Category Archives: Cell Biology

Cell Biology

Decoy Proteins That Bind and Trap the Coronavirus in Development – Technology Networks

Decoy proteins that bind and trap the coronavirus to stop it infecting cells in our bodies are being developed by the University of Leicester.

Using pioneering techniques in molecular evolution, a method used in protein engineering to evolve a protein to optimise its use, the research team led by Professor Nick Brindle at Leicester, and with Dr Julian Sale at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB), are working on the creation of a new soluble protein that binds to the SARS-CoV-2 virus, thereby preventing it from being able to bind to and infect our cells.

The COVID-19 virus normally infects lungs and tissues by binding to a receptor called ACE2 on the surface of our cells. The decoy mimics these receptors, but it is engineered to be more attractive to the virus, so it will bind to the decoy and not ACE2, preventing the virus from hijacking and reproducing within our cells.

Nick Brindle, Professor of Cell Signalling at the University of Leicesters Departments of Molecular & Cell Biology and Cardiovascular Sciences, said:

This is an innovative approach in the ongoing fight against the SARS-CoV-2 virus. By hijacking the receptors on cells in our lungs and other tissues the virus can grow and spread throughout the body and lead to disease.

By creating an attractive decoy protein for the virus to bind to, we are aiming to block the ability of this virus to infect cells and protect the function of the cell surface receptors.

If this approach is successful, it could have the potential to prevent new cases of this deadly disease across the globe.

The initial set of results will be available in two to three months.

To facilitate their research, Professor Brindles team is using a technique called Cryo-Electron Microscopy (Cryo-EM), which enables scientists to image whole virus or parts of the virus in a native environment. The biological sample is frozen rapidly and then imaged by targeting a beam of high energy particles called electrons, which have a wavelength much smaller than the biological molecules being imaged.

As part of its world-leading efforts to support research into COVID-19 and diagnostic testing, the University of Leicester has been working on a number of research projects including the development of adiagnostic maskthat could potentially detect the presence of coronavirus before symptoms appear.

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Decoy Proteins That Bind and Trap the Coronavirus in Development - Technology Networks

Cell Biology

University honors professors with Distinguished Research Achievement Awards – The Brown Daily Herald

Courtesy of Brown University

John Sedivy (right) has been working on understanding the basic mechanisms of aging and cell death, in particular a form known as cellular senescence, since he came to the University in 1995.

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Courtesy of Brown University

Michael Littman focuses on reinforcement learning, a technique used to teach machines through positive and negative feedback.

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Courtesy of Brown University

Peter Monti (right) and Dr. Jennifer Tidey (left) working on their COBRE application last year.

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As part of its 2020 Research Achievement Awards, the University recognized the exemplary research of three accomplished professors in biology, computer science and alcohol and addiction studies with the Distinguished Research Achievement Awards.

These recipients add to the four Early Career Research Achievement awardees, The Herald previously reported. This installment of a two-part series features the work of University professors who have been recognized for their contributions not only at the University level, but also in the nation and across the globe, according to the University website.

Michael Littman codes for humanity

Inventor Danny Hillis once said, I just want to make a machine that will be proud of me. Referencing this quote, Professor of Computer Science Michael Littman PhD96 related his work in machine learning and artificial intelligence to a similar goal. He focuses on reinforcement learning, a technique used to teach machines through positive and negative feedback.

Computer science has always appealed to Littman, who began working in the field when he was 13. I like the idea that you can take very abstract things that float around your head and turn them into something real, he said. The contributions he has made to computer science have ranged from developing theorems that show facts about computations, to empirical work, such as building systems that run these computations. He builds on these two common aspects of computer science research through his studies with human participants and human-computer interaction.

Through his research in machine learning, Littman aims to find innovative ways of teaching machines to carry out intended tasks. One set of projects is about trying to reimagine machine learning from the perspective of people teaching machines, as opposed to machines learning from data, Littman said.

In conjunction with these projects, Littman co-directs the Humanity Centered Robotics Initiative, whose goal is to make robots directly beneficial to people. The emphasis from the very beginning was not to think of robots as a technological entity, but as the interaction between people and the machines, Littman said. Understanding people is a really important part of it.

Through his work with artificial intelligence, Littman experiences the process of making another entity, putting it out in the world, teaching it things and seeing the world through its eyes. Despite the highly technical and artificial nature of his work, Littman is motivated by understanding the natural world better. Its fun to do that especially because these systems are themselves simpler than people, so if we can get a sense of the inner lives of these machines, maybe we can understand people better as well, Littman said.

Peter Monti continues research on alcohol, HIV

Distinguished Professor of Alcohol and Addiction Studies Peter Monti has been researching substance use for over 30 years. For around the last 15 years, his research has focused on the biological and social aspects of the relationship between alcohol and HIV. I fell in love with that area because I was always intrigued with the interaction between psychology and biology, Monti said.

Monti runs Browns Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, which focuses on the psychosocial aspects of substance use and increasingly on its neurobiological underpinnings. A grant from the Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence that Monti received in 2019, which connected his interest in addiction with the long-term sequel of disease, enabled him to investigate questions like how alcohol affects dementia, or how alcohol and other substances affect HIV.

