Health + Wellness
Long winters (and the occasional polar vortex) are just something we have to live with around here. However, those bold enough to venture into Cleveland's great white waste will find a flurry of cold weather activities that extend beyond the usual realm of skiing, inner-tubing and tobogganing.
On the heels of a successful merger that brought together under one roof three nonprofit community development organizations, Cleveland Neighborhood Progress (CNP) has made a key hire to lead its policy and advocacy efforts. Alesha Washington, a Glenville native who most recently served as Director of Executive Administration and Government Relations at the Centers for Family and Children, recently joined CNP as its Senior Director of Advocacy, Policy and Research. Washington will lead strategic policy initiatives at the city, county, state and federal levels and identify and use academic research to inform community development strategies.
"Trying to create a shared advocacy platform for the CDC community is what attracted me to the role," says Washington. "There's a need and a longing for a very coordinated and aligned system. The goal is to work together to improve Cleveland's neighborhoods for all people."
"It's about connecting the dots," adds Joel Ratner, President of CNP. "The needs we're identifying at the neighborhood level should be articulated clearly, strongly and strategically to officials who are setting policy and government budgets."
In recent years, Ratner says, no such coordinated effort has existed. Policy priorities might include strategies and funding to address vacant and abandoned properties, maintaining and enhancing tax credit programs that lend to neighborhood development, and influencing the state budget.
Source: Alesha Washington, Joel Ratner
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"Trying to create a shared advocacy platform for the CDC community is what attracted me to the role," says Washington. "There's a need and a longing for a very coordinated and aligned system. The goal is to work together to improve Cleveland's neighborhoods for all people."
"It's about connecting the dots," adds Joel Ratner, President of CNP. "The needs we're identifying at the neighborhood level should be articulated clearly, strongly and strategically to officials who are setting policy and government budgets."
In recent years, Ratner says, no such coordinated effort has existed. Policy priorities might include strategies and funding to address vacant and abandoned properties, maintaining and enhancing tax credit programs that lend to neighborhood development, and influencing the state budget.
Source: Alesha Washington, Joel Ratner
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Cleveland Neighborhood Progress has awarded $340,000 to nine community development corporations for green space improvements in Cleveland neighborhoods. The funds, which stem from the WellsFargo CityLIFT program as part of a multimillion dollar national settlement, will be used to fund side yards, pocket parks, pathway parks and street-edge improvements across the city.
"We feel this is very impactful," says Joel Ratner, President of Cleveland Neighborhood Progress. "Every day there are more vacant lots in Cleveland. The vast majority of them are scattered sites. How do we repurpose them in a way that supports neighborhoods? Urban agriculture is great, but you usually need larger pieces of land. This is a way of supporting the people that live on these streets."
Through a competitive process, CNP awarded funds to a pocket park adjacent to the E. 79th Street rapid station in Central, a pathway park in Tremont, and side yards in Stockyards, Brooklyn Centre and Clark-Fulton, among others.
The work will be completed on these lots in the spring and summer of 2014, with all improvements slated to be completed by November 2014.
"This is about the psychology of the neighborhood on some basic level," says Ratner. "It shows people their neighborhoods have not been forgotten. There may be many development opportunities in the medium or long-term future, but in the meantime, we want to keep the streets as strong as possible."
The grants were awarded as part of ReImagining Cleveland 3.0, a program whose earlier rounds fostered urban agriculture and greening projects across Cleveland.
Cleveland has been recognized nationally as a leader in urban agriculture and neighborhood greening as a response to population loss and the foreclosure crisis.
Source: Joel Ratner
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"We feel this is very impactful," says Joel Ratner, President of Cleveland Neighborhood Progress. "Every day there are more vacant lots in Cleveland. The vast majority of them are scattered sites. How do we repurpose them in a way that supports neighborhoods? Urban agriculture is great, but you usually need larger pieces of land. This is a way of supporting the people that live on these streets."
Through a competitive process, CNP awarded funds to a pocket park adjacent to the E. 79th Street rapid station in Central, a pathway park in Tremont, and side yards in Stockyards, Brooklyn Centre and Clark-Fulton, among others.
The work will be completed on these lots in the spring and summer of 2014, with all improvements slated to be completed by November 2014.
"This is about the psychology of the neighborhood on some basic level," says Ratner. "It shows people their neighborhoods have not been forgotten. There may be many development opportunities in the medium or long-term future, but in the meantime, we want to keep the streets as strong as possible."
The grants were awarded as part of ReImagining Cleveland 3.0, a program whose earlier rounds fostered urban agriculture and greening projects across Cleveland.
