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Cell Biology

Research Roundup: Different Antibody Responses to COVID-19 and More – BioSpace

Every week there are numerous scientific studies published. Heres a look at some of the more interesting ones.

Antibodies Respond Differently to Severe Versus Mild COVID-19

Researchers at Stanford Medicine found that COVID-19 antibodies preferentially target different parts of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in mild COVID-19 cases than they do in severe cases. In addition, they fade differently based on the severity of the case. People with severe COVID-19 have low proportions of antibodies that target the spike protein. In milder cases, the antibodies seem to do a better job of binding to the spike protein. The spike protein binds to the ACE2 receptor on human cells, which allows the virus to enter the cell. Once inside, the virus gets rid of its outer coat, takes over the cells protein-making machinery and churns out more viral particles that then infect other cells. Antibodies that bind to the spike protein block the ability to bind to ACE2. Antibodies that bind to other parts of the virus dont seem to prevent viral spread.

Antibody responses are not likely to be the sole determinant of someones outcome, said Scott Boyd, associate professor of pathology at Stanford. Among people with severe disease, some die and some recover. Some of these patients mount a vigorous immune response, and others have a more moderate response. So, there are a lot of other things going on. There are also other branches of the immune system involved. Its important to note that our results identify correlations but dont prove causation.

Understanding Brain Plasticity in Adults

When brains develop, they constantly grow new neuronal connectionssynapsesas they learn and remember. Important connects are nurtured and reinforced while seemingly unnecessary ones are pruned. Adult brains undergo similar treatment, but its not well understood why adult synapses are eliminated. A group of researchers at The Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have found the underlying mechanism of plasticity, which could be related to neurological disorders in adult brains. The brains gray matter contains microglia and astrocytes. Microglia are a frontline immune defensethey eat pathogens and dead cells. Astrocytes are star-shaped cells that help structure the brain and maintain homeostasis with involvement in neuronal signaling. It was long thought that microglial eat synapses as part of their clean-up effort, a process called phagocytosis. But their research, using a new molecular sensor, found that it was actually the astrocytes that are constantly eliminating excessive and unnecessary adult excitatory synaptic connections.

New Class of Antibiotic Works Against Range of Bacteria

Investigators withThe Wistar Institute have identified a new class of antibiotics that have a broad range of antibacterial effects, including against microbes with antimicrobial resistance (AMR). They focused on a metabolic pathway essential for bacteria but absent in humans, called methyl-D-erythritol phosphate (MEP) or non-mevalonate pathway, which is responsible for biosynthesis of isoprenoids. Isoprenoids are required for cell survival in most pathogenic bacteria. The researchers targeted the IspH enzyme, essential in isoprenoid biosynthesis. They screened several million commercially available compounds using computer models to find ones that could bind with the enzyme and chose the most potent ones. Most IspH inhibitors cant penetrate the bacterial cell wall, so the researchers worked to identify and synthesize novel IspH inhibitors that could get inside the bacteria.

Rhesus Macaque Genome Reference Includes 85 Million Genetic Variants

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, the University of Missouri and the University of Washington created a new reference genome assembly, identifying more than 85 million genetic variants in the rhesus macaque. This makes it the largest database of genetic variation for any single nonhuman primate species. It is a big improvement over the first reference assembled in 2007, and they believe it can help analyze and answer fundamental questions in molecular genetics, cell biology and physiology, not just in rhesus macaques, but in humans and other primates and mammals.

This is a major step forward in the amount of information we have about genetic variation in the rhesus macaque, said Jeffrey Rogers, associate professor at the Human Genome Sequencing Center and Department of Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor. We have actually identified thousands of new mutations in the population of research animals. Now colleagues all over the country who are investigating various aspects of health and disease using rhesus macaques can begin to make use of that information.

Common Diabetes Drug Linked to Rare COVID-19 Complications

Although diabetes is a known risk factor for COVID-19, researchers with Brigham and Women's Hospital have identified a rare COVID-19 complication with common diabetes drugs. The side effect is called euDKA, or euglycemic diabetic ketoacidosis. DKA occurs when the bodys cells do not absorb enough glucose and begin metabolizing fats instead, which results in a build-up of ketones. EuDKA is marked by lower blood sugar levels, making it harder to diagnose. The researchers evaluated five unusual euDKA cases that was a significantly higher level of incidence, all seen in COVID-19 patients taking sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SLGLT2i). They believe that COVID-19 may increase the risk of euDKA by binding to cells on the pancreas that produce insulin. The three SGLT2 inhibitors approved by the FDA are Janssens Invokana (canagliflozin), AstraZenecas Farxiga (dapagliflozin) and Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheims Jardiance (empagliflozin).

Whats Going on in the International Space Station?

The Expedition 64 crew took the day off for Christmas, but immediately afterwards went back to work on a variety of biological and medical research. Two studies evaluated new treatments for joint injuries and cancerone looked at bone, cartilage and synovium in artificial gravity chambers to better understand bone loss and joint damage; the second studied protein crystals grown in space and their ability to target cancer cells. A different study on several dozen mice evaluated the vascular changes in space on eyesight functionabout 40% of people working in space have vision changes from fluid shifts and radiation. Another experiment studied genetic changes in space and their impact on the growth and deterioration of bone tissue.