The grant provided Monti with infrastructure for his lab and studies, as well as facilitated the development of junior investigators. As the leader of the Center for Addiction and Disease Risk Exacerbation grant, Monti funds and mentors junior faculty members interested in addiction and disease risk studies until they are prepared to apply for their own grants. The CADRE grant has funded studies that involve human subjects and simulations, as well as studies that tap into the biology of substance use and HIV.

We do a lot of neuroimaging in those studies and weve begun to see some links in level of alcohol use and brain function, added Monti.

Montis studies have also demonstrated the effectiveness of motivational interviewing, an intervention technique that he and colleagues have developed over the past two decades. A lot of it is giving people feedback in regards to their substance use. What we have found is that we can work with individuals to get them to drink less, Monti said, adding that this impacts both substance- and HIV-related and general health.

The COVID-19 pandemic has limited participants ability to come to his lab for his research, but therapy interventions for other studies are still delivered by video conference.

Monti looks forward to continuing his work on the CADRE grant and in expanding his work in alcohol and HIV to clinics across the country.

John Sedivy advances aging research

John Sedivy, professor of biology and director of the Brown Center on the Biology of Aging, has been working on understanding the basic mechanisms of aging and cell death, in particular a form known as cellular senescence, since he came to the University in 1995.

I started working in cancer research. What got me going into aging was the discovery of telomeres, the ends of genetic material, which promote aging and cellular senescence, said Sedivy. I got very interested in understanding the mechanisms of how that actually works.

Cellular senescence affects all tissues and is a phenomenon that becomes pronounced with aging and promotes age-associated diseases. Through research with long-lived mice and studies with cell cultures, Sedivy is able to study the intersection of cellular senescence and retrotransposable elements, which are responsible for creating virus-like entities in all of our genomes. The most exciting thing that we discovered recently is that some drugs that have been used to treat HIV are also effective against these retrotransposable elements, Sedivy said. He added that these drugs have been effective in treating age-associated diseases in mice.

Sedivy has also received a grant for a clinical trial to test these drugs efficacy in treating neurodegenerative disorders, specifically, Alzheimers, The Herald previously reported.

This study could have a profound impact in the clinic. I think it is something that is very exciting and we have indications that this may apply to many different diseases. Those are the kind of results that are almost too good to be true, Sedivy said.

Although the recognition ceremony for all seven awardees was postponed due to COVID-19, we will find a way to celebrate the award in the future, Vice President of Research Jill Pipher wrote in an email to The Herald.

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University honors professors with Distinguished Research Achievement Awards - The Brown Daily Herald

Cell Biology

Precigen Announces Clearance of IND to Initiate Phase I/II Study for First-in-Class PRGN-2009 AdenoVerse Immunotherapy to Treat HPV-positive (HPV+)…

GERMANTOWN, Md., April 20, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Precigen, Inc.(Nasdaq: PGEN), a biopharmaceutical company specializing in the development of innovative gene and cell therapies to improve the lives of patients, today announced that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the Investigational New Drug (IND) application to initiate a Phase I/II trial for Precigen's PRGN-2009, a first-in-class,off-the-shelf (OTS) investigational immunotherapy utilizing the AdenoVerse platform designed to activate the immune system to recognize and target HPV+ solid tumors. HPV+ cancers represent a significant health burden in indications such as head and neck, cervical, vaginal and anal cancer.

ThePhase I portion of the study will follow 3+3 dose escalation to evaluate the safety of PRGN-2009 administered as a monotherapy and to determine the recommended Phase II dose (R2PD) followed by an evaluation of the safety of the combination of PRGN-2009 at the R2PD and an investigational bifunctional fusion protein in patients with recurrent or metastatic HPV-associated cancers. The Phase II portion of the study will evaluate PRGN-2009 as a monotherapy or in combination with the bifunctional fusion protein in patients with newly-diagnosed stage II/III HPV16-positive oropharyngeal cancer.

PRGN-2009 leverages Precigen's UltraVector and AdenoVerse platforms to optimize HPV antigen design in combination with its gorilla adenovector with a large payload capacity and the ability for repeat administration due to very low to non-existent seroprevalence in the human population.

PRGN-2009 is under development through a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement, or CRADA, within the laboratory of Dr. Jeffrey Schlom, Chief oftheLaboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology (LTIB), Center for Cancer Research (CCR),National Cancer Institute (NCI). This CRADA has allowed Precigen to rapidly and cost-effectively advance PRGN-2009 to the clinic.The Phase I/II clinical trial of PRGN-2009 will be conducted at the NIH Clinical Center and will be led by Dr. Julius Strauss, Co-Director of the LTIB's Clinical Trials Group, and Dr. James Gulley, Chief of the Genitourinary Malignancies Branch, CCR, NCI.

"Globally, high-risk HPVs cause nearly 5% of all cancers, with about 570,000 women and 60,000 men diagnosed with HPV-related cancers each year," said Helen Sabzevari, PhD, President and CEO of Precigen. "We are incredibly proud of our continued relationship with NCI and the tremendous progress in bringing forward this novel asset class in such a short period of time. Advancements are critically needed to better target HPV+ tumors across multiple patient groups, and we have been encouraged by the promising preclinical data for PRGN-2009 in potentially targeting this patient population."

