Category Archives: Cell Biology

Cell Biology

Fate Therapeutics Reports Fourth Quarter 2019 Financial Results and Operational Progress with 2020 Outlook – Yahoo Finance

Reported Initial Clinical Data from FT500 Phase 1 Study in Advanced Solid Tumors, Supporting Safety and Tolerability of Multi-dose Treatment Paradigm for Off-the-shelf, iPSC-derived NK Cells

First Patients Treated with FT516, the First-ever Engineered iPSC-derived Cellular Immunotherapy, for AML and for B-cell Lymphoma in Combination with Rituximab

Initiated Enrollment of First-in-human Clinical Trial of FT596, the First-ever Cellular Immunotherapy Engineered with Three Active Anti-tumor Modalities

Ended Quarter with $261 Million in Cash, Cash Equivalents and Marketable Securities

SAN DIEGO, March 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fate Therapeutics, Inc. (FATE), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of programmed cellular immunotherapies for cancer and immune disorders, today reported business highlights and financial results for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2019.

In 2019, we made tremendous progress in pioneering the clinical development of off-the-shelf, iPSC-derived cancer immunotherapy. Our FT500 program demonstrated that multiple doses of iPSC-derived NK cells can be delivered off-the-shelf to a patient in a safe manner without patient matching. Additionally, our FT516 program provided initial clinical evidence that engineered iPSC-derived NK cells may confer anti-tumor activity and deliver clinically meaningful benefit to patients. We also showed the unmatched scalability of our proprietary iPSC product platform, having manufactured hundreds of cryopreserved, infusion-ready doses of our iPSC-derived NK cell product candidates at a low cost per dose in our new GMP manufacturing facility, said Scott Wolchko, President and Chief Executive Officer of Fate Therapeutics. In 2020, we look forward to additional clinical data from our FT500 and FT516 programs, and initial clinical data from FT596, our ground-breaking iPSC-derived CAR NK cell product candidate for the treatment of B-cell malignancies designed to overcome many of the limitations inherent in current CAR T-cell immunotherapies. We also expect to begin clinical investigation of our off-the-shelf, iPSC-derived NK cell programs in multiple myeloma with planned IND submissions for FT538, the first-ever CRISPR-edited, iPSC-derived cell therapy, and for FT576, our multi-antigen targeted, CAR-BCMA product candidate. Finally, under our collaboration with Memorial Sloan Kettering, we strive to be the first group in the world to bring off-the-shelf, iPSC-derived CAR T-cell therapy to patients.

Clinical Programs

Preclinical Pipeline

Fourth Quarter 2019 Financial Results

Today's Conference Call and Webcast

The Company will conduct a conference call today, Monday, March 2, 2020 at 5:00 p.m. ET to review financial and operating results for the quarter ended December 31, 2019. In order to participate in the conference call, please dial 877-303-6229 (domestic) or 631-291-4833 (international) and refer to conference ID 9879730. The live webcast can be accessed under "Events & Presentations" in the Investors & Media section of the Company's website at http://www.fatetherapeutics.com. The archived webcast will be available on the Company's website beginning approximately two hours after the event.

About Fate Therapeutics iPSC Product PlatformThe Companys proprietary induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) product platform enables mass production of off-the-shelf, engineered, homogeneous cell products that can be administered with multiple doses to deliver more effective pharmacologic activity, including in combination with cycles of other cancer treatments. Human iPSCs possess the unique dual properties of unlimited self-renewal and differentiation potential into all cell types of the body. The Companys first-of-kind approach involves engineering human iPSCs in a one-time genetic modification event and selecting a single engineered iPSC for maintenance as a clonal master iPSC line. Analogous to master cell lines used to manufacture biopharmaceutical drug products such as monoclonal antibodies, clonal master iPSC lines are a renewable source for manufacturing cell therapy products which are well-defined and uniform in composition, can be mass produced at significant scale in a cost-effective manner, and can be delivered off-the-shelf for patient treatment. As a result, the Companys platform is uniquely capable of overcoming numerous limitations associated with the production of cell therapies using patient- or donor-sourced cells, which is logistically complex and expensive and is subject to batch-to-batch and cell-to-cell variability that can affect clinical safety and efficacy. Fate Therapeutics iPSC product platform is supported by an intellectual property portfolio of over 300 issued patents and 150 pending patent applications.

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About FT500

FT500 is an investigational, universal, off-the-shelf natural killer (NK) cell cancer immunotherapy derived from a clonal master induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line. The product candidate is being investigated in an open-label, multi-dose Phase 1 clinical trial for the treatment of advanced solid tumors (NCT03841110). The study is designed to assess the safety and tolerability of three once-weekly doses of FT500 as a monotherapy and in combination with one of three FDA-approved immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapies nivolumab, pembrolizumab or atezolizumab in patients that have failed prior ICI therapy. Despite the clinical benefit conferred by approved ICI therapy against a variety of tumor types, these therapies are not curative and, in most cases, patients either fail to respond or their disease progresses on these agents. One common mechanism of resistance to ICI therapy is associated with loss-of-function mutations in genes critical for antigen presentation. A potential strategy to overcome resistance is through the administration of allogeneic NK cells, which have the inherent capability to recognize and directly kill tumor cells with these mutations.

