Opinion: In reponse to Robert Wise – Northside Sun

In all my columns concerning this pandemic, I never mentioned attorney Robert Wise in any way, but he has chosen not only to attempt to insult me but even intruded on the border of slander by several not-so clever ploys. First, he searched the discredited attack professional groups who make a living attacking anyone who challenges the orthodoxy. I recognized the MO immediatelythey all use the same worn-out material. While not actually saying so, it might be construed from the way he presented it that I lost my medical license when in truth, I retired from my neurosurgical practice in 2007. When one retires it is customary to also retire ones medical license. Not mandatory, but if you never plan to return to clinical practice why continue to pay the fees each year? I am almost 76 years oldwe do retire.

There is an old saying that If you cannot answer a mans arguments, all is not lostyou can still call him vile names. Many of those attacking those of us who believe in informed consent, that is, the right of the public to know all the facts concerning a proposed treatment, think like despots in totalitarian countries, assuming that only official or state controlled information should have access to the public square. One can always tell when a groups so-called information is tainted and cannot be openly defended. The controllers of information immediately use the courts or bureaucracies to control the debate, and they resort to personal attacks. We call that dirty pool or attack journalism.

My opinion, reading Wises latest nonsense being sold as reasoned argument, is that it is a cry of desperation and frustration at being intellectually unarmed. As for my credentials, I am the associate editor-in-chief of the neuroinflammatory section of the international journal Surgical Neurology International, one of the most read international neurosurgical journal in the world. In this position, I peer review submitted articles from experts on subjects dealing with immunology, neuroinflammation and infectious diseases affecting the brain and spinal cord.

I have around 60 articles published in a variety of scientific publications, a number dealing with immunology and the effects of vaccines on the central nervous system. My articles have been cited by other scientific journal articles over 1000 times. I am cited in a number of prestigious scientific papers as well as having a textbook chapter on immunoexcitotoxicity as a major pathophysiological mechanism for chronic traumatic encephalopathy (Biomarkers for Traumatic Brain Injuries, 2012, Dambinova SA et al eds). I have published articles on the pathophysiology of vaccine damage to the developing brain, articles that are widely cited in the scientific literature. I work with some of the top experts in immunology, vaccine complications and the effects of these vaccines on the nervous system. In addition, I have a two-part article published as an extensive primer for neurologists and neurosurgeons on immunology, both acquired and innate, which was reviewed by one of the top experts in immunology at UCLA Medical Center.

I have written six books on medical subjects and contributed chapters in four textbooks as well. What I find strange is that our illustrious attorney has, as far as I know, published nothing in the scientific literature on any of these subjects. All he can seem to do is tell emotional just-so stories and quote medical bureaucracies, such as the CDC and WHO, that are making millions off these and other vaccines. Both these bureaucracies are known to be corrupt to the core. The CDC has never treated a single patient for a covid-19 infection, yet they designed the protocol for most hospitals, that is generally rigidly enforced. Their protocol, in my opinion and others, was and continues to be responsible for a large percentage of the covid deaths in these hospitals.

The CDC also established the insane idea that infected people should stay at home, use no early treatments, until they were so sick, they require hospital or even ICU treatment. To compound this, they told people they should just take Tylenol and drink lots of liquids. Tylenol is a very dangerous drug and is responsible for a high percentage of serious complications seen in our hospitals. Each year we have over 700 deaths from Tylenol complications and during that same period there were only 2 deaths from Ivermectin. Every country that has initiated, as state policy, the use of Ivermectin has seen a dramatic and rapid drop in hospitalization and deaths. Some 27 randomized clinical studies from all over the world confirm that Ivermectin is very safe and dramatically reduces the death rate associated with this infection. Other early treatments, according to carefully controlled studies, have reduce death rates by as much as 80%, which if initiated by all states would have saved tens of thousands of lives. Instead, medical societies threaten our doctors with a loss of their license should they even speak anything but the incessant propaganda by the CDC and other medical bureaucracies. It is this massive control of medical information that is responsible, in my opinion and others, for the mass death associated with this virus.

Keep in mind that we would not be suffering from this never-ending pandemic had not Dr. Fauci, along with his cohorts, not supplied the Chinese communist bioweapons lab in Wuhan, China with millions of dollars in aid, as well as supplying critical information on viral gain-of-function from Dr. Ralph Barik in Chapel Hill North, Carolina.

