Monthly Archives: January 2020

Immunology

Friend of Winnipeg plane crash victim shocked by news the jet may have been shot down – CTV News

WINNIPEG -- A Winnipegger who knows one of the victims aboard Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 is reacting to new information the plane may have mistakenly been shot down by an Iranian missile.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters Thursday afternoon the Canadian government has intelligence from multiple sources, including its allies and its own intelligence.

The evidence indicates that the plane was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile, said Trudeau. This may have been unintentional.

The news left Jude Uzonna shaken. The University of Manitoba professor advised Forough Khadem when she was completing her PhD in immunology -- Khadem was among the 176 people on board the plane.

How could that happen, said Uzonna. Thats terrible. Thats terrible. And it makes me so upset if this is really true.

Uzonna said he had exchanged text messages with Khadem just before her flight and she expressed concern about the tensions between Iran and the U.S.

(Source: Jude Uzonna)

Uzonna is remembering Khadem for her affable personality and knowledge in the field of immunology.

This is somebody with an infectious smile and infectious optimism, he said. There is nobody that Forough crosses his or her path that would never want to know who is this lady.

Humanity has lost one of its greatest, one of its finest,

Counsellors are meeting with students, faculty and staff to help everyone cope with the loss.

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Friend of Winnipeg plane crash victim shocked by news the jet may have been shot down - CTV News

Immunology

Not enough parents in Lancashire are vaccinating their babies – Lancashire Post

Babies in Lancashire could be at risk of catching potentially deadly illnesses as uptake rates for important jabs fall below safe levels.

The British Society for Immunology has urged the new government to deliver on its promise to develop the UKs first vaccine strategy to protect communities against nasty diseases.

Young children should get the so-called six-in-one jab, which protects against six serious infections including polio, whooping cough and diphtheria, in the first few months of their lives.

But new Public Health England data shows that just 93.2 per cent of those in Lancashire who had their first birthday in the six months to September were vaccinated.

It means 400 children missed out, with the area falling slightly short of the 95 per cent rate recommended by the World Health Organisation to prevent outbreaks.

The uptake rate for the North West over the period was 92.2 per cent, while the figure across England stood at 92.1 per cent.

The British Society for Immunology said the uptake rate across England for the six-in-one vaccine among one year olds has averaged around 92 per cent over the past year.

Low levels of vaccination coverage matter as it means these diseases have the potential to spread within our communities, infecting unvaccinated people, with young babies and people with compromised immune systems particularly at risk, said Dr Doug Brown, the groups chief executive.

We urge the new government to deliver on its promise to develop the UKs first vaccine strategy and to fully fund immunisation services to ensure our communities are protected against these preventable diseases.

But he also urged parents to make sure their children get the jabs.

He added: If you are worried your child hasnt received all the doses of the six-in-one vaccine, do make an appointment at your GP surgery.

Its much better to get your child vaccinated than risk them catching one of these nasty diseases.

Babies should have three rounds of the six-in-one vaccination at eight, 12 and 16 weeks of age.

It helps them develop a strong immunity to diphtheria, hepatitis B, haemophilus influenza type b, polio, tetanus and whopping cough all described by the NHS as serious childhood diseases.

Health minister Nicola Blackwood said: Every child must be vaccinated against dangerous and potentially fatal diseases. Vaccine uptake is very high, at around 90 per cent, for most childhood vaccines, but we are determined to drive rates up even further.

"Our new vaccination strategy, published in the new year, will consider a range of approaches to improve uptake.

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Not enough parents in Lancashire are vaccinating their babies - Lancashire Post

Immunology

DBV Technologies Reports Positive Three-Year, Long-Term Data from the PEOPLE Phase III Open-Label Extension Study of Viaskin Peanut in Children with…

Montrouge, France, January 8, 2020

DBV Technologies Reports Positive Three-Year, Long-Term Data from the PEOPLE Phase III Open-Label Extension Study of Viaskin Peanut in Children with Peanut Allergy

Patients demonstrated durable, long-term clinical benefit with an additional two years of treatment

Low discontinuations due to adverse events observed

Study represents the largest long-term peanut allergy immunotherapy trial to date, with high compliance enabling extended study participation

DBV Technologies (the Company) (Euronext: DBV ISIN: FR0010417345 Nasdaq Stock Market: DBVT), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, today announced positive topline results of the three-year, open-label extension of the Phase III PEPITES trial (PEOPLE) evaluating the long-term efficacy and safety of investigational Viaskin Peanut in peanut-allergic children ages 4 to 11 years. The results demonstrate long-term clinical benefit as shown by an increase in eliciting dose (ED), which may decrease the chance of reacting to an accidental peanut exposure. After three years, 75.9% (107/141) of patients had increased their ED from baseline, and 51.8% (73/141) of patients reached an ED of at least 1,000 mg peanut protein by year three.

