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Immunology

Vanishing Twin releasing new EP to help fund upcoming North American tour (stream it) – Brooklyn Vegan

To help fund theirupcoming North Americantour, eclectic London-based band Vanishing Twin are selling a new 7 EP,In Piscina!, featuring four groovy instrumentals of the space age bachelor pad variety, It makes for a nice companion piece to last years fantasticAge of Immunology. Stream the EP and last years album below.

Vanishing Twins tour kicks off in Austin for SXSW, and hits Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, Vancouver, and Philadelphiabefore wrapping up in NYConApril 1 at Berlin. Head below for all dates.

Vanishing Twin 2020 Tour Dates17-20 March, SXSW, Austin, TX22 March, Echoplex, LA23 March Rickshaw Stop, SF25 March, Treefort Music Festival, Boise26 March, Doug Fir Lounge, Portland27 March, High Dive, Seattle28 March, Biltmore Cabaret, Vancouver30 March, Kung Fu Necktie, Philly01 April, Berlin, NYC

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Vanishing Twin releasing new EP to help fund upcoming North American tour (stream it) - Brooklyn Vegan

Immunology

Make sure to get the Flu Shot even if you’ve already had the Flu – WFMYNews2.com

GREENSBORO, N.C. If you skipped this years flu shot and then came down with the virus, you may think theres no point in getting the vaccine now.

But youd be wrong.

There are good reasons to get a flu shot, even if youve already been sick this season, says David Topham, Ph.D., a professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Rochester and director of the New York Influenza Center of Excellence.

Two types commonly make people ill: type A and type B. In the beginning of this flu season, most cases of flu in the U.S. were type B (an unusual development, because type A usually predominates in the early months of a season).

Now, it looks liketype B flu may be beginning to wane while influenza A may be on the rise. And were probably far from done with flu season. According tothe Centers for Disease Control and Preventions latest data, doctors visits due to flu-like illness are still on the rise, though the pace may be slowing. For the first week of February, flu illnesses jumped from 6.7 percent to 6.8 percent of all doctors visits, while in the last week of January, flu illnesses shot up from 5.7 percent to 6.7 percent of all doctors visits.

Flu season looks like it may be starting to level off, but its still going up for the country as a whole, says Lynnette Brammer, M.P.H., an epidemiologist with the CDCs influenza division.

Getting the flu a second time can make you just as miserable as it did the first time around. And the potential for complications with the second infection is just as great as it was with the first.

Those complications can be serious, such as pneumonia and even sepsis, a potentially deadly reaction your body can have to infection.

Flu can also harm your heart. A study published in 2018 in the New England Journal of Medicine found that an individuals heart attack risk was six times higher than usual in the seven days following a positive test for influenza.

This may be of most concern to older adults, especially those with heart disease or who are at higher risk for heart disease because of smoking, diabetes, or other factors, says Jeff Kwong, M.D., lead author of the study and a scientist at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences in Ontario.

The bottom line: If you havent had one yet,get a flu shot even if you already had the flu (or a bug you think might have been the flu). Although the vaccine doesnt guarantee that youll avoid a second case of the flu, it will reduce the likelihood of it and its complications.

If you did get the vaccine this season, theres no need to get a second one. Scientists believe the protection usually lasts for the whole season.

But if youre still getting over a respiratory illnessor any kind of bugwait until youre fully recovered before going for the flu shot, says Topham at the University of Rochester. When you have another illness, he says, your immune system is focused on the infection that you have and doesnt respond as well to a vaccine.

And keep in mind that if youre starting to recover from the flu and symptoms worsen again, this could signal a secondary infectionsuch as pneumonia,and you should call your doctor right away.

Your hygiene habits can also help stop the spread of flu. Remember to be diligent about washing your hands and covering any coughs or sneezes. Avoid touching your eyes and mouth to keep from transferring any germs that may be on your hands. Keeping air at 30 percent to 50 percent humidity by using a humidifier can help, too; dry air helps the flu virus live longer.

If you do get sick again, stay home to avoid infecting anyone else.

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The way your immune system sees them is very different, Topham says.

Two types commonly make people ill: type A and type B. In the beginning of this flu season, most cases of flu in the U.S. were type B (an unusual development, because type A usually predominates in the early months of a season).