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Research Roundup: Different Antibody Responses to COVID-19 and More - BioSpace

Cell Biology

Global Cell And Tissue Analysis Products Market Growth Graph To Demonstrate Inclination Towards Positive Axis By 2026 – The Courier

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Cell And Tissue Analysis Products Market COVID-19 Impact Analysis

The outbreak of COVID-19 was sudden and was not at all considered so dangerous when it first struck at Wuhan city of China. Although, everything in that city was closed but the coronavirus infection had wide spread in China as a wild fire. Within months it spread to the neighboring countries and then to every single country in the world. The World Health Organization announced it as a pandemic and till then it had created huge losses in several countries.

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All the major players Danaher, Luminex, EMD Millipore Corporation, PARTEC, GE Healthcare, Thermo Fisher Scientific, BD, Mindray, PerkinElmer, Miltenyi Biotec leading in the Cell And Tissue Analysis Products market are mentioned in the report along with their regions-wise dominance.

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Global Cell And Tissue Analysis Products Market Growth Graph To Demonstrate Inclination Towards Positive Axis By 2026 - The Courier

Cell Biology

Groundbreaking Treatment for Severe COVID-19 Using Stem Cells It’s Like Smart Bomb Technology in the Lung – SciTechDaily

Umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells naturally migrate directly to the lung where they begin repair to COVID-19 damage. Credit: Dr. Camillo Ricordi

Study looked at treating severe COVID-19 with umbilical-cord derived mesenchymal stem cells.

University of Miami Miller School of Medicine researchers led a unique and groundbreaking randomized controlled trial showing umbilical cord derived mesenchymal stem cell infusions safely reduce risk of death and quicken time to recovery for the severest COVID-19 patients, according to results published inSTEM CELLS Translational Medicinein January 2021.

The studys senior author, Camillo Ricordi, M.D., director of the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) and Cell Transplant Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, said treating COVID-19 with mesenchymal stem cells makes sense.

The paper describes findings from 24 patients hospitalized at University of Miami Tower or Jackson Memorial Hospital with COVID-19 who developed severe acute respiratory distress syndrome. Each received two infusions given days apart of either mesenchymal stem cells or placebo.

It was a double-blind study. Doctors and patients didnt know what was infused, Dr. Ricordi said. Two infusions of 100 million stem cells were delivered within three days, for a total of 200 million cells in each subject in the treatment group.

Researchers found the treatment was safe, with no infusion-related serious adverse events.

Camillo Ricordi, M.D., director of the Diabetes Research Institute (DRI) and Cell Transplant Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Credit: University of Miami Health System

Patient survival at one month was 91% in the stem cell treated group versus 42% in the control group. Among patients younger than 85 years old, 100% of those treated with mesenchymal stem cells survived at one month.

Dr. Ricordi and colleagues also found time to recovery was faster among those in the treatment arm. More than half of patients treated with mesenchymal stem cell infusions recovered and went home from the hospital within two weeks after the last treatment. More than 80% of the treatment group recovered by day 30, versus less than 37% in the control group.

The umbilical cord contains progenitor stem cells, or mesenchymal stem cells, that can be expanded and provide therapeutic doses for over 10,000 patients from a single umbilical cord. Its a unique resource of cells that are under investigation for their possible use in cell therapy applications, anytime you have to modulate immune response or inflammatory response, he said. Weve been studying them with our collaborators in China for more than 10 years in Type 1 Diabetes, and there are currently over 260 clinical studies listed in clinicaltrials.gov for treatment of other autoimmune diseases.

Mesenchymal cells not only help correct immune and inflammatory responses that go awry, they also have antimicrobial activity and have been shown to promote tissue regeneration.

Our results confirm the powerful anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory effect of UC-MSC. These cells have clearly inhibited the cytokine storm, a hallmark of severe COVID-19, said Giacomo Lanzoni, Ph.D, lead author of the paper and assistant research professor at the Diabetes Research Institute. The results are critically important not only for COVID-19 but also for other diseases characterized by aberrant and hyperinflammatory immune responses, such as autoimmune Type 1 Diabetes.

When given intravenously, mesenchymal stem cells migrate naturally to the lungs. Thats where therapy is needed in COVID-19 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome, a dangerous complication associated with severe inflammation and fluid buildup in the lungs.

It seemed to me that these stem cells could be an ideal treatment option for severe COVID-19, said Dr. Ricordi, Stacy Joy Goodman Professor of Surgery, Distinguished Professor of Medicine, and professor of biomedical engineering, microbiology and immunology. It requires only an intravenous (IV) infusion, like a blood transfusion. Its like smart bomb technology in the lung to restore normal immune response and reverse life-threatening complications.

When the pandemic emerged, Dr. Ricordi asked collaborators in China if they had studied mesenchymal stem cell treatment in COVID-19 patients. In fact, they and Israeli researchers reported great success treating COVID-19 patients with the stem cells, in many cases with 100% of treated patients surviving and recovering faster than those without stem cell treatment.

But there was widespread skepticism about these initial results, because none of the studies had been randomized, where patients randomly received treatment or a control solution (placebo), to compare results in similar groups of patients.

We approached the FDA and they approved our proposed randomized controlled trial in one week, and we started as quickly as possible, Dr. Ricordi said.

Dr. Ricordi worked with several key collaborators at the Miller School, the University of Miami Health System, Jackson Health System, and collaborated with others in the U.S. and internationally, including Arnold I. Caplan, Ph.D., of Case Western Reserve University, who first described mesenchymal stem cells.

The next step is to study use of the stem cells in COVID-19 patients who have not yet become severely ill but are at risk of having to be intubated, to determine if the infusions prevent disease progression.