Cleveland has been recognized nationally as a leader in urban agriculture and neighborhood greening as a response to population loss and the foreclosure crisis.
Source: Joel Ratner
Writer: Lee Chilcote
As an investor in Biolectrics, a company that makes a battery-powered mouthpiece – think sports mouth guard -- that treats periodontal diseases with electric stimulation, Paul Ruflin began thinking about the device’s potential in other applications.
“The mouthpiece delivers a small amount of current that kills oral bacteria,” Ruflin explains. “In the lab it kills 75 to 100 percent of bacteria in the mouth in five to 10 minutes. The early results are promising in killing oral bacteria.”
With human trials completed at the University of Buffalo, Ruflin has created Animal Oralectrics, based out of MAGNET’s offices. The company uses the same technology as Biolectrics but applies it toward dogs, sheep, cows and cats. “Animals are five percent more likely to have periodontal disease than humans,” says Ruflin. “Less than one percent of dog owners brush their dogs’ teeth or takes them to the vet for a cleaning.”
Ruflin recently created a prototype on a 3D printer and is working with Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine to test Animal Oralectrics on dogs. So far, the response has been positive. “This device kills oral bacteria, prevents gingivitis and gum loss,” explains Ruflin. “The current is undetectable. The concept here is to make a device that gives treatment but looks like a chew toy or pull toy. You can even put a treat in the end of it. The key is getting them to engage with it for five to 15 minutes.”
The Innovation Fund recently awarded Animal Oralectrics a $25,000 grant to further develop its product. Currently, the company consists of just Ruflin and an intern from CWRU. But he plans to hire a marketing and social media person soon. He also plans on running a crowd funding campaign before releasing the product in of 2014.
Ultimately, Ruflin predicts he will add seven to 10 direct employees and another 15 to 20 indirect employees over the next two or three years.
Source: Paul Ruflin
Writer: Karin Connelly
“The mouthpiece delivers a small amount of current that kills oral bacteria,” Ruflin explains. “In the lab it kills 75 to 100 percent of bacteria in the mouth in five to 10 minutes. The early results are promising in killing oral bacteria.”
With human trials completed at the University of Buffalo, Ruflin has created Animal Oralectrics, based out of MAGNET’s offices. The company uses the same technology as Biolectrics but applies it toward dogs, sheep, cows and cats. “Animals are five percent more likely to have periodontal disease than humans,” says Ruflin. “Less than one percent of dog owners brush their dogs’ teeth or takes them to the vet for a cleaning.”
Ruflin recently created a prototype on a 3D printer and is working with Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine to test Animal Oralectrics on dogs. So far, the response has been positive. “This device kills oral bacteria, prevents gingivitis and gum loss,” explains Ruflin. “The current is undetectable. The concept here is to make a device that gives treatment but looks like a chew toy or pull toy. You can even put a treat in the end of it. The key is getting them to engage with it for five to 15 minutes.”
The Innovation Fund recently awarded Animal Oralectrics a $25,000 grant to further develop its product. Currently, the company consists of just Ruflin and an intern from CWRU. But he plans to hire a marketing and social media person soon. He also plans on running a crowd funding campaign before releasing the product in of 2014.
Ultimately, Ruflin predicts he will add seven to 10 direct employees and another 15 to 20 indirect employees over the next two or three years.
Source: Paul Ruflin
Writer: Karin Connelly
In this, the second installment in a two-part series, Fresh Water development editor Lee Chilcote takes a close look at the Opportunity Corridor, a 3.5 mile planned roadway that would connect I-490 with University Circle. The project is being promoted as an economic development engine, but skeptics have their doubts.
Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, a nonprofit community development organization, has begun offering Cleveland City Life tours to expose suburbanites, millenials, empty-nesters, boomerangs and newcomers to town to all the city has to offer.
CNP Director of Marketing Jeff Kipp says the tours really are about helping Clevelanders see for themselves the positive change taking place in the city.
"We'll do the proverbial handholding and take you into the neighborhoods," he says. "You see the positive headlines and positive trends, but a big chunk of our population doesn't have firsthand experience with the city. This is about removing that intimidation factor and bridging the gap."
Tours starts in Ohio City and include stops in Detroit Shoreway, the lakefront, University Circle, Little Italy, Midtown, downtown and Tremont. Along the way, it also touches on neighborhoods such as Cudell, Glenville and Fairfax. Each lasts two hours, costs $12 and comes with a free Live!Cleveland/City Life T-shirt.