Now, it looks like type B flu may be beginning to wane while influenza A may be on the rise. And were probably far from done with flu season. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions latest data, doctors visits due to flu-like illness are still on the rise, though the pace may be slowing. For the first week of February, flu illnesses jumped from 6.7 percent to 6.8 percent of all doctors visits, while in the last week of January, flu illnesses shot up from 5.7 percent to 6.7 percent of all doctors visits.

Flu season looks like it may be starting to level off, but its still going up for the country as a whole, says Lynnette Brammer, M.P.H., an epidemiologist with the CDCs influenza division.

Getting the flu a second time can make you just as miserable as it did the first time around. And the potential for complications with the second infection is just as great as it was with the first.

Those complications can be serious, such as pneumonia and even sepsis, a potentially deadly reaction your body can have to infection.

Flu can also harm your heart. A study published in 2018 in the New England Journal of Medicine found that an individuals heart attack risk was six times higher than usual in the seven days following a positive test for influenza.

This may be of most concern to older adults, especially those with heart disease or who are at higher risk for heart disease because of smoking, diabetes, or other factors, says Jeff Kwong, M.D., lead author of the study and a scientist at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences in Ontario.

The bottom line: If you havent had one yet, get a flu shot even if you already had the flu (or a bug you think might have been the flu). Although the vaccine doesnt guarantee that youll avoid a second case of the flu, it will reduce the likelihood of it and its complications.

If you did get the vaccine this season, theres no need to get a second one. Scientists believe the protection usually lasts for the whole season.

But if youre still getting over a respiratory illnessor any kind of bugwait until youre fully recovered before going for the flu shot, says Topham at the University of Rochester. When you have another illness, he says, your immune system is focused on the infection that you have and doesnt respond as well to a vaccine.

And keep in mind that if youre starting to recover from the flu and symptoms worsen again, this could signal a secondary infection such as pneumonia,and you should call your doctor right away.

Your hygiene habits can also help stop the spread of flu. Remember to be diligent about washing your hands and covering any coughs or sneezes. Avoid touching your eyes and mouth to keep from transferring any germs that may be on your hands. Keeping air at 30 percent to 50 percent humidity by using a humidifier can help, too; dry air helps the flu virus live longer.

If you do get sick again, stay home to avoid infecting anyone else.

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Make sure to get the Flu Shot even if you've already had the Flu - WFMYNews2.com

Immunology

NIH study supports new approach for treating cerebral malaria – National Institutes of Health

News Release

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

Findings suggest drugs targeting immune cells may help treat deadly disease mainly affecting children.

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health found evidence that specific immune cells may play a key role in the devastating effects of cerebral malaria, a severe form of malaria that mainly affects young children. The results, published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, suggest that drugs targeting T cells may be effective in treating the disease. The study was supported by the NIH Intramural Research Program.

This is the first study showing that T cells target blood vessels in brains of children with cerebral malaria, said Dorian McGavern, Ph.D., chief of the Viral Immunology and Intravital Imaging Section at the NIHs National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) who co-directed the study with Susan Pierce, Ph.D., chief of the Laboratory of Immunogenetics at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). These findings build a bridge between mouse and human cerebral malaria studies by implicating T cells in the development of disease pathology in children. It is well established that T cells cause the brain vasculature injury associated with cerebral malaria in mice, but this was not known in humans.

More than 200 million people worldwide are infected annually with mosquito-borne parasites that cause malaria. In a subset of those patients, mainly young children, the parasites accumulate in brain blood vessels causing cerebral malaria, which leads to increased brain pressure from swelling. Even with available treatment, cerebral malaria still kills up to 25% of those affected resulting in nearly 400,000 deaths annually. Children who survive the infection will often have long-lasting neurological problems such as cognitive impairment.

The researchers, led by Drs. Pierce and McGavern, examined brain tissue from 23 children who died of cerebral malaria and 11 children who died from other causes. The scientists used state-of-the-art microscopy to explore the presence of cytotoxic lymphocytes (CTLs) in the brain tissue samples. CTLs are a type of T cell in our immune system that is responsible for controlling infections throughout the body.

Current treatment strategies for cerebral malaria focus on red blood cells, which are thought to clog blood vessels and create potentially fatal blockages leading to extreme pressure in the brain. However, findings in the mouse model demonstrated that CTLs damage blood vessels, leading to brain swelling and death. The role of CTLs in cerebral malaria in children hasnt been thoroughly investigated prior to this study.

