johan Attby, CEO of FishBrain.

"Our users marvel at the beauty of animals and fish as a matter of course; the fact they can now channel this interest into something as constructive and helpful as data collection is a very special opportunity indeed," Attby added. "We are proud to be reaching our dedicated angling audience to help the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service carry on the amazing work they do."

Not all of the 50 included species are fish. Anglers and outdoor enthusiasts will be able to use the app to log sightings of whooping cranes, Kemp's ridley sea turtle, California red-legged frog and Columbia white-tailed deer.

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