Monthly Archives: September 2022

Genetics

Cutting emissions with genetics – Shepparton News

Australian dairy farmers can now use breeding to help reduce their farms greenhouse gas emissions.

DataGene has introduced a new stand-alone breeding index called the Sustainability Index included in its August release of Australian Breeding Values.

The Sustainability Index ranks bulls according to their ability to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and increase milk production while also considering other vital profitability traits.

DataGenes Peter Thurn said breeding for reduced greenhouse gas emission intensity didnt mean compromising on other traits which underpin on-farm profitability.

The Sustainability Index is highly correlated with the Balanced Performance Index; the top bulls on one, will be highly ranked on the other, Mr Thurn said.

Its just a difference in weighting, and with the Sustainability Index, the weighting of feed saved and survival has tripled compared to the BPI. Looking at it from a financial perspective, the trade off in BPI over the next 25 years if you select on the Sustainability Index instead is about $1 a year for Holsteins and its even less for Jerseys.

There are two ways to tackle greenhouse gas emissions on a dairy farm reduce the total or gross emissions or reduce the emission intensity.

The Sustainability Index focuses on reducing emission intensity, that is, decreasing the amount of carbon emitted relative to milk production.

This is calculated by dividing the amount of carbon emitted by the amount of milk produced.

The reduction in emission intensity is achieved through a combination of dilution and increased efficiency, higher milk production from longer lived, more feed efficient cows means more milk per tonne of carbon, Mr Thurn said.

Reducing emissions intensity is a more practical approach as it does not diminish productivity, whereas a gross approach could lead to less productive and ultimately less profitable cows.

Like any index, you can add a range of other traits to assist you to breed the type of cow you want in your herd. A good way to do this is to use DataGenes Good Bulls App or the DataVat website.

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Cutting emissions with genetics - Shepparton News

Genetics

Events tomorrow SEPTEMBER 9: Department of Studies (DoS) in Genetics and Genomics, Mysore University – Star of Mysore

Valedictory of IABSCON-South Zone-2022 and International Symposium on Translational Research, Dr. H. Basavana Gowdappa, Principal, JSS Medical College, chief guest, Dr. T. Venkatesh, St. Johns Medical College, Bengaluru, Dr. R. Medha, JIPMER, Puducherry and Dr. H.P. Gurushankara, Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod, will be present, Vijnana Bhavan, Manasagangothri, 4 pm.

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Events tomorrow SEPTEMBER 9: Department of Studies (DoS) in Genetics and Genomics, Mysore University - Star of Mysore

Genetics

In Brief This Week: Illumina, Interpace, Genetic Signatures, Guardant Health, More – GenomeWeb

NEW YORK Illumina said this week that it has opened its first manufacturing site in China. The Shanghai-based facility will initially produce 16 clinical sequencing reagents. In a statement, the firm said it plans to "achieve complete localized production for its gene sequencing instruments and consumables within the next five years."

Interpace Biosciences this week announced the closing of the sale of its Pharma Services business to Flagship Biosciences for an undisclosed amount. Parsippany, New Jersey-based Interpace will use the proceeds of the transaction for working capital requirements and investments to help drive the growth of its molecular diagnostics business. The company said the disposition of its pharma services business is expected to improve operating cash flow by nearly $5 million annually.

The American Society of Human Genetics said this week that the Illumina Corporate Foundation has awarded it a one-year, $175,000 grant to support the ASHG learning center.

The web portal offers scientists access to professional education videos, webinars, workshops, and other content. ASHG said it would use the grant to implement closed captioning across its live and on-demand content. Other details were not disclosed.

Genetic Signatures this week reported fiscal year 2022 revenues of A$35.4 million, a 25 percent increase from A$28.3 million in FY 2021. The growth was driven by demand for the firm's EasyScreen SARS-CoV-2 Detection Kit, although the company said in a statement that demand for other non-COVID-19 tests has increased. The company's net income for the full year was A$3.3 million, or A$2.11 per share, compared to A$1.8 million, or A$1.23 per share, in the previous year. The Australian firm had A$36.9 million in cash and cash equivalents at the end of the fiscal year.

OpGen has been granted a 180-day extension from the Listing Qualifications Department of Nasdaq to regain compliance with the exchange's minimum bid price requirement. If at any time until Feb. 27, 2023, the bid price for OpGen's common stock closes at or above $1.00 per share for a minimum of 10 consecutive trading days, the firm will regain compliance with the rule. The firm's share price hasn't closed at $1 or higher since mid-January.

Ochsner Health this week became the first healthcare system to incorporate Epic Systems' Orders and Results Anywhere integration with its genomic module. Physicians at New Orleans-based Ochsner, through the system's Precision Medicine Program, will now be able to order Tempus Health genomic tests for patients within the electronic health record system. Through the Epic EHRs, physicians can order genomic tests to identify actionable variants, in turn informing therapeutic decisions and clinical trial eligibility. In addition to Tempus, Epic has also partnered with Caris Life Sciences, Guardant Health, and Myriad Genetics to integrate biomarker testing into EHRs.

Guardant Health said this week that it has expanded its collaboration with Merck KGaA to further leverage the GuardantINFORM real-world evidence platform to help accelerate development efforts for the pharma firm's precision oncology pipeline. The expanded strategic collaboration will focus on therapy development for core cancer indications with significant unmet need.