About HPV+ CancersHPV infects the squamous cells that line the inner surfaces of certain organs and, consequently, most HPV-related cancers are a type of cancer called squamous cell carcinoma. Some cervical cancers come from HPV infection of gland cells in the cervix and are referred to as adenocarcinomas.1 HPV-related cancers include cervical, oropharyngeal, anal, penile, vaginal, and vulvar.1 Nearly 44,000 HPV-associated cancers occur in the United States each year. Of these, approximately 25,000 occur in women and 19,000 occur in men.2HPV is considered responsible for more than 90% of analand cervicalcancers, about 70% of vaginal and vulvar cancers, and more than 60% of penile cancers.2 Recent studies indicate that about 70% of cancers of the oropharynxalso may be related to HPV.2

Precigen: Advancing Medicine with PrecisionPrecigen (Nasdaq: PGEN) is a dedicated discovery and clinical stage biopharmaceutical company advancing the next generation of gene and cell therapies using precision technology to target the most urgent and intractable diseases in our core therapeutic areas of immuno-oncology, autoimmune disorders, and infectious diseases. Our technologies enable us to find innovative solutions for affordable biotherapeutics in a controlled manner. Precigen operates as an innovation engine progressing a preclinical and clinical pipeline of well-differentiated unique therapies toward clinical proof-of-concept and commercialization.

For more information about Precigen, visit http://www.precigen.com or follow us on Twitter @Precigen and LinkedIn.

References1HPV and Cancer, National Institutes of Health. Accessed in April 20202HPV-Associated Cancer Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Accessed in April 2020

TrademarksPrecigen, AdenoVerse, UltraVector, and Advancing Medicine with Precision are trademarks of Precigen and/or its affiliates. Other names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Safe Harbor StatementSome of the statements made in this press release are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon the Company's current expectations and projections about future events and generally relate to plans, objectives, and expectations for the development of the Company's business, including the timing and progress of preclinical and clinical trials and discovery programs, the promise of the Company's portfolio of therapies, the Company's refocus to a healthcare-oriented business, and its continuing evaluation of options for the Company's non-healthcare businesses. Although management believes that the plans and objectives reflected in or suggested by these forward-looking statements are reasonable, all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including the possibility that the timeline for the Company's clinical trial might be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and actual future results may be materially different from the plans, objectives and expectations expressed in this press release. The Company has no obligation to provide any updates to these forward-looking statements even if its expectations change. All forward-looking statements are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. For further information on potential risks and uncertainties, and other important factors, any of which could cause the Company's actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see the section entitled "Risk Factors" in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Investor Contact:

Steven Harasym

Vice President, Investor Relations

Tel: +1 (301) 556-9850

investors@precigen.com

Media Contact:

Marie Rossi, PhD

Vice President, Communications

Tel: +1 (301) 556-9850

press@precigen.com

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Precigen Announces Clearance of IND to Initiate Phase I/II Study for First-in-Class PRGN-2009 AdenoVerse Immunotherapy to Treat HPV-positive (HPV+)...

Cell Biology

Cloud Computing in Cell Biology, Genomics and Drug Development Market interpreted by a new report – WhaTech Technology and Markets News

Cloud Computing in Cell Biology, Genomics and Drug Development Market research report also gives information on the Trade Overview, Policy, Regional Market, Production Development, Sales, Regional Trade, Business Operation Data, Market Features, Investment Opportunity, Investment Calculation and other important aspects of the industry.

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ReportsnReports has recently added a new research report to its expanding repository. The research report, titled Cloud Computing in Cell Biology, Genomics and Drug Development Market, mainly includes a detailed segmentation of this sector, which is expected to generate massive returns by the end of the forecast period, thus showing an appreciable rate of growth over the coming years on an annual basis.

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The report provides a comprehensive summary of cloud computing for cell biology, genomics and drug design along with detailed profiles of key market players including a revenue product portfolio and recent activities. The report analyzes trends and dynamics including drivers, limitations, challenges and opportunities.

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Report Includes:

43 data tables and 18 additional tables An overview of the global market for cloud computing applications in cell biology, genomics and drug development Analyses of global and regional market trends, with data from 2018 to 2019, and projections of compound annual growth rates (CAGRs) through 2024 Assessment of market trends and opportunities, key developments and the impact of cloud computing technology on the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and healthcare industry verticals Insight into recent developments in cloud infrastructure and information pertaining to key partnerships between cloud service providers and pharma/biotech companies and investment in pharmaceutical R&D sector Discussion of the suppliers landscape, as well as the market positioning and strategies of key manufacturers and suppliers for cloud computing applications Review of patent applications filed regarding cloud computing technology in the U.S. healthcare sector Company profiles of the leading market players, including Amazon Web Services (AWS) Inc., Cisco Systems Inc., DXC Technology, Google LLC, Salesforce.com Inc., and SAP SE

Summary

The global market for cloud computing in cell biology, genomics and drug development is estimated to grow at a CAGR of REDACTED during the forecast period. The market was valued at REDACTED in 2018 and is expected to reach REDACTED in 2024.