About FT516

FT516 is an investigational, universal, off-the-shelf natural killer (NK) cell cancer immunotherapy derived from a clonal master induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line engineered to express a novel high-affinity 158V, non-cleavable CD16 (hnCD16) Fc receptor, which has been modified to prevent its down-regulation and to enhance its binding to tumor-targeting antibodies. CD16 mediates antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), a potent anti-tumor mechanism by which NK cells recognize, bind and kill antibody-coated cancer cells. ADCC is dependent on NK cells maintaining stable and effective expression of CD16, which has been shown to undergo considerable down-regulation in cancer patients. In addition, CD16 occurs in two variants, 158V or 158F, that elicit high or low binding affinity, respectively, to the Fc domain of IgG1 antibodies. Numerous clinical studies with FDA-approved tumor-targeting antibodies, including rituximab, trastuzumab and cetuximab, have demonstrated that patients homozygous for the 158V variant, which is present in only about 15% of patients, have improved clinical outcomes. FT516 is being investigated in an open-label, multi-dose Phase 1 clinical trial as a monotherapy for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia and in combination with CD20-directed monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of advanced B-cell lymphoma (NCT04023071). Additionally, the FDA has allowed investigation of FT516 in an open-label, multi-dose Phase 1 clinical trial in combination with monoclonal antibody therapy, including PDL1-, PD1-, EGFR- and HER2-targeting therapeutic antibodies, across a broad range of solid tumors.

About FT596FT596 is an investigational, universal, off-the-shelf natural killer (NK) cell cancer immunotherapy derived from a clonal master induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) line engineered with three anti-tumor functional modalities: a proprietary chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) optimized for NK cell biology, which contains a NKG2D transmembrane domain, a 2B4 co-stimulatory domain and a CD3-zeta signaling domain, that targets B-cell antigen CD19; a novel high-affinity 158V, non-cleavable CD16 (hnCD16) Fc receptor, which has been modified to prevent its down-regulation and to enhance its binding to tumor-targeting antibodies; and an IL-15 receptor fusion (IL-15RF) that promotes enhanced NK cell activity. In preclinical studies of FT596, the Company has demonstrated that dual activation of the CAR19 and hnCD16 targeting receptors, in combination with IL-15RF signaling, convey synergistic anti-tumor activity. Increased degranulation and cytokine release were observed upon dual receptor activation in lymphoma cancer cells as compared to activation of each receptor alone, indicating that multi-antigen engagement may elicit a deeper and more durable response. Additionally, in a humanized mouse model of lymphoma, FT596 in combination with the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab showed enhanced killing of tumor cells in vivo as compared to rituximab alone. FT596 is being investigated in an open-label Phase 1 clinical trial as a monotherapy, and in combination with rituximab, for the treatment of advanced B-cell lymphoma and in combination with obinutuzumab for the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (NCT04245722).

About Fate Therapeutics, Inc.Fate Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of first-in-class cellular immunotherapies for cancer and immune disorders. The Company has established a leadership position in the clinical development and manufacture of universal, off-the-shelf cell products using its proprietary induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) product platform. The Companys immuno-oncology product candidates include natural killer (NK) cell and T-cell cancer immunotherapies, which are designed to synergize with well-established cancer therapies, including immune checkpoint inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies, and to target tumor-associated antigens with chimeric antigen receptors (CARs). The Companys immuno-regulatory product candidates include ProTmune, a pharmacologically modulated, donor cell graft that is currently being evaluated in a Phase 2 clinical trial for the prevention of graft-versus-host disease, and a myeloid-derived suppressor cell immunotherapy for promoting immune tolerance in patients with immune disorders. Fate Therapeutics is headquartered in San Diego, CA. For more information, please visit http://www.fatetherapeutics.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 including statements regarding the Companys results of operations, financial condition and sufficiency of its cash and cash equivalents to fund its operations, as well as statements regarding the advancement of and plans related to its product candidates, clinical studies and preclinical research and development programs, the Companys progress, plans and timelines for the manufacture and clinical investigation of its product candidates, the timing for the Companys receipt of data from its clinical trials and preclinical studies, the Companys development and regulatory strategy, and the therapeutic and market potential of the Companys product candidates. These and any other forward-looking statements in this release are based on management's current expectations of future events and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially and adversely from those set forth in or implied by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the risk that results observed in prior studies of the Companys product candidates, including preclinical studies and clinical trials, will not be observed in ongoing or future studies involving these product candidates, the risk of a delay or difficulties in the manufacturing of the Companys product candidates or in the initiation of, or enrollment of patients in, any clinical studies, the risk that the Company may cease or delay preclinical or clinical development of any of its product candidates for a variety of reasons (including requirements that may be imposed by regulatory authorities on the initiation or conduct of clinical trials or to support regulatory approval, difficulties or delays in patient enrollment in current and planned clinical trials, difficulties in manufacturing or supplying the Companys product candidates for clinical testing, and any adverse events or other negative results that may be observed during preclinical or clinical development), and the risk that the Companys expenditures may exceed current expectations for a variety of reasons. For a discussion of other risks and uncertainties, and other important factors, any of which could cause the Companys actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements, see the risks and uncertainties detailed in the Companys periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including but not limited to the Companys most recently filed periodic report, and from time to time in the Companys press releases and other investor communications.Fate Therapeutics is providing the information in this release as of this date and does not undertake any obligation to update any forward-looking statements contained in this release as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Availability of Other Information about Fate Therapeutics, Inc.