Caris Life Sciences said this week that the Medical College of Wisconsin Cancer Center has joined its Precision Oncology Alliance, a growing network of leading cancer centers that collaborate to advance precision oncology and biomarker-driven research. MCW is the largest private research institution in Wisconsin, and its cancer center serves a distinct region that includes large, underserved populations of patients who experience significant disparities in cancer incidence and outcomes.

POA members gain access to a growing portfolio of biomarker-directed trials as well as Caris' CODEai, an industry-leading dataset with cancer treatment information and clinical outcomes data for over 275,000 patients.

The Malaysian Genomics Resource Centre Berhad said this week that it has signed a memorandum of understanding to explore opportunities for the distribution of biopharmaceutical and genomics products and services with Ajlan & Bros Medical Company. Under the MoU, the parties will explore the feasibility of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia-based Ajlan becoming a marketing and distribution representative for Malaysian Genomics for genetic screening tests, mesenchymal stem cell products, and exosome products. Ajlan will also identify commercial R&D opportunities for genome sequencing and analysis in the Middle East and North Africa region for areas such as agriculture, aquaculture, plantations, healthcare, and industrial biotechnology. In turn, Malaysian Genomics will analyze samples for genetic screening tests as well as provide Ajlan with genomic and bioinformatics expertise to bid for projects.

BioEcho Life Sciences, a Cologne, Germany-based biotech company specializing in nucleic acid extraction technology, has opened a US subsidiary in Boston. In a statement, BioEcho General Manager Lydia Willing noted that the company will provide an extensive portfolio of its products in the US and have the ability to work on specific customer needs around nucleic acid research.

In Brief This Week is a selection of news items that may be of interest to our readers but had not previously appeared on GenomeWeb.

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In Brief This Week: Illumina, Interpace, Genetic Signatures, Guardant Health, More - GenomeWeb

Embryology

THE CASE FOR INVAGINATION #4 Comes to The Mass Building – Broadway World

This performance is Part Four of a series in which Bindler's scars speak candidly about trauma and desire. Imagine Mister Rogers had a scooter accident, a thyroidectomy, a brain injury... and the puppets in his neighborhood were the remnants of these calamities. Welcome to The Case For Invagination!

This collection of solos arose out of Bindler's somatic Body-Mind Centering research on the embryology of the genitalia from a nonbinary perspective. From these ideas she developed a series of interactive performances based on the practice of allowing space/situations/people to invite us in, rather than injecting ourselves into spaces. This practice has social and political implications around embodying consent culture and as an antidote to the ways many of us have internalized capitalism, colonialism, sexism, and ableism.

After the third version, performed at last year's Cannonball/Fringe festivals, many audience members reported that Bindler's brain scar was the most poignant for them. This was the newest addition to her chorus of scars, and seemed like the most compelling one for her to explore more deeply in the fourth version.

The brain scar is a personification of the remnants of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) she suffered in 2018. In their monologue, brain scar describes what it's like to be a TBI, "Some people were so freaked out and disgusted by her inability to fulfill her professional commitments, they looked at her like she was a demented grandma." Brain scar ponders their identity, "What is me? Am I brain? Am I a scar? Am I Nicole?" And they also describe their deepest desires, "I would like Nicole to take me to the sensory deprivation tank for a little vacay."

For the past year Bindler and her director, Mark Kennedy, have delved into her experience of TBI through the voice of the brain itself. Like previous instalments, this edition includes tragicomic autobiography told through monologues and dancing with an underlying politics around feminism, decoloniality, and Disability Justice.

Philadelphia Weekly has described Bindler as: "A xture in Philadelphia's experimental dance scene ... Nicole Bindler is known for riveting performances." As a life-long committed experimentalist she creates work that collides improvised dance, extended techniques, somatic practice, theater, comedy, political commentary, and electroacoustic music.

For more information about this performance, please see this thINKingDANCE review by Leslie Bush: https://thinkingdance.net/articles/2019/11/02/Single-Thing-Infinite-Folds

Nicole Bindler-dance-maker, Body-Mind Centering practitioner, writer, and activist-has practiced contact improvisation for 25 years, and her work has been presented on four continents. Recent projects include curating an evening of Palestinian dance films at Fidget Space; somatic research on the embryology of the genitalia from a non-binary perspective; workshops on Disability Justice, Neuroqueering Embodiment, and Polyvagal Theory and Protest; conference presentations about rebuilding in-person dance and somatics communities in ways that tangibly address the inequities laid bare by the pandemic; co-producing the Consent Culture in Contact Improvisation Symposium at Earthdance; and a solo dance, The Case for Invagination, in which her scars speak candidly about trauma and desire. https://www.nicolebindler.com/

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THE CASE FOR INVAGINATION #4 Comes to The Mass Building - Broadway World

Embryology

Improving medical student recruitment into neurosurgery through teaching reform – BMC Medical Education – BMC Medical Education

Although neurosurgery is popular among medical students in other countries, in China, it is still a challenge to recruit high-quality students into neurosurgery [20,21,22,23]. How to recruit high-quality students into neurosurgery in China is an important question that needs to be addressed. In this study, we use CBL and PBL integrated methods to implement teaching, which makes it easier for students to master neurosurgery knowledge and thus boosts their interest in neurosurgery compared to the traditional teaching method. Meanwhile, students self-confidence was significantly increased, and more students were inclined to choose neurosurgery as a career.

