Happy holidays!

Happy holidays!

HIV/AIDS Vaccine Developed at The University of Western Ontario Proceeding to Human Clinical Trials Sumagen Canada, the vaccine (SAV001)

HIV/AIDS Vaccine Developed at The University of Western Ontario Proceeding to Human Clinical Trials






London, ON – The first and only preventative HIV vaccine based on a genetically modified killed whole virus has received approval by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to start human clinical trials.



Developed by Dr. Chil-Yong Kang and his team at The University of Western Ontario, with the support of Sumagen Canada, the vaccine (SAV001) holds tremendous promise, having already proven to stimulate strong immune responses in preliminary toxicology tests with no adverse effects or safety risks. It is the only HIV vaccine currently under development in Canada, and one of only a few in the world.



“FDA approval for human clinical trials is an extremely significant milestone for our vaccine, which has the potential to save the lives of millions of people around the world by preventing HIV infection," says Kang, a researcher and professor at Western's Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry.



Western President Amit Chakma says, "This joint venture between Sumagen and Western is a prime example of what collaboration between private industry and university researchers can achieve. Dr. Kang and his team are to be commended for their exceptional talent and remarkable persistence in developing a vaccine that addresses a tragic health crisis affecting millions of people around the globe."





Dr. Dong Joon Kim, a representative of Sumagen Co. Ltd. says, “Our company has committed substantial resources to this project since 2005 and we are very pleased to reach this milestone. It is our desire to continue growing our business in Canada and being a part of the business community in London.”



HIV/AIDS has killed more than 28 million people worldwide, and more than 35 million people currently live with the virus infection. Since the virus was characterized in 1983, there have been numerous trials through pharmaceutical companies and academic institutions around the world to develop vaccines; however, no commercialized vaccine has been developed to date. Other HIV vaccines evaluated through human clinical trials have focused on either one specific component of HIV as an antigen, genetic vaccine using recombinant DNA, or recombinant viruses carrying the HIV genes. Kang’s vaccine is unique in that it uses a killed whole HIV-1, much like the killed whole virus vaccines for polio, influenza, rabies and hepatitis A. The HIV-1 is genetically engineered so it is non-pathogenic and can be produced in large quantities.



Before it can be commercialized, the SAV001 vaccine must go through three phases of human clinical trials:



•Phase I, set to begin in January 2012, will double check the safety of the vaccine in humans, involving only 40 HIV-positive volunteers.

•Phase II will measure immune responses in humans, involving approximately 600 HIV-negative volunteers who are in the high-risk category for HIV infection.

•Phase III will measure the efficacy of the vaccine, involving approximately 6,000 HIV-negative volunteers who are also in the high-risk category for HIV infection.

Through WORLDiscoveries, Western’s technology transfer office, Sumagen Canada has secured patents for the SAV001 vaccine in more than 70 countries, including the U.S., the European Union, China, India and South Korea. The vaccine has been manufactured at a bio-safety level 3 (BSL3) good manufacturing practice (GMP) facility in the U.S.



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About Sumagen Canada



Located in The Stiller Centre for Technology Commercialization in Western’s Research Park in London, Ontario, Sumagen Canada was established in 2008 specifically to manage and support clinical development of Kang’s vaccine. Sumagen Canada is a subsidiary of Sumagen Co. Ltd., a Korean-based pharmaceutical venture company.





About The University of Western Ontario



Located in London, Ontario, The University of Western Ontario is one of Canada’s leading research-intensive universities, committed to producing generations of talented leaders and innovations of national benefit and global value and significance.

National securities regulator decision coming: Supreme Court ruling will not please all provinces.

The Supreme Court is ready to pronounce judgment on whether Ottawa's controversial attempt to create a national securities regulator — without the consent of some provinces — is legal.

The country's top court said Monday it will rule on the constitutionality of Ottawa regulating in an area that had previously been thought to be provincial territory.