Investors and others should note that the Company routinely communicates with investors and the public using its website (www.fatetherapeutics.com) and its investor relations website (ir.fatetherapeutics.com) including, without limitation, through the posting of investor presentations, SEC filings, press releases, public conference calls and webcasts on these websites. The information posted on these websites could be deemed to be material information. As a result, investors, the media, and others interested in Fate Therapeutics are encouraged to review this information on a regular basis. The contents of the Companys website, or any other website that may be accessed from the Companys website, shall not be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended.

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss(in thousands, except share and per share data)(unaudited)

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets(in thousands)(unaudited)

Contact:Christina TartagliaStern Investor Relations, Inc.212.362.1200christina@sternir.com

Link:
Fate Therapeutics Reports Fourth Quarter 2019 Financial Results and Operational Progress with 2020 Outlook - Yahoo Finance

Cell Biology

Researchers Use Tonsils as a Testbed for Anti-inflammatory Agents – TheHealthMania

Biomedical scientists at LMU have isolated immune cells from human tonsils obtained following a routine medical procedure, and utilized them to examine aspects of immune response and test the impacts of anti-inflammatory agents at the cell level. Human tissues are considered as waste when surgically removed from patients and especially when these tissues are derived from tonsils.

However, LMU immunologist Dirk Baumjohann and his group have more interest in the pharyngeal tonsil tissue extracted during a normal adenoidectomy. The purpose behind this is tonsils are part of the lymphatic framework. As lymphoid organs, naturally confined, intact tonsils are a valuable source of resistant cells and can fill in as a stage for researching the cell biology of the immune response.

Study in detail inEBioMedicinethat is an open- access title issued by the publishers of a leading journal The Lancet.

Tonsils play a key role in providing protection against ingested infectious agents and airborne. An Emmy Noether Research Group Leader at the LMU Biomedical Center who recently obtained a faculty position at the University of Bonn, Dirk Baumjohann, has shown more interest in the functional interaction of two main classes of lymphoid cells that are B cells and T helper cells.

Read more-Mediterranean Diet Voted as The Best Diet of 2020 by Nutrition Experts

Among T helper cells, supposed T follicular assistant cells assume a fundamental initiating job in empowering B cells to create and discharge antibodies that explicitly perceive foreign proteins called antigens. On the other hand, misled immune responses interceded by these cells can cause hypersensitivities and autoimmune system diseases. The activation of B cell by T follicular helper cells germinal focuses that are located in lymphatic tissues like the spleen, the lymph nodes, and the tonsils

In the investigation, the analysts tried their framework with a few medications that have been endorsed for the treatment of different inflammatory autoimmune diseases including rheumatoid joint pain, ulcerative colitis, psoriasis, and Crohns ailment.

The researchers have indicated that the action of T follicular partner cells and B cells is suppressed by these agents. Inflammatory responses are intervened by the binding of signal proteins called cytokines to specific receptors on immune cells. Also, many signaling pathways are activated by binding that leads to changes in gene expression.

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A post-doc in Baumjohanns group and lead author of the study, Angelika Schmidt finds that in these analyses, the immunologists have utilized little squares of tonsil tissue, just as profoundly focused suspensions of separated tonsil cells. Suspensions are simpler to deal with and there are options to replicate the outcomes using cell material that are put away in the freezer.

Schmidt tells that the immune defense mechanisms can be directly analyzed in human cells if the human tissue-derived material is available.

Researchers explain that the new culture framework will empower specialists to study human lymphoid tissue under physiologically significant conditions. It gives another and significant trial model for the study of human immune cells.

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Researchers Use Tonsils as a Testbed for Anti-inflammatory Agents - TheHealthMania

Cell Biology

Woman of Wellness to hear from San Diego Blood Bank representative – Fallbrook / Bonsall Villlage News

FALLBROOK Woman of Wellness meets Thursday, March 5, at 6 p.m. for San Diego Blood Bank Saving Lives Today, Improving Life Tomorrow at Fallbrook Library, 124 S. Mission Road.

Fallbrook Regional Health Districts Woman of Wellness Program is looking forward to a presentation by Rob Tressler, Ph.D., vice president of laboratories for the San Diego Blood Bank. He oversees the public cord blood bank and cell therapy research program. His scientific focus is in stem cell biology, oncology and anti-aging research. Tressler will discuss how the blood bank is saving lives with traditional blood donation, as well as improving life tomorrow with the stem cell therapy research and other exciting programs.