The traditional teaching method is the most efficient and economical way to deliver core knowledge and concepts [6, 19]. It is very suitable for teaching in large, basic medical classes, such as physiology, biochemistry, and tissue embryology, because these courses are focused on students mastery of knowledge points. However, in the teaching of clinical courses, such as internal medicine, surgery, gynecology, and pediatrics, more attention is given to the cultivation of students ability to integrate theory with practice and clinical thinking ability. The traditional teaching model is not suitable for the teaching of these courses. However, thus far, no standard teaching plan for clinical courses has been developed.

Most instructors are constantly exploring new teaching methods for clinical courses [15,16,17,18,19]. In this study, the results revealed that the scores of students self-evaluation, theoretical examination, and the students clinical application ability evaluation tests of those who received the CBL and PBL integrated methods were higher than those students who received the traditional teaching method, suggesting that the CBL and PBL integrated method is more suitable for neurosurgery teaching.

CBL and PBL integrated methods have been demonstrated to be better than the traditional teaching method in the teaching of other clinical courses. Liu et al. adopted CBL-PBL teaching for maxillary sinus floor augmentation, and better results were obtained in terms of academic knowledge acquisition, case analysis ability, and student satisfaction compared to the traditional teaching method [17]. Zhao et al. also demonstrated that in teaching about thyroid disease, CBL and PBL integrated methods improved residents and medical students performance and enhanced their clinical skills compared to the traditional teaching method [19]. However, some scholars research shows that student performance has not been improved with the new teaching method and that students prefer traditional lecture-style teaching [24, 25].

CBL is an active learning process. Students focus on the patients case, engage in scientific inquiry, self-guided learning, and collaboration with classmates, integrating theory into practice, developing clinical problems solving ability and critical thinking ability. PBL is an instructional approach that promotes students to integrate theory into practice and apply knowledge to develop viable solutions to some scheduled problems. It aims to help students develop their problem-solving abilities building upon their basic and clinical knowledge base [11,12,13,14,15,16].

Actually, CBL is considered a derivative of PBL, and the two are often confused (Fig.3) [15, 16]. Srinivasan et al. pointed out that, unlike PBL, CBL often requires a certain basic theoretical knowledge of the subject [26]. Obviously, it is inadequate if CBL is used alone for the clinical teaching of undergraduates because they do not have theoretical knowledge of various fields. In addition, CBL pays more attention to the analysis of clinical cases, not just to the mastery of professional knowledge. However, PBL can make up for these shortcomings of CBL. As in this study, when assigning cases, we summarize the knowledge points that student need to master in problems and let students analyze cases based on the type of problem. The students clinical skills improved significantly, and it was easier for them to master theoretical knowledge.

Differences between CBL and PBL in clinical teaching

Another advantage of CBL is that neurosurgery can be exposed to students early in the form of cases, and early exposure to neurosurgery contributes to medical student recruitment [27, 28]. In this study, students interests in neurosurgery increased through case teaching, and neurosurgery selection at the end of the semester was increased. However, the teaching methods of CBL and PBL integrated methods also have certain shortcomings. This teaching method is only suitable for small class teaching, which not only requires more neurosurgeons to participate in medical teaching but also requires neurosurgeons to have a great interest in teaching. Compared with the traditional teaching method, the PBL and CBL teaching methods require instructors to dedicate more time and energy.

There are several inevitable limitations in this study. First, this is a single-institution, small-sample study, and a multi-institution, large sample size study is needed. Second, this study cannot be completed in a double-blind manner because students may communicate privately. Third, although the teaching procedures of CBL and PBL integrated methods are uniform, the teaching style of each teacher in the traditional teaching model is different. Therefore, the results obtained may be biased. Last, teachers of other majors may also choose some new teaching methods, which may impact students major selection. This study did not capture these details.

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Improving medical student recruitment into neurosurgery through teaching reform - BMC Medical Education - BMC Medical Education

Cell Biology

University subject profile: biology – The Guardian

What youll learnThe biosciences are a wide field including human biology, bioinformatics, botany, zoology, genetics, microbiology and biochemistry. What youll learn depends on how you decide to specialise you could learn the fundamentals of cell biology, the computer skills needed to understand protein sequences, or the mating habits of orangutans.

Youll know how to research information, apply it and use specialist equipment. And youll develop an understanding of the ethical considerations associated with your field of study.

How youll learnYoull spend a lot of your time in the laboratory doing practical work, and most courses require students to conduct their own research. There will probably be group projects, so youll learn how to work in a team. Chances are youll be taught by those at the cutting edge of research. Assessment will involve a mix of coursework, projects and exams. Some courses offer a year in industry a good way of building your CV.

Entry requirementsUniversities are likely to expect biology at A-level or equivalent, and sometimes chemistry. They may also ask for an additional science or maths (or further maths or pure maths). Course requirements will likely range from CCC to AAA. You may be required to attend an interview and give a short presentation on a topic in your field of study.

What job can you get?Lots of jobs are suited to biology graduates, but if you want to work as a scientist youll need to do further study at postgraduate level. If you want to specialise, your degree should give you the skills to turn your hand to forensic science, immunology and toxicology, to name but a few. You could then find suitable research posts in the public and private sector particularly in industry or in academia. Many biology graduates end up in the health and social care sector, and in education.

