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Genetics

ACMG and ABMGG Collaborate to Provide Trainees and Genetic Counseling Students Complimentary Access to Online Medical Genetics Education Courses…

BETHESDA, Md., April 10, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) and the American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ABMGG) recognize that medical genetics and genomics trainees and genetic counseling students are experiencing unprecedented challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many are unable to engage in planned educational activities necessary to meet training program requirements.

Founded in 1991, the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) is the only nationally recognized medical society dedicated to improving health through the clinical practice of medical genetics and genomics. (PRNewsfoto/American College of Medical G...)

In an effort to help lighten this burden and to provide top-quality online educational opportunities to those who may be either quarantined or must work from home,the ACMG and the ABMGG are collaborating to provide complimentary access to educational programming for clinical genetics residents, laboratory genetics fellows and genetic counseling students.

ACMG President Anthony R. Gregg, MD, MBA, FACOG, FACMG said, "As the COVID-19 pandemic challenges each of us to adapt, ACMG looks forward to providing high-quality educational materials at no charge to trainees and genetic counseling students. At ACMG we value education. It is a core member service. If you are a trainee whose education is threatened by COVID-19, we will help you beat that threat. This makes perfect sense - if you are a trainee or student - you are us!"

"Optimal patient care begins with optimal education of trainees in medical genetics and genomics in training programs across the country," said Max Muenke, MD, FACMG, chief executive officer of the ACMG. "We at the College have a passion for education. At a time of COVID-19 where most trainees are working from home, we are happy to offerfree of chargea number of online courses and lectures to genetic counseling graduate students, residents in clinical genetics and genomics, and fellows in all laboratory specialties of genetics and genomics."

Medical genetics and genomics residents and lab fellows, as well as genetic counseling students, will be able to access an extensive, curated collection of educational content online at the ACMG Genetics Academy at http://www.acmgeducation.netIndividuals must attest that they are current trainees in an ACGC-, ACGME- or ABMGG-accredited training program.

Miriam Blitzer, PhD, FACMG, CEO of the ABMGG, commented, "The ABMGG recognizes that current circumstances surrounding COVID-19 are impacting trainees and have disrupted required training. We are excited that ACMG is offering access to excellent educational activities to allow for continued learning during this time."

ACMG's "Curated Collection of Educational Resources for Genetics and Genomics Residents, Trainees and Genetic Counseling Students" will include:

Individuals who complete coursework through the ACMG Genetics Academy will obtain a certificate of completion. ACMG and ABMGG both commit to providing these free educational resources until September 1, 2020.

Staying current on advances in medical genetics and genomics is more important than ever. ACMG and ABMGG wish the next generation of the medical genetics healthcare team strength, resilience and good health as we work together to fight the pandemic and to care for patients and families. We appreciate your commitment to caring for patients whether you are in the lab, the clinic, providing telegenetics services, or serving your patients and communities in other ways. Our primary concern, now and always, is for the health, safety and well-being of healthcare providers, patients, students and the communities we serve.

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About the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) and ACMG Foundation

Founded in 1991, the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) is the only nationally recognized medical society dedicated to improving health through the clinical practice of medical genetics and genomics and the only medical specialty society in the US that represents the full spectrum of medical genetics disciplines in a single organization. The ACMG is the largest membership organization specifically for medical geneticists, providing education, resources and a voice for more than 2,400 clinical and laboratory geneticists, genetic counselors and other healthcare professionals, nearly 80% of whom are board certified in the medical genetics specialties. ACMG's mission is to improve health through the clinical andlaboratory practice of medical genetics as well as through advocacy, education and clinical research, and to guide the safe and effective integration of genetics and genomics into all of medicine and healthcare, resulting in improved personal and public health. Four overarching strategies guide ACMG's work: 1) to reinforce and expand ACMG's position as the leader and prominent authority in the field of medical genetics and genomics, including clinical research, while educating the medical community on the significant role that genetics and genomics will continue to play in understanding, preventing, treating and curing disease; 2) to secure and expand the professional workforce for medical genetics and genomics; 3) to advocate for the specialty; and 4) to provide best-in-class education to members and nonmembers. Genetics in Medicine, published monthly, is the official ACMG journal. ACMG's website (www.acmg.net) offers resources including policy statements, practice guidelines, educational programs and a 'Find a Genetic Service' tool. The educational and public health programs of the ACMG are dependent upon charitable gifts from corporations, foundations and individuals through the ACMG Foundation for Genetic and Genomic Medicine.