In addition, FRHD will sponsor a blood drive March 31, at the administrative office, 138 S. Brandon Road, Fallbrook. Watch for details and mark the calendar now as this opportunity to donate blood.

Fallbrook Regional Health District invites men and women to Woman of Wellness each first Thursday of the month, except for this event on the second Thursday. A social time begins at 6 p.m., followed by the presentation at 6:30 p.m. This free event includes refreshments. Donations of non-perishable food items are collected for the Fallbrook Food Pantry.

For more information, call (760) 731-9187.

Submitted by Fallbrook Regional Health District.

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Woman of Wellness to hear from San Diego Blood Bank representative - Fallbrook / Bonsall Villlage News

Cell Biology

Generation start-up: doctors and AI provide tailored health advice on this app – The National

Medicus AI

Started:2016

Founder(s):DrBaher Al Hakim, DrNadine Nehme and Makram Saleh

Based:Vienna, Austria; started in Dubai

Sector:Health Tech

Staff:119

Funding:7.7 million (Dh31m)

Seven per cent of all searches on Google are about health, mounting to a staggering 70,000 medical-related queries a minute, Google says.

We are all, to some degree, curious or anxious about our bodies. Medicus AI, a health technology company started in Dubai in 2015, is looking to capitalise on that natural inclination. Its app translates medical reports and health data into easy-to-understand, personalised explanations and recommendations for users.

Apps for improving overall well-being - like tracking if youre getting enough sleep, eating well and moving - are one of the worlds hottest digital trends. Studies show this may be a good thing: about 80 per cent of health outcomes are caused by things that happen outside of the medical system, like eating and exercise habits, socioeconomic status and where we live. All of these factors have a bigger impact on health outcomes than the care received in a clinical setting, according to Deloitte.

Medicus AI is taking it a step further by combining the everyday activity of a user with interpretations of their latest medical test results, including vital signs, family history, current medications, and the most commonly-tested blood, urine and stool markers, which are submitted by the companys lab and hospital clients. Patients are then prompted to set up an account so they can see their results in plain, conversational language. The platform also delivers custom health tips and recommended steps to make more healthy choices, like a daily step goal or a followup appointment with a physician.

Just as the average time medical practitioners are spending with patients is declining, our curiosity is increasing, Dr Baher Al Hakim, the chief executive and co-founder of Medicus AI told The National. Our concrete idea was to work with blood tests, but the bigger, more abstract concept was to completely redesign health care.

Diagnostic labs produce billions of reports annually, but the industry has struggled to introduce user-friendly technology products to inform its customers. Medicus AI, which has two full-time and nine part-time medical doctors on staff, combines human-verified data analysis with artificial intelligence (AI) to produce the reports.

Dr Al Hakim, who grew up in Syria and moved to Dubai in 2005 after graduating from dentistry school in Damascus, has been a serial entrepreneur for the last 15 years. But he said Medicus AI is showing the most promise.

In the past I was naive enough to believe the ideas in my head were good enough, he said. After a decade of stymied attempts at launching a digital agency, a FinTech company and a rapid R&D firm, in 2015 he had a chance conversation with his best friend about his latest idea to turn blood test results into the basis for a health technology app.

That conversation led to Dr Al Hakim's meeting with his friend's sister Dr Nadine Nehme who was looking to move to Dubai. Dr Nehme, who holds a PhD in molecular and cellular biology and has done a post-doctoral programme in immunology and genetics, was finding herself antsy as an assistant professor at universities in Beirut. She describes herself as a scientist at the core and was eager to expand her reach beyond the classroom.

She describes her 2015 meeting with Dr Al Hakim as effortless, and with her research background and his entrepreneurial instincts, they agreed to go into business together that day. Less than a year later, the first iteration of the app was coded and they partnered with a lab in Dubai to perform 120 blood tests on family, friends and prospective investors.

The initial tests were routine, checking things like white and red blood cell count, glucose and cholesterol levels to see if a patient is vulnerable to infection, being pre-diabetic or has high cholesterol.

The results were analysed by the lab then uploaded to the Medicus AI app, which converted the results into plain English: are you healthy or not?

Even the completely healthy people really liked to see their results, Dr Al Hakim recalled.

With valuable user feedback and a proof of concept in hand, they landed $600,000 in seed funding, led by Audalion Ventures in Dubai and Speed Invest, a venture capital fund based in Austria.

And then they made a bold move.

With Dr Nehme still in Dubai, her co-founder moved to Vienna, Austria.

There was a lack of deep tech and capital in Dubai, Dr Al Hakim said. In order to grow, Medicus AI was after hospital clients that were the largest in their given market, processing a minimum of 1 million lab results a year. To start out, they decided the team should focus on Europe.

The decision paid off. A year ago, when Medicus AI closed Series A funding of 5 million (Dh20.2m), it reported annual revenue of almost 1m, with its client list including Al Borg Labs in Saudi Arabia and Roche Diagnostics in France. Clients pay a base subscription fee, and then pay per report sent to a patient. The app is white labelled for each client.