"As we drive through University Circle, we can reference the excitement that's happening in North Shore Collinwood," Kipp explains, adding that while the tours can't feasibly cover the whole city, they will highlight all city neighborhoods.
The tours are being marketed through CNP's website and partner organizations such as Global Cleveland and the Downtown Cleveland Alliance. There currently are tours scheduled between Christmas and New Year's and around the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend.
"This is a way to roll out the red carpet and give a reintroduction to your Cleveland neighbors," Kipp adds.
Source: Jeff Kipp
Writer: Lee Chilcote
CNP Director of Marketing Jeff Kipp says the tours really are about helping Clevelanders see for themselves the positive change taking place in the city.
"We'll do the proverbial handholding and take you into the neighborhoods," he says. "You see the positive headlines and positive trends, but a big chunk of our population doesn't have firsthand experience with the city. This is about removing that intimidation factor and bridging the gap."
Tours starts in Ohio City and include stops in Detroit Shoreway, the lakefront, University Circle, Little Italy, Midtown, downtown and Tremont. Along the way, it also touches on neighborhoods such as Cudell, Glenville and Fairfax. Each lasts two hours, costs $12 and comes with a free Live!Cleveland/City Life T-shirt.
"As we drive through University Circle, we can reference the excitement that's happening in North Shore Collinwood," Kipp explains, adding that while the tours can't feasibly cover the whole city, they will highlight all city neighborhoods.
The tours are being marketed through CNP's website and partner organizations such as Global Cleveland and the Downtown Cleveland Alliance. There currently are tours scheduled between Christmas and New Year's and around the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend.
"This is a way to roll out the red carpet and give a reintroduction to your Cleveland neighbors," Kipp adds.
Source: Jeff Kipp
Writer: Lee Chilcote
The City of Lakewood has issued 44 certificates of occupancy on Madison Avenue this year, and nine businesses are participating in the city's storefront renovation program. Planning and Development Director Dru Siley says these numbers show how much business interest there is along this traditional yet funky strip, which is seeing a wave of redevelopment activity spurred in part by Detroit Avenue's success.
"We want to reproduce the success we've had on Detroit, recognizing that Madison has unique character and flavor that make it distinct," he says. "Madison is a small business corridor. Of 300 businesses here, 95 percent of them are locally owned."
Siley says that Madison is home to independent restaurants and entertainment spots, professional services and service-oriented retail. Current vacancy rates hover around 14 percent, down from over 20 percent a few years ago. Lakewood is developing a new streetscape along Madison that will break ground fall of 2014. The city also is committing storefront renovation dollars to help attract businesses and redevelop properties.
Examples of new businesses attracted to Madison recently include Mahall's, a historic old-school bowling alley that has new ownership and added music, food and entertainment, and Barrio, a Mexican eatery. The streetscape project not only will resurface the street, but also reduce Madison to two lanes with a center turning lane to make it safer and accommodate bike lanes. No parking will be lost.
The City of Lakewood and LakewoodAlive hosted a forum entitled "Madison on the Move" on Wednesday, December 4th at Harrison Elementary School in Lakewood.
Source: Dru Siley
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"We want to reproduce the success we've had on Detroit, recognizing that Madison has unique character and flavor that make it distinct," he says. "Madison is a small business corridor. Of 300 businesses here, 95 percent of them are locally owned."
Siley says that Madison is home to independent restaurants and entertainment spots, professional services and service-oriented retail. Current vacancy rates hover around 14 percent, down from over 20 percent a few years ago. Lakewood is developing a new streetscape along Madison that will break ground fall of 2014. The city also is committing storefront renovation dollars to help attract businesses and redevelop properties.
Examples of new businesses attracted to Madison recently include Mahall's, a historic old-school bowling alley that has new ownership and added music, food and entertainment, and Barrio, a Mexican eatery. The streetscape project not only will resurface the street, but also reduce Madison to two lanes with a center turning lane to make it safer and accommodate bike lanes. No parking will be lost.
The City of Lakewood and LakewoodAlive hosted a forum entitled "Madison on the Move" on Wednesday, December 4th at Harrison Elementary School in Lakewood.
Source: Dru Siley
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Eric Klein, chair of the Glickman Urology and Kidney Institute at the Cleveland Clinic, along with a team of researchers at the Clinic and Genomic Health, have developed a genomic test that determines the aggressiveness of prostate cancer and therefore helps doctors and patients decide the proper course of treatment.
“It’s a biopsy-based test that looks at how certain genes are turned on or off,” explains Klein. “Before it was developed we made an educated guess on how aggressive a man’s tumor was based on factors like age and health.”