About the American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics

The American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ABMGG) is an independent nonprofit organization whose mission is to serve the public and medical profession by establishing professional certification standards and promoting lifelong learning, as well as excellence in medical genetics and genomics. Established in 1980, the ABMGG is one of the 24 certifying boards of the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS). For more information, visit http://www.abmgg.org.

Kathy Moran, MBAkmoran@acmg.net

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SOURCE American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics

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ACMG and ABMGG Collaborate to Provide Trainees and Genetic Counseling Students Complimentary Access to Online Medical Genetics Education Courses...

Genetics

Resurrected greenhouse to honor father of modern genetics – Inhabitat

International architecture and urban design practiceCHYBIK + KRISTOF has unveiled designs for an energy-efficient greenhouse to commemorate Gregor Mendel, a scientist and Augustinian friar regarded as the founder of the modern science of genetics. Set on the foundations of the 19th-century Brno greenhouse where Mendel conducted his pioneering experiments, the new greenhouse will pay homage to the original architecture and Mendels teachings. The greenhouse is slated for completion in 2022 to commemorate Mendels birth 200 years ago.

Born in 1822, Gregor Mendel spent eight seasons, from 1856 to 1863, cultivating and breeding pea plants in a 19th-centurygreenhousethat had been built in the St. Thomas Augustinian Abbeys gardens to cement the monastery as a leading center for scientific research. In 1870, however, a storm destroyed the building, leaving only its foundations intact today. The experiments that Mendel had conducted within the greenhouse are now widely recognized as the foundation of modern genetics.

CHYBIK + KRISTOFs resurrection of the historic greenhouse begins with the preservation of the foundations that will be integrated into the new structure and left visible. The foundations will inform the orientation and shape of the greenhouse, which will be reminiscent of the original building. While the trapezoidal volume is identical to the original edifice, the reimagined supporting steel structure seeks inspiration from Mendels three laws of inheritance and the drawings of his resulting heredity system, explained the architects. Likewise, the pitched roof, consisting of a vast outer glass surface, reflects his law of segregation and the distribution of inherited traits, and is complemented by a set of modular shades.

Related: Kuehn Malvezzi tops a brick office building in Germany with an energy-efficient greenhouse

In addition to celebrating Mendels work, the revived structure will primarily be used as a flexible events space that can adapt to a variety of functions, from conferences and lectures to temporary exhibitions. The flexible design will also be entirely exposed to the outdoors. For energy efficiency, the architects have integrated a concealed system of underground heat pumpsinto the greenhouse, as well as adjustable shades and embedded blinds to facilitate natural cooling and ventilation.

+ CHYBIK + KRISTOF

Images by monolot and CHYBIK + KRISTOF

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Resurrected greenhouse to honor father of modern genetics - Inhabitat

Cell Biology

TGen, Amgen, CeMM, And More: Bio-IT Community Rallies Against COVID-19 – Bio-IT World

April 10, 2020 Coronavirus research, tools and offerings are advancing at a breakneck pace. The SARS-CoV-2 virus is serving as a rallying cry across the bio-IT landscape inspiring creative new solutions, partnerships, and ideas to address the outbreak, treat and prevent the disease it causes, and address the life adjustments of our new normal. Here are some of the free tools, new solutions, and research this week.

Industry News

TheTranslational Genomics Research Institute(TGen),an affiliate of City of Hope,The Pathogen and Microbiome Institute at Northern Arizona Universityand the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department at theUniversity of Arizonahave formedthe Arizona COVID-19 Genomics Union totrack the COVID-19 coronavirusby harnessing the power of state-of-the-art technology and "big data" analysis. Scientists will sequence samples from COVID-19 patients to analyze the virus' genetic codes, track its different strains, show where each sample originates from, where it may have been transmitted andpossiblyuncovercritical information for diagnostics, anti-viral drug targets and vaccine development.Press release.

AmgenandAdaptive Biotechnologiesarecombiningexpertise to discover and develop fully human neutralizing antibodies targeting SARS-CoV-2 to potentially prevent or treat COVID-19. The mutually exclusive collaboration brings togetherAdaptive'sproprietary immune medicine platform for the identification of virus-neutralizing antibodies with Amgen's expertise in immunology and novel antibody therapy development.Neutralizing antibodies defend healthy cells by interfering with the biological function of an invading virus. These antibodies may be used therapeutically to treat someone currently fighting the disease and can be given to people who have heightened risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2, such as healthcare workers.Press release.