These new long-term data support the overall clinical benefit of Viaskin Peanut that weve observed to date in Phase II and III clinical trials. We are particularly pleased to see that approximately three out of four patients showed an increase in their eliciting dose over three years, regardless of their individual baseline, with roughly 1 in 7 patients able to consume 5,444 mg peanut protein without reacting during the Month 36 oral food challenge, said Dr. David Fleischer, Principal Investigator of PEPITES and PEOPLE, Director, Allergy and Immunology Center and Section Head, Childrens Hospital Colorado. Most peanut-allergic children react to a single peanut (300 mg of peanut protein) or less, with some reacting to as little as 1 mg, leading many children and families to experience constant fear of accidental exposure, loss of normalcy and decreased quality of life. These new data provide further evidence that Viaskin Peanut may reduce the risk of reaction from accidental exposure by increasing threshold reactivity through a treatment option that could be safe and convenient.

The PEOPLE study is an ongoing open-label extension study evaluating the long-term safety, tolerability and efficacy of Viaskin Peanut 250 g in patients who have completed the Phase III PEPITES trial. Of the 213 patients who were randomized in the active treatment arm of PEPITES and completed the 12-month trial, 198 patients opted to enter the PEOPLE study (safety population). Of these patients, 148 were considered completers after 36 months and 141 patients completed all treatment according to the study protocol without major deviations. Efficacy data were analyzed from these 141 patients (per-protocol).

Topline results from PEOPLE support the long-term tolerability and clinical benefit of Viaskin Peanut, demonstrating desensitization over 36 months of treatment. After 36 months, 51.8% (73/141) of patients reached an ED of at least 1,000 mg peanut protein, an increase relative to Month 12, 40.4% (57/141). In addition, 13.5% (19/141) of patients completed the food challenge without meeting stopping criteria at 36 months (cumulative dose of 5,444 mg). At Month 36, the mean cumulative reactive dose (CRD) was 1,768.8 mg (median 944 mg) compared to 223.8 mg (median 144 mg) at baseline.

The safety profile of Viaskin Peanut was consistent with that observed in the clinical program to date in over 1,000 patients. During PEOPLE, the most common adverse events were mild to moderate skin reactions localized to the administration site and there was no epinephrine use deemed related to treatment. No treatment related serious adverse events (SAEs) were reported. One patient experienced one case of mild anaphylaxis that was determined by the investigator to be possibly related to treatment and resolved without treatment. Treatment compliance remained high throughout the study at a mean of 98% over three years of treatment.

Exploratory analyses suggest Viaskin Peanut may offer sustained effect even after a period without treatment. All participants who reached an ED 1,000 mg at Month 36 were eligible to continue the study for two additional months without treatment while maintaining a peanut-free diet. A further double-blind placebo-controlled food challenge to determine ED was administered at the end of this period (Month 38). The analysis showed that 77.8% (14/18) of the children who completed the oral food challenge at Month 38 maintained desensitization with an ED 1,000 mg.

Harnessing the important immune properties of the skin, epicutaneous immunotherapy represents a potentially unique mechanism of action that may support the sustained desensitization observed in this study even after a period without treatment. These data further advance our understanding of the profile of Viaskin Peanut, which is currently under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and may offer a simple, once daily, non-invasive treatment option for children living with peanut allergy in the second half of 2020, if approved, said Dr. Pharis Mohideen, Chief Medical Officer of DBV Technologies. Importantly, we would like to thank the children, families and investigators for participating in this study, the largest long-term trial in this underserved disease.

The Company plans to present full study results at future medical congresses as well as submit for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

About PEOPLEThe PEOPLE study is an open-label extension of the Phase III PEPITES trial designed to evaluate the long-term safety, tolerability and efficacy of Viaskin Peanut 250 g (NCT03013517). Participants who completed the 12-month study period of PEPITES were eligible to enroll in PEOPLE. Patients who were randomized to active treatment in PEPITES are eligible to receive up to four additional years of treatment, and those previously receiving placebo are eligible to receive up to five years of treatment.

The study evaluates the eliciting dose after three years (Month 36) of active treatment using a double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenge (DBPCFC). The starting dose of each challenge is 1 mg of peanut protein and escalates to the highest dose of 2,000 mg peanut protein; possibly repeated once to reach a maximum total cumulative dose of 5,444 mg peanut protein. For the next DBPCFCs after four and five years, the starting dose of each challenge is 10 mg of peanut protein and escalates to the highest dose of 3,000 mg peanut protein; possibly repeated once to reach a maximum total cumulative dose of 6,440 mg peanut protein.

The analysis also includes exploratory assessments of safety parameters, immune biomarkers such as immunoglobulin E (IgE) and immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4), and sustained desensitization following a two-month period without treatment.

About PEPITESThePeanutEPIT Efficacy andSafety Study (PEPITES) was a global, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase III trial designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Viaskin Peanut 250 g in children ages 4 to 11 years (NCT02636699). PEPITES was conducted in 31 centers across North America (Canada and the United States), Germany, Ireland and Australia.

Eligible patients were aged 4-11 years at screening with physician-diagnosed peanut allergy, currently following a strict peanut-free diet. Other key inclusion criteria were peanut-specific IgE >0.7 kUA/L, a peanut skin prick test with a largest wheal diameter 6 mm (children 4-5 years) or 8 mm (children 6 years) at screening, and an ED (the single highest dose at which a patient exhibited objective signs/symptoms of an immediate hypersensitivity reaction) of 300 mg peanut protein based on a DBPCFC.