The results of the current study demonstrate an increased accumulation of CTLs along the walls of brain blood vessel in the cerebral malaria tissue samples compared to non-cerebral malaria cases. In addition, the CTLs were shown to contain and release effector molecules, which damage cells, suggesting that CTLs play a critical role in cerebral malaria by damaging the walls of brain blood vessels.

The disease appears to be an immunological accident in which the CTLs are trying to control a parasitic infection but end up injuring brain blood vessels in the process, said Dr. McGavern.

In separate studies we discovered that treatment of mice with a drug that targets T cells rescued over 60% of otherwise fatal cases of experimental cerebral malaria, said Dr. Pierce. Given our findings of T cells in the brain vasculature of children who died of the disease, we are excited by the possibility that this drug may be the first therapy for cerebral malaria.

The impact of HIV coinfection on the risk of developing cerebral malaria is not known. The NIH researchers compared CTL patterns in the cerebral malaria cases that were co-infected with HIV and those that were HIV negative. In the HIV-negative cases, the CTLs were seen lining up against the inside wall of brain blood vessels. In the HIV-positive cases, the CTLs had migrated across the surface to the outside of the vessels. There were also significantly more CTLs present in the HIV-positive cases.

Together these findings suggest that CTLs may play an important role in cerebral malaria and that HIV infection may worsen the disease.

Additional research is needed to uncover the role of T cells in human cerebral malaria. Future studies will also investigate how targeting T cells may help treat the disease. Plans for a clinical trial are underway to test the effects of a specific T cell blocker in cerebral malaria patients in Malawi.

The NINDSis the nations leading funder of research on the brain and nervous system.The mission of NINDS is to seek fundamental knowledge about the brain and nervous system and to use that knowledge to reduce the burden of neurological disease.

NIAID conducts and supports research at NIH, throughout the United States, and worldwide to study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases, and to develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses. News releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on the NIAID website.

About the National Institutes of Health (NIH):NIH, the nation's medical research agency, includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.

NIHTurning Discovery Into Health

Riggle et al. CD8+T cells target cerebrovasculature in children with cerebral malaria. Journal of Clinical Investigation.

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NIH study supports new approach for treating cerebral malaria - National Institutes of Health

Immunology

QIMR Berghofer researcher appointed to help guide childhood nutrition initiative – Mirage News

QIMR Berghofer Associate Professor Severine Navarro has been appointed to the steering committee of the Woolworths Centre for Childhood Nutrition Research.

The centre, which was launched by the Childrens Hospital Foundation in Queensland in 2018, aims to better understand key issues in childhood nutrition and how to tackle them.

Associate Professor Navarro is the head of the Mucosal Immunology Laboratory at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute and her research focuses on the link between gut health and the immune system.

She was the first person to receive funding through the Woolworths Centre for Childhood Nutrition Research for her work into how parasites affect our gut microbiome and how they might help prevent a range of inflammatory conditions from allergies to mental illnesses.

The Centre is also funding Associate Professor Navarro to conduct research into the link between diet and gut health during pregnancy and early childhood.

I am delighted to be appointed to the steering committee for the Woolworths Centre for Childhood Nutrition Research, and to help further important studies into how we can safeguard the health of future generations, Associate Professor Navarro said.

The Centre is advancing important research into child health including the prevention and management of food allergies, diet, childhood eating behaviours and infant feeding, and I am proud to play a part in that.

I am also very grateful to the Centre for supporting my research in this field.

Associate Professor Navarro was also recently appointed the head of the Queensland branch of the Australia and New Zealand Society for Immunology the leading scientific group for immunology research in Australia and New Zealand.

In the last 10 to 15 years, immunology has emerged as a breakthrough field of research, with implications for all aspects of human health including inflammation, mental health and cancer risk and recovery, she said.

There is a lot more to learn, and as the head of the Queensland branch of the ASI, I am very pleased to support and promote this important field of research.