Our Wise loves to quote stories of individuals who have died because they were unvaccinated, but he quotes none of the thousands of stories of those whose lives have been destroyed or ended by the vaccines, including the loss of a significant number of babies of pregnant women. In fact, according to an analysis of the data from the VAERS government reporting system, 4,524 cases of vaccine-linked myocarditis and pericarditis were reported from 9/3/2021. Of these, 385 occurred in children age 12 to 17 years of age. The figure continues to rise rapidly. Incredibly, 86% of healthy vaccinated boys required hospitalization. Those childrens lives have been ruined forever. They may never play sports, hike strenuous trails, or look forward to any semblance of a normal life, rather they can look forward to a life of cardiac incapacity of a progressive nature. All this over a vaccine that has been shown not to protect, was poorly tested before being released and used among an age group that was experiencing virtually no risk from this virus.

In my opinion and others, these children were the victims of the fear mongering and lying propaganda by the government agencies, medical associations, and the pharmaceutical-controlled media. As far as the so-called covid cases, there is no adequate testing to determine if a person has a clinical infection since the PCR test has been discontinued because it could not distinguish between the influenza virus and Covid-19. As we have seen all along, these so-called authorities are counting everything as being a covid hospital admission and/or death. As for the unvaccinated being the primary source of the viral transmission, we have learned that these authorities have a very interesting definition of being unvaccinatedeven a person who has had both doses of the vaccine, if they are admitted or die less than 14 days from the second dose they are labeledunvaccinated. This deception is used by all these vaccine promoting agencies.

I agree with a number of experts in this field, that it is the vaccinated that are primarily spreading this new virus variant, not the unvaccinated. Vaccinated parents are exposing their children in their home for very long periods. Fauci even admitted that the viral concentration in the nasopharynx of the vaccinated was very high and could be transmitted. Now we have most medical personnel acting as viral carriers and transmitters to their patients as they have been forced by hospitals and medical centers to be vaccinated.

Russell L. Blaylock, M.D.

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Opinion: In reponse to Robert Wise - Northside Sun

VBI Vaccines to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conferences – Business Wire

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--VBI Vaccines Inc. (Nasdaq: VBIV) (VBI), a biopharmaceutical company driven by immunology in the pursuit of powerful prevention and treatment of disease, today announced that members of the management team will participate in analyst-led fireside chats at the following upcoming investor conferences:

Guggenheim 2nd Annual Vaccines & Infectious Disease ConferenceDiscussion to be held with Evan Wang Equity Research Senior Associate

H.C. Wainwright 2nd Annual Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) ConferenceDiscussion to be held with Patrick Trucchio Managing Director, Senior Healthcare Analyst

Live webcasts of the presentations will also be available on the Investors page of VBIs website at: https://www.vbivaccines.com/investors/events-and-presentations/. A replay of each webcast will be archived on the Companys website following the presentation.

About VBI Vaccines Inc.

VBI Vaccines Inc. (VBI) is a biopharmaceutical company driven by immunology in the pursuit of powerful prevention and treatment of disease. Through its innovative approach to virus-like particles (VLPs), including a proprietary enveloped VLP (eVLP) platform technology, VBI develops vaccine candidates that mimic the natural presentation of viruses, designed to elicit the innate power of the human immune system. VBI is committed to targeting and overcoming significant infectious diseases, including hepatitis B, COVID-19 and coronaviruses, and cytomegalovirus (CMV), as well as aggressive cancers including glioblastoma (GBM). VBI is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with research operations in Ottawa, Canada, and a research and manufacturing site in Rehovot, Israel.

Cautionary Statement on Forward-looking Information

Certain statements in this press release that are forward-looking and not statements of historical fact are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws (collectively, forward-looking statements). The Company cautions that such statements involve risks and uncertainties that may materially affect the Companys results of operations. Such forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs of management as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to management. Actual results could differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including but not limited to, the impact of general economic, industry or political conditions in the United States or internationally; the impact of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic on our clinical studies, manufacturing, business plan, and the global economy; the ability to establish that potential products are efficacious or safe in preclinical or clinical trials; the ability to establish or maintain collaborations on the development of therapeutic candidates; the ability to obtain appropriate or necessary governmental approvals to market potential products; the ability to obtain future funding for developmental products and working capital and to obtain such funding on commercially reasonable terms; the Companys ability to manufacture product candidates on a commercial scale or in collaborations with third parties; changes in the size and nature of competitors; the ability to retain key executives and scientists; and the ability to secure and enforce legal rights related to the Companys products. A discussion of these and other factors, including risks and uncertainties with respect to the Company, is set forth in the Companys filings with the SEC and the Canadian securities authorities, including its Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC on March 2, 2021, and filed with the Canadian security authorities at sedar.com on March 2, 2021, as may be supplemented or amended by the Companys Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. Given these risks, uncertainties and factors, you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. All such forward-looking statements made herein are based on our current expectations and we undertake no duty or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements for any reason, except as required by law.

