Science – The CV Tribune

Biomarker & Genetic Testing Program identified >200 patients with an ultra-rare disease

Christian Velten — Tue, 07 Aug 2018 18:17:00 +0000

I was leading a global biomarker+genetic testing program aiming to identify hidden patients with Niemann-Pick type C, an ultra-rare and severe neuro-metabolic disease (prevalence 1:89’000, ~1’000 patients on treatment worldwide). The project included 44 countries, mostly in Europe, Latin America, Middle East and North Africa. We used a highly specific and sensitive biomarker, Lyso-SM-509, provided by the Centogene [...]

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Medical education program on MF-CTCL disease released

Christian Velten — Mon, 08 May 2017 18:44:00 +0000

I developed and provided a medical education program on MF-CTCL disease, supporting the launch of a new treatment product for the rare dermato-oncological disease. The program includes … CLIENT:Actelion Specialty Care Global Business Unit(as an Actelion employee and team member) PROJECT TIME FRAME: February – May 2017

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SAMS clinical digital solution has arrived

Christian Velten — Sun, 12 Jun 2016 18:56:00 +0000

SAMS (“Saccade Analysis Made Simple”) is an educational app for clinicians on the identification of specific impairments of eye movements (oculomotor test), and helps to earlier diagnose underlying neurological diseases. The tablet-based app guides through systematic qualitative measurements of various eye movements done locally by a physician or nurse. Simultaneously, the app records a video [...]

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Leaky peer-review system

Christian Velten — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 19:47:29 +0000

The peer-review principle for scientific publications is a well established and sound approach to ensure publication quality ... in theory. In real life it is regularly found to be leaky. This is a current example, reported by Retraction Watch

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Checklist on pitfalls with bibliographic searches

Christian Velten — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:42:31 +0000

With a so-called “bibliographic search” you are looking for the abstract or full-text of a scientific publication. This means, you already have at least some citation information on the publication, like author name(s), publication year, title, journal name, volume#, issue#, and/or page#. There are some known traps and pitfalls with bibliographic searches, that I would [...]

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The Knowledge-Carousel

Christian Velten — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 20:34:52 +0000

It is turning around … around … around … and around. Always the same turn, always the same things in view. With changing perspectives, but actually always at the same place. Sooner or later just boring. And once you overwind … well, mhh … might become unsavory. I exactly feel like sitting in such a [...]

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Just the good students turn away

Christian Velten — Thu, 26 May 2011 18:06:00 +0000

In his today’s newspaper column Sebastian Turner 1, initiator of the Falling Walls Conference 2 (“leading thinkers at the intellectual frontier” ), writes about the lack of qualified professionals in Germany. As part of that he mentions studies done by Manfred Prenzel 3 from the Munich Technical University, that are worth to also be shared [...]

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Let’s talk about Sex

Christian Velten — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 20:57:07 +0000

Journalists are mediators. And they are translators. Take me as an example. It is my job as a scientific journalist to translate scientific contents to the public so that people can understand what things like “cloning” and “genetic engineering” are. And, well, I am trying my best and it truly is an advantage for me [...]

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Superbugs knockin’ on the door

Christian Velten — Sat, 28 Aug 2010 18:01:24 +0000

Medical microbiologists and hygiene experts are warning against the excessive use of antibiotics for years now. They observe more and more resistances which have been forced by the constant misuse of antibiotics. Now, a July 2002 article in the online issue of the journal New Scientist reported that vancomycin – one of the final weapons [...]

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Bottlenecks in Proteomics

Christian Velten — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 20:14:35 +0000

Let’s start with a joke. “What are three Germans doing that you have put into one room? – Founding an association!” In Germany we have associations for everything in the smallest village. Associations of hen breeders, associations of stamp collectors, associations of local singers, associations of hobby gardeners, associations of wine drinkers, associations of The [...]

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