In biomedical research, cloud computing has resolved big data concerns and improves data, analytics, collaboration and sharing. Increasing biomedical research based on human, animal, plants, and microbes has increased the dependency on proper storage and network infrastructure as well as secure and scalable computing.

With growing big data concerns, researchers are inclined towards cloud computing platforms. These platforms provide flexibility to users to pay according to their usage of cloud services including software, hardware infrastructure and platforms to solve biomedical computation concerns.

The cloud offers ondemand storage and an analysis facility to users which makes it an emerging computing platform to address big data concerns. Owing to the flexibility and cost-effectiveness, cloud services are gaining significant importance in life science research for data storage, communication and collaboration with stakeholders.

On cloud platforms, large datasets and applications for gene sequencing, image analysis, protein folding and data mining can be shared for collaborative research between facilities.

The major pivotal factors contributing to the growth of the market include rising genomics and proteomics research and the increasing number of clinical trials performed across various countries. Considerable public and private investment in genomics and proteomics research is providing support to biotechnology start-ups and research institutes.

This helps healthcare providers to develop and commercialize genomics technologies and personalized medicines. Increasing U.S. FDA approvals for personalized medicines are supporting the growth in genomics research.

For example, according to the Personalized Medicine Coalition, in 2018, approximately REDACTED of the REDACTED new molecularentities (NMEs) approved by the FDA are personalized medicines which constitute REDACTED of all new drug approvals.

The Coalition classified REDACTED of NMEs as personalized medicines in 2017, REDACTED in 2015 and REDACTED in 2016. The U.S. FDA is making efforts to facilitate access to genomic testing and integration of real-world evidence into its regulatory framework.

As a result, the FDA has begun to authorize the marketing of cancer-related genetic tests, and pharmacogenetics were allowed to be sold directly to the consumers. This has resulted in the development of personalized medicine as an emerging practice of medicine that utilizes the genetic profile of an individual to make appropriate decisions regarding prevention, diagnosis and treatment of the condition.

Gaining complete knowledge about the patients genetic profile helps doctors to choose proper therapy or medication and to administer it with the proper regimen or dose. Significant data is generated by sequencing a single human genome which necessitates the adoption of cloud services.

The 1000 Genomes Project is an effort to sequence genomes of at least a thousand people from across the globe to develop the most comprehensive and medically relevant picture of human genetic variation. This initiative intends to make genomic data easily accessible from international research institutions.

Major support for the project is offered by the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Hinxton, England and the Beijing Genomics Institute, Shenzhen (BGI Shenzhen) in China.

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Cloud Computing in Cell Biology, Genomics and Drug Development Market interpreted by a new report - WhaTech Technology and Markets News

Cell Biology

Innate Pharma to Hold Its Annual General Meeting of Shareholders on May 19, 2020 Without the Physical Presence of Its Shareholders – BioSpace

MARSEILLE, France, April 14, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Innate Pharma (the Company - Euronext Paris: FR0010331421 IPH) will hold its Annual General Meeting of Shareholders (AGM) on May 19, 2020 AM in its headquarters, 117 avenue de Luminy, F-13009 Marseille.

The procedures for holding the Combined General Meeting have been adapted in accordance with Article 4 of Ordinance No. 2020-321 of 25 March 2020 adapting the rules for meetings and deliberations of the meetings and governing bodies of legal entities and entities without legal personality under private law due to the Covid-19 epidemic (the "Covid-19 Ordinance").

In accordance with Article 4 of Covid-19 Ordinance, the AGM must be held without the shareholders and other persons entitled to attend being physically present. Shareholders are therefore invited to vote at the general meeting either by mail or by proxy.

The Notice of Meeting of this AGM was published on April 14, 2020, in the French official legal bulletin (BALO). It includes the agenda, the proposed resolutions as well as instructions to participate and vote in this AGM. It is also available on the Companys website.

All documentation regarding this AGM will be published on the Companys website as of today.

Precision regarding the AGM:

Only shareholders having registered their shares at least two business days prior to the date of the AGM, by midnight Paris time, will be able to participate.

Shareholders holding au porteur (bearer) shares will need to obtain an attestation de participation (certificate of shareholding) from their brokers. This attestation de participation must be attached to the proxy form or to the appropriate voting form if shareholders wish to designate a proxy or vote by post.

Written questions from shareholders must be received from the day of the publication of the official convocation to the AGM up until four business days prior to the AGM (by e-mail to investors@innate-pharma.com).

Shareholders may obtain the legal documentation in preparation of the AGM (as described in article R. 225-83 of the French Code de Commerce) by sending a request by e-mail to investors@innate-pharma.com.

About Innate Pharma:

Innate Pharma S.A. is a commercial stage oncology-focused biotech company dedicated to improving treatment and clinical outcomes for patients through therapeutic antibodies that harness the immune system to fight cancer.

Innate Pharmas commercial-stage product, Lumoxiti, in-licensed from AstraZeneca in the US, EU and Switzerland, was approved by the FDA in September 2018. Lumoxiti is a first-in class specialty oncology product for hairy cell leukemia. Innate Pharmas broad pipeline of antibodies includes several potentially first-in-class clinical and preclinical candidates in cancers with high unmet medical need.