The findings have implications for studies in other diseases, too, according to Dr. Ricordi.

Hyper-immune and hyper-inflammatory responses in autoimmune diseases might share a common thread with why some COVID-19 patients transition to severe forms of the disease and others dont.

Autoimmunity is a big challenge for healthcare, as is COVID-19. Autoimmunity affects 20% of the American population and includes over 100 disease conditions, of which Type 1 Diabetes can be considered just the tip of the iceberg. What we are learning is that there may be a common thread and risk factors that can predispose to both an autoimmune disease or to a severe reaction following viral infections, such as SARS-CoV-2, he said.

The DRI Cell Transplant Center is planning to create a large repository of mesenchymal stem cells that are ready to use and can be distributed to hospitals and centers in North America, he said.

These could be used not only for COVID-19 but also for clinical trials to treat autoimmune diseases, like Type 1 Diabetes, Dr. Ricordi said. If we could infuse these cells at the onset of Type 1 Diabetes, we might be able to block progression of autoimmunity in newly diagnosed subjects, and progression of complications in patients affected by the disease long-term. We are planning such a trial specifically for diabetes nephropathy, a kidney disease that is one of the major causes of dialysis and kidney transplantation. We are also planning to do a study on umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell transplantation in combination with pancreatic islets to see if you can modulate the immune response to an islet transplant locally.

Funding by The Cure Alliance made launching the initial trial possible, while a $3 million grant from North Americas Building Trades Unions (NABTU) allowed Dr. Ricordi and colleagues to complete the clinical trial and expand research with mesenchymal stem cells.

North Americas Building Trades Unions (NABTU) has been a major supporter of the Diabetes Research Institute since 1984, when they started a campaign to fund, and build, our state-of-the-art research and treatment facility. NABTU has continued to support our work through the years, including our mesenchymal stem cell research that helped lead the way to this clinical trial, he said.

Reference: 5 January 2021, STEM CELLS Translational Medicine.

All the organizations funding the research are nonprofit entities, including the Barilla Group and Family, The Fondazione Silvio Tronchetti Provera, the Simkins Family Foundation and the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation. The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences also provided funding.

Coauthors on the NEJM paper include: Giacomo Lanzoni, Ph.D., assistant research professor, DRI; Elina Linetsky, Ph.D., DRI director of quality assurance and regulatory affairs; Diego Correa, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor (Research) Dept. of Orthopaedics and the DRI, adjunct assistant professor of biology at Case Western Reserve University; Shari Messinger Cayetano, Ph.D., associate professor of Public Health Sciences at the Miller School; Roger A. Alvarez, D.O., M.P.H., a pulmonologist with UHealth Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine; Antonio C Marttos, M.D., a UHealth general surgeon; Ana Alvarez Gil, DRI; Raffaella Poggioli, M.D., DRI; Phillip Ruiz, M.D., Ph.D., department of Surgery at the Miller School and the UHealth Anatomic Pathology department; Khemraj Hirani, M.Pharm., Ph.D., R.Ph., CCRP, CIP, RAC, M.B.A., director of regulatory affairs and quality assurance at the DRI; Crystal A. Bell, department of medicine at the Miller School; Halina Kusack, department of Medicine, Miller School; Lisa Rafkin, research assistant professor, DRI; Rodolfo Alejandro, M.D., professor of Medicine at the Miller School, co-director of the Cell Transplant Center, and director/attending physician of the Clinical Cell Transplant Program at the DRI; David Baidal, M.D., assistant professor of Medicine in the division of Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism at the Miller School and member of the DRIs Clinical Islet Transplant Program; Andrew Pastewski, M.D., Jackson Health System; Kunal Gawri, Miller School and University of Miami Health System; Dimitrios Kouroupis, postdoctoral research fellow at the Miller School; Clarissa Leero, DRI; Alejandro M.A. Mantero, Ph.D., lead research analyst, department of Health Sciences at the Miller School; Xiaojing Wang, DRI; Luis Roque, DRI; Burlett Masters, DRI; Norma S. Kenyon, Ph.D., deputy director and the Martin Kleiman professor of Surgery, Microbiology and Immunology and Biomedical Engineering at the DRI; Enrique Ginzburg, M.D., chief of Surgery at University of Miami Hospital and Trauma Medical Director at Jackson South Community Hospital; Xiumin Xu, DRI; Jianming Tan, M.D., Ph.D., Fuzhou General Hospital, Fujian, China; Arnold I. Caplan, Ph.D., professor of Biology at Case Western Reserve University; and Marilyn Glassberg, M.D., division chief of Pulmonary Medicine, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine at the University of Arizona College of Medicine.

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Groundbreaking Treatment for Severe COVID-19 Using Stem Cells It's Like Smart Bomb Technology in the Lung - SciTechDaily

Cell Biology

New clues on why pregnancy may increase risk of organ transplant rejection – Newswise

Newswise A research study at the University of Chicago has found that in pregnancy, while the T cell response to a fetus becomes tolerant to allow for successful pregnancy, the part of the immune system that produces antibodies (known as the humoral response) becomes sensitized, creating memory B cells that can later contribute to the rejection of a transplanted organ.

The results help to clarify why it is that the immune system can tolerate a fetus during pregnancy, but later may be more likely to become sensitized to and reject an organ transplant. The study was published on January 4, 2021 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

The immune system is designed to respond to and protect against foreign invaders; it does this by recognizing molecules on foreign cells, known as antigens, and mounting an immune response that produces T cells to target and attack foreign cells directly, as well as memory B cells that produce antibodies to tag foreign cells for destruction by other blood cells.