The skills you acquire will also qualify you for jobs outside the lab. Work can be found in local and central government, in NGOs, doing conservation work, and in teaching.

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University subject profile: biology - The Guardian

Cell Biology

Childhood leukemia treatment 2022: Where we are now and what it takes – EurekAlert

image:Prof. Christina Peters, MD, points out: "We have published highly topical and clinically relevant manuscripts that are of utmost importance for the treatment of children with high-risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia. One of the most burning questions for me is whether we still need stem cell transplantation in the era of modern immunotherapies." view more

Credit: St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common cancer in children, generally curable with contemporary chemotherapy. However, if the disease is classified as high-risk ALL and a stem cell transplantation becomes inevitable, total body irradiation is still the treatment of choice prior to transplantation. This was the conclusion drawn from the FORUM study, including 35 countries on five continents (Peters et al., Journal of Clinical Oncology 2020).

"As the largest study on this topic to date, we published the results in the top-ranked Journal of Clinical Oncology. Soon after that, Frontiers invited us the international transplant consortium for ALL to publish a collection of reviews and scientific reports on ALL in children," recalls Christina Peters, Affiliated Clinician at St. Anna Children's Cancer Research Institute (St. Anna CCRI) and Senior Physician at St. Anna Children's Hospital. The editorial board of this Research Topic is formed by Christina Peters together with Assoc.-Prof. Adriana Balduzzi, MD (University of Milano Bicocca, Italy) and Prof. Peter Bader, MD (Goethe University Frankfurt am Main, Germany).

Life at the price of long-term side effects?Although total body irradiation and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) from healthy donors can be life-saving, long-term side effects sometimes have a massive impact on the quality of life of children and young adults. These include organ damage, growth retardation, and the development of secondary cancers. Hence, there was a dire need to clearly outline recent and previously published data, as well as to discuss potential new approaches, as did the aforementioned reviews.

"One of the most burning questions for me is whether we still need stem cell transplantation in the era of modern immunotherapies," Christina Peters points out. In the future, CAR-T cell or antibody therapies directly targeting leukemia cells could replace HSCT, which is addressed by three of the reviews mentioned. Jochen Bchner, MD, PhD, and colleagues are discussing the question of whether and when CAR-T cell therapy could be considered to bridge the time until transplantation and under what conditions it could replace transplantation. Another review, authored by Assoc.-Prof. Tony H. Truong, MD, and colleagues, is dedicated to the question which children should receive a stem cell transplantation at all. Of course, transplantation should only be considered for those patients who would not have a realistic chance of survival with 'milder' therapies. But it is exactly these boundaries that are currently shifting.

More than 59,000 views of our workSo far, the review of Bianca A. W. Hoeben, MD, PhD, and colleagues, which deals with new methods of total body irradiation, has had the most views in this online collection. "In total, we have more than 59,000 views of our Research Topic by now. Accordingly, it seems to be on many people's minds whether and how we can improve transplantation methods to reduce side effects," says Christina Peters. For example, different radiotherapy centers have developed new methods of total body irradiation to achieve a lower irradiation dose in certain organs. There are, however, limitations to shield organs at risk without compromising the anti-leukemic and immunosuppressive effects the latter to preserve a rejection of the transplanted cells.

In addition to the aforementioned long-term effects of irradiation and transplantation, acute side effects of transplantation also play a major role. These include infections during the period in which the immune system reconstitutes (Olga Zajac-Spychala et al.), or complications arising from a donor cells attack against the patient's healthy tissue. The prevention and treatment of the so-called Graft-versus-Host Disease are addressed by six of the articles in this Research Topic (Steven J. Keogh et al., Anita Lawitschka et al., Jacob Rozmus et al., Agnieszka Sobkowiak-Sobierajska et al., Matthias Wlfl et al., Natalia Zubarovskaya et al.).

"The publication of this Research Topic is a huge success for St. Anna CCRI. Together with the valuable contributions of a number of clinicians of St. Anna Children's Hospital, we have published highly topical and clinically relevant manuscripts that are of utmost importance for the treatment of children with high-risk ALL," highlights Christina Peters.

- - -

About the FORUM StudyThe FORUM study demonstrated that patients over four years of age with high-risk ALL in need of a stem cell transplantation live longer and have a lower risk of relapse when they receive total body irradiation instead of chemotherapy in preparation for transplantation. After random assignment of 417 pediatric patients with high-risk ALL, a futility stopping rule was applied because it became apparent that patients receiving chemo-conditioning had a lower chance of cure and survival. FORUM is a randomized, international, multicenter phase III trial designed to investigate whether chemotherapy with fludarabine, thiotepa, and busulfan or treosulfan is non-inferior to total body irradiation plus etoposide as preparation prior to transplantation. The study, led by Christina Peters, is the result of a collaboration among international study groups (AIEOP-BFM-ALL-SG, IBFM-SG, INTREALL-SG, and EBMT-PD-WP).