Innate has been a pioneer in the understanding of natural killer cell biology and has expanded its expertise in the tumor microenvironment and tumor-antigens, as well as antibody engineering. This innovative approach has resulted in a diversified proprietary portfolio and major alliances with leaders in the biopharmaceutical industry including Bristol-Myers Squibb, Novo Nordisk A/S, Sanofi, and a multi-products collaboration with AstraZeneca.

Based in Marseille, France, Innate Pharma is listed on Euronext Paris and Nasdaq in the US.

Learn more about Innate Pharma at http://www.innate-pharma.com

Information about Innate Pharma shares:

Disclaimer:

Neither this press release nor the information contained herein constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy or subscribe for shares in Innate Pharma in any country.

For additional information, please contact:

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Innate Pharma to Hold Its Annual General Meeting of Shareholders on May 19, 2020 Without the Physical Presence of Its Shareholders - BioSpace

Cell Biology

University Of Chicago Medicine Conducting Breakthrough Study On Blood Plasma Treatment For COVID-19 – CBS Chicago

CHICAGO (CBS) A possible breakthrough treatment for the novel coronavirus is being tested in Chicago.

Doctors at University of Chicago Medicine are using blood plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients to treat those who are seriously ill with the disease.

Assistant Professor of Surgery Dr. Maria Lucia Madariaga joined CBS 2s Brad Edwards and Irika Sargent via Skype on Monday to explain how it works.

So basically, convalescent plasma relies on the principle of passive immunity. Essentially, well be taking plasma which is the liquid part of your blood from a patient who has recovered from the disease, and transfuse it into patients who are currently sick in the hospital, in the hopes of transferring antivirus antibodies to fight COVID-19, Madariaga said.

The study involves several different units and professors at the U of C, particularly Dr. Patrick Wilson whose research is focused on B cell biology and the specificity of expressed antibody molecules. Also involved are the blood bank, the Transplant Institute, the Department of Medicine, and the Department of Surgery, Madariaga said.

The goal, she said, is to understand how convalescent plasma works, how we can best treat patients, and which proteins are the best target for a vaccine.

Convalescent plasma treatment is far from new. Madariaga explained that in the 20th century, it was used to prevent schoolchildren from getting measles.

It has also been used to treat patients with influenza, and with SARS and MERS two respiratory diseases that were also caused by coronaviruses.

Currently, early reports from China suggest that plasma therapy is helpful and safe for COVID-19 patients, Madariaga said.

Right now, plasma donors are needed, Madariaga said. Donors must be 18 or older and must have had a positive COVID-19 test in the past and no longer have symptoms.

Patients who receive the plasma will be those who have severe or life-threatening COVID-19.

The reports that we have right now from around the world, in centers who are using this form of therapy, show that improvements occur in patients. But its too early to say what the exact time course is going to be, Madariaga said.

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University Of Chicago Medicine Conducting Breakthrough Study On Blood Plasma Treatment For COVID-19 - CBS Chicago

Cell Biology

FRQS to fund new structural biology centre at McGill University – McGill Newsroom

The health sciences research arm of the Quebec government [Fonds de recherche du Qubec sant (FRQS)] today announced it will provide $2 million to assist in the establishment of the Centre de Recherche en Biologie Structurale (CRBS) at McGill University. The new centre will become the premiere Structural Biology facility in Quebec and a leading centre in Canada, and aims to facilitate structural biology and biophysics for the broader scientific community for the next wave of scientific breakthroughs

Some of the most pressing challenges in medicine today include targeting treatments to specific patients, fighting antibiotic resistance and treating neurological conditions linked to aging. Collectively, these phenomena affect hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Understanding the fundamental biological mechanisms of disease is essential in order to develop effective treatments. The CRBS will focus the expertise of 38 McGill researchers based in nine different departments in areas such as biochemistry, physiology, pharmacology, anatomy and cell biology, chemistry, physics, engineering, parasitology and biology to advance our knowledge of the molecular basis of disease and leveraging biophysical, chemical and synthetic biology for human health worldwide. The Director of the centre will be Dr. Martin Schmeing, and the Associate Director will be Dr. Alba Guarn, both Canada Research Chair holders and accomplished structural biologists.

Structural biology is of fundamental importance for human health research.Creating this new centre will enable us to be on the leading edge of new discoveries, and will maintain the prominence of Quebec as a hub for world-leading medical inquiry."Dr. Martha Crago, Vice Principal, Research & Innovation at McGill University.

McGill University, renowned for its medical research and training abilities, is an ideal location to house the CRBS, as it offers excellent facilities for biophysical training, and the necessary specialized equipment for leading-edge investigations. This includes X-ray diffraction sets, imaging and robotics for crystallization, state-of-the-art equipment for high-resolution biological electron microscopy, mass spectrometers, circular dichroism spectrophotometers, isothermal titration calorimeters and many others.

The CRBS will spearhead a number of new initiatives including:

The establishment of the CRBS supports the strategic goals of both the FRQS and the University. In particular, McGill University has a commitment to advance biomedical and health sciences for healthy populations. The FRQS, meanwhile, is charged with enacting the Strategie Quebecoise de la recherche et de linnovation (SQRI), which aims to develop talent, skills and competencies to increase research capacity and support innovation. The new CRBS will enable both organizations to achieve their long-term objectives while supporting exciting discoveries in fundamental biomedical research.