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QIMR Berghofer researcher appointed to help guide childhood nutrition initiative - Mirage News

Immunology

Alteration in Expression of miR-32 and FBXW7 Tumor Suppressor in Plasm | CMAR – Dove Medical Press

Sanaz Mansouri,1,* Behzad Khansarinejad,2,* Ghasem Mosayebi,2 Aziz Eghbali,3 Mahdieh Mondanizadeh1,4

1Department of Biotechnology and Molecular Medicine, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran; 2Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran; 3Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran; 4Molecular and Medicine Research Center, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, Iran

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: Mahdieh MondanizadehDepartment of Biotechnology and Molecular Medicine, Arak University of Medical Sciences, Arak, IranTel/Fax +98-8634173526Email m_mondanizadeh@yahoo.com

Background: T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) is an aggressive and malignant neoplasm that arises from the hematopoietic T-cell precursors. Inactivation of FBXW7 gene is frequently observed in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, suggesting a significant tumor-suppressive role for FBXW7 in the pathobiology of this leukemia. Considering the role of microRNAs in cell proliferation and regulation of apoptosis, the aim of this study was to identify novel oncogenic microRNAs that suppress FBXW7 in patients with T-ALL.Patients and Methods: The expression levels of two bioinformatically predicted microRNAs miR-32 and miR-107 were compared in patients with T-ALL and a control group. A total of 80 plasma samples were subjected to RNA extraction, and the microRNA expression profiles were assessed by the RT-qPCR. The expression level of miR-103 was used as the endogenous reference for normalization of quantitative data.Results: The plasma levels of miR-32 and miR-107 in patients with T-ALL were significantly higher (5.65, P< 0.001) and lower (0.432, P= 0.002), respectively. On the other hand, the expression levels of FBXW7 gene were significantly downregulated by 76.9 fold in T-ALL patients (P< 0.001). The results of the ROC curve analysis indicated that overexpression of miR-32 might be used to distinguish T-ALL patients with reasonable sensitivity and specificity.Conclusion: miR-32 is considered as a novel oncomir that targets FBXW7 and might have a role in the etiology or progression of T-ALL. Furthermore, miR-32 can potentially serve as a non-invasive biomarker for detection of T-ALL.

Keywords: biomarker, FBXW7, T-ALL, microRNA

This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License.By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms.

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Alteration in Expression of miR-32 and FBXW7 Tumor Suppressor in Plasm | CMAR - Dove Medical Press

Physiology

Page: Hair Love: Deep lessons from the shortest Oscar winner – Ocala

Black hair with all of its related history, styles and meaning remains an exotic, foreign and even threatening aspect of black physiology to the uninitiated.

Good art often shows us something old and familiar, but makes us see it in a new way.

That's a big part of what makes Chicago filmmaker and former NFL wide receiver Matthew Cherry's adorable Oscar-winning short "Hair Love" so effective and important.

Cherry recently became the second ex-pro athlete in three years to win an Oscar in the animated short category. That puts him in exceptional company. The first was the late Kobe Bryant, who won the Oscar for the 2017 short film "Dear Basketball."

Cherry's topic is something close to all of us: hair.

Especially black hair. Even for black men and boys. As an African American male, I can tell you that growing up around black women and girls exposed me to a lot of chatter about the styles, combs, chemicals and rituals associated with black hair.

And, brief as it is, I learned a bit more from Cherry's short. Written and directed by Cherry, the seven-minute film follows an African American father's first attempt to do his daughter's hair. It does not go well. But with the help of a video blog, voiced by Issa Rae, he muddles through in a heartwarming way that bonds them and reveals important lessons about patience, identity and rewards.

"'Hair Love' was done because we wanted to see more representation in animation," Cherry said as he and producer Karen Rupert Toliver picked up their statuettes. "We wanted to normalize black hair."

"Normalize" is a curious, yet appropriate word for him to use. As "normal" as black hair with all of its related history, styles and meaning is to black people, it remains an exotic, foreign and even threatening aspect of black physiology to the uninitiated.

On the good side, there are numerous videos on YouTube with captions like, "Single Dad Learns to Do His Daughter's Hair," "Black Dad Goes Viral Braiding Daughters Hair During NYC Subway Ride" and Facebook sites like DadsDoHair.

There are some white and Latino dads in some videos, too. But considering the abundance of negative images of young black males that we see in media, I like the idea of "normalized" images of men actively engaged in what has always been a traditionally female role: wielding the big comb, hair clips and conditioners.