Researchers from theCenterForMolecular MedicineOfTheAustrian AcademyOfSciences (CeMM) have released SARS-CoV-2 genomesfrom Austrian patients. Initial sequence analysis of the 29,900 nucleotide-long SARS-CoV-2 genomes from Austria revealed on average 6 mutations different to the reference genome isolated in Wuhan. The observed number of mutations is in line with other recently reported SARS-CoV-2 genomes. Most of the observed mutations lead to changes in viral proteins, providing evidence for positive selection pressure and evolution within the human population. Assessing the actual impact of these mutations for the virus life cycle and its interactions with both the host and the immune system will be within the scope of future investigations.Press release.

IRB Barcelona's Structural Bioinformatics and Network Biology Laboratoryhas joined forces with Amazon to develop the Chemical Checker, a computational tool that would help process academic literature on COVID-19. Using artificial intelligence, this tool will "read" articles and extract all relevant information related to the molecules and treatments studied. Through a limited review of the most relevant scientific literature, researchers at IRB Barcelona have so far identified more than 150 compounds that are potentially active against COVID-19. Results are already available athttps://sbnb.irbbarcelona.org/covid19/. The experience Amazon has with text-mining, machine learning and natural language understanding has allowed the automatic analysis of scientific articles to be incorporated into the Chemical Checker at a fast pace.Chemical Checker and results.

Flinders Universityresearchers working withOracle Cloudtechnology and vaccine technology developed by local companyVaxine,are testing avaccine candidate against the SARS-CoV-2coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic.Oracle wastapped for technical collaboration, access to an expanded research community, and cloud infrastructure that helped enable the rapid design of the novel COVID-19 vaccine candidate.The Australian teamused computer models of the spike protein and its human receptor, ACE2, to identify how the virus was infecting human cells, and then were able to design a vaccine to block this process.Press release.

Through the end of 2020,Sandia National Laboratoriesisofferingany U.S. personnonexclusive, fast-tracklicensesfree of chargetomore than 1,000 patentedtechnologies. Thegoal of theRapid Technology Deployment Programisto enablelicensees to invest their full resources into combating theCOVID-19pandemic and its economic effects.

Japanis putting itsflagshipsupercomputerFugakuto work in combatting the pandemicby giving priority toCOVID-relatedresearch selected by the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. Installation of the new supercomputer began in December and isnt scheduled to go into full-fledged open useuntil2021, but someof the nodesare going intotrial useas of April1.Press release.

Latest from the Literature

A collaborativein vitrostudy led byMonash University's Biomedicine Discovery Institute(BDI)in Melbourne, Australia, with thePeter Doherty Institute of Infection and Immunity(Doherty Institute), has shown that ananti-parasitic drugalready available around the world kills the virus within 48 hours.The drug, Ivermectin, stopped the SARS-CoV-2 virus growing in cell culture within 48 hours.Ivermectin is an FDA-approved anti-parasitic drug that has also been shown to be effective in vitro against a broad range of viruses including HIV, Dengue, Influenza and Zika virus.The study was published online inAntiviral Research.DOI:10.1016/j.antiviral.2020.104787

A multidisciplinary team of scientists atThe University of Texas Medical Branch(UTMB)at Galveston have developedareverse genetic systemthatallows researchers tomake SARS-CoV-2 in the lab and manipulate it in a petri dishspeeding thedevelopmentandevaluation ofvaccines, diagnose infected patients and exploreevolution ofthe virus.The system has been used tolabel the virussoinfectedcellsturn green,creatingahigh-throughputtestsignificantly reducing the time it takes to evaluate and bring candidate vaccines to market.UTMBis making thetechnology available to academia and industry researchers working to quickly developCOVID-19countermeasures. On-campus scientistswill nowdeploy the technology forblood-based diagnostictesting.Thestudy willbe publishedinCell Host & Microbe. DOI:10.1016/j.chom.2020.04.004

Thereceptor for SARS-CoV-2 is abundantly expressed in certain progenitor cellsthatnormally develop into respiratory tract cells, according to scientistsattheBerlin Institute of Health,Charit-UniversittsmedizinBerlinand the Thorax Clinic at Heidelberg University Hospital. The discovery, whichwillbe published inThe EMBO Journal (DOI:10.15252/embj.20105114),emerged from anexamination ofsamples from non-virus-infected patientsusing used single-cell sequencing technology.An additional, preliminary finding was that receptor density on the cells increased with age andwasgenerally higher in men than in women.Dellwas responsible for the reduced processing time needed to sequence 60,000 single cells.