Frontiers Research TopicThe Frontiers in Pediatrics "Research Topic" Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in the Era of Immunotherapy is available for download here: https://www.frontiersin.org/research-topics/19704/allogeneic-hematopoetic-stem-cell-transplantation-for-children-with-acute-lymphoblastic-leukemia-in#overviewThe specific thematic areas envisaged to be addressed in this article collection are the following:

Are HLA-identical siblings still the best available donor for ALL? The challenge of treating older children: what is the best transplant strategy for Adolescents and Young Adults (AYAs)? Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors (TKIs) for Philadelphia Chromosome positive (Ph+) and Ph-like ALL: could we omit Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT)? Bispecific Antibodies before HSCT: less toxicity for better transplant outcome? CAR-T cell therapy: only bridge to transplant? T-cell depletion: Cyclophosphamide after transplantation versus in vitro T-cell depletion Why is Total Body Irradiation so effective in high-risk ALL? Total Body Irradiation forever? New chemotherapeutic options for irradiation-free conditioning Minimal Residual Disease (MRD): Which level of negativity is relevant? Current treatment options for acute Graft-versus-Host-Disease (GVHD) in children Current treatment options for chronic GVHD in children Immunoreconstitution and chimerism: a different story compared to adults? Non-relapse mortality after HSCT: where are we now? High-risk ALL: Transplant indications in 2021 COVID-Infection after allogeneic stem cell transplantation Transplantation for the youngest: better than chemotherapy?

About Christina PetersChristina Peters, MD, is Professor of Pediatrics at the Department of Stem Cell Transplantation of St. Anna Children's Hospital and Affiliated Clinician at St. Anna Childrens Cancer Research Institute in Vienna. She is principal investigator of active studies within the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) and the International Berlin Frankfurt Mnster Study Group (IBFM) for the treatment of pediatric leukemia. Her research interests include allogeneic hematopoietic transplantation in children and adolescents with malignant and non-malignant diseases from related and unrelated donors, infectious and toxic complications after stem cell transplantation, adoptive therapies for hematological malignancies and family oriented rehabilitation for children with life threatening diseases.

Christina Peters chaired the EBMT Pediatric Diseases Working Party between 2008 and 2014. She has authored and co-authored numerous papers in peer-review journals such as The Lancet, The New England Journal of Medicine, or The Journal of Clinical Oncology. Christina Peters acts as a regular reviewer of publications for hematology, pediatric and leukemia journals. She is a member of many professional societies including IBFM, the Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR), the German and Austrian Society of Pediatric Hematology and the Austrian Gene Therapy Commission. Furthermore, Christina Peters is a member of the Advisory Board of the Austrian Ministry of Health, the Bioethical committee of the Austrian Prime Minister and member of the European Network Pediatric Research at the European Medicines Agency EMA (ENPREMA).

About St. Anna Childrens Cancer Research Institute, St. Anna CCRISt. Anna CCRI is an internationally renowned multidisciplinary research institution with the aim to develop and optimize diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic strategies for the treatment of children and adolescents with cancer. To achieve this goal, it combines basic research with translational and clinical research and focus on the specific characteristics of childhood tumor diseases in order to provide young patients with the best possible and most innovative therapies. Dedicated research groups in the fields of tumor genomics and epigenomics, immunology, molecular biology, cell biology, bioinformatics and clinical research are working together to harmonize scientific findings with the clinical needs of physicians to ultimately improve the wellbeing of our patients.www.ccri.at http://www.kinderkrebsforschung.at

About St. Anna Children's HospitalEstablished in 1837 in the former suburb of Schottenfeld, St. Anna was the first children's hospital in Austria and the third independent hospital in Europe dedicated exclusively to the health of children. St. Anna Children's Hospital has evolved into an institution that provides state-of-the-art medical care. Thus, in addition to its performance as a general children's hospital, the Center for Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine has also been able to establish an excellent reputation throughout Austria and internationally over the past 40 years as a center for the treatment of pediatric hematologic disorders and tumor diseases (cancer).www.stanna.at

Frontiers in Pediatrics

People

Allogeneic Hematopoetic Stem Cell Transplantation for Children with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in the Era of Immunotherapy

The authors declare that the editorial of this Research Topic was written in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Originally posted here:
Childhood leukemia treatment 2022: Where we are now and what it takes - EurekAlert

Cell Biology

Photys Therapeutics Debuts with $75 Million Series A Funding to Advance New Class of Bifunctional Molecules for Precision Phosphorylation to Modulate…

News and research before you hear about it on CNBC and others. Claim your 1-week free trial to StreetInsider Premium here.

- Phosphorylation-inducing chimeric small molecules (PHICS) are a new class of bifunctional medicines that direct and repair aberrant and dysfunctional proteins

- PHICS enable precise phosphorylation, an important post-translational modification that controls protein function, including activation, stabilization, trafficking, inactivation, and degradation

- Led by a strong foundational management team of respected industry veterans with deep experience in successful drug discovery and corporate development

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Photys Therapeutics, the pioneer in the development of phosphorylation-inducing chimeric small molecule medicines (PHICS), founded by Longwood Fund and Dr. Amit Choudhary of Brigham and Womens Hospital and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, today announced a $75 million Series A financing led by MPM Capital and joined by Omega Funds, Longwood, 8VC, Arkin Bio, Mass General Brigham Ventures, MRL Ventures Fund, the therapeutics-focused corporate venture fund of Merck & Co., Eli Lilly and Company, and Heritage Medical Systems. Through induced proximity, PHICS enhance the pairing of specific kinases, the enzymes responsible for protein phosphorylation, with disease target proteins, unlocking a new approach to treatment of underserved diseases.

