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On Sunday, October 21st, hundreds of people will gather in Battery Park for the 6th annual Breathe Deep NYC 3K Walk. As the largest nonprofit in the nation focused on lung cancer, the event is designed to raise awareness and funds to be used for lung cancer research toward earlier detection and treatment that is more effective.

Lung cancer affects 1 in every 14 individuals in the U.S. today, and takes more lives each year than pancreatic, prostate, colorectal and breast cancers combined. While smoking cigarettes does increase the risk for developing lung cancer, more than half of those diagnosed with the disease have quit smoking prior to being diagnosed, or have never smoked. Currently, there is no diagnostic test to detect lung cancer early; the five year survival rate of those diagnosed each year is staggeringly low, at only 16%.

Food allergies are increasing all around the globe; however, it was recently revealed that Australia has the highest number of individuals who suffer from food allergies. An annual scientific meeting of the Australasian Society of Child Immunology was where results of the latest research were presented in early September of this year.

Food allergies are a global phenomenon. At the annual meeting, Professor Johan Garssen with the Department Immunopharmacology, Utrecht, the Netherlands, presented the latest research on how to manage this immunological disorder. In developed countries, about 20% of the population suffer from asthma and allergic diseases, which seem to be most prevalent in children. It seems that about 3% of the pediatric population has become allergic to the protein in cows' milk. Asians are experiencing a rapid rise in asthma, eczema and allergic rhinitis.

Fetal bovine serum (FBS) is a product used in research laboratories, a blood product which exceeds cell culture testing standards and is used widely to promote growth medium. Innovative Research offers high-quality, US Origin FBS in standard as well as heat-inactivated varieties.

ELISA (Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay) kits are used by researchers, scientists and physicians in determining what is going on in the body. These tests are effective in identifying steroid use, allergies, diabetes, cancer and more. Extremely accurate, the ELISA kit was first used for various testing of plants, but its use has spread enormously in the medical community.

Now to get a bit more scientific . . .

As a leading biotechnology company, Innovative Research thought it would be interesting to provide you with a few facts you may or may not be aware of about the products manufactured by biotech companies.

While the manufacturing of products to be used in life sciences, cancer and other research has been going on for decades, human insulin (specifically Humulin) was the first biotechnology drug to be approved by the FDA. Humulin was developed by Genentech in 1982 and was used for treatment of diabetes.