PRACTALL,the joint American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) and European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) published food challenge methodology that defines strict, 30-minute intervals for peanut protein dosing, was used to evaluate sensitivity to peanut at baseline and exit.Challenges were stopped when patients exhibited clear, objective symptoms based on a pre-specified symptom scoring scale. A Good Manufacturing Practice food challenge matrix was used for all peanut protein and placebo food challenges.

During PEPITES, patients responses were assessed using DBPCFCs. Patients were randomized 2:1 to receive either Viaskin Peanut 250 g or placebo for 12 months. The primary endpoint was based on a responder analysis after 12 months of treatment with Viaskin Peanut 250 g. For patients with a baseline peanut protein ED equal to or less than 10 mg, a responder was defined as a patient with a peanut protein ED equal to or greater than 300 mg of peanut protein after 12 months of treatment. For patients with a baseline ED greater than 10 mg, a responder was defined as a patient with a peanut protein ED equal to or greater than 1,000 mg of peanut protein after 12 months of treatment.

As a secondary efficacy endpoint, CRD was also evaluated in PEPITES to establish the total quantity of peanut protein that triggers patient reactions at Month 12 of active treatment versus placebo. Serological markers were also measured at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months in order to characterize the immunological changes in patients.

During the study, investigators relied on the commonly used National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) definition of anaphylaxis, which has been shown to be highly sensitive but only moderately specific in diagnosing anaphylaxis, in an attempt to capture as many potential reactions as possible.

Two hundred thirteen of the 238 patients randomized to the peanut-patch and 107 of the 118 patients randomized to the placebo-patch completed the study. After 12 months of therapy, patients treated with Viaskin Peanut showed a statistically significant improvement in the ED of peanut required to provoke an allergic reaction at food challenge compared with placebo. After 12 months of treatment, we observed that 35.3% of patients on Viaskin Peanut 250 g were responders, compared to 13.6% of patients in the placebo group (treatment difference = 21.7%; 95% CI = 12.4% - 29.8%; p<0.001). An increase in the CRD was also observed between the treatment and placebo groups (nominal p-value<0.001) after 12 months. The median CRD of patients in the treatment group increased from 144 mg at baseline to 444 mg at Month 12, compared with no improvement in the placebo group.

There were no cases of severe anaphylaxis, and only four of 238 patients (1.7%) dropped out due to treatment-emergent adverse events. A low rate of treatment-related epinephrine use was reported (2.9% treatment group vs. 0.8% placebo group). Ten cases in eight Viaskin Peanut patients (3.4%) of possibly or probably treatment-related anaphylaxis occurred; all were classified as mild or moderate without evidence of cardiovascular, neurologic, or respiratory compromise. Six of these ten cases were treated with epinephrine, and five of the eight patients continued on Viaskin Peanut in the study.

About DBV TechnologiesDBV Technologies is developing Viaskin, an investigational proprietary technology platform with broad potential applications in immunotherapy. Viaskin is based on epicutaneous immunotherapy, or EPIT, DBVs method of delivering biologically active compounds to the immune system through intact skin. With this new class of self-administered and non-invasive product candidates, the Company is dedicated to safely transforming the care of food allergic patients, for whom there are no approved treatments. DBVs food allergies programs include ongoing clinical trials of Viaskin Peanut and Viaskin Milk, and preclinical development of Viaskin Egg. DBV is also pursuing a human proof-of-concept clinical trial of Viaskin Milk for the treatment of Eosinophilic Esophagitis, and exploring potential applications of its platform in vaccines and other immune diseases. DBV Technologies has global headquarters in Montrouge, France and offices in Bagneux, France, and North American operations in Summit, NJ and New York, NY. The Companys ordinary shares are traded on segment B of Euronext Paris (Ticker: DBV, ISIN code: FR0010417345), part of the SBF120 index, and the Companys ADSs (each representing one-half of one ordinary share) are traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (Ticker: DBVT).

Forward Looking StatementsThis press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements about the potential of the EPIT platform and Viaskin Peanut as a treatment for peanut-allergic children. These forward-looking statements are not promises or guarantees and involve substantial risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described or projected herein include risk associated with uncertainties associated generally with research and development, clinical trials and related regulatory reviews and approvals. A further list and description of these risks, uncertainties and other risks can be found in the Companys regulatory filings with the French Autorit des Marchs Financiers and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including in the Companys Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2018. Existing and prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or circumstances, or otherwise, except as required by law.

DBV Investor Relations Contact Sara Blum ShermanSenior Director, Investor Relations & Strategy+1212-271-0740sara.sherman@dbv-technologies.com

DBV Media Contact Joe BeckerVP, Global Corporate Communications +1646-650-3912joseph.becker@dbv-technologies.com

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DBV Technologies Reports Positive Three-Year, Long-Term Data from the PEOPLE Phase III Open-Label Extension Study of Viaskin Peanut in Children with...

Cell Biology

CYTOVIA Therapeutics and the New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute enter into a partnership to develop iPSC derived CAR NK Therapeutics -…

Press release content from Globe Newswire. The AP news staff was not involved in its creation.

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NEW YORK, Jan. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Research Institute today announced a partnership with Cytovia Therapeutics Inc. (Cytovia) to develop new disease treatments that leverage human stem cell research and novel gene editing techniques. NYSCF will be a key partner to Cytovia in using stem cells to advance novel therapeutic targets for cancer.