Often there are multiple small tumors in prostate cancer. The Oncoptype DX Prostate Cancer test, developed for market by California-based Genomic Health, looks at the activity of certain genes within the tumor. Based on the results, treatment can range from surveillance to more aggressive treatment.
“We developed it in a way to tell what else is going on in the prostate,” says Klein. “About 20 to 25 percent of men who have this test are re-assigned to a different category of progression.”
Klein is pleased with what the test means for the treatment of prostate cancer. “First, it identifies those who have more aggressive cancer,” he says. “Second, it reassures those who choose surveillance.”
Klein has spent the past eight years developing the prostate genomic test. The University of California San Francisco spent three years validating the method, and it was released in May. The test is one of many advancements in genome-guided solid tumor analysis recognized by Cleveland Clinic Innovations as the number-two innovation in health care this year. Genomic Health has a similar test for treatment of breast cancer.
“This is the first foray into precision treatment for prostate cancer,” Klein says. “With this test a management decision can be made based on the characteristics of the tumor. It’s individual decision making based on that person’s disease. That’s’ where we want to be.”
Source: Eric Klein
Writer: Karin Connelly
“It’s a biopsy-based test that looks at how certain genes are turned on or off,” explains Klein. “Before it was developed we made an educated guess on how aggressive a man’s tumor was based on factors like age and health.”
Often there are multiple small tumors in prostate cancer. The Oncoptype DX Prostate Cancer test, developed for market by California-based Genomic Health, looks at the activity of certain genes within the tumor. Based on the results, treatment can range from surveillance to more aggressive treatment.
“We developed it in a way to tell what else is going on in the prostate,” says Klein. “About 20 to 25 percent of men who have this test are re-assigned to a different category of progression.”
Klein is pleased with what the test means for the treatment of prostate cancer. “First, it identifies those who have more aggressive cancer,” he says. “Second, it reassures those who choose surveillance.”
Klein has spent the past eight years developing the prostate genomic test. The University of California San Francisco spent three years validating the method, and it was released in May. The test is one of many advancements in genome-guided solid tumor analysis recognized by Cleveland Clinic Innovations as the number-two innovation in health care this year. Genomic Health has a similar test for treatment of breast cancer.
“This is the first foray into precision treatment for prostate cancer,” Klein says. “With this test a management decision can be made based on the characteristics of the tumor. It’s individual decision making based on that person’s disease. That’s’ where we want to be.”
Source: Eric Klein
Writer: Karin Connelly
new grant program funds business incubator, other innovative community projects
A new grant program launched by Neighborhood Progress Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides funding and technical assistance to community development corporations in Cleveland, recently awarded $200,000 to five projects. The recipients include a new business incubation program in North Collinwood, youth programming in Ohio City and surrounding neighborhoods, an effort in Central to teach fourth graders about healthy, local food, arts-based development in St. Clair Superior, and a community engagement effort in Tremont.
"The program came to be when we, as an organization, made a decision to develop a program that all CDCs had access to," says Colleen Gilson, Vice President of CDC Services for NPI, of the Neighborhood Solutions grant program. "The idea was, let's not be prescriptive. Let's let CDCs tell us what their solution to a neighborhood problem is or a cool project in their service area."
The awards break down as follows: NPI awarded $45,000 to ActiVacant, a program to recruit entrepreneurs to vacant retail spaces on E. 185th; $45,000 to Near West Recreation to expand its network of youth programming, including baseball, soccer, softball, basketball and bowling; $45,000 to St. Clair Superior for its Urban Upcycle project; $45,000 to Burton Bell Carr for its Urban Farm Diet Program; and $20,000 to Tremont West for its efforts to engage residents in creating a community-based development plan around MetroHealth.
Gilson says the projects reflect "deep collaboration" and non-traditional approaches towards community development. For instance, Near West Recreation is an effort to engage and retain families in six neighborhoods on the near west side -- Ohio City, Tremont, Stockyards, Clark-Fulton and Detroit Shoreway -- and build "intergenerational mixed-income neighborhoods." ActiVacant, spearheaded by Northeast Shores, is a "new take on the American dream" and a "business incubation project on steroids" that will entice young retailers to fill empty spaces on E. 185th by offering them free or reduced rent for a period of time, access to mentors and other support, and incentives for meeting benchmarks.
"The process was pretty amazing," says Gilson, describing a Shark Tank-esque format in which finalists presented in front of a panel of community development leaders, who then ranked and voted on winners. "We invited other CDCs to come watch and learn from their peers, and it was a really good opportunity to learn."
