Category Archives: Immunology

Immunology

BetterLife Pharma Announces Appointment of Dr. Eleanor Fish, a leading expert on interferon activity – PharmiWeb.com

VANCOUVER, May 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -BetterLife Pharma Inc. ("BetterLife" or the "Company") (CSE: BETR / OTCQB: PVOTF / FRA: NPAT) today announced that it has appointed Dr. Eleanor Fish to the Company's Scientific Advisory Board. Dr. Fish is an accomplished scientist with focus on interferon activity against variety of viruses including Covid-19, SARA, Ebola and Zika.

During the 2003 outbreak of SARS in Toronto, Dr. Fish initiated studies to investigate the therapeutic potential of interferon in SARS patients. Encouraging results have directed her group's efforts toward examining interferon activity against a number of emerging infectious diseases.

Dr. Fish is a Professor, Department of Immunology, University of Toronto, Associate Chair, International Initiatives & Collaborations, University of Toronto and Emerita Scientist, Toronto General Hospital Research Institute, University Health Network. She received a B.Sc. from the University of Manchester, U.K., an M.Phil. from King's College, University of London, U.K. and a Ph.D. from the Institute of Medical Sciences at the University of Toronto, Canada. Dr. Fish is a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiologists and a Fellow of the African Academy of Sciences. Dr. Fish has received many international awards acknowledging her scientific achievements and has published more than 170 peer reviewed scientific papers in international journals.

She is the principle author of the most recent paper published on Friday May 15, 2020 in Frontiers of Immunology titled "Interferon-2b Treatment for COVID-19".

In the study, the authors examined the course of disease in a cohort of 77 individuals with con-firmed COVID-19 admitted to Union Hospital, Tongii Medical College, Wuhan, China, between January 16 and February 20, 2020. To the knowledge of the authors the findings presented in the study were the first to suggest therapeutic efficacy of IFN-a2b in Covid-19 disease.

The authors concluded that a Randomized Clinical Trial (RCT) is warranted in moderate cases of Covid-19 disease (not severely ill patients) and "treatment with IFN-a2b may also benefit public health measures aimed at slowing the tide of this pandemic, in that duration of viral shedding appears shortened."

Ahmad Doroudian, Chief Executive Officer of BetterLife, commented "We are excited to have Dr. Eleanor Fish on our Scientific Advisory Board. She brings valuable, up to date and the most relevant scientific and clinical experience in the study of interferon activity against Covid-19. Her group's most recent exploratory study of 77 patients conducted in Wuhan, China clearly indicated the potential effectiveness of Interferon-2b in treatment of patients with early signs of Covid-19."

Dr. Fish commented "Based on the results of our preliminary study in Wuhan, China, and emerging data from around the globe, I would argue that the 2 leading candidates for the treatment of mild moderate COVID-19 are IFN-alpha2b and remdesivir. I have joined the scientific advisory board of BLife Therapeutics to advise them on the proposed upcoming randomized clinical trials planned to start in July."

BetterLife also announced today that its Board of Directors has initiated a process to evaluate a range of strategic alternatives available to the Company (the "Strategic Review").

Subject to completion of its announced transaction with Altum Pharmaceuticals Inc. ("Altum"), the Company intends to focus its business on the treatment of Covid-19 and is looking at opportunities to maximize the value of its other existing business.

The Company has not established a definitive timeline to complete the Strategic Review and no decisions related to any strategic alternative have been reached at this time. There is no assurance that any strategic transaction or transactions will result from the Strategic Review. The Company does not intend to comment further with respect to the Strategic Review unless and until it determines that additional disclosure is appropriate in the circumstances and in accordance with the requirements of applicable securities laws.

About BLife Therapeutics Inc.

BLife Therapeutics is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BetterLife Pharma Inc. focused on the prevention of severe COVID-19 disease.

BetterLife has an agreement with Altum pursuant to which BLife Therapeutics will acquire worldwide rights (other than in Greater China, Japan and ASEAN countries) to commercialize and sell Altum's AP-003, a potential COVID-19 treatment. The completion of the transaction is subject to certain conditions precedent. See the Company's press release dated May 7, 2020 for further information.

About BetterLife Pharma Inc.