Cytovia leverages NK cells to make these novel therapeutics more specific to cancer cells. NK or natural killer cells are immune cells that scan the body and attack infected or abnormal cells, often serving as a first line of defense against cancer. CAR (chimeric antigen receptor) NK cells are genetically engineered to better locate and attack tumors. CAR NK-based treatments are currently showing promise in clinical trials and could serve as a potent and cost-efficient alternative to current immunotherapies. Establishing high-quality, stem-cell-derived NKs and CAR NKs will help improve these treatments and accelerate their path to the clinic.

The NYSCF Research Institute is a pioneer and acknowledged leader in stem cell technology, having developed the NYSCF Global Stem Cell Array, the premier automated robotic platform for reprogramming adult cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). These iPSCs carry the genetic blueprint of the person from whom they are derived and can be turned into any cell type in the body, allowing scientists to study disease mechanisms in affected cells or modify them for use in therapeutics.

Our mission is to bring lifesaving treatments to patients around the world and we are excited to further this goal in partnership with Cytovia, says NYSCF CEO and founder Susan L. Solomon. It is critical that we collaborate with partners using our technology and expertise to bring innovative treatments to the market.

We are delighted to collaborate with the NYSCF Research Institute to develop iPSC-derived NK and CAR NK therapeutics, says Dr. Daniel Teper, CEO of Cytovia. By integrating NYSCFs world-class stem cell know-how and the precision gene-editing research conducted at the University of California San Francisco, Cytovia aims to become a leader in NK cell therapeutics for the treatment of cancer.

About The New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Research Institute is an independent non-profit organization accelerating cures and better treatments for patients through stem cell research. The NYSCF global community includes over 190 researchers at leading institutions worldwide, including the NYSCF Druckenmiller Fellows, the NYSCF Robertson Investigators, the NYSCF Robertson Stem Cell Prize Recipients, and NYSCF Research Institute scientists and engineers. The NYSCF Research Institute is an acknowledged world leader in stem cell research and in the development of pioneering stem cell technologies, including the NYSCF Global Stem Cell Array, which is used to create cell lines for laboratories around the globe. In 2019, NYSCF launched its Womens Reproductive Cancers Initiative, which aims to shift paradigms in the way these cancers are studied and treated, in collaboration with leading cancer experts across the globe. NYSCF focuses on translational research in an accelerator model designed to overcome barriers that slow discovery and replace silos with collaboration. For more information, visit http://www.nyscf.org.

About Cytovia Therapeutics Inc. Cytovia is dedicated to the development of transformational cancer immunotherapies, addressing several of the most challenging unmet medical needs including the prevention of cancer relapse and metastasis. Cytovia focuses on Natural Killer (NK) cell biology and applies precision medicine tools to develop the right therapy for the right patient at the right stage of the disease. Cytovia has secured access to multiple advanced technologies, including allogeneic cell therapy, multispecific antibodies, and cytokines. Cytovia establishes development partnerships to accelerate time-to-market and commercialization alliances in order to optimize rapid adoption of its novel immunotherapies. Learn more at cytoviatx.com

Contact information:CYTOVIA Therapeutics:Anna Baran-DjokovicVP, Corporate Affairs anna@cytoviatx.com

Cytovia Media Contact: Charlotte Tomic charlotte@tomiccommmunications.com Cell: 9178825243

NYSCF Research InstituteDavid McKeonChief of Staff dmckeon@nyscf.org

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CYTOVIA Therapeutics and the New York Stem Cell Foundation Research Institute enter into a partnership to develop iPSC derived CAR NK Therapeutics -...

Cell Biology

East Carolina University Researcher Is Conquering Disease | Greenville – Patch.com

From East Carolina University:

By Doug Boyd

January 9 2020

Byron Aguilar is studying how a group of signaling proteins called Rho GTPases, which play a role in several common cellular functions, might affect the development of not only cancer but also Alzheimer's disease.

He's been working on that for the past six years as a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology in the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University.

Postdoctoral scholars are researchers who have completed their doctoral degrees and are working with a faculty mentor to further their knowledge and skills.

The ZCL compound is one Aguilar developed while researching cancer treatments.

Originally from the Pacific island of Guam, Aguilar was a graduate student at Florida A&M University and was presenting his research at a conference when ECU anatomy and cell biology professor Qun Lu began asking him about his work. And asking and asking.

"I was actually a bit annoyed by it all," Aguilar recalled. "At the end, he told me the reason he was asking all those questions is he was looking for a postdoc. So then I asked him if there was anything else he wanted to know."

Soon after, Aguilar arrived in Greenville. The National Cancer Institute funded his first few years of research, and the Alzheimer's Association is funding him now. That's because some of the drugs he developed, the ZCL compounds, have shown the ability to target the development of cancer cells as well as the cellular processes that lead to Alzheimer's disease. ZCL compounds regulate Rho GTPase activity.

"It's because of the support of so many people at ECU that I can focus wholeheartedly on research," he said.

Aguilar said his postdoc experience has given him a chance to work on the early stages of drug development as well as delve into the next step, which is animal testing. He also recently traveled to the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston for a business development workshop, which he said gave him a glimpse of what it would take to drive the development of his drugs to the next step, human clinical trials.

Aguilar will complete his postdoctoral work in December but might stay at ECU for further research, start a spinoff company with ECU collaboration or pursue an opportunity at another university or in industry.