The single regulator concept was championed by Finance Minister Jim Flaherty almost from the moment he took office in 2006, with Ontario initially the only ally. Following a lengthy study process, the minister was able win over a number of provinces.

Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty backs the idea of a national securities regulator.(Canadian Press file photo)But with Quebec, Alberta and Manitoba still firmly in the no camp, and British Columbia and Saskatchewan vacillating, Flaherty decided to seek a clear legal green light.

The minister maintains a single regulator would be more effective in catching and prosecuting fraudsters.

"Those who commit securities fraud will face a tougher, more comprehensive regime. No more falling through the cracks," Flaherty said in the spring of 2010 when he announced plans to go to the court.

Ottawa's position has the backing of most national business groups as well as international bodies such as the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and the International Monetary Fund.

Opponents have noted that the presence of a single regulator in the United States did nothing to head off the subprime mortgage disaster that triggered a global recession in 2008.

Appeal courts in Quebec and Alberta have already ruled that Ottawa is treading on provincial jurisdiction with its proposed legislation.

But in a recent interview with The Canadian Press, Alberta Finance Minister Ron Liepert said his province would be willing to co-operate with Ottawa if the top court rules against the provincial position.

"At the end of the day, we've fought the battle, the court will rule and we live with it and move on," he said.

That does not mean every province will fall in line, however, and Quebec in particular has not softened its stance.

The current legislation does not require every province to join. The intention is to establish a national regulator and have as many provinces as possible "opt in," leaving the door open for others to follow.

Securities regulation in Canada is currently a fiefdom of the 10 provinces and three territories, although under the "passport" arrangement company documentation approved by one province is recognized by the others.

In arguments to the court in April, federal lawyers said securities trading is critical to the country's overall economy and hence is a national concern. Aside from the jurisdictional issue, opposing provinces argue that the current system of co-operation functions well and that Ottawa is trying to fix a problem that doesn't exist.

Liberal Leader Bob Rae is accusing Stephen Harper of showing a "lack of respect" toward the troubled First Nations community of Attawapiskat.

ATTAWAPISKAT, Ont. — Liberal Leader Bob Rae is accusing the Conservatives and Prime Minister Stephen Harper of showing a "lack of respect" toward the troubled First Nations community of Attawapiskat.




On Saturday, as he wrapped up a visit to see the community's housing crisis first-hand, Rae chided Harper -- who has long claimed to have a soft spot for northern Canada -- for not travelling to the region himself.



"Where there are real people living, and living in really difficult conditions, the prime minister has nothing to say -- he's not there," Rae said in a telephone interview.



"There's a great concern about the lack of respect that's been shown to people here. You show respect by coming, not by insisting that people come to see you."



Harper's regular forays to remote northern communities since he took office have carried a strong emphasis on issues like defence and sovereignty, but rarely any evidence that the prime minister or the government has forged much of a relationship with the people who live there, Rae said.



"I don't think he has a great deal of credibility with the people who are living here, or the people who are living in a great many other northern communities, because this is not about planes flying by or about defending the north from the Russians," he said.



"This is about defending the north from poverty, from terrible conditions in terms of housing and poor substandard education."



Rae's visit is the second for an opposition leader in as many weeks. NDP Leader Nycole Turmel visited Attawapiskat last month and promptly urged Harper to do the same.



A spokesman for the prime minister said in an email on Sunday that Harper will not being going to Attawapiskat and the top priority is to get help to the community.



The government infuriated local leaders by appointing a third-party manager to take over the band's financial affairs. Chief Theresa Spence has appealed to the courts for an injunction to oust the third party, who is being paid $1,300 a day from band funds. A ruling is expected Monday or Tuesday.



Emergency supplies continue to pour in -- including washing machines, detergent and blankets. However, large families remain crammed into cold, mould-stained shacks with no bathroom or running water. In one case, 20 people are living together in a two-room house.



The federal government has promised 22 new houses and a retrofit of a local healing centre to help ease the crisis.



