Pensacola, FL (PRWEB) May 08, 2012

Smart Horizons, a leading provider of comprehensive online early childhood education programs, has partnered with Nemours, a leader in pediatric health systems, to create an online offering of the successful Nemours BrightStart! program available to early childhood caregivers and educators around the world.

The Nemours BrightStart! program was developed to address the growing occurrences of reading failure in groups of children around the nation. The ability to read with understanding is undeniably one of the most basic foundations children must have in order to be successful in school and beyond to adult life. Without this foundation, negative consequences can last a lifetime. With the help of educators and early learning specialists, Nemours BrightStart! has focused their vast array of scientific and clinical expertise on this crisis and has developed the Nemours BrightStart! educational intervention program.

Begun as a local initiative, the Nemours BrightStart! vision can now be realized on a much broader scale. Children who are evaluated and identified as being at risk for reading failure benefit from the early intervention teachers provide as a result of the training received from this multisensory program.

Studies have shown that when taught by teachers using Nemours BrightStart! curriculum, child outcomes exceed expectations. With the training for educators now available online through the partnership with Smart Horizons, teachers everywhere can make use of the tremendously successful curriculum.

About Smart Horizons

Smart Horizons is an online training provider that offers courseware development by experienced instructional designers, customized programs, learning management services, and superior media design. Designated as an Authorized Provider by the International Association for Continuing Education & Training (IACET), Smart Horizons offers Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for its programs that qualify under IACET guidelines. Smart Horizons, provides a wide range of training services, including content development and hosting, product delivery, student enrollment, student support, and record keeping. With innovative programs that are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, Smart Horizons is changing the way companies train their employees and enhancing the way individual learners achieve their educational and career goals.

About Nemours

Nemours is an internationally recognized childrens health system that owns and operates the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, DE, along with major pediatric specialty clinics in Delaware, Florida, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey. In 2012, it will open the full-service Nemours Childrens Hospital in Orlando, Florida.

Established as The Nemours Foundation through the legacy and philanthropy of Alfred I. du Pont, Nemours offers pediatric clinical care, research, education, advocacy, and prevention programs to all families in the communities it serves.

Ottawa, ON (PRWEB) May 3, 2012

DNA Genotek, a leading supplier of products for the collection of biological samples, stabilization and preparation, announced the winners of the 2012 DNA Genotek Scholarship Program: Dr. Paul Arnold Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and Dr. David Speicher Griffith Institute of Health. Dr. Arnold will be awarded $ 30,000 (USD), with 260 Oragene?. DNA kits, while Dr. Speicher awarded $ 25,000 (USD) and 400 OMNIGENE?. DISCOVER kits collection.

DNA Genotek Fellowship Program, launched in October 2011, invited research proposals showed that the use of new and innovative company based in the saliva collection and products stabilization in the genetic / genomic one of three designated research areas: cancer, personalized medicine and infectious diseases. The quantity and quality of applications received for the program exceeded expectations with many valuable proposals competing for the prize.

first donation for DNA methylation profiles of saliva in pediatric obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) was awarded to Dr. Arnold, Scientific Program in Genetics and Genome Biology Program Head and disorders of Anxiety SickKids, Toronto, Canada. His research focuses on the TOC, a common and debilitating neuropsychiatric disorders, so few genetic risk factors have been identified. Dr. Arnold proposes a new approach in which living cells, DNA methylation has been shown to influence the development of other disorders that may potentially be affected by environmental factors. Saliva used to identify the epigenetic changes that may be useful for individualized treatment.

grant from DNA Genotek used to help identify epigenetic modifications in children with OCD, said Dr. Paul Arnold of SickKids. The progress of this research could accelerate personalized treatment of obsessive compulsive disorder that has the potential to be highly beneficial for patients because the drugs are effective only in 50 and 60% of cases.

The second grant, for the diagnosis of salivary HIV, HHV-8 and HPV in two different populations of HIV-positive: Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Chennai, India, was awarded to Dr. David Speicher and Professor Newell Johnson, researchers at the Griffith Institute of Health, Queensland, Australia. They will use grant funds to evaluate a method based on saliva for detection and precise quantification of HIV, HHV-8 and HPV in HIV-positive patients. Papua New Guinea and India have huge problems with HIV disease and has some of the highest cancer rates in the world by mouth. Many of the early signs of HIV infections are viral opportunistic oral. Molecular techniques for HHV-8 and HPV using saliva could become standard biomarkers of risk for oral cancer.

This donation is a wonderful opportunity for us to move forward with this important research, said Dr. David Speicher Griffith Institute of Health. The investigation will determine the prevalence of HHV-8 and HPV in people with HIV Cohort. This will allow dentists to Papua New Guinea and India to be trained to identify early manifestations of oral cancer and HIV-associated oral disease to allow early treatment. This should have an impact on disease rates in these communities braved the resources and methods can be extrapolated for use worldwide.

our recognition and support of Dr. Arnold and Dr. Speicher and his team reflects our confidence in their work and our commitment to promoting health worldwide and science, said Ian Curry, President DNA Genotek Inc. originally planned to only award a grant, but we were pleased with the quality and quantity of applications we received. Dr. Arnold application was highlighted as the winning proposal during the selection process. The selection committee also felt that Dr. Speichers application had merit and decided to award a second significant donation to the young researcher. We congratulate these two outstanding researchers.

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DNA Genotek Inc., a subsidiary of Orasu Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: OSUR), focuses on providing the best collection of biological samples, stabilization and preparation products. The company’s Oragene?. Dx line is the only product of the FDA 510 (k) cleared the saliva-based harvesting equipment for in vitro diagnostic use. DNA Genotek also offers products for use in research only to collect and preserve large amounts of DNA or RNA in saliva for use with humans, animals or livestock. The reliability and ease of use of company products have resulted in rapid adoption at top-level research institutions in global health, including Harvard, Stanford, Cambridge and Johns Hopkins University. DNA Genotek markets its products worldwide and has a global customer base with thousands of customers in over 100 countries. For more information about DNA Genotek, visit http://www.dnagenotek.com

? Oragene OMNIGENE are registered trademarks and DNA Genotek, Inc. All other trademarks and product names mentioned are the property of their respective owners.