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VBI Vaccines to Participate in Upcoming Investor Conferences - Business Wire

MCB Assistant Professor Cluster Hire-Neuroimmunology job with Montana State University | 388051 – The Chronicle of Higher Education

Three Faculty Positions in the Department ofMicrobiology & Cell Biology at Montana StateUniversity

This is where research and discovery happen. Located in theheart of the Rocky Mountains, Bozeman, Montana offers a healthylifestyle and a world class research university that facilitatesinnovation and scholarship. The Department of Microbiology &Cell Biology at Montana State University (MSU) invites applicationsfor three tenure track faculty positions in the field ofNeuroimmunology. This cluster hire aims to attract a diverse cohortof exceptional individuals that will establish nationallyrecognized, and externally funded research programs that useinnovative new methods to interrogate dynamic interactions at theinterface of Neurology and Immunology. Areas of interest include,but are not limited to, fundamental and applied biology,immunology, neurology, pathology, psychiatry, parasitology, aging,structural biology, and virology. Successful applicants willintegrate their research programs with undergraduate and graduatestudent instruction and participate in professional serviceactivities. We are particularly interested in individuals whosework complements and strengthens the research interestsofMSUfaculty, including those focused on neurology,developmental biology, immunology, microbial physiology andecology, molecular evolution, virology, biomedical microbiology,environmental health, structural biology, and host-pathogeninteractions. The Department of Microbiology & Cell Biologyoffers a dynamic research and teaching environment withstate-of-the-art facilities for infectious disease (e.g., BSL3),flow cytometry, light and cryo-electron microscopy, histology, andsmall and large animal research. The University supportscomprehensive cores in metabolomics, proteomics, imaging,structural biology, and genomics/bioinformatics. This position issupported by a competitive institutional salary, a generousstart-up package, and state-of-the-art research facilities. The jobdescription and application materials are available online(https://jobs.montana.edu/postings/25947).

Screening of applications will begin on October 15th, 2021 andscreening will continue until an adequate applicant pool has beenestablished. Montana State University values diverse perspectivesand is committed to continually supporting, promoting and buildingan inclusive and culturally diverse campusenvironment.MSUrecognizes the importance of work-lifeintegration and strives to be responsive to the needs of dualcareer couples. Equal Opportunity Employer, Veterans/Disabled

Please contact Kelley Kane (kelleykane@montana.edu) for moreinformation.

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MCB Assistant Professor Cluster Hire-Neuroimmunology job with Montana State University | 388051 - The Chronicle of Higher Education

Combining an HIV vaccine with immunotherapy may reduce the need for daily medication – The Conversation US

The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work.

A new combination treatment for HIV can strengthen a patients immune response against the virus even after they stop taking traditional medications, according to a study published in the journal Science Immunology we co-led at the Amara Lab at Emory Univeristy.

People with HIV take a combination of HIV medications to reduce the amount of virus they have in their body. When taken as prescribed, these medications, collectively called antiretroviral therapy, can reduce the amount of virus in the body to undetectable levels. Antiretroviral therapy must be taken daily so the virus is less likely to mutate and become resistant to the drugs.

While reducing the amount of virus in the body to undetectable levels means it can no longer be transmitted, however, the most effective antiretroviral therapy drugs are unable to completely eliminate the virus. This is because HIV hides in immune-privileged areas of the body, such as certain parts of the lymphoid tissue, that are less accessible to the immune system to protect them from damage. Killer T cells, which search for and eliminate infected cells, are unable to patrol these viral reservoirs that harbor HIV.

Constant exposure to the virus can push killer T cells into a state of exhaustion in which they dont work as well. Exhausted killer T cells display more of a protein called PD-1, which functions as an off switch to its killing activity.

One way to reverse killer T cell exhaustion is to block the PD-1 off switch, but this does not boost the immune systems response to the virus. Conversely, an HIV vaccine can significantly boost immunity against the virus.

So we tested whether combining these two tactics could enhance HIV infection control. We administered a vaccine for SIV, a close cousin to HIV, with a drug that blocks PD-1 in SIV-infected rhesus monkeys treated with antiretroviral therapy.

We found that our approach generated robust anti-viral response in multiple parts of the body, including immune-privileged sites in the lymph nodes, and allowed killer T cells to infiltrate and purge viral reservoirs. Most importantly, the monkeys maintained strong immunity against the virus even after they stopped antiretroviral therapy and significantly improved their survival. None of the seven monkeys in the combination treatment group developed AIDS through our six-month follow-up period, compared with half of the monkeys who received only the vaccine or antiretroviral therapy alone.

Around 38 million people worldwide were living with HIV in 2020. If left untreated, HIV can cripple the immune system and leave the body vulnerable to normally harmless infections.

