LSRO: A Look Back, A Look Ahead
For nearly half a century, the Life Sciences Research Office (LSRO) has provided independent, third-party scientific evaluations and opinions to governmental agencies and leading corporations in the health, food and bioscience sectors. In the last few years, the size and diversity of our client base has grown. Highlights of our recent work spotlight recent progress:

• Safety of Dental Mercury Fillings (Amalgams)
  An in-depth investigation into the safety of dental amalgam was prepared at the request of the federal Trans-agency Working Group on the Health Effects of Dental Amalgam, an ad hoc body composed of representatives from the National Institutes of Dental and Craniofacial Research of the National Institutes of Health, the Center for Devices and Radiological Health of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Office of the Chief Dental Officer of the Public Health Service. Click this link to view our findings and a copy of our press release.

• Potential Risk of Cigarette Additives for Smokers
  In this report we evaluate how best to determine the potential risk of non-tobacco additives for cigarette smokers. Entitled Evaluation of Cigarette Ingredients: Scientific Criteria, it follows our earlier report which investigated the methods of producing cigarettes and current methodologies for evaluating the risks of cigarette smoking. The analyses were conducted under contract with Philip Morris, USA, which did not contribute to the design, implementation or recommendations of our review. Click this link to view the press release.

• Postmarket Surveillance of Dietary Supplements
  This report concludes that an effective postmarket surveillance program for dietary supplements could enhance the likelihood that true adverse effects, unknown at the time of marketing, are identified. Our recommendations include specific, detailed advice concerning the required components of such a system and provide a framework for building a postmarket surveillance system for dietary supplements that can be implemented by individual manufacturers or by the dietary supplement industry as a whole to complement federal systems. Click this link for more information about our findings.

• Relationship Between Walnuts and Heart Disease
  Our findings, published in the Journal of Nutrition, evaluated the evidence substantiating the health claim that nuts - especially walnuts - reduce and prevent coronary heart disease (CHD). Our expert panel used the FDA guidance for determining that a dietary benefit is related to reducing a common disease in adults. You can link to our earlier publication about the health effects of walnuts and to our recent press release.

• Trends Among the Next Generation of Scientists
  The goal of the project was to document the demographic trends to produce future scientists in certain niches within the scientific community. The analysis included examining the status of training programs to produce scientists of the future, the incentives for scientists to enter certain fields and the demands for their work in academic, government and industry settings. Our work was conducted under contract for the American Physiological Society (APS) and the American Society for Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET). Click this link for a copy of the Executive Summary.

• Assessing New Military Technologies
  Under contract to the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, and in cooperation with the US Navy's Office of Naval Research, we began examining the best method for selecting experimental resuscitation fluid technology for use in combat. The study of emerging technologies, which may help improve resuscitation fluids in order to stabilize and support wounded personnel and minimize their medical complications, is underway. Candidate technologies and products were assessed based on the military's requirements, the readiness for clinical trials and other criteria. Download a copy of the Executive Summary.

How May We Help Your Organization? For almost 50 years the Life Sciences Research Office has provided expert, independent opinions and scientific evaluations. Our non-profit organization specializes in science-based analyses and advice to the government and private sector on a vast range of topics. For more information about how our third party review process and analytical services can help your organization, please contact us at LSRO@LSRO.org or at 301.634.7030.