About McGill UniversityFounded in Montreal, Quebec, in 1821, McGill is a leading Canadian post-secondary institution. It has two campuses, 11 faculties, 13 professional schools, 300 programs of study and over 40,000 students, including more than 10,200 graduate students. McGill attracts students from over 150 countries around the world, its 12,800 international students making up 31% per cent of the student body. Over half of McGill students claim a first language other than English, including approximately 19% of our students who say French is their mother tongue.

About the Fonds de recherche du Qubec santThe Fonds de recherche du Qubec Sant promotes and provides financial support for all areas of research in the field of health, including basic, clinical and epidemiological research, research in the field of public health and research in the field of health services.

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FRQS to fund new structural biology centre at McGill University - McGill Newsroom

Cell Biology

Biology Basics: What is a Virus? Bacteria? Fungus? And How Can We Kill Them? – Clare County Review

April 13, 2020

Dear Editor:With the coronavirus is on everyones mind, lets go back to some basics. Like what is a virus and how do we get rid of it? Modern medicine seems to cure most anything, so why is it so hard to destroy the coronavirus?There are three major pathogens (biological structures that can make humans ill). They are bacteria (bacterium), fungi (fungus), and viruses (virus). Each one is unique in its structure and complexity. Therefore, the way to destroy each of them is also unique.

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

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

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

First, fungi tend to be external organisms that live on surfaces. Mold, mushrooms, and mildew are some classic examples and good to use as a reference. They grow in dark, moist places on decaying matter. The hypha or roots borrow into the organic matter to extract the nutrients it needs for life. Athletes foot, jock itch, and yeast infections are all common pathogens many of us have suffered. Although, internally fungi are lethal, they are rare. Most external fungi can be destroyed with an anti-fungal cream or pill. Fungi tend to be on the low side of complexity and relatively easy to kill.Bacterial pathogens are individual living organisms. They are the germs that we think of swimming around under a microscope. There are millions of varieties of them. They live on their own, on surfaces within the air, in foods and water. Many ear, throat, and sinus infections are bacterial.

Fortunately, our immune system is pretty good at identifying these foreign organisms living within our bodies and can destroy them on its own. And if it cannot, a doctor can prescribe an antibiotic (penicillin) to finish the job.On the other hand, viruses are non-living, they are DNA pirates. They cannot live or reproduce on their own. Think of a virus as a blob of grease or oil with a single strand of DNA within it. No nucleus, no organelles, just a microscopic ball of fat with a code to cause some biological mutiny.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Andrew J. FrischFarwell High School.

Original post:
Biology Basics: What is a Virus? Bacteria? Fungus? And How Can We Kill Them? - Clare County Review

Cell Biology

Fast-tracked research projects aim to respond quickly to mitigate effects of COVID-19 – University of Miami

Twenty-four University of Miami research teams have received rapid response grants to undertake innovative projects that will provide critical information about the novel coronavirus.

Imagine this: developing an oral rinse test to detect COVID-19 earlier, creating a behavior therapy program for parents so that they do not pass on the stress they are feeling to their children during the pandemic, and gauging the effects of COVID-19 on pregnant women and trying to determine the impacts on their new babies.

These are just a few of the 24 projects recently awarded rapid response grants from the University of Miamis Office of the Vice Provost for Research. The grants, which range from $5,000 to $40,000, require faculty members and students to develop and execute research that will somehow broaden our understanding of COVID-19 and begin to mitigate its impacts within the next four months.

Our idea was to take advantage of researchers creativity and commitment in tackling some of the most pressing problems around the COVID-19 epidemic, said John Bixby, vice provost for research and professor of molecular and cellular pharmacology and neurological surgery. We challenged them to examine the effects of the pandemic on multiple aspects of peoples livesnot just the physical ones, but the social aspects, the economic ones, and the environmental.

With just 10 days to submit proposals, faculty members across the university flooded the office with applications and more than 70 ideas were submitted. Each award was reviewed by three individuals, and the awardees were selected based on novelty, potential impact on the effort to combat COVID-19, and whether the study could be completed in short turnaround time.

The faculty response was inspiring, said Erin Kobetz, co-vice provost for research. There was a level of innovation across multiple disciplines that demonstrates an institutional commitment to addressing the COVID-19 pandemic. We look forward to the outcomes of those applications that were funded and imagine that they will lead to positive, measurable impact now and in the future.

After the four months are over, teams will be asked to report their progress, Bixby said. Below is a list of all the projects awarded grants:

This team will evaluate the potential benefits of nitric oxide in treating COVID-19 utilizing the iNOpulse technology, which may potentially allow future patients to be treated outside of the hospital.

Principal investigator: Roger Alvarez, assistant professor of clinical medicine,

This team will develop a novel vaccine to protect against the current coronavirus pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2. Its strategy involves replacing the envelope glycoprotein (G) of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) with the spike of COVID-19. The resulting virus will form the basis of a vaccine to generate neutralizing antibody to the SARS-CoV-2 spike that could prevent disease if exposed to the real virus.