There are accessibility issues with the treatment that must be diligently taken every day for life. A 2015 study estimated that the lifetime antiretroviral therapy cost for someone who acquires HIV at age 35 is US$358,380. And many people dont have access to daily antiretroviral therapy. Around three-quarters of adults with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa do not reach persistent viral suppression due to lack of treatment availability.

Finally, even though antiretroviral therapy can thoroughly suppress HIV infection, it does not cure it. There is always a risk that the virus may mutate to become resistant to existing drugs.

Completely wiping out HIV from the body is one way to eliminate the need for daily antiretroviral therapy. But a more achievable strategy is to put the infected cells in check.

Currently, only 0.5% of HIV positive individuals are considered elite controllers who are able to suppress infection without medication.

While our study showed a potential pathway to control HIV, it is still in development and not ready for human patients. More research is necessary to understand how viral reservoirs form and why certain cells respond differently to different immunotherapies.

A single form of therapy may not result in complete HIV remission. Our team is currently testing other drug combinations to unleash the full potential of the immune system and overcome barriers to a cure.

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Combining an HIV vaccine with immunotherapy may reduce the need for daily medication - The Conversation US

Lilly Selects ZS to Enhance Customer Engagement and Field Sales Effectiveness – Business Wire

EVANSTON, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Global professional services firm ZS today announced that Eli Lilly and Co. is implementing ZAIDYN Field Insights. Lilly chose the offering to help accelerate its commercial digital transformation, enhance customer engagement and to better anticipate customer needs in an evolving healthcare ecosystem.

ZAIDYNs dynamic targeting solution helps life sciences field teams better listen, adapt and respond to changing customer needs. The solution meets these needs by embedding ZS artificial intelligence-enabled dynamic targeting and field suggestions directly into the tools where field teams manage their day-to-day activities.

Partnering with ZS allows us to equip our sales professionals with appropriate insights to anticipate our customers needs and deliver meaningful solutions in a timely and personalized way, said Patrik Jonsson, senior vice president and president of Lilly Immunology and Lilly USA, and chief customer officer. Adopting an agile approach that allows us to meet healthcare providers where they are with the right information will help us take our customer engagement and satisfaction to the next level.

ZS is the first in the industry to offer dynamic targeting capabilities at this scale with this level of analytical sophistication, and to deliver these capabilities directly through the clients existing customer engagement system. ZS clients already have begun to realize the benefits of using ZAIDYN Field Insights, including increased adoption of insights, identification of new healthcare providers and considerable time savings for the field team.

Sales teams can now better listen to, anticipate and respond to customer needs in the right way, at the right time, with the right message and through the right channel, said Maria Kliatchko, principal and lead, customer engagement products at ZS. They can nimbly adapt their targeting approach to changing market conditions and healthcare provider and patient needs.

About ZS

ZS is a professional services firm that works side by side with companies to help develop and deliver products that drive customer value and company results. We leverage our deep industry expertise, leading-edge analytics, technology and strategy to create solutions that work in the real world. With more than 35 years of experience and 10,000-plus ZSers in more than 25 offices worldwide, we are passionately committed to helping companies and their customers thrive. To learn more, visit http://www.zs.com or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

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Lilly Selects ZS to Enhance Customer Engagement and Field Sales Effectiveness - Business Wire

Fate Therapeutics Announces Presentations at the Society – GlobeNewswire

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 01, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fate Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: FATE), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of programmed cellular immunotherapies for patients with cancer, today announced that one oral and four poster presentations for the Companys induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) product platform were accepted for presentation at the 36th Annual Meeting of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) being held November 10-14, 2021.

The oral presentation will highlight preclinical data for FT536, the Companys off-the-shelf, multiplexed-engineered, iPSC-derived, chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) NK cell product candidate that uniquely targets the 3 domain of the MHC class I related proteins A (MICA) and B (MICB). In a recent publication in Cancer Immunology Research (DOI: 10.1158/2326-6066.CIR-19-0483), Kai W. Wucherpfennig, M.D., Ph.D., Chair of the Department of Cancer Immunology and Virology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and co-leader of the Cancer Immunology Program at Dana-Farber / Harvard Cancer Center, demonstrated that cancers with loss of MHC Class I expression can be effectively targeted with MICA/B 3 domain-specific antibodies to restore NK cell-mediated immunity against solid tumors. The FT536 program is supported by an exclusive license from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to intellectual property covering novel antibody fragments binding MICA/B for iPSC-derived cellular therapeutics. The Company expects to submit an Investigational New Drug (IND) application for FT536 in the fourth quarter of 2021 for the treatment of advanced solid tumors, including in combination with monoclonal antibody therapy.