"The more I learn about cancer and Alzheimer's disease, the more I learn they are not controlled by just one thing. They're controlled by multiple things, possibly even the same things," he said. And in many cases, those factors are aggravated by the effects of aging.

"I'm trying to understand how these things are connected and how I can make a drug that can help patients," he added.

In addition to his research, Aguilar founded a postdoctoral grant review group to share his experiences in grant writing. He has given educational presentations to dementia care professionals and patient families across eastern North Carolina. He's also vice president of the Postdoctoral Association at ECU.

"Byron is a well-rounded scientist and person always willing to lend a helping hand," said Lu. "He is one of my best postdoctoral fellows over the past 20 years. Besides his devotion to research, he stands out in being a wonderful citizen of community."

ECU's 30 postdoctoral scholars span 18 departments across the university's academic affairs, health sciences and research divisions. Former postdocs have taken positions at research campuses, public and private universities, and pharmaceutical companies, among others.

Aguilar's research has been funded by the National Cancer Institute and the Alzheimer's Association.

This press release was produced by East Carolina University. The views expressed here are the author's own.

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East Carolina University Researcher Is Conquering Disease | Greenville - Patch.com

Cell Biology

Emergex Raises More Than US$11 Million in a Series A Round to Progress Its Pipeline of Set-Point Vaccines for Infectious Diseases – Business Wire

ABINGDON, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Emergex Vaccines Holding Limited (Emergex), a biotechnology company developing set-point vaccines to prevent serious infectious diseases, today announced that it has secured over US$11 million in a Series A round. Vickers Venture Partners (Vickers), a top-ranked global early stage Venture Capital company led the round and Dr. Finian Tan, Chairman of Vickers Venture Partners, will join the Emergex Board as a non-executive director.

Founded in 2016, Emergex focuses on developing vaccines that prevent virulent diseases such as Zika, Dengue Fever, Ebola and even pandemic Flu. The Companys set-point vaccines deliver experimentally-derived pathogen peptide data via quantum-sized nanoclusters to prime the immune system to recognise subsequent infections, mimicking natural infection and preventing severe manifestation of the disease. Emergexs T-cell vaccines elicit different responses than traditional antibody-producing vaccines, eliminating allergic, autoimmune or antibody-mediated side effects.

Emergexs underlying platform technology enables rapid development of vaccines to entire families of pathogens, compared to traditional approaches that can take years to develop and scale vaccines for single pathogens. As purely synthetic vaccines with no biological components, Emergexs vaccines are much safer as they carry no infection risk from live attenuated pathogens; are much cheaper to produce since they do not require culturing; and can be conveniently transported and administered even in remote parts of the world as they can be stored and handled at room temperature.

The financing supports the progress of Emergexs development pipeline, including a first-in-man Phase 1 clinical trial of its Flavivirus (Dengue) vaccine in Switzerland, as well as Phase 1b clinical trials in the endemic regions of Singapore and Brazil. Proceeds will also support the Universal Influenza and Filovirus programmes through the preclinical stages and early clinical trials. In parallel, Emergex will continue to identify peptide libraries for a range of infectious disease indications to further expand and diversify the Companys development pipeline.

Professor Thomas Rademacher, CEO and co-founder of Emergex, commented, Attracting such high calibre investors is an endorsement of our development pipeline and validation of the potential our technologies hold in the field of infectious diseases. These new funds will support us to achieve some significant value-enhancing milestones as we progress our lead vaccine candidates into clinical development.

In addition to leading this financing, Vickers Venture Partners will assist Emergex with growth at the strategic level, by leveraging its experienced team of technical experts who have a strong track record in helping life science companies raise capital and scale up, and connecting Emergex to its networks of investment and industry partners.

Dr Finian Tan, Chairman of Vickers Venture Partners and a new Emergex non-executive director, added, With todays rising global population, the risk posed by infectious diseases is greater than ever before. As such, it is vital that we value and pursue innovation to ensure we have effective healthcare options. We see great potential in Emergexs technology as it allows vaccines to be produced quickly, administered easily and sold at a fraction of current prices. We believe that this would revolutionize the entire world of vaccines and increase access to a larger number of people around the world.

Over the last year, Emergex achieved significant milestones, including demonstrating an excellent safety profile for the base particle that will be used for all its vaccines and an excellent safety profile for the final dengue vaccine construct. The Company also signed a collaboration agreement with A*STARs IMCB in Singapore to develop a vaccine for Hand, Foot & Mouth disease, and secured a state-of-the-art R&D facility at Milton Park near Oxford, bringing in-house its own up-stream capabilities to drive development of its vaccines.

About Emergex

Emergex, a UK-based biotechnology company headquartered in Abingdon, UK, is pioneering the development of set-point vaccines to address some of the worlds most immediate health threats such as Dengue Fever, Zika, Ebola, pandemic flu and serious intra-cellular bacterial infections.

These set-point vaccines are population based and modify the initial immune status of recipients in a way that primes their immune systems to recognise subsequent infectious agents much like a natural infection would do, preventing an acute or severe manifestation of the disease.

Emergex combines validated technologies together with the very latest scientific insights to develop its vaccines, including using synthetic peptide codes determined on actual infected cells and using a proprietary gold nanoparticle carrier system for programming.