But unfortunately some people are still so shocked by new hairstyles that they remind me of my high school principal, who railed at the Beatles' "weird hairdos."

Today we have new scandals, such as the clipping of New Jersey high school wrestler Andrew Johnson, who made national news when his dreadlocks were forcibly cut off before a match.

Or there was the case of Deandre Arnold, a Mont Belvieu, Texas, high school senior who was told he can't attend graduation unless he cut his dreadlocks. Arnold and his mother, Sandy, were invited to attend the Oscars as the guests of Cherry and Rupert Toliver.

And then there is Chastity Jones, a black woman who lost a job opportunity in Alabama because she refused to cut off her dreadlocks. The federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission joined her case, but a federal appeals court ruled that dreadlocks were a changeable characteristic of black people and therefore did not meet the federal discrimination standard.

That's what Cherry was talking about when he ended his brief speech on a political note: "There's a very important issue that's out there," he said. "The CROWN Act, and if we can ... get this passed in all 50 states it will help stories like DeAndre Arnold's, who's our special guest tonight."

The CROWN Act, which stands for Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, has been enacted by California, New York and New Jersey. Illinois and 21 other states are considering versions of their own, according to the website set up by advocates. Two Democrats, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Rep. Cedric Richmond of Louisiana, have introduced a federal version.

The ball is rolling. For now, I close with the wise words that my late father used to say when I was defending my robust Afro in the late '60s: "It's not what's on top of your head that matters, it's what you have inside."

Clarence Page (cpage@chicagotribune.com) is a columnist for the Chicago Tribune.

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Page: Hair Love: Deep lessons from the shortest Oscar winner - Ocala

Physiology

Samia Ali explores the intersection of diversity and research – Dailyuw

Before coming to the UW, Samia Ali, now a junior majoring in physiology, already knew that she wanted to pursue research. Having previously worked on vaccine awareness projects among refugee communities through King Countys public health program, she was eager to find research opportunities on campus to immerse herself in.

As a freshman entering her first project through the Institute for Learning & Brain Sciences (I-LABS), Ali initially felt unsure about how much background knowledge she needed to have but soon found that research is often a process of asking more questions instead of answering.

In her current role, Ali analyzes data from the completion of tasks among infants from different age groups to assess whether altruism is an innate or developed characteristic.

In addition to her involvement with I-LABS, Ali has recently started working on a project oriented around leadership development in trauma patient care through the emergency department at the Harborview Medical Center.

This academic year, Ali has also expanded her research experience by starting her own project that focuses on cardiovascular disease risk factors within Seattles refugee communities, explaining that her personal background led her to pursue this project

Ali is the daughter of Somali refugees. When her parents arrived in the United States, they were, like many Somali refugees escaping war, thrown into survival mode. Ali has long observed how the trauma this community has faced has not been sufficiently addressed and explained that this is what drives her research.

When populations who have experienced increased unaddressed trauma live in areas with food deserts due to the inability to gain employment for various reasons, the risk for poor health is disproportionately greater, Ali said.

Over the past few months, Ali has been developing her research questions and the form in which her research will take place. She also explained the difficulty of finding a mentor who specializes in the type of study she is conducting.

Ali believes that research is vital for all individuals both inside and outside the realm of academia, though the lack of representation in the present state of academic research ensures that research is not serving everyone.

In many research projects, there are very few human subjects of color and that is largely tied to having a limited number of researchers of color, more specifically woman of color, Ali said. What is the result? Data is skewed. And I am just tired of it.

In addition to a lack of representation within studies, Ali further vocalized the lack of representation in research as a field.

There is a clear understanding that research is often very limiting to people from disenfranchised populations, Ali said. For first-generation students of color, finding research is very difficult.

To help students find opportunities, Ali became an undergraduate research leader (URL) and has since found that the experience fuels her own research endeavors. In her role, she shares with fellow undergraduates the importance of research and how it is driven by ones desire to learn, rather than ones area of study or prior experiences before attending college.

I have not only brought more awareness to marginalized populations that research is a possibility, but I have increased my own knowledge regarding how to pursue research in a future career, Ali said. I originally came in just for the sole purpose of showing representation, but it has honestly turned into something greater for me. If I was not a URL, I do not think I would have had the confidence to dive into my own projects.