Poster presentations at SITC will include preclinical data on new functional elements that the Company is evaluating for incorporation into its iPSC-derived cell product candidates for solid tumors. These synthetic features include engineered chemokine receptors, which the Company has demonstrated can enhance the trafficking and homing of iPSC-derived CAR T cells to tumors, and synthetic TGF re-direct receptors, which the Company has shown can exploit immuno-suppressive cytokines found in the tumor microenvironment to potentiate iPSC-derived CAR T cells and improve anti-tumor activity.

Oral Presentation

Poster Presentation

About MICA and MICB ProteinsThe major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I related proteins A (MICA) and B (MICB) are induced by cellular stress, damage or transformation, and the expression of MICA and MICB proteins has been reported for many tumor types. Cytotoxic lymphocytes, such as NK cells and CD8+ T cells, can detect and bind the membrane-distal 1 and 2 domains of MICA/B, activating a potent cytotoxic response. However, cancer cells frequently evade immune cell recognition by proteolytic shedding of the 1 and 2 domains of MICA/B. The clinical importance of proteolytic shedding is reflected in the association of high serum concentrations of shed MICA/B with disease progression in many solid tumors. Several recent publications have shown that therapeutic antibodies targeting the membrane-proximal 3 domain strongly inhibited MICA/B shedding, resulting in a substantial increase in the cell surface density of MICA/B and restoration of NK cell-mediated tumor immunity (DOI:10.1126/science.aao0505). Therapeutic approaches aimed at targeting the 3 domain of MICA/B therefore represent a potentially promising novel strategy to overcome this prominent evasion mechanism as a means of restoring anti-tumor immunity.

About Fate Therapeutics iPSC Product PlatformThe Companys proprietary induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) product platform enables mass production of off-the-shelf, engineered, homogeneous cell products that can be administered with multiple doses to deliver more effective pharmacologic activity, including in combination with other cancer treatments. Human iPSCs possess the unique dual properties of unlimited self-renewal and differentiation potential into all cell types of the body. The Companys first-of-kind approach involves engineering human iPSCs in a one-time genetic modification event and selecting a single engineered iPSC for maintenance as a clonal master iPSC line. Analogous to master cell lines used to manufacture biopharmaceutical drug products such as monoclonal antibodies, clonal master iPSC lines are a renewable source for manufacturing cell therapy products which are well-defined and uniform in composition, can be mass produced at significant scale in a cost-effective manner, and can be delivered off-the-shelf for patient treatment. As a result, the Companys platform is uniquely capable of overcoming numerous limitations associated with the production of cell therapies using patient- or donor-sourced cells, which is logistically complex and expensive and is subject to batch-to-batch and cell-to-cell variability that can affect clinical safety and efficacy. Fate Therapeutics iPSC product platform is supported by an intellectual property portfolio of over 350 issued patents and 150 pending patent applications.

About Fate Therapeutics, Inc.Fate Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of first-in-class cellular immunotherapies for patients with cancer. The Company has established a leadership position in the clinical development and manufacture of universal, off-the-shelf cell products using its proprietary induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) product platform. The Companys immuno-oncology pipeline includes off-the-shelf, iPSC-derived natural killer (NK) cell and T-cell product candidates, which are designed to synergize with well-established cancer therapies, including immune checkpoint inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies, and to target tumor-associated antigens using chimeric antigen receptors (CARs). Fate Therapeutics is headquartered in San Diego, CA. For more information, please visit http://www.fatetherapeutics.com.

Forward-Looking StatementsThis release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 including statements regarding the Companys clinical studies and preclinical research and development programs, its ongoing and planned clinical studies, and the safety and therapeutic potential of the Companys product candidates. These and any other forward-looking statements in this release are based on management's current expectations of future events and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risk that the Companys product candidates may not demonstrate the requisite safety or efficacy to achieve regulatory approval or to warrant further development, the risk that results observed in prior studies of the Companys product candidates, including preclinical studies and clinical trials of any of its product candidates, will not be observed in ongoing or future studies involving these product candidates, the risk of a delay or difficulties in the manufacturing of the Companys product candidates or in the initiation of, or enrollment of patients in, any clinical studies, the risk that the Company may cease or delay preclinical or clinical development of any of its product candidates for a variety of reasons (including requirements that may be imposed by regulatory authorities on the initiation or conduct of clinical trials, the amount and type of data to be generated, or otherwise to support regulatory approval, difficulties or delays in patient enrollment and continuation in the Companys ongoing and planned clinical trials, difficulties in manufacturing or supplying the Companys product candidates for clinical testing, and any adverse events or other negative results that may be observed during preclinical or clinical development), and the risk that its product candidates may not produce therapeutic benefits or may cause other unanticipated adverse effects. For a discussion of other risks and uncertainties, and other important factors, any of which could cause the Companys actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see the risks and uncertainties detailed in the Companys periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the Companys most recently filed periodic report, and from time to time in the Companys press releases and other investor communications.Fate Therapeutics is providing the information in this release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Contact:Christina TartagliaStern Investor Relations, Inc.212.362.1200christina@sternir.com