Many current chimeric and bifunctional modalities focus on protein degradation, which limits their range of addressable diseases, said Edward Holson, PhD, co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Photys. Photys expands this functionality, using PHICS to recruit kinases and induce phosphorylation, a key post-translational modification that controls many protein functions, including activation, stabilization, localization, trafficking, degradation, and inactivation.

The foundational biology of kinases is well-understood, and decades of screening has yielded potent kinase binders, said Brian Fenton, Chief Executive Officer. Our approach builds on this foundation and leverages the diversity of kinase function towards treating cancer and other critical immune, metabolic, and rare diseases.

Dr. Choudharys transformational research has provided Photys with a roadmap to expand the native function of kinases to treat disease, said David Steinberg, Chairman and Founding CEO of Photys, and General Partner at Longwood Fund. We look forward to building on his unique insights to establish a broad pipeline of therapeutics that can potentially enhance and extend the lives of patients.

Dr. Lizzie Ngo, Longwood Fund Principal, acted as a co-founder alongside Dr. Choudhary, Mr. Steinberg, and Dr. Holson. Dr. Ngo and Mr. Steinberg also joined the Board of Directors along Luke Evnin, PhD, co-founder and Managing Director of MPM Capital; Alon Lazarus, PhD, Investment Manager, Arkin Bio; Briggs Morrison, MD, President, Head of R&D, and board member at Syndax Pharmaceuticals and Executive Partner at MPM Capital; and Otello Stampacchia, PhD, founder of Omega Funds.

Dr. Holson is a co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) of Photys. Dr. Holson has worked in drug discovery for over 20 years as a scientist, founding director, CSO and scientific advisor across multiple organizations, including Amathus Therapeutics, Atlas Venture, KDAc Therapeutics, the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, and Merck & Co.

Brian Fenton was named President and CEO of Photys in September of this year and brings over three decades of biopharma leadership experience. He previously served as Chief Business Officer at Translate Bio and spent several years working in the Rare Disease Business Development Group at Shire Pharmaceuticals. He has successfully identified, led, and executed multiple strategic transactions during his career in corporate development. Mr. Fenton earned his BA in Biochemistry from University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MS in Chemical Engineering from University of Virginia, and MBA at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. The Photys Scientific Advisory Board consists of scientific founder Dr. Amit Choudhary; Eric Fischer, PhD, Independent Investigator at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Tony Hunter, PhD, Professor and Renato Dulbecco Chair in Cancer Research at the Salk Institute; Angela Koehler, PhD, Associate Professor of Biological Engineering, Koch Institute, Institute Fellow at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and Co-Director of the Swanson Biotechnology Center High-Throughput Screening Facility; Dan Nomura, PhD, Professor of Chemical Biology in the Departments of Chemistry, Molecular and Cell Biology, and Nutritional Sciences and Toxicology at the University of California, Berkeley and Adjunct Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at UCSF; and Wendy Young, PhD, Executive Partner at MPM Capital.

About Photys Therapeutics

Photys Therapeutics, founded by Longwood Fund and Dr. Amit Choudhary of Brigham and Womens Hospital and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, is advancing Phosphorylation Inducing Chimeric Small Molecules (PHICS), a proprietary new class of bifunctional medicines that direct and repair protein phosphorylation to treat a range of diseases including cancer, immune, metabolic, and rare diseases.

Post-translational modifications, particularly phosphorylation, are ubiquitous throughout the human proteome and play a central role in cellular function. Through induced proximity, PHICS enhance the pairing of specific kinases, the enzymes responsible for protein phosphorylation, with disease target proteins. PHICS can induce precise phosphorylation at native and/or non-native sites, modulating key functions including activation, stabilization, trafficking, localization, phospho-antigen presentation, inactivation, degradation and interactions of proteins. Harnessing well-established biology and chemistry in kinases and bifunctionals in new ways, the PHICS approach unlocks diverse classes of targets.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220908005074/en/

Media:Mariesa Kemble[emailprotected]

Source: Photys Therapeutics

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Photys Therapeutics Debuts with $75 Million Series A Funding to Advance New Class of Bifunctional Molecules for Precision Phosphorylation to Modulate...

Cell Biology

New in-silico-designed protein ‘probes’ could pave the way to early diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases – EurekAlert

image:Zoom-in on single cultured mammalian cells in which TDP-43 has been induced to aggregate. In this system, the cells produce TDP-43 fused to a green fluoresce molecule, to be able to detect whether the protein forms insoluble granules (green fluorescent dots). The RNA probe is labelled with a red fluorescent tag. The yellow colour, given by the overlap between the green of TDP-43 and the red of the RNA probe, signifies that the probe can search and find its protein target in live cells, suggesting that it could be use as a detection tool to track the progress of TDP-43 aggregation in disease.Blue: nuclei; green: TDP-43; red: RNA probe; yellow: TDP-43+RNA probe. view more

Credit: IIT-Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia

Genoa (Italy) - 8 September 2022 - A team of researchers from the IIT-Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (Italian Institute of Technology) has designed in silico molecular probes able to track the progress of a protein that misbehaves in different neurodegenerative diseases, such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Fronto-Temporal Dementia (FTD). The probes can be used to study the behavior of the target protein in cell and were tested in collaboration with Sapienza University of Rome, Centre for Genomic Regulation n Barcellona, University of Edinburgh and Kings College London. The research study has been published in Nature Communications.