Reach reporter Jax Morgan at science@dailyuw.com. Twitter: @jaxbmorgan

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Samia Ali explores the intersection of diversity and research - Dailyuw

Physiology

Guidelines and Considerations for Metabolic Tolerance Tests in Mice | DMSO – Dove Medical Press

Raquel Bened-Ubieto,1,* Olga Estvez-Vzquez,1,* Pierluigi Ramadori,2 Francisco Javier Cubero,3,4 Yulia A Nevzorova1,4,5

1Department of Physiology, Genetics and Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, Complutense University, Madrid, Spain; 2Division of Chronic Inflammation and Cancer, German Cancer Research Center Heidelberg (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; 3Department of Immunology, Ophthalmology & ENT, Complutense University School of Medicine, Madrid, Spain; 4 12 de Octubre Health Research Institute (imas12), Madrid, Spain; 5Department of Internal Medicine III, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen, Germany

*These authors contributed equally to this work

Correspondence: Yulia A NevzorovaDepartment of Physiology, Genetics and Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, Complutense University, c/Jos A. Novais, 2, Madrid 28040, SpainTel +49-(0)241-80-80662Fax +49-(0)241-80-82455Email ynevzorova@ukaachen.de

Abstract: The epidemic of the century, Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is continuously rising. Intensive research is urgently needed whereby experimental models represent an essential tool to optimise the diagnostic strategy and to improve therapy. In this review, we describe the central principles of the metabolic tests available in order to study glucose and insulin homeostasis in mice, focusing on the most widely used the glucose and insulin tolerance tests. We provide detailed experimental procedures as well as the practical implementation of these methods and discuss the main factors that should be taken into account when using this methodology.

Keywords: metabolic tolerance test, T2DM, obesity, metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, glucose intolerance

This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License.By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms.

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Guidelines and Considerations for Metabolic Tolerance Tests in Mice | DMSO - Dove Medical Press

Physiology

The 19th Annual Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences Awarded for Pioneering Studies in Cell Biology – Business Wire

HOBOKEN, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Wiley Foundation is pleased to announce that the 19th annual Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences will be awarded to Clifford Brangwynne, Anthony Hyman, and Michael Rosen. Their pioneering work has revealed a new principle for subcellular compartmentalization based on formation of phase-separated biomolecular condensates, a process implicated in both physiological and pathological events.

Cliff Brangwynne is a Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Princeton University and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Tony Hyman is Director and Group Leader at the Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics in Dresden, Germany. Michael Rosen is the Chair of the Department of Biophysics at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, and an Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

The 2020 Wiley Prize recognizes Drs. Cliff Brangwynne, Tony Hyman, and Michael Rosen for their discovery that cells can compartmentalize processes without the use of membranes. These phase-separated structures are now recognized to play a role in numerous cell biological processes," said Dr. Titia de Lange, Chairperson of the awards jury for the Wiley Prize at the Rockefeller University in New York City.

The Wiley Foundation honors research that champions novel approaches and challenges accepted thinking in the biomedical sciences. The work of the 2020 Wiley Prize recipients Cliff Brangwynne, Tony Hyman, and Michael Rosen truly upholds this mission, said Deborah Wiley, Chair of the Wiley Foundation. We honor them for the discovery of a completely new aspect of cell biology that impacts our understanding of how cells work.

First awarded in 2002, The Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences is presented annually to recognize contributions that have opened new fields of research or have advanced concepts in a particular biomedical discipline. Among the many distinguished recipients of the Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences, nine have gone on to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine and two have gone on to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

This years award of $50,000 will be presented to the winners on April 3, 2020 at the Wiley Prize luncheon at The Rockefeller University. The winners will then deliver an honorary lecture as part of The Rockefeller University Lecture Series. This event will be live streamed via the Current Protocols Webinar Series and registration is free.

Additional Information

About Wiley

Wiley drives the world forward with research and education. Through publishing, platforms and services, we help students, researchers, universities, and corporations to achieve their goals in an ever-changing world. For more than 200 years, we have delivered consistent performance to all of our stakeholders. The Company's website can be accessed at http://www.wiley.com.