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Fate Therapeutics Announces Presentations at the Society - GlobeNewswire

New discovery reveals direct link between opioids and gut inflammation – New Atlas

Intriguing new preclinical research from a team of Japanese scientists has found targeting opioid receptors in the gut could be a new treatment for inflammatory bowel disease. The research builds on early evidence showing a relationship between opioids and immune cell function.

For several years scientists have noticed links between opioid use and immune suppression. Observational studies have noted some hospital patients treated with opioids were more vulnerable to viral infections, while in vitro research has demonstrated opioids can influence immune cell function. But exactly what is going has been unclear.

There has long been a noted connection between opioids and the gut, but only relatively recently have researchers discovered opioid receptors are not isolated to the brain. This new research set out to better understand how opioids interact with the immune system by focusing on a mouse model of inflammatory bowel disease.

The researchers focused on a previously developed drug called KNT-127, which is designed to selectively stimulate delta opioid receptors only. Drugs specifically targeting delta opioid receptors have recently been receiving plenty of research attention in the hope they work effectively as pain relievers without negative side effects such as respiratory depression or dependency often seen with currently available opioid drugs.

The new study, published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology, first revealed KNT-127 effectively reduced the severity of colon inflammation in several mouse models. A number of different experiments showed the experimental opioid directly suppressing immune cell activity.

Nagata et al (2021), Frontiers in Immunology

But a key question remained was the drug exerting its anti-inflammatory effects by directly activating delta opioid receptors in the gut, or were receptors in the brain playing a role?

To answer this question the researchers looked to a different version of KNT-127 designed to be unable to cross the blood-brain barrier. Similar results were seen in the mouse models, affirming the anti-inflammatory activity of the drug was independent of any central nervous system (CNS) actions.

"Several people around the world suffer from diseases related to colon inflammation, and so far, optimal treatment strategies are lacking, says Hiroshi Nagase, an author on the new study. Our findings show that KNT-127 and other activators of opioid receptors could be promising therapeutic options for such diseases.

Nagase does stress there is plenty more work needed before these findings can be translated into a clinical treatment for human patients. However, the study offers some of the first clear evidence of opioid receptors in the gut being involved directly in inflammatory responses.

Chiharu Nishiyama, from the Tokyo University of Science and lead researcher on the new study, says these findings offer compelling insights into gut-brain connections.

"Today, we know that poor mental health has physical manifestations, explains Nishiyama. For example, stress worsens inflammation in the gut, which in turn affects the health of the brain. Our results on the immune-related effects of opioids, which commonly act on the brain, is a step toward unraveling the biological mechanisms that govern the reciprocative relationship of gut health and the immune system with the CNS.

The new study was published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology.

Source: Tokyo University of Science

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New discovery reveals direct link between opioids and gut inflammation - New Atlas

Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer Publishes Clinical Practice Guideline on Immunotherapy for the Treatm – Benzinga

The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC), the world's leading member-driven organization dedicated to improving cancer patient outcomes by advancing the science and application of cancer immunotherapy, is pleased to announce the publication of the first clinical practice guideline (CPG) focused on immunotherapy for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

MILWAUKEE (PRWEB) October 05, 2021

The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC), the world's leading member-driven organization dedicated to improving cancer patient outcomes by advancing the science and application of cancer immunotherapy, is pleased to announce the publication of the first clinical practice guideline (CPG) focused on immunotherapy for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

The new manuscript, "Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) clinical practice guideline on immunotherapy for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma", was published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer (JITC), SITC's peer-reviewed online journal, and it will be available in SITC's mobile guidelines app.

"Immunotherapy has become the standard of care for advanced HCC" said Ignacio M. Melero, co-Chair of the SITC HCC Immunotherapy Guideline Expert Panel. "Patients with advanced HCC have more options than ever and this new guideline will be an essential resource for clinicians to navigate the landscape to develop immunotherapy treatment plans."

In 2020, the checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy atezolizumab was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in combination with bevacizumab as a first-line treatment for HCC, representing the first new regimen to improve overall survival for patients in more than a decade. Additional immune checkpoint inhibitors are also approved in the second-line setting as well, and ongoing trials are evaluating additional immunotherapeutic strategies. To provide guidance to clinicians treating HCC on how to incorporate these new options into the evolving therapeutic landscape, SITC convened a panel of leading experts with perspectives from oncology, hepatology, surgery, interventional radiology, nursing and patient advocacy.