AUniversity of Ottawabiology professor believesstray dogsspecifically dog intestinesmaybe theorigin of the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic.Hisstudy involved examining full-lengthbetacoronavirusgenomes that have been deposited into GenBank, a National Institutes of Health genetic sequence database.Evidence willbepublishedinMolecular Biology and Evolution(http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaa094). While study findings are of vital interest in the current world health crisis, theymore broadly suggest that viralevolution can be revealed bylooking at theinteraction of host defenses with viral genomes.

Researchersin the UK and GermanyreportinPNASa phylogenic network of 160SARS-CoV-2genomes, revealing three major typesof variantsone found predominantly within East Asia and the other two in Europeans and Americans.The networkreconstructsdocumented routes of infectionand might be used to trace unknown infection sourcesthatcan then be quarantined toprevent recurrent spreadof the disease worldwide.DOI:10.1073/pnas.2004999117

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TGen, Amgen, CeMM, And More: Bio-IT Community Rallies Against COVID-19 - Bio-IT World

Cell Biology

Column: Biology basics: What is a virus, bacteria, fungus? And how can we kill them? – The Morning Sun

With the coronavirus on everyones mind, lets go back to some basics. Like what is a virus and how do we get rid of it? Modern medicine seems to cure most anything, so why is it so hard to destroy the coronavirus?

There are three major pathogens (biological structures that can make humans ill). They are bacteria (bacterium), fungi (fungus) and viruses (virus). Each one is unique in its structure and complexity. Therefore, the way to destroy each of them is also unique.

We are exposed to thousands, if not millions, of unique pathogens. Our immune system must learn how to destroy each and every one. When we are born, we have almost no immune system; we are incredibly vulnerable to infection and sickness. We must build up our immune system with antibodies. Antibodies are how the immune system can identify, tag, and destroy the pathogens making a person sick. The only way an immune system can build up antibodies is to be exposed to a pathogen and learn how to identify, tag, and destroy the pathogen. The only shortcut to this is when a mother can pass some antibodies to a nursing infant through her breast milk. (This is only one of the many reasons why a newborn should be breast fed.)

However, once our immune systems have the antibodies needed to identify, tag, and destroy a specific pathogen, it will remember that pathogen. So, the next time you are exposed to it, your immune system will produce the antibodies to destroy the pathogen much quicker, ideally even before you feel sick.

Sometimes our immune systems cannot do it on its own, that is where medicine is required. Remember, there are bacteria, fungal and viral pathogens.

First, fungi tend to be external organisms that live on surfaces. Mold, mushrooms, and mildew are some classic examples and good to use as a reference. They grow in dark, moist places on decaying matter. The hypha or roots burrow into the organic matter to extract the nutrients it needs for life. Athletes foot, jock itch and yeast infections are all common pathogens many of us have suffered. Although, internally fungi are lethal, they are rare. Most external fungi can be destroyed with an anti-fungal cream or pill. Fungi tend to be on the low side of complexity and relatively easy to kill.

Bacterial pathogens are individual living organisms. They are the germs that we think of swimming around under a microscope. There are millions of varieties of them. They live on their own, on surfaces within the air, in foods and water. Many ear, throat, and sinus infections are bacterial. Fortunately, our immune system is pretty good at identifying these foreign organisms living within our bodies and can destroy them on its own. And if it cannot, a doctor can prescribe an antibiotic (penicillin) to finish the job.

On the other hand, viruses are non-living, they are DNA pirates. They cannot live or reproduce on their own. Think of a virus as a blob of grease or oil with a single strand of DNA within it. No nucleus, no organelles, just a microscopic ball of fat with a code to cause some biological mutiny.

Viruses require a host cell for reproduction. The virus does this by taking over a host cell and forcing the cell to reproduce the virus and its fatty shell, much like a pirate hijacking a ship for its own purposes. Unfortunately, the cell will no longer be able to perform the life-sustaining job it was intended to be doing; hence you feel sick. The host cell will continue to perform the pirates task, reproduce the virus, until it destroys itself. Then, liberating more DNA pirates to repeat the process.