Source: Colleen Gilson
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"The program came to be when we, as an organization, made a decision to develop a program that all CDCs had access to," says Colleen Gilson, Vice President of CDC Services for NPI, of the Neighborhood Solutions grant program. "The idea was, let's not be prescriptive. Let's let CDCs tell us what their solution to a neighborhood problem is or a cool project in their service area."
The awards break down as follows: NPI awarded $45,000 to ActiVacant, a program to recruit entrepreneurs to vacant retail spaces on E. 185th; $45,000 to Near West Recreation to expand its network of youth programming, including baseball, soccer, softball, basketball and bowling; $45,000 to St. Clair Superior for its Urban Upcycle project; $45,000 to Burton Bell Carr for its Urban Farm Diet Program; and $20,000 to Tremont West for its efforts to engage residents in creating a community-based development plan around MetroHealth.
Gilson says the projects reflect "deep collaboration" and non-traditional approaches towards community development. For instance, Near West Recreation is an effort to engage and retain families in six neighborhoods on the near west side -- Ohio City, Tremont, Stockyards, Clark-Fulton and Detroit Shoreway -- and build "intergenerational mixed-income neighborhoods." ActiVacant, spearheaded by Northeast Shores, is a "new take on the American dream" and a "business incubation project on steroids" that will entice young retailers to fill empty spaces on E. 185th by offering them free or reduced rent for a period of time, access to mentors and other support, and incentives for meeting benchmarks.
"The process was pretty amazing," says Gilson, describing a Shark Tank-esque format in which finalists presented in front of a panel of community development leaders, who then ranked and voted on winners. "We invited other CDCs to come watch and learn from their peers, and it was a really good opportunity to learn."
Source: Colleen Gilson
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Shaker Heights entrepreneur Kai Wingo recently launched the Buckeye Mushroom Farm on a vacant lot on E. 127th Street off Buckeye Road. Wingo is growing oyster and garden giant mushrooms on beds and racks there. She also teaches classes and sells mushrooms under the moniker Kai's Kultured Mushrooms at the Coit Road Farmers Market.
"I'm a mushroom ambassador," she says. "I want people to know about benefits we get from mushrooms. I'm the only one I know of who's doing it at this scale."
Wingo began growing mushrooms four years ago, and launched her business when she got laid off from her job with the Cleveland Municipal School District. By then, she'd outgrown her home garden, so she applied for a vacant lot through the land bank. Recently, she also built a hoop house there to extend the growing season.
"Mushrooms are a powerhouse of nutrition," she explains. "The gardens also benefit because of the compost they provide. They're just a grand recycler."
Wingo says there is great untapped demand for local mushrooms, which are a high-value crop, and that her business and classes are taking off. "There's a long waiting list of farmers markets that would love to have mushrooms there, but there aren't any people to fill the niche, so that's why I'm teaching people."
Hough entrepreneur Mansfield Frazier also has tapped Wingo to grow 'shrooms at his new biocellar project. She can be reached via Facebook or by phone at 216-561-3200.
Source: Kai Wingo
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"I'm a mushroom ambassador," she says. "I want people to know about benefits we get from mushrooms. I'm the only one I know of who's doing it at this scale."
Wingo began growing mushrooms four years ago, and launched her business when she got laid off from her job with the Cleveland Municipal School District. By then, she'd outgrown her home garden, so she applied for a vacant lot through the land bank. Recently, she also built a hoop house there to extend the growing season.
"Mushrooms are a powerhouse of nutrition," she explains. "The gardens also benefit because of the compost they provide. They're just a grand recycler."
Wingo says there is great untapped demand for local mushrooms, which are a high-value crop, and that her business and classes are taking off. "There's a long waiting list of farmers markets that would love to have mushrooms there, but there aren't any people to fill the niche, so that's why I'm teaching people."
Hough entrepreneur Mansfield Frazier also has tapped Wingo to grow 'shrooms at his new biocellar project. She can be reached via Facebook or by phone at 216-561-3200.
Source: Kai Wingo
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Among Tremont residents, it's a running joke that the area has almost as many dogs and cats as people. Now this pet-friendly neighborhood will gain another asset in the form of the Tremont Animal Clinic, which is set to open on W. 14th Street by the end of the year.