"HCC always develops as disease on top of a disease including both the cancer and underlying liver damage," said Tim F. Greten, co-chair of the SITC HCC Immunotherapy Guideline Expert Panel. "Our expert panel included leading voices from hepatology and oncology to provide clinicians with the recommendations they need on both liver-specific and the immunotherapy-specific aspects of HCC treatment."

To support clinicians in their decision-making with their patients with HCC, the Hepatocellular Carcinoma Immunotherapy Guideline Expert Panel developed evidence- and consensus-based recommendations on topics including the selection of appropriate immunotherapeutic regimens, recognition and management of immune-related adverse events, and patient quality of life considerations.

"SITC's clinical practice guidelines are the authoritative resource for recommendations on the optimal use of immunotherapy to improve patient outcomes." said SITC President Patrick Hwu, MD. "The society is proud to have brought together this expert panel of international leaders in HCC to develop this timely and important guideline."

In addition to the published manuscript, SITC is also offering a number of different opportunities to help clinicians understand and implement the guidelines into their practice. One such resource is free live webinars and on-demand modules hosted on the SITC website that will focus on this published manuscript and provide attendees with the opportunity to ask questions of expert faculty:

Click here to view past SITC Cancer Immunotherapy Guidelines webinars on-demand.

About the SITC Cancer Immunotherapy Guidelines

The hepatocellular carcinoma immunotherapy guideline is part of the broader SITC Cancer Immunotherapy Guidelines program that has produced a collection of CPGs developed by multi-disciplinary panels of experts who draw from their own practical experience as well as evidence in the published literature and clinical trial data to develop evidence- and consensus-based recommendations on when and how to use immunotherapy to help improve outcomes for patients with cancer. SITC uses as a model, the Institute of Medicine's 2011 "Standards for Developing Trustworthy Clinical Practice Guidelines" to ensure the recommendations are unbiased, transparent and balanced and aids oncologists in effective clinical decision-making concerning patient selection, toxicity management, response evaluation, and the sequencing or combination of therapies, among other topics.

About SITC

Established in 1984, the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) is a nonprofit organization of medical professionals dedicated to improving cancer patient outcomes by advancing the development, science and application of cancer immunotherapy and tumor immunology. SITC is comprised of influential basic and translational scientists, practitioners, health care professionals, government leaders and industry professionals around the globe. Through educational initiatives that foster scientific exchange and collaboration among leaders in the field, SITC aims to one day make the word "cure" a reality for cancer patients everywhere. Learn more about SITC, our educational offerings and other resources at sitcancer.org and follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.

About JITC

Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer (JITC) is the official open access, peer reviewed journal of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer. The journal publishes high-quality articles on all aspects of tumor immunology and cancer immunotherapy, on subjects across the basic science-translational-clinical spectrum. JITC publishes original research articles, position papers and practice guidelines, and case reports; invited and pre-vetted reviews and commentaries are also considered by the journal editors. These articles make JITC the leading forum dedicated to tumor immunology and cancer immunotherapy research.

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Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer Publishes Clinical Practice Guideline on Immunotherapy for the Treatm - Benzinga

NIH awards Brown $10.8M to expand data-informed research to fight human disease – Brown University

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] Five years after an $11.5 million federal grant launched the COBRE Center for Computational Biology of Human Disease at Brown University, the National Institutes of Health has awarded $10.8M in new funds to Brown to build on the centers early success.

The center a federal Center of Biomedical Research Excellence funded by the NIHs National Institute of General Medical Sciences uses sophisticated computer analyses to advance research aimed at understanding and fighting human diseases.

Director David Rand, a professor of biology at Brown, said the renewal funds will enhance the centers research infrastructure, enable strengthened collaboration among scientists working with computational and bioinformatics tools, and support four new research projects. Rand said there is a computational revolution happening in the biomedical sciences, as researchers need computational analyses to help them make sense of massive amounts of available data.

Even those working in wet labs or clinics who dont use computers in their daily work will at some point need assistance in analyzing complex data sets, he said.

Rand compared the current moment to the molecular biology revolution thats been changing science since the 1970s, when DNA cloning and sequencing became standard tools used by researchers across diverse fields. Computational analysis is bringing groups together today in a similar way, he said. For example, people working in engineering, computer science, basic biology and medicine will face situations where they need to convert data sets into information that can help them find solutions and answer questions. While their research projects are highly distinct, he said, the data analysis work shares common themes.

In addition to helping researchers with individual projects, we view the Center for Computational Biology of Human Disease as a vehicle for raising the level of computational ability for researchers in the community overall, Rand said.