In most cases, this system is extremely beneficial but in pregnancy, some adaptation is required to prevent the rejection of a fetus, which only shares half its genes with the mother and therefore presents foreign antigens to the mothers immune system.

This also has the paradoxical effect of increasing the risk of a rejection for a transplanted organ (or allograft) after a person has given birth, particularly if the transplanted organ such as a kidney is from the father of their children.

This new research was inspired by prior work showing that T cells become tolerized during pregnancy, meaning they dont respond to fetal antigens. This was paradoxical to the transplant field, where we consider pregnancy a sensitizing event, said co-senior author Anita Chong, PhD, a professor of surgery at UChicago. I wanted to know why it was that pregnancy resulted in sensitization to an allograft (transplanted organ) from the male partner, but enhanced tolerance to a fetus expressing the same antigens.

In the study, the investigators examined the immune response of female mice after receiving a transplanted heart from one of their offspring. By tracking both the T cell response and the humoral response, they could follow both arms of the immune response and study their effects on transplant rejection. They saw that the T cells did not react to the allograft, but the memory B cells did, producing antibodies against foreign antigens from the transplanted heart.

Our assumption was that both arms of the immune system would be sensitized to the offspring-matched transplanted organ, said Chong, But theres something about the fetus promoting T cell tolerance that is also preserved for the allograft. On the other hand, the antibodies that are produced to the fetus do not harm the fetus, but cause the rejection of the allograft.

Given the biology of pregnancy, the investigators say, these results make sense.

Pregnancy cannot evolve to completely eliminate the humoral response because its critical for a mother to be able to produce antibodies against infectious pathogens during pregnancy and breastfeeding; its the only immunity a mother can pass to their child. So, the immune system is primed to make antibodies against anything foreign during this period, including those expressed by the fetus, said Chong. As a result, the placenta has evolved ways to handle these antibodies in order to prevent fetus rejection in subsequent pregnancies.

These results are a promising start for preventing transplant rejection in people after pregnancies in the future.

There is potential for applying therapies that would eliminate memory B cells and antibodies that now make it more difficult for these women to accept a transplant, said co-senior author Maria-Luisa Alegre, MD/PhD, a professor of medicine at UChicago. This would level the playing field for women with children. We could eliminate antibodies and B cells before transplantation and eliminate the problem, while T cell responses to antigens shared by the fetus and the transplant would already be spontaneously partially suppressed.

What is not yet clear is how the sensitized humoral response overrides the T cell tolerance to reject an allograft in people after pregnancy, or how the T cell tolerance might be induced in non-mothers in order to prevent rejection in other populations.

As part of their ongoing collaboration, Chong and Alegre hope to continue working on this puzzle. One aspect of future research is to see if we can exploit this ability of pregnancy to tolerize T cells to have better acceptance not only in people who have been pregnant, but in everybody, said Alegre. Outside of pregnancy, people can get sensitized prior to transplantation in different ways, from disease or environmental antigens, and it can be difficult to protect the transplant from cross-reactive memory T cells. Now were looking at how pregnancy can tolerize these memory T cells that are otherwise difficult to immunosuppress with current drugs.

The study, Pregnancy-induced humoral sensitization overrides T cell tolerance to fetus-matched allografts in mice, was supported by NIH/NIAID grants R01AI142747 and P01AI097113. Additional authors include Ashley N. Suah, Dong-Kha V. Tran, Stella H.W. Khiew, Michael S. Andrade, Jared M. Pollard, Dharmendra Jain, James S. Young, and Dengping Yin of UChicago; and Geetha Chalasani of the University of Pittsburgh.

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About the University of Chicago Medicine & Biological Sciences

The University of Chicago Medicine, with a history dating back to 1927, is one of the nations leading academic health systems. It unites the missions of the University of Chicago Medical Center, Pritzker School of Medicine and the Biological Sciences Division. Twelve Nobel Prize winners in physiology or medicine have been affiliated with the University of Chicago Medicine. Its main Hyde Park campus is home to the Center for Care and Discovery, Bernard Mitchell Hospital, Comer Childrens Hospital and the Duchossois Center for Advanced Medicine. It also has ambulatory facilities in Orland Park, South Loop and River East as well as affiliations and partnerships that create a regional network of care. UChicago Medicine offers a full range of specialty-care services for adults and children through more than 40 institutes and centers including an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center. Together with Harvey-based Ingalls Memorial, UChicago Medicine has 1,296 licensed beds, nearly 1,300 attending physicians, over 2,800 nurses and about 970 residents and fellows.

Visit UChicago Medicines health and science news blog at http://www.uchicagomedicine.org/forefront.

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New clues on why pregnancy may increase risk of organ transplant rejection - Newswise

Biochemistry

Biochemists Switch DNA Functions on and Off Using Light – SciTechDaily

Biochemists use protein engineering to transfer photocaging groups to DNA.

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the basis of life on earth. The function of DNA is to store all the genetic information, which an organism needs to develop, function and reproduce. It is essentially a biological instruction manual found in every cell.

Biochemists at the University of Mnster have now developed a strategy for controlling the biological functions of DNA with the aid of light. This enables researchers to better understand and control the different processes which take place in the cell for example epigenetics, the key chemical change and regulatory lever in DNA.

The results have been published in the journal Angewandte Chemie.