Created by the RNA Systems Biology group at IIT in Genoa, the probes consist of computer-designed RNA molecules that bind to a neurodegeneration-associated protein named TDP-43. This protein is present in numerous cases of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Fronto-Temporal Dementia (FTD), where it aggregate creating insoluble protein blobs in neural cells, altering their metabolism and function.

The research team was inspired by the protein's natural interactions with RNA molecules to design molecular probes, which are called aptamers, literally molecules made to fit one single target. Their main goal was to obtain a novel approach for tracking the aggregation of neurodegeneration-associated proteins at the very first steps of the process.

"Using our own algorithms, we designed RNA aptamers specific for TDP-43 and used themtogether with advanced microscopy techniques to follow the protein transition towards its aggregated forms explains Gian Gaetano Tartaglia, principal investigator of the RNA System Biology Lab. We can identify TDP-43 aggregates as small as 10 nanometers which, to our knowledge, is the best resolution achieved so far when visualising protein aggregates".

These aptamers could be used to study, at the molecular level, the phenomenon of abnormal protein aggregation typical of several neurodegenerative diseases and would, therefore, pave the way for the development of early diagnosis tools for these disorders.

"We showed that the RNA aptamers can also be used to track TDP-43 in live cells and in real time, detecting all forms of the protein, from the physiological soluble one to the insoluble state, passing by aggregates of intermediate sizes undetectable by standard approaches," adds Elsa Zacco, lead researcher on the project.

The study was carried out by IIT researchers Elsa Zacco, Alexandros Armaos and Gian Gaetano Tartaglia (also at Sapienza University of Rome), with the participation of the groups led by Mathew Horrocks at University of Edinburgh and Annalisa Pastore at Kings College London.

Nature Communications

Experimental study

Cells

Probing TDP-43 condensation using an in silico designed aptamer

23-Jun-2022

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New in-silico-designed protein 'probes' could pave the way to early diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases - EurekAlert

Cell Biology

Alpha Tau Announces the Acceptance in Major Peer-Reviewed Journals (International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics, and Frontiers in…

Study on combination with anti-PD1 therapy published by International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics, known in the field as the Red Journal, the official journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO)

Study on combinations with chemotherapy and anti-angiogenic therapy in human glioblastoma multiforme xenografts accepted for publication by Frontiers in Oncology, in its Radiation Oncology section

JERUSALEM, Sept. 08, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alpha Tau Medical Ltd. ("Alpha Tau") (Nasdaq: DRTS and DRTSW), the developer of the innovative alpha-radiation cancer therapy Alpha DaRT, announced today the acceptance of two landmark pre-clinical studies in major peer-reviewed journals, both demonstrating the significant potential synergies between Alpha DaRT therapy and standard-of-care solid tumor therapies used today.

We are very excited to have these fantastic results recognized by two leading journals in our field, said Alpha Tau CEO Uzi Sofer. The potential synergy between Alpha DaRT and immunotherapies continues to be a strong area of focus for Alpha Tau, both in our ongoing pre-clinical work as well as in our endeavors to run multiple human clinical trials examining such combinations, including the trial currently underway combining Alpha DaRT with pembrolizumab in recurrent unresectable or metastatic head & neck squamous cell carcinoma patients. Similarly, the promising results for GBM patients are a key priority for Alpha Tau, as we continue to focus on advancing our solution for this deadly disease as quickly as possible. Armed with our Breakthrough Device Designation from the FDA in recurrent GBM, we have been progressing swiftly in large animal studies using our specially designed radial applicator for use in the brain, with the intent to begin a human clinical study in the near future.

Ronen Segal, CTO at Alpha Tau, added, These two significant studies continue to build on the ever-growing body of evidence that the Alpha DaRT may offer not only a compelling local radiation therapy solution, but also provide a broader systemic benefit through interaction with the immune system, and our incorporation of more advanced immunological analyses has improved our understanding of these amazing mechanisms. We also are impressed by the synergies we see with other mechanisms such as anti-angiogenesis and continue to explore those in parallel as well.

The first study, published in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics (known as the Red Journal) examines the transcriptional profile activated by Alpha DaRT, and its potential to enhance responsiveness to immune checkpoint inhibition of the programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) blockade. These results demonstrate potential synergies with immune stimulation in mice and support the further exploration of the Alpha DaRT as a compelling local radiation therapy with the potential to induce antitumor immunity.

In this pre-clinical study, Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) tumor-bearing mice were treated with Alpha DaRT in combination with an anti-PD1 therapy (aPD-1). This group was compared to groups of mice treated with either Alpha DaRT or aPD-1 as a monotherapy, as well as to a control group. The efficacy of the treatment was evaluated over time, and the immune level of activation was analyzed through immunophenotyping and immunohistochemical staining sixteen days after Alpha DaRT source insertion.

The group treated with Alpha DaRT in combination with aPD-1 demonstrated delayed tumor development, higher T-effector cell infiltration with enhanced cytotoxic potential, and reduced systemic Myeloid-Derived Suppressor Cells (MDSCs) than either monotherapy alone. Gene expression and gene set enrichment analysis of mRNA levels seven days after Alpha DaRT insertion indicated that Alpha DaRT upregulated indicators of cell death, interferon signaling and myeloid related transcription, while downregulating indicators of DNA repair and cell proliferation. Moreover, immunophenotyping analysis at this timepoint showed that Alpha DaRT induced dendritic cell activation and affected the distribution of MDSC populations. Altogether, those findings demonstrated that the Alpha DaRT may offer tumor cell destruction via additional pathways beyond the immediate local impact of generating double-strand DNA breaks in tumor cells.