"We grew up in Cleveland, born and bred," says Katie McCoy, who is opening the clinic with fellow veterinarians Sara Tippins and Bob Litkovitz (known as "Dr. Bob" to all who frequent Gateway Animal Clinic, where he and Litkovitz has worked for years). "We looked at Independence, Hinckley, but always came back to wanting to be a part of the city. We walk down the street and see people we know. Tremont is a nice, small, supportive community, and we love that."
Tremont Animal Clinic will be a full-service clinic that offers appointment times and segregated examination rooms. The vets decided to open the clinic to offer an alternative to Gateway, which is walk-in only and has large, open rooms. The facility will be open Monday through Saturday, and will be open until 7:30 p.m. at least one evening per week.
The building, located at 3148 W. 14th Street, is the former home of the Rodeo Bar, a nuisance that Tremont residents have complained about for years. Local entrepreneur and Treehouse owner Tom Leneghan is completely renovating the place, having gutted it down to the studs. A hair and nail salon is located next door, and a barbeque joint called Nana's BBQ is slated to go in on the other side.
"People were so happy to see us go in here because the Rodeo had been a problem for years," says McCoy, who is aiming for a soft opening before Christmas.
Source: Katie McCoy
Writer: Lee Chilcote
"We grew up in Cleveland, born and bred," says Katie McCoy, who is opening the clinic with fellow veterinarians Sara Tippins and Bob Litkovitz (known as "Dr. Bob" to all who frequent Gateway Animal Clinic, where he and Litkovitz has worked for years). "We looked at Independence, Hinckley, but always came back to wanting to be a part of the city. We walk down the street and see people we know. Tremont is a nice, small, supportive community, and we love that."
Tremont Animal Clinic will be a full-service clinic that offers appointment times and segregated examination rooms. The vets decided to open the clinic to offer an alternative to Gateway, which is walk-in only and has large, open rooms. The facility will be open Monday through Saturday, and will be open until 7:30 p.m. at least one evening per week.
The building, located at 3148 W. 14th Street, is the former home of the Rodeo Bar, a nuisance that Tremont residents have complained about for years. Local entrepreneur and Treehouse owner Tom Leneghan is completely renovating the place, having gutted it down to the studs. A hair and nail salon is located next door, and a barbeque joint called Nana's BBQ is slated to go in on the other side.
"People were so happy to see us go in here because the Rodeo had been a problem for years," says McCoy, who is aiming for a soft opening before Christmas.
Source: Katie McCoy
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Abeona Therapeutics, a small biotech startup company that develops therapies for lysomal storage diseases, earned the Global Gene’s Champion of Hope award, along with its partners, for its work in developing therapies for children with Sanfilippo Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder.
Abeona, founded earlier this year in Cleveland as a spinoff of Columbus-based Nationwide Children’s Hospital, is developing two products that came out of research at Nationwide. ABX-A and ABX-B have the potential to cure Sanfilippo Syndrome.
Children with Sanfilippo are missing an essential enzyme for normal cellular function, causing toxins in their brains and bodies to cause severe disabilities. Symptoms often appear in the first year of life, causing progressive muscular and cognitive decline, and the disease is usually fatal by the early teens.
Current studies show that a single dose of Abeona’s treatments prompted cells to produce the missing enzymes and help repair the damage.
“What’s unique about this drug is that it’s a collaboration between Abeona, the hospital and eight international foundations to find a treatment for Sanfilippo Syndrome,” says Abeona president and CEO Tim Miller.
Abeona’s products are a result of 10 years of research done by Nationwide’s Haiyan Fu. Abeona is currently raising money to conduct phase I and II clinical trials in 2014. “One of the things that drew me to this company is the pre-clinical data for these drugs,” says Miller. “The life span is improved. If this transfers over to the kids I’ll be very excited.”
While there are no approved treatments for Sanfilippo Syndrome yet, Miller says a number of companies are working on therapies.
Source: Tim Miller
Writer: Karin Connelly
Abeona, founded earlier this year in Cleveland as a spinoff of Columbus-based Nationwide Children’s Hospital, is developing two products that came out of research at Nationwide. ABX-A and ABX-B have the potential to cure Sanfilippo Syndrome.
Children with Sanfilippo are missing an essential enzyme for normal cellular function, causing toxins in their brains and bodies to cause severe disabilities. Symptoms often appear in the first year of life, causing progressive muscular and cognitive decline, and the disease is usually fatal by the early teens.
Current studies show that a single dose of Abeona’s treatments prompted cells to produce the missing enzymes and help repair the damage.
“What’s unique about this drug is that it’s a collaboration between Abeona, the hospital and eight international foundations to find a treatment for Sanfilippo Syndrome,” says Abeona president and CEO Tim Miller.