The government's attempt to "turn the political tables" by trying to put the spotlight on how the band has managed its funds is "disgraceful," said Rae. He blamed the prime minister for cancelling the Kelowna accord, a Liberal initiative designed to improve living conditions for First Nations communities, and for abandoning various investments to aboriginal communities.



"He (Harper) has to wear this thing, he has to take personal responsibility for what's happened," Rae said.



"I certainly don't intend to let him off the hook."

New public health campus coming to downtown Montreal : will soon be the site of the largest public health school in North America.

A portion of the site that houses Montreal’s new downtown bus terminal will soon be the site of the largest public health school in North America.




The centre, which will be called the Norman-Bethune Public Health Campus, will be built at the corner of Berri Street and de Maisonneuve Boulevard, the current site of the Îlot Voyageur.



It will be affiliated with the University of Montreal.



More than 600 students

When it’s finished, 225 professors and researchers will work at the campus and more than 600 students will study there.



A spokesperson for the University of Montreal said the new facility would bring all of the school’s medical facilities into one place. Right now, they’re scattered across different buildings.



The project will cost $160 million, the majority of that coming from the provincial government.



The government of Quebec bought the Îlot Voyageur site for $200 million after another Montreal university, the University of Quebec at Montreal, bought the building with plans to turn it into student housing.



That project was one of two that almost brought the university to the brink of bankruptcy.



The government will sell off a large portion on the north end of the site for $100 million. It will not be used for the campus.



Michelle Courchesne, head of the treasury board, admitted that deal will amount to a loss, but said it’s worth it, given the prestige the campus will bring to the new health district.



Officials hope to see phase one of the public health campus open within the next four years.

Public Safety Minister Vic Toews acted unreasonably when he refused to allow two Canadians imprisoned in the United States to serve out their sentences in Canada, a Federal Court judge has ruled.

OTTAWA — Public Safety Minister Vic Toews acted unreasonably when he refused to allow two Canadians imprisoned in the United States to serve out their sentences in Canada, a Federal Court judge has ruled.



In two decisions posted to the Federal Court website Thursday, Justice James O’Reilly overturned Toews’ rejection of applications under the International Transfer of Offenders Act filed by Montreal native Franco Tangorra and Tomaso Villano, of Richmond Hill, Ont. Both men were arrested by American authorities for trying to traffic in or import large quantities of the drug Ecstasy.



Tangorra mailed 30,000 units of Ecstasy, concealed in motorcycle helmets, to an undercover agent. He was arrested in 2007 when he tried to collect payment and is now serving a sentence of seven years and three months in a U.S. prison. He is due for release in 2014.



Villano and an accomplice were caught in a New York State parking lot in 2006 with two garbage bags containing more than 100,000 Ecstasy pills. His sentence runs until October, 2012.



Tangorra had no previous criminal record, and Villano’s only other conviction was for failing to stop at the scene of an accident. Tangorra’s file included a supportive letter from his MP and a declaration from his wife that he was a good husband and father.



In rejecting the two applications, Toews disregarded evidence presented by the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) that neither Tangorra nor Villano was likely to re-offend and that their transfers would pose no threat to Canada’s security.



According to O’Reilly’s written decisions, CSC said both men have social and family ties in Canada. If not transferred, CSC told Toews, they’d be deported to Canada at the end of their sentences and would not be subject to any supervision or control.



The rationale for transferring offenders is that it will aid in their rehabilitation and reintegration to society. “Our argument is that public safety is better served by the transfer,” said John Conroy, the Abbotsford, B.C. lawyer who represents both Tangorra and Villano.



“If a person isn’t transferred, then they’ll be deported free and clear, without any restriction,” Conroy said. “A gradual release we know is far more in the public interest in terms of public safety than having someone go to warrant expiry, then unlocking the door and kicking them out.”



O”Reilly’s intervention doesn’t clear the way for Tangorra and Villano to return to Canada, however. Instead, their cases will go back to Toews for reconsideration. Conroy said re-hearings — which typically occur within 60 days — are usually successful, but not always.