BetterLife Pharma Inc. is a science-based innovative medical wellness company aspiring to offer high-quality preventive and self-care products to its customers. For further information please visit abetterlifepharma.com

Cautionary Note

The Company is not making any express or implied claims that Altum's AP-003 or any other product has the ability to eliminate, cure or contain the Covid-19 (or SARS-2 Coronavirus) at this time. Further, the safety and efficacy of Altum's AP-003 are under investigation and market authorization has not yet been obtained.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Except for historical information, the matters set forth above may be forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ from those in the forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking statements are based on the current beliefs of management, as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to management. Actual results could differ materially from those contemplated by the forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, such as the failure to complete the transaction with Altum or to meet obligations under the agreement with Altum, the failure of Altum to complete clinical trials or to have success in such trials, the failure of Altum to secure and/or enforce patent protection for AP-003, the failure of Altum to secure exclusive rights from third parties, the failure of the Company to secure financing needed to carry out the plans set out herein, the failure to meet the conditions imposed by the CSE or other securities regulators, the level of business and consumer spending, the amount of sales of BetterLife's products, statements with respect to internal expectations, the competitive environment within the industry, the ability of BetterLife to commence and expand its operations, the level of costs incurred in connection with BetterLife's operational efforts, economic conditions in the industry, pandemics, and the financial strength of BetterLife's future customers and suppliers. Reliance should not be placed on forward-looking statements, as they involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results to differ materially from the anticipated future results expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those set forward in the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to: our ability to obtain, on satisfactory terms or at all, the capital required for research, product development, operations and marketing; general economic, business and market conditions; our ability to successfully and timely complete clinical studies; product development delays and other uncertainties related to new product development; our ability to attract and retain business partners and key personnel; the risk of our inability to profitably commercialize our proposed products; the risk that our proposed clinical trials will not be launched in a timely manner (or at all) or if launched yield positive results or that we will not obtain regulatory market approvals for our products; the extent of any future losses; the risk of our inability to establish or manage manufacturing, development or marketing collaborations; the risk of delay of, or failure to obtain, necessary regulatory approvals and, ultimately, product launches; dependence on third parties for successful commercialization of our products; inability to obtain product and raw materials in sufficient quantity or at standards acceptable to health regulatory authorities to commence and complete clinical trials or to meet commercial demand; the risk of the termination or conversion of our license with Altum or our inability to enforce our rights under our license with Altum; our ability to obtain patent protection and protect our intellectual property rights; commercialization limitations imposed by intellectual property rights owned or controlled by third parties; uncertainty related to intellectual property liability rights and liability claims asserted against us; the impact of competitive products and pricing; and future levels of government funding; additional risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control.

Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise

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SOURCE BetterLife Pharma Inc.

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BetterLife Pharma Announces Appointment of Dr. Eleanor Fish, a leading expert on interferon activity - PharmiWeb.com

Immunology

If youve had a common cold before you might be protected against coronavirus, experts discover – The Sun

HAVING a common cold can help fight coronavirus - raising hopes some have a degree of protection, experts claim.

Scientists have discovered cells that can attack Covid-19 in the bloodstream of people who have only ever had common colds before - all of which are caused by other strains of coronavirus.

They believe this may explain why some are more severely affected by the bug than others.

However, the researchers from the La Jolla Institute for Immunology in California, warn that their findings are yet to be proven outside of a laboratory.

Their study,published in the journal Cell, looked at immune cells - known as T-cells - which differ from the B-cells that produce antibodies.

Instead of latching onto the virus, T-cells provide another line of attack by targeting other infected cells.

Similarly to antibodies, they are made in response to an infection - and remain afterwards.

Dan Davis, professor of immunology at the University of Manchester, told the Times: When a cell is infected with a coronavirus, the viruss protein molecules are chopped up into very small pieces.

"And those small pieces are put up at the surface of the cell.

"When T-cells see these molecules that have never been in the body before they multiply, then they go and respond to those infected cells.

When T-cells see these molecules that have never been in the body before they multiply, then they go and respond to those infected cells

The researchers, from the La Jolla Institute for Immunology in California, looked at the blood of patients who had recovered from Covid-19.

They found that T-cells that they had already had in their blood responded to the new virus.

It suggests that exposure to other coronaviruses - such as the common cold or flu - had somehow primed their T cells to recognise and attack Covid-19.

The team suggest that this could influence their susceptibility to the new coronavirus, either by preventing them from getting infected or from developing severe disease.

They then looked at blood frozen in 2018 to find out if T-cells were present without Covid-19.

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Alessandro Sette, who co-led the study, said: We saw in about half of people there was activity against Sars-CoV2."