The Company has a growing pipeline of vaccine candidates. The most advanced development programme is a vaccine for Dengue Fever, which may also be disease modifying for other Flaviviruses such as the Zika and Yellow Fever viruses. Emergex also has programmes in development for a universal Influenza vaccine and a universal Filovirus vaccine (including viruses such as Ebola and Marburg) and discovery programmes for a Yellow Fever Booster vaccine and a Chikungunya vaccine.

Emergex has partnered with the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) of Singapore to develop a vaccine for the emerging threat of Hand, Foot and Mouth (HFM) disease and has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Brazil-based Oswaldo Cruz Foundation Fiocruz for the development of viral vaccines. This initially covers the development of a vaccine that universally targets diseases within the flavivirus family such as Dengue Fever, Zika and Yellow Fever but could be expanded to include the development of vaccines to target other viral families that are endemic to the region.

Find out more online at http://www.emergexvaccines.com.

About Vickers Venture Partners

Vickers Venture Partners is a global venture capital firm focused on early-stage investments in the technological and geographical mega trends of the world. The firms portfolio covers life sciences, technology, media, and telecommunications as well as consumer and financial services. The partners track records include hits such as Baidu.com, Inc, Focus Media Holding Ltd, Kongzhong Corp, Cambridge Real Estate Investment Trust, Sunfun Info Co., Asian Food Channel (trade sale), UUCUN (trade sale), TWG Tea (trade sale), RTG Asia (trade sale), JJE (trade sale), Hillstone (trade sale, IPO), M-Daq (trade sale), Tenfen (trade sale), Kuyun (trade sale) and Mainspring (trade sale). The total market value of the companies that the partners have helped grow exceeds US$90 billion today. Vickers Venture Partners announced that they are targeting to raise US$500 million for their latest fund VI and have started investing from it after their first close in Oct 2019.

Vickers Venture Partners was founded by Dr Finian Tan together with his co-founders Dr Khalil Binebine, Dr Jeffrey Chi, Dr Damian Tan, Linda Li and Raymond Kong in 2005. It is headquartered in Singapore with offices in Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Hong Kong, New York, San Diego, Silicon Valley and London.

Find out more online at http://www.vickersventure.com.

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Emergex Raises More Than US$11 Million in a Series A Round to Progress Its Pipeline of Set-Point Vaccines for Infectious Diseases - Business Wire

Cell Biology

A New "Census" of the Zebrafish Brain – Technology Networks

The zebrafish is a master of regeneration: If brain cells are lost due to injury or disease, it can simply reproduce them - contrary to humans where this only happens in the fetal stage. However, the zebrafish is evolutionarily related to humans and, thus, possesses the same brain cell types as humans. Can a hidden regeneration potential also be activated in humans? Are therapies for stroke, craniocerebral trauma and presently incurable diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's possible?

Dresden scientists have succeeded in determining the number and type of newly formed neurons in zebrafish; practically conducting a census in their brains. Following an injury, zebrafish form new neurons in high numbers and integrate them into the nervous system, which is the reason for their amazing brain regeneration ability.

The study was conducted as a collaboration project made in Dresden; scientists from the Center for Regenerative Therapies TU Dresden (CRTD) combined their expertise in stem cell biology with the latest methods from the DRESDEN-concept Genome Center and complex bioinformatic analyses from the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems and the Center for Systems Biology Dresden.

For their study, the team led by Dr. Christian Lange and Prof. Dr. Michael Brand from the CRTD used adult transgenic zebrafish in whose forebrain they were able to identify the newborn neurons. The forebrain of the zebrafish is the equivalent to the human cerebral cortex, the largest and functionally most important part of the brain. The Dresden research team investigated the newborn and mature neurons as well as brain stem cells using single cell sequencing. Thus, they discovered specific markers for newborn neurons and were able to comprehensively analyze which types of neurons are newly formed in the adult brain of the zebrafish.

The scientists discovered two types of neurons that can be newly formed; projection neurons, which create connections between brain areas, and internal neurons, which serve to fine-tune the activity of the projection neurons. The researchers also investigated the data obtained from brain cell sequencing of mice and found that zebrafish and mice have the same cell types. This also makes these results highly relevant for humans.

"On the basis of this study, we will further investigate the regeneration processes that take place in zebrafish. In particular, we will study the formation of new neurons after traumatic brain damage and their integration," explains Prof. Dr. Michael Brand, CRTD Director and senior author of the study. "We hope to gain insights that are relevant for possible therapies helping people after injuries and strokes or suffering from neurodegenerative diseases. We already know that a certain regenerative ability is also present in humans and we are working on awakening this potential. The results of our study are also important for understanding the conditions under which transplanted neurons can network with the existing ones and thus could let humans re-gain their former mental performance.

Reference

Lange et al. (2020) Single cell sequencing of radial glia progeny reveals diversity of newborn neurons in the adult zebrafish brain. Development. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqz232

This article has been republished from the following materials. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.

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A New "Census" of the Zebrafish Brain - Technology Networks

Neuroscience

Mathematics and Neuroscience Merge to Shed Light on Learning – Columbia University Irving Medical Center

What can a fish tell us about the brain and our senses? At Columbias Zuckerman Institute, two labs with different expertise one in experimental neuroscience, the other in mathematical modeling have teamed up to find out.