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The 19th Annual Wiley Prize in Biomedical Sciences Awarded for Pioneering Studies in Cell Biology - Business Wire

Physiology

Diasome Announces Positive Results from Phase 2 OPTI-1 Study of Hepatocyte Directed Vesicle Technology in Type 1 Diabetes – GlobeNewswire

CLEVELAND, Feb. 18, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- DiasomePharmaceuticals, Inc., a company developing hepatocyte directed vesicle (HDV) technology that can be added to any commercially available insulin to optimize treatment for people living with diabetes, today announced positive results from its Phase 2 OPTI-1 study of injectable hepatocyte directed vesicle (HDV) added to mealtime insulin in people with type 1 diabetes (T1D).

One of the trials investigators, Bruce Bode, M.D., a diabetes specialist with Atlanta Diabetes Associates and clinical associate professor in the Department of Medicine at Emory University, added, The OPTI-1 study may be the first clinical trial to demonstrate the impact of the combined effects of liver targeted insulin and physiologically driven changes in the ratio of mealtime to long-acting insulin regimens. These results provide additional evidence that targeting insulin to the liver induces a more physiological response. When added to insulin, HDV may allow patients to optimize the amount of short-acting and long-acting insulin they need to reduce the incidence of hypoglycemia while still achieving positive long-term health outcomes.

This open-label, multicenter study was designed to evaluate the effect of HDV added to rapid-acting mealtime insulin on A1C, hypoglycemia, and bolus and basal insulin dosing in adult T1D patients with baseline A1C levels between 6.5% and 8.5%. Patients underwent a three-month run-in period on standard-of-care therapy followed by three months of treatment with HDV added to mealtime insulin in conjunction with optimized basal insulin doses. A total of 61 T1D patients were enrolled at eight United States trial sites. After patients were treated with standard-of-care Lispro or Degludec during the run-in period, they were randomized into one of two groups: HDV-Lispro (HDV-L) in conjunction with a 10% reduction in Degludec or HDV-L in conjunction with a 40% reduction in Degludec.

The completion of this clinical trial marks an important milestone for the continued development of HDV, said Robert Geho, chief executive officer of Diasome. Results from this study, which we plan to present at upcoming conferences, continue to support the hypothesis that improved mealtime insulin delivery to the liver should have an important and positive effect on overall glycemic control. We are excited about these results and look forward to sharing additional details soon.

About Hepatocyte Directed Vesicle (HDV) TechnologyHDVs are the most advanced technology designed to restore normal physiology and potentially offer protection against hypoglycemia for patients with diabetes. Only 20-50 nanometers in size, these two-layered microscopic discs are designed to bring insulin to receptors highly expressed by liver cells. Liquid HDV can be mixed with any commercially available insulin prior to administration and is compatible with any insulin delivery system.

About Type 1 Diabetes (T1D)T1D is a chronic, auto-immune disease characterized by the inability of the pancreas to produce insulin, which leads to elevated blood sugar levels. Diabetes costs represent a large burden to both patients and the healthcare system. More than 1.25 million Americans are living with T1D and there is no cure.

About OPTI-1The 24-week, open-label, multiple dose trial is designed to assess the safety, tolerability and efficacy of hepatocyte directed vesicle (HDV) technology when added to rapid-acting mealtime insulin. All patients received insulin Lispro and Degludec during a 12-week run-in period. After completing the run-in period, patients were randomized to a treatment group of either HDV added to Lispro (HDV-L) while continuing Degludec at a dose reduced by 40% or HDV-L while continuing Degludec at a dose reduced by 10% for 12 weeks of treatment.

About Diasome Pharmaceuticals, Inc.Diasomes hepatocyte directed vesicle (HDV) technology is the only pharmaceutical insulin additive being developed to prevent hypoglycemia by restoring normal liver physiology in patients with diabetes. HDV technology is a Phase 3-ready asset designed to improve the safety and efficacy of all insulins. For more information, visit http://www.diasome.com or follow us on Twitter.

Investor Contact:Jeremy FefferLifeSci Advisors, LLCjeremy@lifesciadvisors.com+1.212-915-2568

Media Contact:Cherilyn Cecchini, M.D.LifeSci Communicationsccecchini@lifescicomms.com+1.646.876.5196

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Diasome Announces Positive Results from Phase 2 OPTI-1 Study of Hepatocyte Directed Vesicle Technology in Type 1 Diabetes - GlobeNewswire