Today, it has headquarters in Vienna, with offices in Dubai, Paris, Berlin and Beirut. From a couple of dozen hospital clients in Germany, France and Austria, this year the company is doubling down on the Middle East, according to Dr Al Hakim.

Today, of 112 employees about 80 are on the product side: researchers and AI engineers who make the content relevant in Arabic, German, French and English.

Last month Medicus AI achieved a pivotal milestone, receiving a medical device classification for its mobile app in the EU, which means it can be freely sold anywhere in the EU and will be helpful as it expands worldwide.

Just in time, too. At the end of 2019, the company announced it was looking to raise $22m in the first half of 2020, led by Chinese fund Sunhope Ventures, and began an aggressive expansion plan into Chinas technology capital, Shenzhen. Their plan to hire 18 people is facing delays, however, amid uncertainty over the spread of the coronavirus and containment measures being implemented in the country.

Dr Nehme said she is most excited about a pilot project with Chinas biggest life insurance provider to expand its app to serve pregnant women in Hong Kong.

I was so overwhelmed in my first pregnancy, even though I understood what the doctor was telling me," she recalled.

This came from personal need. We all want to make the best of what we have to help ourselves be healthier.

Revolut, its as essential as your passport when traveling. They have disrupted the traditional banking sector, one of the oldest institutions, using user-centric innovation.

Long-term planning, resilience, being able to adapt and respond quickly to all developments.

Grow more aggressively, hire faster and earlier.

The transition to personalised medicine. Presently patients are treated with a one-size-fits-all approach. With personalised medicine, treatment will be tailored based on a patients unique profile and diagnostic markers and on predicting the therapy response. We are not there, yet, as creating the ability to synthesise personalised medicines relies on collecting and analysing vast amounts of data. The more data we collect, the more accurate, and therefore effective, treatments will be. This will be the next revolution in medicine and the effectiveness of the new medicines will significantly improve the doctor-patient relationship.

Updated: February 29, 2020 04:16 PM

Started:2016

Founder(s):DrBaher Al Hakim, DrNadine Nehme and Makram Saleh

Based:Vienna, Austria; started in Dubai

Sector:Health Tech

Staff:119

Funding:7.7 million (Dh31m)

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Generation start-up: doctors and AI provide tailored health advice on this app - The National

Cell Biology

7 ways to improve your immune system that are better than coronavirus face masks – Mirror Online

Its the time of year when we start reaching for the Berocca tablets in an attempt to keep those cold and flu viruses at bay.

But with the recent spread of coronavirus to the UK, its never been more important to keep your inner security guard in tip-top condition.

Its no surprise that eating well, getting a good nights sleep and washing your hands regularly can help support your bodys ability to fight off infections, but are there other ways to boost your bodys defence mechanism?

Heres how the immune system works, and how to keep it in balance...

So what is it?

The immune system is a network of cells, organs, proteins and antibodies that work to protect you against bacteria, viruses and parasites. It doesnt only work when we feel ill.

Every day we inhale one hundred million viruses, according to the Medical Research Council, and the immune systems job is to keep us safe. There are two main parts: the innate response and the acquired response.

The innate response works out what is friend and foe, then tries to flush out the invader its this that can make us feel feverish or snotty. The acquired response remembers specific invaders and sends the right cells to kill them off.

How do you stop germs spreading?

The NHS says the best defence against germs is to follow basic hygiene washing hands with hot soapy water, or using hand sanitiser.

Use a tissue or your sleeve to catch a cough or sneeze, and avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth if your hands are not clean.

Does wearing a face mask help?

Since the outbreak of coronavirus, sales of face masks have risen 800%, and its likely youve seen people wearing them in busy locations, like at train stations or in airports.

But there is no conclusive evidence to suggest they can stop virus particles from entering the mouth and throat. They may stop you self-contaminating by putting your hands in your mouth or nose.

What about supplements?

Many over-the-counter products claim to boost your immune system, but there is little evidence to show that they do. If you have a poor diet, it may help to take a daily multi-vitamin, but if you are healthy and eat well getting lots of fibre, fruit, veg and healthy fats your immune system should have everything it needs to run optimally.

Age matters

Unfortunately, the immune system declines by about 2-3% a year from our 20s, which is why older people are more susceptible to infections, says Janet Lord, professor of immune cell biology at the University of Birmingham. Death rates from diseases like pneumonia and bronchitis are three times higher among elderly people.

1. Spice things up Season your food with garlic, onions, ginger, turmeric and cayenne pepper. These have antioxidant, detoxification and antimicrobial properties.

2. Drink green tea Its rich in antioxidants called Polyphenols, which are efficient infection fighters.

3. Get enough sleep A good nights sleep (were talking 7-9 hours) can bolster the T cells, which fight infection in the body. One study also showed that just one night of 4 hours sleep depleted the bodys natural killer cells by 70%.

4. Reduce stress The brain and the immune system are in constant communication when we are stressed, the brain produces more cortisol and prepares the body for emergency situations. But while it is doing that, it depresses our immune system. Try relaxation exercises like yoga or meditation. Positive thinking can also go a long way.