This studys authors conclude that Alpha DaRT can promote a hot tumor microenvironment and changes in immune suppression that lead to a potentiation of aPD-1 blockade-induced effector T-cell function and improved treatment efficacy. The authors observe that this study provides a rationale for investigating the combination of Alpha DaRT and aPD-1 clinically in SCC patients.

The full publication can be seen here: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360301622031881

The second study, accepted for publication by Frontiers in Oncology in its Radiation Oncology section, examines the use of Alpha DaRT in treating human glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) xenografts, together with Temozolomide (TMZ), a standard-of-care chemotherapy, or Bevacizumab, a standard-of-care antiangiogenic therapy, both commonly used in treating GBM.

The results demonstrated that the combination of alpha radiation with TMZ doubled the cytotoxic effect of each of the treatments alone, and the surviving fraction of cancer cells treated by TMZ in combination with alpha irradiation was lower than alpha- or x-ray irradiation as monotherapies, or than by x-ray combined with TMZ. In addition, the treatment of GBM-bearing mice with Alpha DaRT and TMZ delayed tumor development more efficiently than the monotherapies. The studies further confirmed that, unlike other radiation types, alpha radiation did not increase the secretion of VEGF, a potent angiogenic factor that promotes tumor growth.

With respect to the combination of Alpha DaRT with anti-angiogenic therapy, Bevacizumab treatment introduced several days after Alpha DaRT implantation improved tumor control, compared to Bevacizumab or Alpha DaRT as monotherapies. The combination was also shown to be superior when starting Bevacizumab administration prior to Alpha DaRT implantation in large tumors relative to the size of the Alpha DaRT source. Bevacizumab induced a decrease in the endothelial cell marker CD31 staining in conjunction with the Alpha DaRT treatment, and increased the diffusive spread of Radium-224 daughter atoms in the tumor tissue, while decreasing their clearance from the tumor through the blood.

A summary abstract of the publication can be seen here:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fonc.2022.888100/abstract

About Alpha DaRT

Alpha DaRT (Diffusing Alpha-emitters Radiation Therapy) is designed to enable highly potent and conformal alpha-irradiation of solid tumors by intratumoral delivery of radium-224 impregnated sources. When the radium decays, its short-lived daughters are released from the sources and disperse while emitting high-energy alpha particles with the goal of destroying the tumor. Since the alpha-emitting atoms diffuse only a short distance, Alpha DaRT aims to mainly affect the tumor, and to spare the healthy tissue around it.

About Alpha Tau Medical Ltd.

Founded in 2016, Alpha Tau is an Israeli medical device company that focuses on research, development, and potential commercialization of the Alpha DaRT for the treatment of solid tumors. The technology was initially developed by Prof. Itzhak Kelson and Prof. Yona Keisari from Tel Aviv University.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. When used herein, words including "anticipate," "being," "will," "plan," "may," "continue," and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. In addition, any statements or information that refer to expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, performance or other characterizations of future events or circumstances, including any underlying assumptions, are forward-looking. All forward-looking statements are based upon Alpha Tau's current expectations and various assumptions. Alpha Tau believes there is a reasonable basis for its expectations and beliefs, but they are inherently uncertain. Alpha Tau may not realize its expectations, and its beliefs may not prove correct. Actual results could differ materially from those described or implied by such forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including, without limitation: (i) Alpha Tau's ability to receive regulatory approval for its Alpha DaRT technology or any future products or product candidates; (ii) Alpha Tau's limited operating history; (iii) Alpha Tau's incurrence of significant losses to date; (iv) Alpha Tau's need for additional funding and ability to raise capital when needed; (v) Alpha Tau's limited experience in medical device discovery and development; (vi) Alpha Tau's dependence on the success and commercialization of the Alpha DaRT technology; (vii) the failure of preliminary data from Alpha Tau's clinical studies to predict final study results; (viii) failure of Alpha Tau's early clinical studies or preclinical studies to predict future clinical studies; (ix) Alpha Tau's ability to enroll patients in its clinical trials; (x) undesirable side effects caused by Alpha Tau's Alpha DaRT technology or any future products or product candidates; (xi) Alpha Tau's exposure to patent infringement lawsuits; (xii) Alpha Tau's ability to comply with the extensive regulations applicable to it; (xiii) the ability to meet Nasdaq's listing standards; (xiv) costs related to being a public company; (xv) changes in applicable laws or regulations; (xix) impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic; and the other important factors discussed under the caption "Risk Factors" in Alpha Tau's annual report filed on form 20-F with the SEC on March 28, 2022, and other filings that Alpha Tau may make with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. These and other important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated by the forward-looking statements made in this press release. Any such forward-looking statements represent management's estimates as of the date of this press release. While Alpha Tau may elect to update such forward-looking statements at some point in the future, except as required by law, it disclaims any obligation to do so, even if subsequent events cause its views to change. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Alpha Tau's views as of any date subsequent to the date of this press release.

Investor Relations Contact

IR@alphatau.com

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Alpha Tau Announces the Acceptance in Major Peer-Reviewed Journals (International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, Physics, and Frontiers in...