The fact that the virus lives inside the cell makes it hard for the immune system to identify the pathogen, let alone destroy it. The only way to destroy the virus is to destroy the cell itself. The pirate will never leave the ship, the ship must be destroyed to kill the pirate.

This is what our immune systems does anti-bodies identify, tag, and destroy the living cells that have the virus within them. This explains our symptoms which can range from minor aches and pains to lethal tissue and organ damage. Your immune system is literally destroying your own cells.

Fortunately, we have billions of cells and our immune system can be very targeted once the anti-bodies have figure out which cells have been pirated by the virus. White blood cells can then effectively destroy only the pirated cells and recovering will begin.

A major problem with the coronavirus in humans is our immune systems have a hard time identifying which cells have been pirated by the virus and which cells are still healthy. Human immune systems seem to be over-reacting and destroying all the surrounding cells. Since the virus is often found in the lungs, heart, and kidneys these are the organs that seem to be suffering the most.

So how do we destroy the coronavirus? They only thing that can destroy a virus is our own immune system. The medical field has had little success in developing anti-viral medications. We can only support our immune system to learn quicker, to produce the antibodies needed and then the immune system can become much more targeted.

Vaccines do this by providing a weakend version for the immune system to learn from. Anti-body therapy takes the anti-bodies from one immune system that has already learned how to identify the virus and directly gives it to an un-learned immune system.

Unfortunately, we do not have any solutions yet! So, the best way to be healthy is to not get sick in the first place. Stay away from the pirates! You all know what to do, washing your hand, social distance, etc. Be safe.

Andrew J. Frisch is a teacher at Farwell High School.

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Column: Biology basics: What is a virus, bacteria, fungus? And how can we kill them? - The Morning Sun

Cell Biology

HKU Biomedical Engineering develops novel 3D imaging technology to make fluorescence microscopy more efficient and push the boundaries of living cells…

Scientists have been using fluorescence microscopy to study the inner workings of biological cells and organisms for decades. However, many of these platforms are often too slow to follow the biological action in 3D; and too damaging to the living biological specimens with strong light illumination.

To address these challenges, a research team led by Dr Kevin Tsia, Associate Professor of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Programme Director of Bachelor of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering of the University of Hong Kong (HKU), developed a new optical imaging technology Coded Light-sheet Array Microscopy (CLAM) which can perform 3D imaging at high speed, and is power efficient and gentle to preserve the living specimens during scanning at a level that is not achieved by existing technologies.

This advanced imaging technology was recently published in Light: Science & Applications. An US patent application has been filed for the innovation.

CLAM allows 3D fluorescence imaging at high frame rate comparable to state-of-the-art technology (~10s volumes per second). More importantly, it is much more power efficient, being over 1,000 times gentler than the standard 3D microscopes widely used in scientific laboratories, which greatly reduces the damage done to living specimens during scanning, explained Dr Tsia.

Existing 3D biological microscopy platforms are slow because the entire volume of the specimen has to be sequentially scanned and imaged point-by-point, line-by-line or plane-by-plane. In these platforms, a single 3D snapshot requires repeated illumination on the specimen. The specimens are often illuminated for thousands to million times more intense than the sunlight. It is likely to damage the specimen itself, thus is not favorable for long-term biological imaging for diverse applications like anatomical science, developmental biology and neuroscience.

Moreover, these platforms often quickly exhaust the limited fluorescence budget a fundamental constraint that fluorescent light can only be generated upon illumination for a limited period before it permanently fades out in a process called photo-bleaching, which sets a limit to how many image acquisitions can be performed on a sample.

Repeated illumination on the specimen not only accelerates photo-bleaching, but also generates excessive fluorescence light that does not eventually form the final image. Hence, the fluorescence budget is largely wasted in these imaging platforms, Dr Tsia added.

The heart of CLAM is transforming a single laser beam into a high-density array of light-sheets with the use of a pair of parallel mirrors, to spread over a large area of the specimen as fluorescence excitation.

The image within the entire 3D volume is captured simultaneously (i.e. parallelized), without the need to scan the specimen point-by-point or line-by-line or plane-by-plane as required by other techniques. Such 3D parallelization in CLAM leads to a very gentle and efficient 3D fluorescence imaging without sacrificing sensitivity and speed, as pointed out by Dr Yuxuan Ren, a postdoctoral researcher of the work. CLAM also outperforms the common 3D fluorescence imaging methods in reducing the effect of photo-bleaching.