5. Keep warm It turns out its true what your mother said cold viruses are more infectious at temperatures lower than 37C, which is the average core body temperature. So wrap up warm when you go outside.

6. Fluids, fluids, fluids Staying hydrated helps your body naturally eliminate toxins and other bacteria that might cause illness. Aim for at least eight glasses of water a day.

7. Essential oils Lemon has powerful antibacterial properties and has been shown to stimulate the production of white blood cells, which fight off infections. Diffuse six drops of lemon oil in a diffuser (like the Tisserand Aroma Spa Diffuser, 39.95) to help give your immune system a boost.

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7 ways to improve your immune system that are better than coronavirus face masks - Mirror Online

Cell Biology

Too Lazy to Exercise? Is It Genetic? – Science Times

(Photo : Piqsels)A recent study suggests that laziness can be blamed on one's genes.

Do you ever wonder why you find it hard to exercise everyday, while others don't? It must be your genes. A recent study found that a certain genetic mutation reduces one's ability to exercise.

For quite some time now, it has been thought that some people consider exercising much easier than others. While some find joy in jogging off to the gym, others find it terrifying to even do anything that may possibly lead to shortness of breath or perspiration. Now this is no longer just some random situation. In fact, scientists have already discovered the link between one's ability to efficiently exercise and certain genes.

The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, reported that a genetic mutation in some individuals are making it more difficult for them to exercise. The mutation can impact the "cellular oxygen sensing" that is linked to ahuman's ability to effectively work out.

The research team also found that those with the gene had reduced growth rate, constantly low blood sugar, limited capacity for exercise and an extremely high red blood cell number. With these findings, it can then be said that laziness is indeed, hereditary.

ALSO READ:Wearable Medical Devices: The Next Most Popular Gadgets for Health and Fitness Enthusiasts

(Photo : Photo by bruce mars on Unsplash)

In an attempt to figure out why individuals with a limited capacity to exercise behave the way they do, the team of researchers thoroughly evaluated one case study.

After several tests, including genetic analysis, the scientists found that themutated genebeing examined was thevon Hippel-Lindau, or the VHL gene. It is a type of gene playing a vital role in one's genetic makeup, mainly contributing to the survival of human cells when the ability to take in oxygen is reduced.

Additionally, the researchers also found that the VHL gene was damaged in some individuals struggling to exercise. The main reason for this is that this gene is associated with the mitochondria. When the mitochondria fail to fire on all cylinders, which is the usual case in those with mutated VHL, exercising is certainly quite a hard thing to do.

Dr. Federico Formenti, one of the study's lead authors said that they find this discovery of mutation, as well as the linked phenotype, exciting as it allows for a deeper understanding of human physiology, particularly when it comes how the human body senses and responds to the reduced availability of the oxygen.

The researchers experimented on mice, which were bred to have a mutation ingenesclose to that of humans in order to interrupt its function. In relation to this, researchers characterized the mice in terms of obesity, physical activity, as well as the cellular biology to understand how this gene was associated with obesity.

The saidstudyshowed the levels of physical activity, body weight and how much the mice ate. The study also showed othercellular level measurements that are obesity-related, such as the expression of the protein on the brain cells' surface.

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Too Lazy to Exercise? Is It Genetic? - Science Times

Cell Biology

Startup’s Bold Move To Produce ‘Breast Milk’ In Lab | BabyGaga – BabyGaga

Biomilq, a startup, has taken a bold initiative to replicate breast milk. They have managed it to the point of producing the most common components of breast milk, namely casein and lactose. Casein is the protein and lactose is the sugar present in the milk. They achieved this by growing human mammary cells in the lab, meaning the first time out of the human body.

However, this is just a baby step since breast milk comprises of at least hundreds of different components: a multitude of proteins, fats, and sugars, and also antibodies, hormones, and beneficial bacteria. The founders are aware of the limitations of their project - Leila Strickland and Michelle Egger, Biomilqs founders, do agree "immunological" representation may not be possible. Still, they are aiming to make it "nutritionally" similar. Experts are skeptical of this idea and commented that complete replication would not be possible.

Leila's son had trouble latching on to her breast, and she could not produce enough milk - these problems, along with her background of cell biology, led her into this research idea. She started growing mammary cells in a tiny lab space in 2013 at a lab in North Carolina. And in 2019, she met Egger, a former scientist who worked on Go-Gurt. They both launched Biomilq late last year, which aims to produce cultured milk.

Though human milk is sold in milk banks, it is not as easy as it sounds, due to the elaborate and stringent process it involves, along with its cost being high. Whereas formula, on the other hand, is cheaper, safe, and readily available. So, Biomilq is trying to address the issue of making nutritious milk available as easily as a formula. The researchers believe that cultured milk could be more suitable in the baby's gut since it is made from human cells and suit them well in improving the baby's gut microbes. However, the bioreactor cultured milk may lack other vital components like antibodies, fats, or hormones, which take a whole-body working to make them. Biomilq suggests adding fats as supplements.

