The novel Mechanical Ventilator Milano for the COVID-19 pandemic

This paper presents the Mechanical Ventilator Milano (MVM), a novel intensive therapy mechanical ventilator designed for rapid, large-scale, low-cost production for the COVID-19 pandemic. Free of moving mechanical parts and requiring only a source of compressed oxygen and medical air to operate, the MVM is designed to support the long-term invasive ventilation often required for COVID-19 patients and operates in pressure-regulated ventilation modes, which minimize the risk of furthering lung trauma. The MVM was extensively tested against ISO standards in the laboratory using a breathing simulator, with good agreement between input and measured breathing parameters and performing correctly in response to fault conditions and stability tests. The MVM has obtained Emergency Use Authorization by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in healthcare settings during the COVID-19 pandemic and Health Canada Medical Device Authorization for Importation or Sale, under Interim Order for Use in Relation to COVID-19. Following these certifications, mass production is ongoing and distribution is under way in several countries. The MVM was designed, tested, prepared for certification, and mass produced in the space of a few months by a unique collaboration of respiratory healthcare professionals and experimental physicists, working with industrial partners, and is an excellent ventilator candidate for this pandemic anywhere in the world.

The vaccines consistency approach project: an EPAA initiative

The consistency approach for release testing of established vaccines promotes the use of in vitro, analytical, non-animal based systems allowing the monitoring of quality parameters during the whole production process. By using highly sensitive non-animal methods, the consistency approach has the potential to improve the quality of testing and to foster the 3Rs (replacement, refinement and reduction of animal use) for quality control of established vaccines. This concept offers an alternative to the current quality control strategy which often requires large numbers of laboratory animals. In order to facilitate the introduction of the consistency approach for established human and veterinary vaccine quality control, the European Partnership for Alternatives to Animal Testing (EPAA) initiated a project, the "Vaccines Consistency Approach Project", aiming at developing and validating the consistency approach with stakeholders from academia, regulators, OMCLs, EDQM, European Commission and industry. This report summarises progress since the project's inception.

The relative frequency of CFTR mutation classes in European patients with cystic fibrosis

More than 1900 different mutations in the CFTR gene have been reported. These are grouped into classes according to their effect on the synthesis and/or function of the CFTR protein. CFTR repair therapies that are mutation or mutation class specific are under development. To progress efficiently in the clinical phase of drug development, knowledge of the relative frequency of CFTR mutation classes in different populations is useful. Therefore, we describe the mutation class spectrum in 25,394 subjects with CF from 23 European countries. In 18/23 countries, 80% or more of the patients had at least one class II mutation, explained by F508del being by far the most frequent mutation. Overall 16.4% of European patients had at least one class I mutation but this varied from 3 countries with more than 30% to 4 countries with less than 10% of subjects. Overall only respectively 3.9, 3.3 and 3.0% of European subjects had at least one mutation of classes III, IV and V with again great variability: 14% of Irish patients had at least one class III mutation, 7% of Portuguese patients had at least one class IV mutation, and in 6 countries more than 5% of patients had at least one class V mutation.

50 FIRST EQUINE CLONE BORN IN ARGENTINA BY SOMATIC CELL NUCLEAR TRANSFER FROM A POLO ARGENTINO MARE

Births of the first cloned equids were reported in 2003 (Woods et al. 2003 Science 301(5636), 1063; Galli et al. 2003 Nature 424 (6949), 635) but no equine clones have been reported in Latin America. The aim of this work was to inform the birth of the first equine clone in Argentina as a result of interdisciplinary teamwork. Equine oocytes were obtained from slaughterhouse ovaries and were transported at 38°C for 15 h in TCM-199 buffered with 20 mM HEPES and supplemented with 1 mM glutamine, 0.19 mM sodium pyruvate, 2 μg mL–1 LH, 5 μg mL–1 FSH, 100 ng mL–1 EGF, 100 ng mL–1 IGF-I, and 10% FCS. After 16 to 18 h of maturation, oocytes were denuded and enucleated. Frozen–thawed somatic cells from 1 of 2 aged (23 and 20 years old) Polo Argentino breed donor mares were inserted into the perivitelline space of each enucleated oocyte and fusion was induced. Activation was performed by exposure to Ionomycin (5 μM) for 4 min, followed by 4 h culture in a combination of 6-DMAP and cycloheximide in SOFaas culture media (Choi et al. 2001 Reproduction 122, 177–183). Embryos were cultured in 50 μL SOFm droplets for 7 to 8 days and then were transferred non-surgically to anovulatory recipient mares treated with 1.5 mg oestrogen, followed by long acting progesterone (BioRelease P4 300 LA, BET Pharm, KY). The production rates of the first cell line were: fusion 301/553 (54.4%), cleavage 163/218 (53.4%), blastocysts produced 20/163 (12.2%), blastocysts transferred 18/20 (90%), pregnancies 1/18 (5.5%) and no foal born. The production rates of the second cell line were: fusion 252/553 (45.6%), cleavage 55/252 (21.8%), blastocysts produced 8/55 (14.5%), blastocysts transferred 7/8 (87.5%), pregnancies 4/7 (57%) and 1 filly was born. DNA microsatellite analysis confirmed that the filly was a clone from the original donor cell line. The filly, born naturally on Day 329 of gestation, suffered premature placental separation and weighed 12 kg. Despite the intensive care provided, the filly’s respiratory, nervous, and cardiovascular functions deteriorated rapidly and she died 14 h postpartum. Fetal membranes weighed 5.7 kg (47.5% of the filly’s weight) and showed marked oedema of the chorioalantois and umbilical cord (which also showed a torsion of 9 twists). Histopathologically, the chorioalantois showed scant and poorly developed villi and also connective tissue oedema. Death could have been due to marked immaturity, as a consequence of placental insufficiency and umbilical cord torsion.