The cells functions depend on special molecules, the enzymes. Enzymes are proteins, which carry out chemical reactions in the cell. They help to synthesize metabolic products, make copies of the DNA molecules, convert energy for the cells activities, change DNA epigenetically and break down certain molecules.

A team of researchers headed by Prof. Andrea Rentmeister from the Institute of Biochemistry at the University of Mnster used a so-called enzymatic cascade reaction in order to understand and track these functions better. This sequence of successive reaction steps involving different enzymes makes it possible to transfer so-called photocaging groups chemical groups, which can be removed by means of irradiation with light to DNA. Previously, studies had shown that only small residues (small modifications such as methyl groups) could be transferred very selectively to DNA, RNA (ribonucleic acid) or proteins.

As a result of our work, it is now possible to transfer larger residues or modifications such as the photocaging groups just mentioned, explains Nils Klcker, one of the lead authors of the study and a PhD student at the Institute of Biochemistry. Working together with structural biologist Prof. Daniel Kmmel, who also works at the Institute of Biochemistry, it was also possible to explain the basis for the changed activity at a molecular level.

Using so-called protein engineering a method for which a Nobel prize was awarded in 2018 the Mnster researchers engineered one enzyme in the cascade, making it possible to switch DNA functions on and off by means of light. With the aid of protein design, it was possible to expand the substrate spectrum of enzymes in this case, methionine adenosyltransferases (MATs). In their work, the researchers examined two MATs. The modifications carried out offer a starting point for developing other MATs with an expanded substrate spectrum.

Combining these MATs with other enzymes has potential for future cellular applications. This is an important step for implementing in-situ generated, non-natural substances for other enzymes in epigenetic studies, says Andrea Rentmeister.

Reference: Engineered SAM Synthetases for Enzymatic Generation of AdoMet Analogs with Photocaging Groups and Reversible DNA Modification in Cascade Reactions by Dr. Freideriki Michailidou, Nils Klcker, Nicolas V. Cornelissen, Dr. Rohit K. Singh, Aileen Peters, Anna Ovcharenko, Prof.Dr. Daniel Kmmel and Prof.Dr. Andrea Rentmeister, 5 October 2020, Angewandte Chemie.DOI: 10.1002/anie.202012623

Funding: The study received financial support from the German Research Foundation (DFG), the European Research Council (ERC) and the IRTG Mnster-Toronto network.

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Biochemists Switch DNA Functions on and Off Using Light - SciTechDaily

Biochemistry

Nautilus Biotechnology Expands Executive Team – BioSpace

Jan. 5, 2021 14:00 UTC

Proven leaders in product, finance, and marketing to accelerate the development of Nautilus next-generation, single-molecule proteomics analysis platform

SEATTLE & SAN CARLOS, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Nautilus Biotechnology, a company pioneering a high-throughput, low-cost platform for quantifying the human proteome, today announced the addition of three new members to its executive leadership team: Subra Sankar, SVP of Product Development; Anna Mowry, VP of Finance and Business Operations; and Chris Blessington, VP of Corporate Marketing and Communications. These additions bolster the companys existing leadership team as Nautilus accelerates the development and ultimate commercialization of its platform.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210105005126/en/

Anna Mowry

Im incredibly excited to welcome Subra, Anna, and Chris to our team as each brings the type of seasoned operational leadership experience Nautilus will need for the next stages of our development, said Sujal Patel, co-founder and CEO of Nautilus Biotechnology. This expansion complements our already strong team and provides additional leadership in key functional areas.

Subra Sankar, SVP of Product Development Subra joins Nautilus from GenapSys where, as SVP of Product Development, he led the company's R&D efforts including Engineering, Assay, System Integration, Consumable Development, Informatics and a variety of chemistry and molecular biology groups. Subra has held many senior roles over the last 15 years, notably at Solexa/Illumina where, from 2006 to 2012, he led instrument and consumable development efforts for next gen sequencers and related products.

Anna Mowry, VP of Finance & Business Operations Anna joins Nautilus from Igneous where she served as VP of Finance and Operations with responsibility for finance, accounting, people, legal, and operations. Previously, Anna held a variety of roles at companies including Amazon Web Services, and Isilon Systems, where she ultimately led the finance and sales operations organization. Anna has an undergraduate degree in Biochemistry and started her career at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Institute.

Chris Blessington, VP of Corporate Marketing and Communications Chris joins Nautilus from Smartsheet where he served as VP of Marketing and Communications with responsibility for creating markets, building awareness, and driving revenue. Prior to that, he led marketing and communications teams at ExtraHop Networks and Isilon Systems through the company's acquisition by EMC. At EMC/Isilon, he also served as executive sponsor of the companys Life Sciences and Genomics markets, leading product evangelism, market research, and sales preparedness.

ABOUT NAUTILUS BIOTECHNOLOGY

Based in Seattle, Washington with scientific development San Carlos, California, Nautilus is a biotechnology company who is developing a proteomics platform that aims to deliver superior sensitivity far more quickly, more completely, and less expensively than is currently possible. By breaking through the limitations of existing technologies, and effectively democratizing proteomics, Nautilus strategic mission is to enable a dramatic acceleration of basic science research, significantly improve the success rate of therapeutic development, and enhance opportunities for personalized and predictive medicine.