Abeona’s products are a result of 10 years of research done by Nationwide’s Haiyan Fu. Abeona is currently raising money to conduct phase I and II clinical trials in 2014. “One of the things that drew me to this company is the pre-clinical data for these drugs,” says Miller. “The life span is improved. If this transfers over to the kids I’ll be very excited.”
While there are no approved treatments for Sanfilippo Syndrome yet, Miller says a number of companies are working on therapies.
Source: Tim Miller
Writer: Karin Connelly
The Cleveland Clinic marks its 50th year of successful kidney transplants this year. While the Clinic was not the first to successfully transplant a human kidney, the hospital was, and continues to be, a pioneer in the field.
“There were two earlier transplants,” explains Robert Heyka, interim chair of the department of nephrology and hypertension at the Clinic’s Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute. “One was in New Jersey, but it only lasted 10 months. The first successful transplant was in 1954, in Boston, which worked because the transplant occurred with identical twins.”
The Cleveland Clinic performed its first successful kidney transplant in 1963, in part due to the development of anti-rejection drugs, and in part because Willem Kolff, a doctor from the Netherlands, came to the Clinic in the 1950s with his dialysis machine.
Kolff’s original dialysis machines were made with a washing machine motor, a nose cone borrowed from NASA and peach cans. He perfected his machine at the Clinic. Dialysis made it possible to keep patients alive while they waited for a transplant. “A combination of medications and the Cleveland Clinic having dialysis machines made the program successful,” says Heyka.
In 1966, the Cleveland Clinic performed 126 kidney transplants. Additionally, Cleveland was one of the first cities to establish an independent organ procurement program in the late 1960s. The organization now is known as Lifebanc.
Today, the Clinic has transplanted more than 4,200 kidneys and is on track to perform 200 transplants this year. The Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute ranked second this year in U.S. News and World Report’s America’s Best Hospitals.
“All these things we take for granted now as standard and mass produced,” says Heyka. “When you get into it, it’s more inspiring when you hear about the people who did it first and the challenges they had to face.”
Writer: Karin Connelly
Source: Robert Heyka
“There were two earlier transplants,” explains Robert Heyka, interim chair of the department of nephrology and hypertension at the Clinic’s Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute. “One was in New Jersey, but it only lasted 10 months. The first successful transplant was in 1954, in Boston, which worked because the transplant occurred with identical twins.”
The Cleveland Clinic performed its first successful kidney transplant in 1963, in part due to the development of anti-rejection drugs, and in part because Willem Kolff, a doctor from the Netherlands, came to the Clinic in the 1950s with his dialysis machine.
Kolff’s original dialysis machines were made with a washing machine motor, a nose cone borrowed from NASA and peach cans. He perfected his machine at the Clinic. Dialysis made it possible to keep patients alive while they waited for a transplant. “A combination of medications and the Cleveland Clinic having dialysis machines made the program successful,” says Heyka.
In 1966, the Cleveland Clinic performed 126 kidney transplants. Additionally, Cleveland was one of the first cities to establish an independent organ procurement program in the late 1960s. The organization now is known as Lifebanc.
Today, the Clinic has transplanted more than 4,200 kidneys and is on track to perform 200 transplants this year. The Glickman Urological and Kidney Institute ranked second this year in U.S. News and World Report’s America’s Best Hospitals.
“All these things we take for granted now as standard and mass produced,” says Heyka. “When you get into it, it’s more inspiring when you hear about the people who did it first and the challenges they had to face.”
Writer: Karin Connelly
Source: Robert Heyka
The Enterprise Nurture an Idea Crowdrise Challenge offers entrepreneurs the opportunity to win $10,000 by competing to raise the most money online. Eleven innovative ideas in Cleveland are competing between now and November 8th for that big grand prize.
Ideas include a bike composting business in Gordon Square, an initiative to open retail startups in former shipping containers in downtown parking lots, a healthy corner store in Tremont, and a food cooperative distribution center in St. Clair Superior.
Daniel Brown of Rust Belt Gardens studied successful operations in other cities before setting his sights on launching a bike composting business. He says that such a business not only can be profitable, but also can help homeowners divert waste from landfills, create green-collar jobs and improve soil at community gardens.
"We need to buy specialized bikes and trailers, get the website up and running, and start to educate people about what is compostable and not compostable," Brown says of his startup. His partners in the challenge are Detroit Shoreway Community Development, Bike Cleveland and Groundz Recycling.
Cleveland Bike Composting would charge $10 to $25 per month to pick up five-gallon compost buckets from a home or business, depending on how often it is scheduled.