Principal investigator: Glen Barber, professor and chair of cell biology

This study will exploit the enzyme TMPRSS2 as a potential link between androgen receptors and COVID-19 by providing preliminary data on whether certain drugscalled androgen receptor antagoniststhat are effective and safe for treating prostate cancer, might also be effective in treating COVID-19.

Principal investigator: Kerry Burnstein, professor of molecular and cellular pharmacology

Artist Xavier Cortada will develop a socially engaged art platform online to mitigate stress related to COVID-19 infection and/or social distancing. He is also working to develop participatory art projects and an online message mural to capture stories from individuals across South Florida as they are affected by the pandemic. https://cortadaprojects.org/projects/corona/

Principal investigator: Xavier Cortada, professor of practice, art and art history

Public health emergencies pose huge challenges to the behavioral health system, and consequences on the psychosocial well-being of people in at-risk communities largely go overlooked. This project will first identify community psychosocial needs and then create and disseminate a multilingual COVID-19 online toolkit and resource hub to mitigate negative mental health outcomes throughout the pandemic.

Principal investigator: Bridget Davidson, assistant professor of clinical pediatrics

This team will develop a prototype for a socially engaging online experience targeting vulnerable and older adults where future University live cultural offerings could benefit from a secondary virtual platform.

Principal investigator: Joy Doan, head of Marta and Austin Weeks Music Library

Since parental stress during disasters or quarantine may be associated with child traumatic stress and/or subsequent incidents of abuse or neglect, this study will examine how parent-directed telehealth interventions using motivational, opposite action, and mindfulness strategies can be deployed during crisis situations to mitigate risk for parents exhibiting mental health concerns during our current COVID-19 pandemic.

Principal investigator: Jill Ehrenreich-May, professor of psychology

This project will enable the development of an oral rinse test that detects COVID-19 earlier and saves lives by directing resources and quarantine efforts to patients who need them most. Researchers will perform testing with the current prototype on a confirmed COVID-19 patient to determine the best antigen and concentration.

Principal investigator: Elizabeth Franzmann, associate professor of otolaryngology

This team will take blood samples from asymptomatic health care personnel working in any patient care capacity in three high-risk medical specialtiesotolaryngology, anesthesiology, and ophthalmologyand examine them for the presence of immunity. The results could help South Florida hospitals consider strategies for resource and personnel deployment.

Principal investigator: Michael Hoffer, professor of otolaryngology and neurological surgery

This team will gather data and insight on loneliness and other behaviors in the wake of CDC recommendations for social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results will demonstrate the effects of this public health crisis on loneliness, as well as other psychosocial symptoms. The team will also assist public health professionals in preparation for post-pandemic interventions and future global health emergencies.

Principal investigator: Viviana Horigian, associate professor of public health sciences

More than 20 models of the viral protease (which if targeted, might stop the virus) have been openly shared on Twitter, prompting labs around the world to begin a collective search for protease inhibitors. This project will provide a cheap, accessible screening test for characterizing potential protease inhibitors and use the available crystal structures to develop effective protease inhibitors through computational techniques.

Principal investigator: Daniel Isom, assistant professor, molecular and cellular pharmacology

Researchers will investigate the ability to detect the COVID-19 virus in donor allograft tissue and frozen tissue. They will also attempt to determine whether the COVID-19 virus in the donor tissue is associated with transmission to the recipient and influences short- or long-term survival, as well as the health of the recipient.

Principal investigators: Hugo Kaneku Nagahama, assistant professor, surgery and Phillip Ruiz, professor of surgery and pathology and director of Transplantation Laboratories and immunopathology

Partnering with Breakthrough Miami, a community-based academic enrichment organization for low-income students, this study will contact families involved with this organization to understand the educational and health-related challenges as a result of COVID-19. Researchers will also investigate the role of community-based organizations in the mitigation of stress related to the concerns of infection and social distancing.

Principal Investigator: Laura Kohn Wood, dean and professor in the School of Education and Human Development.

Ear, nose, and throat (ENT) doctors play a key role in the treatment of COVID-19, but they are at high risk of exposure. This team will identify ENT issues in COVID-19 patients at the University of Miami and Jackson Memorial Hospital and evaluate new approaches to case identification and health care worker protection.

Principal investigator: Xue Liu, professor and Marian and Walter Hotchkiss Endowed Chair in otolaryngology

Mindfulness training has emerged as an effective program to enhance cognitive functioning, improve psychological and physical health, and to reduce loneliness in young to mid-aged adults. But little is known about its effects in elderly adults. This proposal aims to offer mindfulness training via online delivery to elderly adults and to assess the trainings potential to protect against cognitive decline and degradation in psychological and physical health during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Principal investigator: Ekaterina Ninova (Denkova), research assistant professor, psychology

Individuals who have hypertension, diabetes, or underlying cardiovascular disease have higher rates of mortality from COVID-19 than the average person. Patients with these diseases have a high likelihood of being prescribed ACE inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) in order to treat their underlying ailments. This project will examine whether there is a link between drugs that are given to patients with hypertension, coronary artery disease, diabetes, or cardiovascular disease and the outcomes of COVID-19 patients.

