Category: Uncategorized

THE WRONG ANIMAL MODEL LEADS TO CLINICAL TRIAL RUBBISH. For example, dog and human noses are radically different in anatomy and physiology. Many positive nasal drug trials in dogs often fail when tested in man. The dog nose is like a sponge. The best animal model for human nasal trials is the monkey. Just one of many examples where the wrong animal model can lead to a false positive or a false negative in human trials, and how some good drugs have ended up on the shelf. View in LinkedIn

THE JAPANESE AND CATALAN CULTURES HAVE MANY SIMILARITIES. Personally deeply honest and sincere, making friends for life, family-centric and value-centric, with respect for elders; locked both in deep old past traditions and moving into modern worlds; having invested in the Knowledge Revolution, waiting for the Tipping Point from one tech success; struggling with the equation that ambition = greed, and The Nail That Sticks Up Gets Hammered Down; and how to attract and retain experienced entrepreneurs from abroad. And did I mention superlative hosts and dedicated foodies? View in LinkedIn

SAKE, SHOCHU AND BEER ARE JAPANESE STAPLES. It is normal for Japanese people to go to great lengths to entertain their hosts with meals, visits to key sightseeing events, and often involving all senior managers remotely involved in the project. In the West we have consistently done a dreadful job of reciprocating, and poor Japanese visitors often feel slighted and abandoned by our lazy hospitality. This is a missed opportunity to bond and create superb working relationships. View in LinkedIn

WORKING WITH JAPANESE COMPANIES REQUIRES SPECIAL EFFORT. If you go to the trouble to bond with them, really be hospitable, involve senior management, they will invariably make superb partners. They often have life-long jobs, so the champion is unlikely to rotate out like the American counterparts, and this stability gives for long-term relations. Gifts and correct dress and correct manners are essential. Do your homework and understand how to work with your new partner, and it will pay off both ways. View in LinkedIn

WHERE IS THE LOGJAM FOR GOOD CANCER TREATMENTS? Research has been coming up with increasing new ways to treat individual types of cancer, and the FDA has been doing a good job of approval recently. The delivery of care appears very variable, with some centers being very innovative and others not. Our friends in the insurance and public health sectors, the payors, may be more skeptical about innovation than they should be, and thus contribute to the very patchy healthcare picture. View in LinkedIn

THE CURRENT CANCER TREATMENT PARADIGM IS CLEARLY CHANGING, but not fast enough for some. The waste of money is less important than the very personal and immense human tragedy of treatment failures. Dr. Charlie Hsiao, the famous founder of Ivax Pharma and Impax Labs was a good friend, but died after numerous bone marrow transplants. Rational personalized medicine may have changed this outcome, had it been ready then. View in LinkedIn

"YOU MAY SEE A HEAVY PERSON RUN, BUT YOU NEVER SEE A HEAVY RUNNER". http://lnkd.in/3fzuPW View in LinkedIn

KEY DATA: THE US CANCER DRUG COSTS INCLUDE WHOPPING WASTES. Despite many new drugs, the US spends ~70 billion USD on cancer drugs annually, but still wastes ~40%, because the drugs don't work; this is largely because the patient rather than the tumor is the test subject. At a estimated cost of ~5 Bn USD to map those patients, ~25 Bn USD of wrong drugs would be saved (Time; May 20, 2013: p. 42). View in LinkedIn

ENTREPRENEURS SHOULD PICK A NUMBER that marks enough. The Donald Trump Disease is not knowing when to stop accumulating wealth and forgetting to live a rich life. Do the math on the back of an envelope about your needs and wants, pick a number and stick to it. When you hit that number, stop the manic quest and start to live. I know numerous people who have lost their way and forgotten that money is only a means to an end, not an end in itself (as long as you understand what that end is). View in LinkedIn

USING MICROBES TO RECOVER RARE METALS FROM INDUSTRIAL WASTE (The Japan News May 13, p. 7). Morishita Jitan and Mitsubishi have developed microencapsulated bacteria which can inexpensively extract rare metals from industrial slurries, without toxic chemicals. This will be implemented in Japan this year, and eventually sold overseas. Living on a small island makes this nation very creative and sensitive to resource issues. View in LinkedIn