When Liberal governments were in power, they routinely approved transfer applications. But in a policy shift that has created a diplomatic flap with the United States, Conservative ministers have begun to reject a majority of them.



According to CSC data, the minister of public safety approved just 27 per cent of 89 transfer applications he considered in 2009-10, the latest year for which figures are publicly available. Nearly two-thirds of denials over the past decade involve people convicted of drug offences.



After judicial review, the Federal Court has been overturning a significant number of more recent ministerial denials. But the government’s omnibus crime bill, which received third reading in the House of Commons earlier this month, broadens the grounds under which the minister can deny transfer requests in future.



Until now, he could only reject applications on the basis of national security or if offenders were affiliated with organized crime. But the amended law says transfers can be denied if the minister believes offenders would endanger public safety or the safety of a child, or would continue to engage in criminal activity.



The Canadian Civil Liberties Association has argued that the amendments give the minister “an unconstitutional level of discretion” over whether Canadian citizens incarcerated abroad can return to Canada.



Irwin Cotler, the Liberal justice critic, said the changes raise the possibility of “untrammelled discretion” for the minister in approving or rejecting transfer requests. “It takes an objective assessment and makes it not only subjective, but he can actually, in an open-ended way, make a determination on any consideration whatsoever.”



Lisa Filipps, a spokeswoman for Public Safety Canada, said in an email that the government is “taking action to emphasize the protection of society as the paramount principle of our federal corrections system.”



It’s acting, she said, to ensure that Canadians “are safe and secure in their communities and, at the same time, that offenders are held accountable for their actions in Canada and abroad.”



In his review of Tangorra’s case, O’Reilly noted that Toews alluded to information that identified him as being linked to organized crime. According to CSC, those links were as a courier. Given the “unique facts and circumstances” of his case, Toews concluded, “a transfer would not achieve the purposes of the Act.”



But O’Reilly pointed out that the law requires him to intervene “where the decision does not include a conclusion that would justify the denial. A decision should also be quashed when it is based on information to which the applicant had no opportunity to respond. Both grounds apply here.”



In the case of Villano, Toews also cited the “unique facts and circumstances.” He noted that Villano’s offence involved a large quantity of drugs. Because he had an accomplice, Toews said others were probably involved who would have benefited financially had Villano been successful.



However, said O’Reilly, the minister didn’t actually conclude that Villano would commit an organized crime offence if transferred to Canada. “In fact, there was no evidence before him of any connection to organized crime.”



A spokesman for Toews said it would “not be appropriate” for the minister to comment on the cases.







Read more: http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/Federal+judge+overturns+minister+attempt+convicts+jailed+from+serving+sentences+Canada/5867864/story.html#ixzz1gj6wcCD2

A class-action lawsuit by travellers who paid extra for seats on Air Canada flights because they were obese or disabled has received permission to take off from a Quebec judge.

A class-action lawsuit by travellers who paid extra for seats on Air Canada flights because they were obese or disabled has received permission to take off from a Quebec judge.



The lawsuit has been authorized by Quebec Superior Court Judge Catherine La Rosa, the Quebec-based law firm handling the case said Monday.



David Bourgoin, lead lawyer for the class-action suit, said 10 to 20 people have come forward with an interest to join to class, adding there has been "a lot of interest" from organizations and groups that represent people with medical conditions that may make them eligible for inclusion.



He said the intention is for those groups to encourage people they work with to come forward.



"We've asked for punitive damages and moral damages, too," said Bourgoin, of BGA Barristers and Solicitors, which has offices in Montreal and Quebec City.



"It's a violation of fundamental rights to discriminate against people with (medical) deficiencies."



The suit seeks $1,000 for "damages for pain, suffering or inconvenience with interest" and an additional $500 for "punitive and exemplary damages with interest" for all people involved.







Read more: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/Canada+class+action+suit+gets/5849679/story.html#ixzz1gT8W20wz