Principal investigator: Savita Pahwa, professor, microbiology and immunology

This project aims to determine the rate of COVID-19 positivity among pregnant women and their newborns delivering at a tertiary care center in Miami with the highest rates of coronavirus in Florida. They also want to identify cases of maternal transmission of COVID-19, which is critical to establish treatment guidelines, while also answering questions about disease progression, perinatal transmission, and effects on the newborn.

Principal investigator: JoNell Potter, professor of clinical, obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive services

This team will test, evaluate, and create new reusable mask designs for use in the health care setting to limit exposure and protect medical personnel and first responders who treat coronavirus patients. The aim is to provide masks to workers within the University of Miami and Jackson Memorial Hospital first. Finalized mask designs can be shared with other medical facilities.

Principal investigator: Carl Schulman, executive dean for research and professor

This project hopes to develop a deep learning program that could classify X-ray or CT scan imaging characteristics in COVID-19 patients that could help radiologists categorize them into those patients who require hospitalization, those who will need Intensive Care Unit admission, and those at risk for death. In addition, such a deep learning network could be used to predict the patients response to current experimental drugs.

Principal investigator: Radka Stoyanova, research professor in radiation oncology

This project aims to understand the relationship between cardiac injury and COVID-19 severity. The team will conduct an extensive evaluation of 50 patients with a new COVID-19 infection who require hospital admission and will test myocardial injury and inflammatory biomarkers, use cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR), and offer a social determinants of health survey. Blood will be saved for future biomarker discovery and genomic evaluation.

Principal investigator: Leonardo Tamariz, professor of medicine

While respiratory distress dominates acute symptoms of COVID-19, ruptures in the brains capillary cells accompanied by bleeding within the brain have fatal consequences in patients with COVID-19.Moreover, impacts of COVID-19 on the brain depend largely on the ability of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to leak in through brain capillaries, the cells of which express the SARS-CoV-2 receptor (ACE2). This study is based on the hypothesis that interaction of the virus with ACE2 disrupts the normal barrier function of brain capillary cells, and induces inflammatory responses derived from these cells.

Principal Investigator: Michal Toborek, vice-chair for research and professor, biochemistry and molecular biology

Given the surfeit of social media data accompanying the recent outbreak of COVID-19, this group will take a computational and big data-driven approach to uncovering information about viral transmission, social sentiment and response, decision-making, and public health policy recommendations. The group proposes to develop algorithm(s), as well as an online early alert system, to provide early warnings for disease surveillance tied to geographical data.

Principal investigator: Nicholas Tsinoremas, director of the Institute for Data Science and Computing

This team will investigate Florida citizens opinions on COVID-19, including their thoughts about the causes and consequences of the pandemic, their preferred sources of information, and subsequent behavior changes. They will also assess public perceptions of government responses to COVID-19 to determine how Floridians change their perceptions and behaviors over time in response to changing policies, messaging, and conditionsparticularly if they or someone they know becomes ill. This will be one of very few studies to track a statewide populations opinions, lifestyle factors, and health behaviors during an ongoing pandemicwith clear implications for policymakers, health communicators, and disaster specialists.

Principal investigator: Joseph Uscinski, associate professor of political science

Because young adults appear to experience fewer cases of the COVID-19 virus, this population may engage in behaviors that contribute to the spread of COVID-19. Yet, little is known about the impact of COVID-19 on adolescent mental and physical health and their substance-use behaviors. This project hopes to collect epidemiologic data on the patterns of mental and physical health, substance use (frequency and dose), and potential disease transmission behaviors among young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Principal investigator: Denise Vidot, assistant professor in the School of Nursing and Health Studies

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Fast-tracked research projects aim to respond quickly to mitigate effects of COVID-19 - University of Miami

Cell Biology

Supervisor Dean Preston and UC Berkley researchers team up to deliver hand sanitizer to MUNI operators – KRON4

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., (KRON) San Francisco District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston and UC Berkeley researchers partner to deliver 500 bottles of hand sanitizer to MUNI operators early Monday morning.A group of volunteers helped deliver hand sanitizers in an effort to assist in the citys response to COVID-19.

During this public health crisis, we must protect our essential workers, and that includes MUNI operators said Preston. For all of the MUNI operators who are bravely providing essential services, the least we can do is ensure they have basic protective supplies on the job.

Since the start of the outbreak Presidentof Transit Workers Union 250A Roger Marenco has urged the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to protect operators and its passengers.

If the city is requiring essential workers to come to work and provide essential services, then we need to be issued essential protective equipment, Marenco said.

Supervisor Prestons office and UC Berkeley researchers have been working together to help deliver hand sanitizer to people who need it the most since the start of sheltering-in-place orders.

Abrar Abidi and Yvonne Hao, researchers from UC Berkeleys Department of Molecular and Cell Biology reached out Supervisor Prestons office with a goal to help Bay Area residents.

Our goal is to make and distribute hand sanitizer to every homeless person, every MUNI operator, every jail inmate, every senior home, and every frontline healthcare worker in the Bay, said Yvonne Hao.

The group has been able to deliver approximately 200 gallons of hand sanitizer to homeless shelters, county jails and MUNI operators in San Francisco.

We are extremely grateful for the district 5 team stepping up to support our Muni Operators, said Marenco.

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Supervisor Dean Preston and UC Berkley researchers team up to deliver hand sanitizer to MUNI operators - KRON4