To preserve the image resolution and quality in CLAM, the team turned to Code Division Multiplexing (CDM), an image encoding technique which is widely used in telecommunication for sending multiple signals simultaneously.

This encoding technique allows us to use a 2D image sensor to capture and digitally reconstruct all image stacks in 3D simultaneously. CDM has never been used in 3D imaging before. We adopted the technology, which became a success, explained by Dr Queenie Lai, another postdoctoral researcher who developed the system.

As a proof-of-concept demonstration, the team applied CLAM to capture 3D videos of fast microparticle flow in a microfluidic chip at a volume rate of over 10 volumes per second comparable to state-of-the-art technology.

CLAM has no fundamental limitation in imaging speed. The only constraint is from the speed of the detector employed in the system, i.e. the camera for taking snapshots. As high-speed camera technology continually advances, CLAM can always challenge its limit to attain an even higher speed in scanning, highlighted by Dr Jianglai Wu, the postdoctoral research who initiated the work.

The team has taken a step further to combine CLAM with HKU LKS Faculty of Medicines newly developed tissue clearing technology to perform 3D visualization of mouse glomeruli and intestine blood vasculature in high frame-rate.

We anticipate that this combined technique can be extended to large-scale 3D histopathological investigation of archival biological samples, like mapping the cellular organization in brain for neuroscience research. Dr Tsia said.

Since CLAM imaging is significantly gentler than all other methods, it uniquely favours long term and continuous surveillance of biological specimen in their living form. This could potentially impact our fundamental understanding in many aspects of cell biology, e.g. to continuously track how an animal embryo develops into its adult form; to monitor in real-time how the cells/organisms get infected by bacteria or viruses; to see how the cancer cells are killed by drugs, and other challenging tasks unachievable by existing technologies today, Dr Tsia added.

CLAM can be adapted to many current microscope systems with minimal hardware or software modification. Taking advantage of this, the team is planning to further upgrade the current CLAM system for research in cell biology, animal and plant developmental biology.

This project is an interdisciplinary collaboration between HKU Faculty of Engineering and LKS Faculty of Medicine. It was funded by HKSAR Research Grants Council, Innovation and Technology Support Program, the University Development Funds of the University of Hong Kong and the Natural Science Foundation of China.

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HKU Biomedical Engineering develops novel 3D imaging technology to make fluorescence microscopy more efficient and push the boundaries of living cells...

Cell Biology

Princeton awards over half-a-million dollars in funding for rapid, novel and actionable COVID-19 research projects – Princeton University

With the aim of accelerating solutions to the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, Princeton has awarded University funding for seven new faculty-led research initiatives with strong potential for impact.

The funding enables faculty and their teams to address crucial questions in biomedical, health-related and fundamental science, as well as policy, social and economic topics. Projects will receive funding of up to $100,000.

The projects include research on asymptomatic transmission, immunity following infection, vaccines, new treatments, contact tracing, economic implications of social distancing, challenges unique to urban environments, and strategies for reducing pandemic-associated domestic violence.

The University's support for new research against COVID-19 was spurred by a groundswell of requests from faculty, said Dean for Research Pablo Debenedetti, whose office coordinated the application process and the review of the proposals.

"Many members of the Princeton faculty have reached out with requests for opportunities to use their knowledge, ideas and skills to assist in combating the COVID-19 pandemic," said Debenedetti, the Class of 1950 Professor in Engineering and Applied Science and a professor of chemical and biological engineering. "The quality of the proposals received is a testament to the creativity of our faculty and to their dedication to the common good in this challenging time."

The seven projects were chosen following a competitive application process with proposals evaluated by a committee of peers. The funding supports the creation of new knowledge rather than production of materials or equipment for clinical purposes, which is being addressed by Princeton's COVID-19 Response Special Activities and Resources Group. Consideration was given to the unique needs facing the state of New Jersey, as well as the broader needs arising from the pandemic.

Reflecting the immediacy of the situation, researchers must report on their progress after three months, at which time only projects that have made appreciable progress will be allowed to continue.

Some projects will require access to laboratories and other campus spaces which are restricted due to New Jersey's stay-at-home order. These new projects will join a small number of campus-based projects deemed essential following earlier review by the Office of the Dean for Research.