When we walk along a busy street, we can easily distinguish moving people and cars from stationary objects, even though the entire world before our eyes is sweeping past us. Our brains employ unparalleled computing power to make this possible. To understand this computational ability, Nathaniel Sawtell, PhD, and Larry Abbott, PhD, study fish that sense their environment with electrical pulses. They use their findings to build mathematical models that explain how the brain learns to perform these kinds of complex computations. By investigating this form of learning, these scientists interdisciplinary work also has implications for machine learning technologies based on the brain.

We spoke with Drs. Sawtell and Abbott, as well as doctoral candidate Salomon Muller, about their latest discoveries, published recently in the journal Cell.

Nathaniel Sawtell: The ability to perceive and experience our world is effortless, but behind the scenes our brain is constantly performing sophisticated computations. A key feature of this process that we want to understand is how the brain can recognize and process external sensory stimuli, such as sounds and sights generated by the outside world, like the car whizzing by, while tuning out those sensory stimuli that we generate from our own movements; how it distinguishes between the self and the other. It turns out that this ability requires a form of learning.

Larry Abbott: We want to learn how the brain processes information about the environment while simultaneously updating its knowledge about how to react to that environment. This type of concurrent learning and updating is difficult for computers to accomplish but the brain does it automatically.

Salomon Muller: Our work investigates how clusters of neurons, called circuits, make perceiving and learning possible. We believe that understanding this process will reveal critical clues to how the brain works and solves problems.

NS: We focus our investigations on the elephant-nose fish, an animal that emits and detects electrical pulses to perceive and navigate its surroundings. In particular, we study a structure in the fishs brain called the electrosensory lobe. This structure is very similar to the cerebellum, an ancient brain structure that is present in all vertebrates, including in people.

The electrosensory lobe helps the elephant-nose fish use its electrical pulses to detect nearby objects. For example, these pulses enable the fish to sense the minute electrical fields produced by the prey it wishes to eat. Remarkably, the fish can sense these small electrical fields even while the fish itself is producing much larger electric signals. We studied how this is done.

LA: These capabilities make this fish a powerful model for studying how circuits in the brain can cancel out self-generated sounds, or the effects of its own movement, thereby distinguishing between external and internal stimuli. In addition, this is a great system for exploring how brain circuits both process information and learn at the same time, and enable us to think about what happens when those circuits are disrupted.

NS: Previous work had shown that the fishs electrosensory lobe, which is similar to the cerebellum, contains several layers of neurons stacked on top of each other. In this study, we discovered that neurons in the middle layer do something incredible.

LA: Most neurons generate bursts of electricity to communicate. But, importantly, these middle-layer neurons produce two different types of electrical bursts one for learning and the other for communication.

SM: Earlier research had observed these dual signals but had not deciphered their role. We developed a mathematical model demonstrating that these signals actually emanate from different regions of the same neuron, and that this compartmentalized organization is what enables the circuit to learn on the go.

NS: As we mentioned, the fishs electrosensory lobe is remarkably similar to our own cerebellum. Recent evidence strongly suggests that our brains follow similar rules as those that allow fish to learn with flexibility and adaptability. Understanding those rules will help us to figure out how the brain grows and develops, as well as what goes wrong in disease when this circuitry gets disrupted. One example is tinnitus, or ringing in the ears. Tinnitus is a common and, in some cases, debilitating condition that is hypothesized to arise because of a malfunction of circuits in the human brain that normally function to cancel out self-generated sounds. Our work in the elephant-nose fish has the potential to inform efforts investigating the underlying mechanisms of this disorder.

LA: These findings could lead to machine-learning algorithms that more closely resemble what the brain does. At present, such algorithms divide learning and processing or communicating into two separate phases. The biological discovery we uncovered in our research suggests a new path forward: a learning mechanism that can do both things at once.

NS: The brain is the most complex thing we know of. Building sophisticated mathematical models is absolutely essential for understanding how it works, because they give a roadmap for experimentalists like me to use as I continue to delve deeper into the mechanisms of learning.

LA: As a neuroscientist who was originally trained in physics, I obviously have a background different from Nate Sawtells, but rather than that getting in the way of our collaborations, we use our different approaches to great advantage. Building bridges between mathematics and biology makes for successful collaborations that drive science, medicine and technology forward.

SM: As a doctoral candidate here at Columbias Zuckerman Institute, I have been mentored by both Drs. Abbott and Sawtell, which has been incredibly rewarding. In neuroscience, you often take things apart to understand them. Our collaboration allows us to also put the pieces back together; our focus is not on solving a one piece of a problem, but on understanding a system with all of its pieces.

###

This paper is titled Continual learning in a multi-layer network of an electric fish. Additional contributors include Abigail Zadina.

This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NS075023), the Irma T. Hirschl Trust, the Simons Foundation, the Gatsby Foundation and the National Science Foundation (1025849, NeuroNex Award DBI-1707398).

The authors report no financial or other conflicts of interest.