Maryanne Perrin, a breast-milk researcher at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, who has studied women trying to buy breast milk online for their children, said, "There's just a feeling of failure: I can't do this for my child. This is really important. I heard a lot of anxiety in the voices and comments. Breast milk is too complicated to recreate it in test tube comment Perrin. It is a mix of unpredictable concoction which communicates with the baby using its retrograde milk flow, taking cues from the baby's spit. The milk thus produced is calibrated to meet the baby's needs exactly. So, achieving this sort of potent potion might be near to impossible, according to her. Still, many other challenges await this project, like large scale production without contamination at reduced costs.

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If successfully budged, it would make it a super hit!

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Neha is a writer by passion, and a freelancer by profession. With the eagerness to quench the thirst for knowledge, she has set out on the endless journey of writing and growing. Also, being a super active mother of a super busy child, she wants to strike the perfect balance between her career and personal life!

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Startup's Bold Move To Produce 'Breast Milk' In Lab | BabyGaga - BabyGaga

Cell Biology

A Bold and Controversial Idea for Making Breast Milk – The Atlantic

Biomilq does seem to be onto something though, at least culturally. Since the postwar days of doctors pushing formula as the superior scientific option, the conventional and medical wisdom has swung in the opposite directionto the point where women often feel guilty for being unable to breastfeed. Theres just a feeling of failure: I cant do this for my child. This is really important, said Maryanne Perrin, a breast-milk researcher at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, who has studied women trying to buy breast milk online for their children. I heard a lot of anxiety in the voices and comments, she added. In other words, there is definitely a demand for human breast milk.

The idea for Biomilq, in fact, came out of Stricklands own struggles to breastfeed as a new mom. Her son had trouble latching after he was born, and she wasnt making enough milk. During those months of life, my whole world revolved around whether or not my body would produce enough of this food, she says. She wished for an option that was not formula. Strickland has a background in cell biology, so she naturally wondered: What about breast cells?

In 2013, she began growing mammary cells in a tiny lab space in North Carolina, and in 2019, she met Egger, a student at Dukes business school and a former food scientist at General Mills, who had worked on products such as Go-Gurt. They officially launched Biomilq late last year to make lab-grown human milkor as they prefer to call it, cultured breastmilk. Another start-up based in Singapore, TurtleTree Labs, recently announced it is trying to re-create cow and human milk with cells as well.

Human milk is currently available for sale, but it is not easy to buy. Officially, parents can go to a milk bank to buy donated breast milk that has been screened and pasteurizedbut this requires a doctors prescription and can go for a hefty $4 or $5 an ounce to cover processing costs. (Milk banks also prioritize donor milk for sick or preterm infants in the hospital, for whom cow-based formula is particularly prone to causing a serious gut disease called necrotizing enterocolitis.) Unofficially, parents can go on Facebook or Craigslist or another online marketplace where women share or sell extra breast milk. These markets are cheaper and more convenient, but theyre also unregulated. Donors largely follow the honor system for disclosing medications and other health information. Meanwhile, formula is cheap, safe, and widely available in grocery stores. Biomilq promises to combine the nutrition of breastmilk with the practicality of formula.

Its hard to say, at this nascent stage, exactly how still-hypothetical breast milk made by cells in a bioreactor would compare with formula. The cultured human-milk proteins could be more suitable in a babys gut than dairy proteins, and sugars specific to human milk could help feed a babys new gut microbes.

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A Bold and Controversial Idea for Making Breast Milk - The Atlantic

Cell Biology

Biology Textbooks May Be Wrong: Newly Discovered Driver of Plant Cell Growth Contradicts Current Theories – SciTechDaily

A new study shows the swelling of tiny pectin filaments within cell walls propels these shape and growth of plant cells.

The shape and growth of plant cells may not rely on increased fluidic pressure, or turgor, inside the cell as previously believed. Rather, a new study shows the swelling of tiny pectin filaments within the cell wall propels these morphological changes.

If true, this discovery could overturn the current textbook model for plant cell expansion, and it suggests similar biochemical processes could underlie cell growth in other organisms as well, including animals. The authors also hope their observations inspire the development of new smart materials mimicking the unique expansion of plant cell walls.

Composed of a network of puzzle-like pieces, called pavement cells, the outermost layer of plants protects the structure and integrity of the specialized cells within. The walls of pavement cells are composed of polysaccharides, proteins and pectins and can shift between different states in response to chemical cues to support cell shape, size and division. But just how cell wall components contribute to the shaping and expansion of the puzzle-like cells is yet unclear.

Kalina Haas and colleagues studied the morphogenesis of pavement cells in Arabidopsis cotyledon (the first leaves to emerge from a germinating seed). They employed data sonification methods to perceptualize the wide variety of pavement cell shapes with sound. Using super-resolution imaging techniques to home in on homogalacturonan (HG) polysaccharides, a kind of pectin in the cell wall, the researchers found that these polysaccharides assemble into discrete nanofilaments rather than a cross-linked network bound to structural proteins.