The selected projects are:

Monitoring SARS-CoV-2 in Princeton: Quantifying viral transmission and building an understanding of immunity

Andrea Graham, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology

Bryan Grenfell, the Kathryn Briger and Sarah Fenton Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Public Affairs, Woodrow Wilson School

C. Jessica Metcalf, assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and public affairs, Woodrow Wilson School

Julien Ayroles, assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology and the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics

Researchers will combine viral testing for active infections with evaluations of the immune response of individuals in the community of Princeton to provide much needed resolution on the question of asymptomatic transmission of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19. The project will also provide a foundation from which to probe the development of an immune response to the virus, with the potential to inform our understanding of what the immune response means in terms of protection from infection.

Development of critical reagents to accelerate drug and vaccine development against SARS-CoV-2

Alexander Ploss, associate professor of molecular biology

The team aims to develop a version of SARS-CoV-2 that is less dangerous to laboratory workers and that can be safely handled under less stringent safety controls, thus broadening the ability of more researchers to study the virus. The researchers will also evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of certain FDA-approved compounds that have been shown to interfere with the replication of numerous viruses, as well as test a potential vaccine approach. They also will work to establish a humanized mouse model that can be used for preclinical testing of drug and vaccine candidates.

Fine-grained, privacy-respecting contact traceback for COVID-19 epidemiology

Kyle Jamieson, associate professor of computer science

Leveraging advances in mobile tracking, this project aims to automate the identification and traceback of recent significant risk contacts of a confirmed COVID-19 case. Instead of relying on GPS, which doesnt work well indoors and in many urban settings, the new approach employs more granular information from the cellular networks control channel to determine whether and for how long people spend time near a confirmed positive case.

Proposal for identifying small molecules targeting SARS-CoV-2 spike binding to human ACE2 cell receptor

Cliff Brangwynne, professor of chemical and biological engineering

Researchers will search for molecules that disrupt the cycle of infection by blocking the interaction between the virus's spike proteins and theACE2 receptors on human cells. The team will screen thousands of known bioactive compounds, including ones with prior FDA approval for other indications that could be rapidly deployed. Upon identifying promising compounds, the team will work with partner labs to move these candidates toward clinical testing.

Evaluating the economic implications and costs of COVID-19 social distancing policies

Natalie Bachas, assistant professor of economics

Arlene Wong, assistant professor of economics

Drawing on the collection of large datasets, the researchers will conduct an analysis to help inform the level of social distancing that balances health outcomes and economic consequences. These estimates will help guide the policy debate on how to both flatten the infection curve and the economic cost curve. The researchers will also evaluate the effectiveness of the payouts to households and provide key estimates on the economic spillovers of closures from essential and non-essential businesses.

Manual of urban distance: Strategies for reconfiguring the city

Paul Lewis, professor of architecture

Guy Nordenson, professor of architecture

Physical distancing and urban density are diametrically opposed, so new strategies are needed that rework the design of cities for a beneficial urban future. This project addresses the near-term problems of urban distancing during peak infection, as well asafter restrictions are eased but the population is still at risk of a rebound. The second phase of the project will look at longer term and more permanent strategies that consider possible future resurgence of COVID-19 as well as future pandemics.

Macroeconomic shocks and domestic violence: Evidence from COVID-19

Maria Micaela Sviatschi, assistant professor of economics and public affairs, Woodrow Wilson School

With unemployment on the rise and large numbers of people working from home, the potential for financial and emotional stress could potentially lead to increased domestic violence. Thisteam will evaluate COVID-19's impact on domestic violence and aims to test two interventions that are likely to determine pathways to aid victims during a pandemic: one that provides labor market opportunities for women and a second that provides information on how to identify and respond in domestic violence cases.

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Princeton awards over half-a-million dollars in funding for rapid, novel and actionable COVID-19 research projects - Princeton University

Cell Biology

CYTOVIA Therapeutics and MACROMOLTEK to Develop Dual-Acting Natural Killer Immunotherapy Against SARS CoV2 (COVID-19) – GlobeNewswire

NEW YORK and AUSTIN, Texas, April 07, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cytovia Therapeutics (Cytovia), an emerging biopharmaceutical company developing Natural Killer (NK) immunotherapies for cancer and infectious diseases, announced today that it is expanding its programs to help urgently address the current SAR CoV2 (COVID-19) crisis.

Natural Killer cells are a first line of defense not only against tumor cells but also against severe acute infectious diseases. Using a bi-functional approach has the potential to minimize virus escape from the immune response thereby inhibiting the intensification of the inflammation leading to Acute Respiratory Syndrome (ARS). The activation of NK cells through the NKp46 receptor aims to destroy the virus-infected cells while the other arm can either block the entry of the virus into epithelial cells or neutralize circulating viruses.