"At our community garden, we can't compost enough," says Brown of the demand. "Purchasing compost is expensive, but the process to make it is fairly easy if you know what you're doing. People in Cleveland are really buying into the local foods movement, and that lends itself to there being demand for a composting service."
Currently, there is no business in Cleveland that helps individual homeowners to compost, much less that does so by bike, which raises the sustainability to a new level of green.
Source: Daniel Brown
Writer: Lee Chilcote
Ideas include a bike composting business in Gordon Square, an initiative to open retail startups in former shipping containers in downtown parking lots, a healthy corner store in Tremont, and a food cooperative distribution center in St. Clair Superior.
Daniel Brown of Rust Belt Gardens studied successful operations in other cities before setting his sights on launching a bike composting business. He says that such a business not only can be profitable, but also can help homeowners divert waste from landfills, create green-collar jobs and improve soil at community gardens.
"We need to buy specialized bikes and trailers, get the website up and running, and start to educate people about what is compostable and not compostable," Brown says of his startup. His partners in the challenge are Detroit Shoreway Community Development, Bike Cleveland and Groundz Recycling.
Cleveland Bike Composting would charge $10 to $25 per month to pick up five-gallon compost buckets from a home or business, depending on how often it is scheduled.
"At our community garden, we can't compost enough," says Brown of the demand. "Purchasing compost is expensive, but the process to make it is fairly easy if you know what you're doing. People in Cleveland are really buying into the local foods movement, and that lends itself to there being demand for a composting service."
Currently, there is no business in Cleveland that helps individual homeowners to compost, much less that does so by bike, which raises the sustainability to a new level of green.
Source: Daniel Brown
Writer: Lee Chilcote
A grassroots urban placemaking movement that started in Portland has made its way to Cleveland, and a few weeks ago, residents from three Cleveland neighborhoods came together to remove blight with community-led art.
City Repair, which started in Portland as a guerilla movement to add splashes of color to city streets, is so new here that the City of Cleveland denied a permit request at the last minute, forcing organizers to scramble to adapt their project. The original idea was to paint city intersections, and Cleveland officials now acknowledge that they need a new policy to deal with these requests.
In the end, City Repair Cleveland created three successful projects and built a greater sense of community in the process, says Adele DiMarco-Kious, consultant to the effort.
"This is about neighbors getting to know one another and taking shared action about things important to them in their neighborhood," she adds. "You get people to come together, take ownership of the public realm and start taking action and it has a multiplier effect. People build trust, take action and build a sense of power."
In Buckeye-Shaker Square, residents created a vision for a mural that they hope will be painted on a bridge over the RTA tracks that historically has divided their two neighborhoods; Clark-Fulton residents beautified the long-neglected Newark Court alley by painting a mural of the river that once ran through the community; and Stockyard residents covered up a blighted retaining wall with colorful designs.
DiMarco-Kious says the impact goes far beyond the physical projects themselves, as neighbors work shoulder-to-shoulder and families come out of their houses to help paint.
City Repair Cleveland was supported by Neighborhood Connections, a small grants and community building program affiliated with the Cleveland Foundation.
Source: Adele DiMarco-Kious
Writer: Lee Chilcote
City Repair, which started in Portland as a guerilla movement to add splashes of color to city streets, is so new here that the City of Cleveland denied a permit request at the last minute, forcing organizers to scramble to adapt their project. The original idea was to paint city intersections, and Cleveland officials now acknowledge that they need a new policy to deal with these requests.
In the end, City Repair Cleveland created three successful projects and built a greater sense of community in the process, says Adele DiMarco-Kious, consultant to the effort.
"This is about neighbors getting to know one another and taking shared action about things important to them in their neighborhood," she adds. "You get people to come together, take ownership of the public realm and start taking action and it has a multiplier effect. People build trust, take action and build a sense of power."
In Buckeye-Shaker Square, residents created a vision for a mural that they hope will be painted on a bridge over the RTA tracks that historically has divided their two neighborhoods; Clark-Fulton residents beautified the long-neglected Newark Court alley by painting a mural of the river that once ran through the community; and Stockyard residents covered up a blighted retaining wall with colorful designs.
DiMarco-Kious says the impact goes far beyond the physical projects themselves, as neighbors work shoulder-to-shoulder and families come out of their houses to help paint.
City Repair Cleveland was supported by Neighborhood Connections, a small grants and community building program affiliated with the Cleveland Foundation.
Source: Adele DiMarco-Kious
Writer: Lee Chilcote