Learn more at: http://www.nautilus.bio

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210105005126/en/

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Nautilus Biotechnology Expands Executive Team - BioSpace

Biochemistry

Valinda Shirley Appointed as Executive Director Navajo Nation Environmental Protections Agency – lakepowelllife

Valinda Shirley Appointed as Executive Director Navajo Nation Environmental Protections Agency

Valinda Shirley

WINDOW ROCK, Ariz. Navajo Nation President Jonathan Nez and Vice President Myron Lizer announced the appointment of Valinda Shirley as the new Executive Director for the Navajo Nation Environmental Protection Agency. She replaces Oliver B. Whaley, who resigned in December to spend more time with his family.

Shirley resides in Rock Point, Ariz. with her husband and children. She is Tchiinii and born for Tz n. Her maternal grandfather is Bitahnii and her paternal grandfather is Taneeszhahnii. Prior to her appointment, she served as the Senior Remedial Project Manager for the Navajo Nation EPA Superfund Program coordinating on-site activities for environmental cleanup or remediation projects to ensure compliance with Navajo Nation and federal environmental laws, standards, regulations, and requirements including Din Fundamental Law.

With her upbringing, education, and professional experience, we are excited and confident that she will do a great job leading the Navajo Nation EPA. Her traditional upbringing combined with her formal education in biochemistry provides for a unique and very knowledgeable perspective on many issues related to protecting our environment for generations to come. We welcome her to our administration and look forward to working alongside her, said President Nez.

Shirley earned a Bachelors Degree in Biochemistry from the University of New Mexico and graduated as the valedictorian from Rock Point High School. Her previous professional experience also includes serving as an Environmental Compliance Technician with SWCA Environmental Consultants, Acting Business Manager and business consultant with Rock Point Community School, Environmental Specialist with the Navajo Nation EPA Waste Regulatory, Community Involvement Coordinator for the Phase 2 Removal Site Evaluation Trust, and the School Board Vice President for Rock Point Community School.

Shirley has a well-rounded background that will serve the Navajo Nation EPA and the Navajo people very well. Her scientific, environmental, and traditional knowledge have proven to be a strong foundation in the previous work she has done for the Navajo Nation. She also has expertise and experience in bridging partnerships and collaborations between the Navajo Nation and federal EPA. We commend her and look forward to working with her, said Vice President Lizer.

In her previous role with the Abandoned Uranium Mines projects, Shirley spearheaded the Northeast Church Rock Mine Site and the Tronox sites in Cove and Tse Tah, Ariz. She also advised the U.S. EPA concerning Navajo Nation laws and Din Fundamental Law as Applicable or Relevant & Appropriate Requirements (ARARs) used in the clean-up standards at the Mariano Lake, Mac and Black Mine Sites located in New Mexico. She also coordinated with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission on a Source Material License amendment for the United Nuclear Corporation mill site in the Eastern Navajo Agency.

I hold the Office of the Executive Director of the Navajo EPA in the highest regard, and I have the utmost respect for the agency and its employees. Since 1992, Navajo EPA has been the regulatory authority that safeguards Din bikyah d Nihookaa Dine. In my experience working with the agency, it has served as an integral part of government by ensuring Nihim Nahasdzaan d Nihitaa Ydihi are kept clean to the highest of standards for our seventh-generation grandchildren, said Shirley.

As the new Executive Director, Shirley said her goals include strengthening direct lines of communication with the Navajo people through community involvement and K, ensuring that currently funded AUMs progress to a level of clean-up with tangible results, and strategizing a way for the Navajo Nation to address the illegal dumping of refuse.

I will accomplish these goals by exercising stable leadership to create a team environment in the agency. Communication and k are also crucial in fulfilling these goals. I know this because these ideals are ingrained in me and practiced as a school board member representing four Navajo communities in the Northern Navajo Agency. I am familiar with fiduciary trust responsibilities and passionately believe that projects, legislation, and meaningful change can happen through teamwork and collaboration from all government branches, Shirley stated.

I view U.S. EPA and other federal agencies as partners of the Navajo EPA, and I also believe in the inviolability of our Navajo Nation laws. Navajo Nation laws and regulations are in place to protect the Din, especially when federal regulations become lax in their standards. In the past, only federal laws were used as across-the-board clean-up standards that failed in protecting the Din. Therefore, it is imperative to safeguard affected communities by ensuring that Navajo Nation laws and regulations are adhered to, she added.

Valinda Shirleys appointment is effective immediately and subject to confirmation by the Navajo Nation Council, in accordance with the Navajo Nation Code. Council Delegate Kee Allen Begay, Jr. will sponsor the bill for confirmation.

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Valinda Shirley Appointed as Executive Director Navajo Nation Environmental Protections Agency - lakepowelllife

Biochemistry

Autobahn Therapeutics Strengthens its Team to Support its Continued Growth – BioSpace

Jan. 5, 2021 13:30 UTC

Scott Giacobello Appointed to Board of Directors

Scott Forrest, Ph.D., Promoted to Chief Financial Officer

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Autobahn Therapeutics, a biotechnology company focused on restoring hope for people affected by CNS disorders, today announced that industry veteran Scott Giacobello, chief financial officer of GW Pharmaceuticals, has been appointed to Autobahns board of directors and will serve as the chair of the companys audit committee. In addition, Scott Forrest, Ph.D., has been promoted to the role of chief financial officer from his current position as chief business officer.

Autobahns tunable brain-targeting chemistry platform and strong pipeline have the potential to transform the future of treatments for CNS disorders. I look forward to partnering with the exceptional leadership team and board to support a strong financial organization that will ensure the advancement of this important science, said Mr. Giacobello.