Though the microscopy methods could not provide a closer look at these structures, Haas et al. postulated that HG are multi-subunit structures that, when demethylated, shift from their crystalline state into a swelling state that leads to wall expansion and growth of lobes on the pavement cells.

They validated their hypothesis in models whereby they simulated lobe development in cotyledon and induced demethylation of pectin components in the cell wall. This altered the plant cell shape despite the absence of hydration and turgor pressure.

Reference: Pectin homogalacturonan nanofilament expansion drives morphogenesis in plant epidermal cells, by K.T. Haas; R. Wightman at University of Cambridge in Cambridge, UK; K.T. Haas at Laboratoire Matire et Systmes Complexes in Paris, France; K.T. Haas at UMR 7057 CNRS in Paris, France; K.T. Haas at Universit Paris Diderot in Paris, France; E.M. Meyerowitz at Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Pasadena, CA; E.M. Meyerowitz at California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, CA; A. Peaucelle at Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin in Versailles, France; A. Peaucelle at UMR 1318 AgroParisTech in Versailles, France; A. Peaucelle at INRAE in Versailles, France; A. Peaucelle at Universit Paris-Saclay in Versailles, France.DOI: 10.1126/science.aaz5103

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Biology Textbooks May Be Wrong: Newly Discovered Driver of Plant Cell Growth Contradicts Current Theories - SciTechDaily

Cell Biology

Researchers Forge a New Weapon to Fight Parasites and Other Infections | Newsroom – UC Merced University News

Breakthrough collaborative science by an interdisciplinary team of researchers brought together by computational biology Professor David Ardell promises a new approach for treating all types of infections.

Infections have become more dangerous in recent years because bacteria and parasites rapidly evolve resistance to the medicines.

But Ardells lab and a team of researchers from two other universities used a novel genomics- and systems-biology-based approach to find chemical compounds extracted from bacteria harvested from the ocean that could inhibit enzymes from a broad spectrum of related parasites without affecting human versions of those enzymes.

The team also describes a strategy for administering new drugs to be developed from their technology that should make it harder for parasites to evolve resistance to them.

Its a first step toward fulfilling the promise of the genomics era to inform how we combat disease, Ardell said.

The two ways doctors treat infections now are with vaccines, which program the immune system to fight off specific invading organisms such as the ones that cause measles, mumps and polio; or with antibiotics, anti-fungals or anti-parasitics, which poison the harmful organisms. But because parasites are more closely related to humans than other pathogens, anti-parasitics also tend to be toxic to humans and are harder to discover.

Our method targets the evolving cellular language of the parasites instead of their chemistry, he said. Thats why well be able to apply this to bacterial infections, too its applicable to any disease-causing organism for which the genome has been sequenced.

Ardell said he and the other team members were pleased to find they could predict and identify functional differences in the enzymes from humans and trypanosome parasites based on genomic sequences alone and show that these differences are highly conserved over 250 million years of trypanosome evolution.

There are several types of infectious agents including bacterial, parasitic, viral, fungal and prion that cause all kinds of illnesses, from common colds and flus to such potentially life-threatening diseases as coronavirus, Zika, MERSA, C-Dif, Mad Cow disease, HIV, Ebola, African sleeping sickness, Dengue Fever and many others.

The immune system is usually an effective barrier against infectious agents, but colonies of pathogens can grow too large for the immune system to fight. Thats when infections become harmful.

For example, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimates there are 1.7 million healthcare-acquired infections each year in American hospitals, and 99,000 associated deaths each year. The majority are urinary tract infections, but people also get surgical-site infections, pneumonia and other lung infections, and bloodstream infections.

However, after decades of over-prescription and overuse, antibiotics have become increasingly ineffective, and pharmaceutical companies are not often developing new ones.

Ardell established the collaboration developing this novel approach seven years ago. A project grant focusing on trypanosomes, which cause diseases such as sleeping sickness, was funded by a grant from the National Institutes for Health to Ardell, Ohio State University Professor Michael Ibba, a University Distinguished Scholar of Microbiology, and other collaborators including Roger Linington, Canada Research Chair in High-Throughput Screening and Chemical Biology at Simon Fraser University.

Ardell and his co-authors, including Quantitative and Systems Biology graduate student Fatemeh Hadi-Nezhad; former doctoral student Travis Lawrence, now at Oak Ridge National Lab Biosciences Division; and biochemists and parasitologists from The Ohio State University and chemists from Simon Fraser University, detailed their findings in a paper entitled "Targeting tRNA-Synthetase Interactions Toward Novel Therapeutic Discovery Against Eukaryotic Pathogens published today in the journal PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

Ardell, a member of the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology in the School of Natural Sciences and an affiliate of the Health Sciences Research Institute, said the study carries enough experimental validation to allow the research to move to the next steps, including more testing.

He plans to expand the project through a collaboration with Professor Clarissa Nobile, who examines Candida auris, a fungal infection that has made headlines in the past few years as hospitals experience outbreaks of drug-resistant strains.

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Researchers Forge a New Weapon to Fight Parasites and Other Infections | Newsroom - UC Merced University News