Dr Daniel Teper, co-founder, Chairman and CEO of Cytovia said: Our goal is to bring the best candidate to clinical trials by the end of the year 2020 and make it available to patients in 2021. As we become more prepared for potential next waves of the pandemic, physicians will need therapeutic options to strengthen the immune response and prevent rapid worsening of the disease. We expect that our novel approach might also be applied in the future to other severe acute infectious diseases, an area that still has significant unmet medical needs. Partnering with Macromoltek will fast-track this process.

Dr Monica Berrondo, co-founder and CEO of Macromoltek added: Our computational approach to antibody design allows to fast track the development of optimal therapeutic candidates in weeks rather than months. In the fight against SARS CoV2, time is of the essence. We are delighted to be part of a multi-disciplinary team passionate about winning the race against the virus with novel therapeutic solutions.

Cytovia will lead a highly coordinated team of scientific collaborators in order to achieve aggressive timelines for its COVID-19 therapeutic program. Cytovia will leverage its own proprietary bi-functional technology, developed by co-founder Dr Kadouche, NK activating antibodies licensed last month from Yissum, the technology transfer company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and novel antibodies neutralizing or blocking SARS CoV2, designed by Macromoltek, a computational antibody discovery company. The selected bi-functional antibodies will further benefit from the Fast to Clinic approach implemented by STC Biologics, a Boston, MA based antibody development and manufacturing company.

About Cytovia TherapeuticsCytovia aims to accelerate patient access to transformational immunotherapies, addressing several of the most challenging unmet medical needs in cancer and severe acute infectious diseases. Cytovia focuses on Natural Killer (NK) cell biology and applies precision medicine tools to develop the right therapy for the right patient at the right stage of the disease. Cytovia has secured access to multiple advanced technologies, including an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) platform for NK cell therapy, gene editing of Chimeric Antigen Receptors (CAR) to enhance targeting of NK cells, and NK engager multi-functional antibodies. Cytovia partners with the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), the New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Learn more at http://www.cytoviatx.com.

About MacromoltekMacromoltek, a computationalde novodrug design company, rapidly producesaccurate and credible antibody designs. They have built a proprietary platform that enables design against difficult targets inaccessible by traditional methods. A Y Combinator cohort company, they are already designing antibodies for several large biopharmas and smaller biotechs. https://www.macromoltek.com

Media and Investor Contacts

Cytovia TherapeuticsSophie Badr(Media)sophiebadre21@gmail.com929.317.1565

Anna Baran Djokovic (Investors)Anna@cytoviatx.com

MacromoltekLisa Hendricksonlhendrickson@sparkcity.co917.912.9424

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CYTOVIA Therapeutics and MACROMOLTEK to Develop Dual-Acting Natural Killer Immunotherapy Against SARS CoV2 (COVID-19) - GlobeNewswire

Anatomy

Complete Anatomy App Will Use LiDAR in iPad Pro to Measure Range of Motion After Injury – MacRumors

Complete Anatomy, an iPad app from 3D4Medical, is designed to teach medical school students human anatomy with a virtual dissectible heart, real-time muscle movement mapping, nerve tracer, and microanatomy models to explore.

The feature is demoed in a YouTube video featuring Irene Walsh, the chief design officer at Complete Anatomy. According to Walsh, there has been no standardized way to measure range of motion, a problem solved with the iPad Pro's LiDAR Scanner.

Using the new 2020 iPad Pro, Complete Anatomy is able to view movements in three dimensions, using motion capture to identify which movement a person is doing. Movements are paired with 3D muscle animations, providing information on the primary muscles required to carry out the action.

Walsh says that the upcoming version of Complete Anatomy on the iPad "has the potential to transform the medical community of the future."

The LiDAR Scanner feature is coming to the Complete Anatomy app in the near future, though no specific release date is provided. So far, few apps are able to take advantage of the LiDAR Scanner, but previews like these give us an idea of just how powerful of a tool it will be when implemented by developers.

Rumors suggest that iPhones set to be released in 2020 will also include a similar 3D scanning LiDAR feature, which would allow Apple's iPhones and iPad Pro models to be used for more advanced and exciting augmented reality functions.

Read more:
Complete Anatomy App Will Use LiDAR in iPad Pro to Measure Range of Motion After Injury - MacRumors