We are excited to welcome Mr. Giacobello to our board of directors. His extensive financial management and capital raising experience will prove valuable to our future growth and evolution, said Kevin Finney, chief executive officer of Autobahn. In addition, Dr. Forrest has played an instrumental role in the progress we have made across both our brain-targeting chemistry platform and pipeline addressing devastating CNS disorders, including adrenomyeloneuropathy and remyelination in multiple sclerosis. Following the completion of a successful pre-IND meeting for our lead program, ABX-002, his business strategy and financial leadership will be critical as we advance toward becoming a clinical-stage company.

Mr. Giacobello is an accomplished executive with more than 25 years of experience leading finance organizations. Prior to GW, he served as chief financial officer for Chase Pharmaceuticals Corporation, until it was acquired by Allergan, Inc. Earlier, Mr. Giacobello held senior level finance positions at Allergan, Inc., most recently serving as vice president of finance for global research & development. His previous experience includes financial positions at the Black & Decker Corporation and Ernst & Young, LLP. Mr. Giacobello holds a B.A. in business administration from the University of Notre Dame and is a Certified Public Accountant.

Prior to joining Autobahn as chief business officer in July 2020, Dr. Forrest was chief operating officer and chief financial officer at Inception Therapeutics, a Versant Ventures discovery engine focused on building and operating transformative biotech companies. Earlier, he was a co-founder and vice president of operations and corporate development at BlackThorn Therapeutics and served as vice president of business development at The Scripps Research Institute. Dr. Forrest started his career at the University of North Carolina (UNC) where he led the restructuring, expansion and management of the life sciences licensing team. He also served as an entrepreneur in residence at UNC and was a central part of the successful launch of multiple startup companies, such as Epizyme. Dr. Forrest holds a B.S. in biochemistry from the University of Calgary and a Ph.D. in pharmacology from the University of Virginia.

About Autobahn Therapeutics Autobahn Therapeutics is focused on restoring hope for people affected by CNS disorders. Autobahn is leveraging its brain-targeting chemistry platform to unlock new therapeutic opportunities through precision tuning of the central exposure of its molecules. The companys pipeline is led by ABX-002, a thyroid hormone receptor beta agonist for the treatment of adrenomyeloneuropathy (AMN), a rare genetic disorder. Autobahn Therapeutics is based in San Diego. For more information, visit http://www.autobahntx.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210105005251/en/

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Autobahn Therapeutics Strengthens its Team to Support its Continued Growth - BioSpace

Biochemistry

Global Calorimeters Market : Industry Analysis and Forecast (2019-2027) By Type, Industry, and Region. – LionLowdown

Global calorimeters marketsize was US$ XX Bn in 2019 and is expected to reach US$ XX Bn by 2027, at a CAGR of 11% during the forecast period.

The report study has analyzed the revenue impact of COVID -19 pandemic on the sales revenue of market leaders, market followers, and market disrupters in the report, and the same is reflected in our analysis.

Market Definition

Calorimeter is an object, or a device used to measure the heat developed during chemical, electrical or mechanical reaction and is also used to calculate the heat capacity of materials. These devices are widely used in calorimetry science, which is the process of measuring specific heat capacity or enthalpy for both physical changes and chemical reactions in a certain system.

Market Dynamics

A growing use of calorimeter device for the study and research of chemistry, biochemistry and thermodynamics is major driving factor behind the growth of the market. The continuous advancements and developments in the instrumentation field, huge availability of specialized and advanced calorimeter in the market, rising demand for calorimeter from the industry professionals and academic researchers, escalating investments in the chemical and biochemical research sector and surge in the adoption advanced calorimeters in aerospace, automotive, nanotechnology, biomedical and biochemical, pharmaceutical and geology industries are expected to improve growth of the market during the forecast period.

However, the possibility of errors in measurements and high initial cost of the calorimeter are the major restraining factors that could hinder the growth of the market.

Global Calorimeters Market: Segmentation Analysis

By type, bomb calorimeter segment dominated the market in 2019 and is expected to keep its dominance at a CAGR of XX% during the forecast period. A bomb calorimeter is one of the most common and widespread types of constant-volume calorimeter which is generally used to measure combustion heat of a particular reaction. These calorimeters are usually tough and made of steel and they mostly make use of an oxygenated atmosphere for combustion purposes. Also, these calorimeters have capability to resist the explosive effects of both the exothermic release and the induced pressure during the reaction process, which make them the most ideal choice of variety of applications.

Alternatively, isothermal titration calorimeter segment is projected to witness fast growth at a CAGR of XX% during the forecast period. An increasing significance of these calorimeters in the field of biochemistry and pharmaceutical industry is expected to propel growth of the market during the forecast period.

By industry, biochemistry segment is projected to witness fast growth at a CAGR of XX% during the forecast period. From the past few years, the calorimetry technique is playing the most important historical role in the expansion of the chemical systems and is one of the oldest techniques in chemistry field. The surge in the adoption of calorimeters in biochemistry applications as it can facilitate purpose of substrate required for enzymes is accredited to the growth of the market.

Global Calorimeters Market: Regional Analysis

Region-wise, North America dominated the market in 2019 and is expected to maintain its dominance at a CAGR of XX% during the forecast period. The US and Canada are the major contributors behind the growth of the market in the region. The growth is attributed to the high adoption of calorimeters in chemical and medical applications.

Growing demand for bomb and differential scanning calorimeters for various applications, rising significance of calorimeters in waste-water analyzing equipment and processes and increasing need to measure heat capacity of materials in various industries are driving the growth of the market in NA region.