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Mathematics and Neuroscience Merge to Shed Light on Learning - Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Neuroscience

Aspen Neuroscience Announces Board of Directors and Scientific Advisory Board – PRNewswire

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Aspen Neuroscience, Inc.,a private biotechnology company developing the first autologous neuron replacement therapy to treat Parkinson disease, has announced the members of its Board of Directors and Scientific Advisory Board. These boards bring together many of the world's most distinguished industry and academic minds to deliver Aspen's personalized cell therapy to persons suffering with Parkinson disease.

"We are proud of the talented groups we have assembled," said Aspen CEO Howard Federoff, MD, PhD. "They bring a wealth of insights and experience in biomedical research and therapeutic development that will be essential for our success. Together, we are motivated to bring best-in-class treatments to Parkinson patients as rapidly as possible. They have waited long enough."

Last month, Aspen announced it has raised $6.5 million in seed fundingand unveiled its plans to use neurons derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to combat the debilitating motor symptoms of Parkinson disease. These iPSCs will be created from each patient's own cells and then differentiated into dopamine-producing neurons, replacing the critical cells lost in Parkinson disease. Because the therapy is created from each patient's own tissue, no immunosuppression will be necessary.

"The creation of our esteemed Board of Directors and Scientific Advisory Board is an important step for Aspen's future development as it will help guide the company's progress toward regulatory approval," said Kim P. Kamdar, PhD, Aspen Board Chair and Partner at Domain Associates. "The members of each board bring significant expertise, complementary skills and an external perspective, which will be very valuable in informing Aspen's strategy."

Aspen's Board of Directors includes well-known industry veterans and financial minds from leading venture capital firms that are poised todirect the growth of Aspen through clinical trials and regulatory approval.

Aspen Neuroscience Board of Directors

The Scientific Advisory Board consists of leaders in the fields of bioethics, regenerative medicine clinical trials, autologous iPSC-based therapy, and Parkinson disease neuron replacement and neuroimaging.

Aspen Neuroscience Scientific Advisory Board

The newly established boards will join Aspen's impressive leadership team: Howard J. Federoff, MD, PhD, Chief Executive Officer; Jeanne Loring, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer; Edward Wirth, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer; Jay Sial, Chief Financial Officer; Andres Bratt-Leal, PhD, Vice President of Research and Development; Thorsten Gorba, PhD, Senior Director of Manufacturing; and Naveen M. Krishnan, MD, MPhil, Senior Director of Corporate Development.

About Aspen NeuroscienceAspen Neuroscience, Inc., is a development stage, private biotechnology company that uses innovative genomic approaches combined with stem cell biology to deliver patient-specific, restorative cell therapies that modify the course of Parkinson disease. Aspen's therapies are based upon the scientific work of world-renowned stem cell scientist, Dr. Jeanne Loring, who has developed a novel method for autologous neuron replacement. For more information and important updates, please visithttp://www.aspenneuroscience.com.

SOURCE Aspen Neuroscience

https://www.aspenneuroscience.com

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Aspen Neuroscience Announces Board of Directors and Scientific Advisory Board - PRNewswire

Neuroscience

ProMIS Neurosciences to present at Sachs 3rd Annual Neuroscience Innovation Forum – GlobeNewswire

TORONTO and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jan. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ProMIS Neurosciences, Inc. (TSX: PMN) (OTCQB: ARFXF), a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of antibody therapeutics targeting toxic oligomers implicated in the development of neurodegenerative diseases, today announced its participation in the Sachs 3rd Annual Neuroscience Innovation Forum being held on January 12, 2020 at the Marines Memorial Club, San Francisco, CA.

ProMIS President and CEO, Elliot Goldstein, MD will provide overviews of its novel drug discovery and development programs for Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons disease and ALS(amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). The audio webcast and slides of Dr. Goldsteins presentation will be available approximately one week following the conference presentation on ProMIS web site https://promisneurosciences.com.

About ProMIS NeurosciencesProMIS Neurosciences, Inc. is a development stage biotechnology company focused on discovering and developing antibody therapeutics selectively targeting toxic oligomers implicated in the development and progression of neurodegenerative diseases, in particular Alzheimers disease (AD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Parkinsons disease (PD). The Companys proprietary target discovery platform is based on the use of two complementary thermodynamic, computational discovery engines ProMIS and Collective Coordinates to predict novel targets known as Disease Specific Epitopes on the molecular surface of misfolded proteins. Using this unique precision approach, the Company is developing novel antibody therapeutics for AD, ALS and PD. ProMIS is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, with offices in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ProMIS is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol PMN, and on the OTCQB Venture Market under the symbol ARFXF.

To learn more, visit us at http://www.promisneurosciences.com, follow us onTwitter and LinkedIn and listen to the podcast, Saving Minds, at iTunes or Spotify.

For media inquiries, please contact:Shanti Skiffingtonshanti.skiffington@gmail.comTel. 617 921-0808

For Investor Relations please contact:Alpine Equity AdvisorsNicholas Rigopulos, Presidentnick@alpineequityadv.comTel. 617 901-0785

The TSX has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This information release contains certain forward-looking information. Such information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by statements herein, and therefore these statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. All forward-looking statements are based on the Company's current beliefs as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to it as well as other factors. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Due to risks and uncertainties, including the risks and uncertainties identified by the Company in its public securities filings, actual events may differ materially from current expectations. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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ProMIS Neurosciences to present at Sachs 3rd Annual Neuroscience Innovation Forum - GlobeNewswire