To provide that service to COBRE project leaders and researchers across Brown, the center is home to a Computational Biology Core a group of four scientists, data analysts and software engineers who support data-intensive research. With the renewal grant, center leaders will work to build sustainable support for the group through continued funding to its scientists and support to ensure that four members are at the Ph.D.-level (past budget included support for two Ph.D.s and two masters-level scientists).

Everyone has large data sets and needs to convert these into useful information, and we aim to help people achieve that goal, Rand said. The center brings together researchers in the lab and clinic with exceptionally skilled and creative data scientists to turn data into information.

Funds from the grant will also support the research of junior faculty investigators and help position them to earn additional, longer-term funding for their work enabling them, Rand said, to build upon discoveries and continue their research while freeing up center funds to seed innovative new projects. With the initial $11.5 million from the NIH in the centers first phase, faculty projects at the Center for Computational Biology of Human Disease generated an additional $17.9 million in grants in areas of research such as human genomics, immunology and infectious disease, microbiome and machine learning approaches to complex genetics.

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NIH awards Brown $10.8M to expand data-informed research to fight human disease - Brown University

How a Venture Investor with a PhD in Genetics Helped This Biotech Firm Get Started, Funded, and Acquired – Inc.

IN 2016, INVENTOR and scientist Erik Gentalen reached out to a former colleague with exciting news, and a proposition.

"I started a company, and we could use some help," Gentalen said. The former colleague, Lena Wu, had worked with him around 15 years earlier as the director of business development at Caliper Technologies, a Mountain View, California-based bioresearch firm. Gentalen's new company, Intabio, would launch his latest invention, an instrument to analyze and ensure the efficacy and safety of biopharmaceutical drugs. Called the Blaze System, the machine could reduce the analysis time from weeks in some cases to less than 30 minutes per sample, dramatically shortening a drug's development period.

Wu joined Intabio's board later that year and became CEO the next. It was a hire that paid dividends in unexpected ways. When it came time to raise startup capital, Gentalen turned to Genoa Ventures managing director Jenny Rooke, whom he'd met through other investors in the life sciences industry.

"It was Erik's openness to bringing in Lena's complementary strengths that attracted me to the company," Rooke says. "When Lena joined forces with Erik as his business partner and Intabio's CEO, I knew the time was right."

In 2017, Rooke's San Francisco-based venture capital firm led Intabio's $3.2 million seed financing.

"It was clear from the earliest meeting that Jenny had great technical expertise, was willing to be collaborative in solving issues, and was thoughtful and strategic," Wu says. "Many people in Jenny's position are super supportive but not critical. She's the rare combination of both."

Rooke honed her expertise while earning a PhD in genetics at Yale, after which she worked at McKinsey advising pharmaceutical and biotech companies on business strategy. She also served in the executive ranks of U.S. Genomics (later called PathoGenetix), leading R&D and corporate development. Rooke knew the business. According to Wu, she had a keen eye for burnout, a common affliction among entrepreneurs. "She would say, 'You need to take a break. Now, go on vacation,' " Wu recalls. "I've never had another VC tell me to go on vacation."

Though Genoa didn't lead Intabio's Series A or Series B funding rounds, which brought the company's total funding to $30 million, Rooke introduced Wu to other investors and identified VCs to target. "We gained a great deal of credibility as a good investment given Jenny's reputation and the fact that she led our seed round," Wu says.

Intabio's first non-founder hire after raising capital was principal scientist Scott Mack, who helped develop the company's technology and was the first author of the company's published scientific paper describing the technology. (Mack's dog is also the Blaze System's namesake.) As of early 2021, Intabio had more than 40 employees.

Mack and Blaze (the system, not the dog) had their work cut out for them. Getting from a prototype that was tested only in-house at Intabio to a pre-commercial beta system took three years of development. Pharmaceutical companies Pfizer and Janssen Pharmaceuticals beta-tested the Blaze system, while Merck was an "early access collaborator" that sent samples to Intabio to analyze at the company's lab and return the results. Wu developed Intabio's go-to-market strategy and early access program, with Rooke helping refine and pressure-test aspects of the strategy.

When all was said and done, the proof-of-concept method worked. In January 2021, the life sciences company Sciex announced it had acquired Intabio for an undisclosed sum, just three and half years after the startup began operations. And when negotiating the deal, Wu relied on Rooke to play the role of not just investor but true partner.

"Jenny's input was, as always, both supportive and rigorous," Wu says. "It gave me the confidence that as a management team, we were making the right decision."

From the October 2021 issue of Inc. Magazine

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How a Venture Investor with a PhD in Genetics Helped This Biotech Firm Get Started, Funded, and Acquired - Inc.