The objective of the report is to present a comprehensive analysis of the Global Calorimeters Market including all the stakeholders of the industry. The past and current status of the industry with forecasted market size and trends are presented in the report with the analysis of complicated data in simple language. The report covers all the aspects of the industry with a dedicated study of key players that includes market leaders, followers and new entrants. PORTER, SVOR, PESTEL analysis with the potential impact of micro-economic factors of the market has been presented in the report. External as well as internal factors that are supposed to affect the business positively or negatively have been analyzed, which will give a clear futuristic view of the industry to the decision-makers. The report also helps in understanding Global Calorimeters Market dynamics, structure by analyzing the market segments and projects the Global Calorimeters Market. Clear representation of competitive analysis of key players by Application, price, financial position, Product portfolio, growth strategies, and regional presence in the Global Calorimeters Market make the report investors guide.

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The Scope of Global Calorimeters Market

Global Calorimeters Market, By Type

Adiabatic Calorimeters Reaction Calorimeters Bomb Calorimeters Combustion of Non-Flammables Calvet-Type Calorimeters Constant-Pressure Calorimeter Differential Scanning Calorimeter Isothermal Titration CalorimeterGlobal Calorimeters Market, By Industry

Power Industry Biochemistry Coal & Petrochemical OthersGlobal Calorimeters Market, By Region

North America US Canada Europe UK France Germany Italy Spain Norway Russia Asia Pacific China India Japan South Korea Australia Malaysia Indonesia South America Brazil Mexico Argentina Middle East and AfricaGlobal Calorimeters Market, Key Players

Hanna Instruments, Inc TA Instruments METTLER TOLEDO Shimadzu Corporation Setaram Instrumentation Parr Instrument Company NETZSCH Instruments, Inc Yokogawa Electric Corporation ABB Malvern Panalytical Ltd Swan Analytische Instrumente AG Columbus Instruments COSMED Hitachi High-Technologies IKA MGC Diagnostics PhenoSys XX XX

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Global Calorimeters Market : Industry Analysis and Forecast (2019-2027) By Type, Industry, and Region. - LionLowdown

Genetics

Based on genes, nearly everyone is likely to have an atypical response to at least one drug – Scope

Every drug, from morphine to ibuprofen, has a standard dose -- a sort of one-size-fits all recommendation. But a new study suggests that when it comes to drug doses, "one size fits all" rarely applies.

Stanford Medicine professor Russ Altman, MD, PhD, and a team of scientists found that almost everyone (99.5% of individuals) is likely to have an abnormal or "atypical" response to at least one therapeutic drug. This, at least, is the case for people in the United Kingdom, as the study's data came from the UK Biobank, a project that collects, studies and shares data.

The research found that nearly a quarter of the study's participants had been prescribed a drug for which they were predicted to have an atypical response, based on their genetic makeup. On average, participants were predicted to have an atypical response to 10 drugs.

"Ultimately, the hope is that we can show how pervasive drug response variability is and encourage more doctors to rethink the standard prescription protocols that are largely used today and use genetic testing to predict and adjust forthis variability," said Altman, who is an expert in pharmacogenetics, a field that studies the intersection of drugs and genetics.

An "atypical" drug response encompasses a lot of things; but generally speaking, it means a certain drug might not affect one person the way it does another.

For instance, someone who has an atypical metabolic response might process that drug more efficiently, strengthening its initial effects but decreasing its efficacy over time. On the flip side, it could mean that that person is unable to metabolize the drug at all, leaving them without therapeutic aid, or even with dangerous side effects.

These differences in response to a drug are partially due to our genetics. Specific proteins -- workhorse molecules in the body -- break down drugs in order for the body to benefit from the therapeutic. Those proteins are regulated by a specific group of genes. Natural variation in those genes leads to differences in how an individual's body reacts to a given drug molecule.

Altman and his team, including graduate students and first authors of the study Greg McInnes and Adam Lavertu, analyzed data from nearly 500,000 participants.

For 230,000 participants in the study, the team had primary care data going back about 30 years. That includes which drugs had been prescribed, the dose, and all of the patient's different diagnoses. The researchers also had access to detailed genetic information about each patient. They paid special attention to genetic variations in a group of genes that are known to influence the human drug response.

By comparing an individual's genetics against the variations known to exist in the group of drug-response-associated genes, the researchers could predict how any given patient might respond to a drug.

"Pharmacogenetics as a field has been around for a long time, but it hasn't really been adopted into clinical use," McInnes told me. "It's been growing in the last few years as more people realize the impact that it could have on personalized health. For a long time, it's been this overlooked aspect of genetics that I think is actually one of the most clinically actionable advances that has come out of human genetics."

What's more, he said, the wide variability in the human drug response applies to common therapeutics most everyone has encountered or is familiar with -- ibuprofen, codeine, statins and beta blockers among others.

Moving forward, Lavertu says that the goal is to expand drug-gene variant interaction analyses into more diverse populations. The data from the UK Biobank provided critical insight, but it was largely only representative of a British population, where the majority shares European ancestry. A next step for the researchers is to investigate the same genes in the Million Veteran Program, a government research program with a more diverse study population, that is examining how genes, lifestyle and military exposures affect health and illness.

"Our hope is that doing more of these studies will help us find new relationships between genetic variants and drug response, so that pharmacogenetics can benefit more people," Lavertu said.

Photo byMicha Parzuchowski

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Based on genes, nearly everyone is likely to have an atypical response to at least one drug - Scope