It's promising news for vaccine developers because it is "consistent with normal, good, antiviral immunity," according to Shane Crotty, from the Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research at LJI.

He said: "The types of immune responses targeted by many candidate vaccines are now shown to be the types of immune responses seen in Covid-19 cases that successfully recovered from the disease."

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If youve had a common cold before you might be protected against coronavirus, experts discover - The Sun

Immunology

MatriSys Bioscience is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. James Mackay to its Board of Directors – GlobeNewswire

SAN DIEGO, May 19, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MatriSys Bioscience, Inc., a leader in the field of microbiome-based therapeutics for the treatment of skin conditions, is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. James Mackay to its Board of Directors. Dr. Mackay joins the Board of Directors of MatriSys Bioscience with over 30 years of experience in the development of pharmaceuticals, and a strong record of bringing multiple drugs to market and patients. Dr. Mackay is founder, president, and CEO of Aristea Therapeutics, an immunology company focused on developing treatments for orphan diseases. Prior to founding Aristea Therapeutics, Dr. Mackay led the successful $1.2B acquisition and transition of Ardea Biosciences into AstraZeneca. He was President & CEO of Ardea Biosciences from 2013 to 2018. He set up an innovative model for Ardea that retained the biotechs independence and accountability for the development of the gout franchise while developing a collaborative relationship with the parent company, AstraZeneca.

Prior to Ardea Biosciences, Dr. Mackay was Global Product Vice President for Diabetes franchise at AstraZeneca where he played a critical role in the successful development of the AstraZeneca/Bristol-Myers Squibb diabetes alliance. He held a number of senior roles in AstraZenecas Clinical Development Function including portfolio management of all AstraZeneca Clinical resources and budget worldwide and management of AstraZenecas strategic partnerships with drug development CROs.

In addition to being a seasoned business leader, James is an experienced board member who has played a pivotal role in the San Diego biotechnology community. He currently sits on the Board and Executive Committee of CONNECT, is Vice-Chair of CONNECT and sits on the Board of Governors of BIOCOM. James is also a former Board member of the San Diego Economic Development Corporation (EDC).

On behalf of MatriSys Bioscience and the Board of Directors, I welcome James as we look forward to drawing upon his strategic, operational and clinical judgment, said Magda Marquet PhD, Chairwoman of MatriSys Bioscience. We are thrilled to team up with him at a critical time in our evolution as we advance our lead program through Phase 2. His significant insights and experience running large pharmaceutical and small biotechnology businesses will be essential while we continue to strengthen the development of our skin microbiome technology assets.

I am delighted to have the opportunity to join the MatriSys Bioscience Board of Directors at such a critical time for the company as we enter Phase 2 clinical development. The microbiome technology that underpins MatriSys is ground-breaking and I look forward to working with the management team to develop the MatriSys products through to approved drugs being prescribed to patients, said Dr Mackay.

Dr. Mackay has a BSc in Genetics and obtained a PhD in Medical Genetics from Aberdeen University, Scotland.

About MSB-01

MatriSys Bioscience is currently developing MSB-01 which is a commercially viable room-temperature stable topical formulation of freeze-driedS.hominis StrainA9 bacteria for application to the lesional skin of atopic dermatitis patients.

About MatriSys Bioscience

MatriSys Bioscienceis a clinical stage Specialty Biopharmaceutical Company focused on developing and commercializing rational microbiome therapies for the top five dermatology and skin care conditions. Our foundational microbiome therapeutics platform is based on the pioneering work of Richard L. Gallo MD PhD, Distinguished Professor and Founding Chair, Department of Dermatology at the University of California, San Diego and thehttp://gallolab.ucsd.edu/. For more information, please visithttp://www.matrisysbio.com/.

info@matrisysbio.com858.456.3919

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MatriSys Bioscience is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. James Mackay to its Board of Directors - GlobeNewswire

Immunology

Liver cancer: Awareness of hepatitis D must be raised – Science Codex

Of all the hepatitis viruses, D is the most poorly known. This small virus, which can only infect people already infected with HepatitisB, has so far been little studied. HepatitisD is one of the most dangerous forms of chronic viral hepatitis because of its possible progression to irreversible liver diseases (cancer and cirrhosis, in particular). Scientists from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and the Geneva University Hospitals (HUG) have studied the most serious consequence of chronic hepatitis: hepatocellular carcinoma, a particularly aggressive and often fatal liver cancer. By conducting a systematic review of the literature and a meta-analysis of all available data, they demonstrated that people infected with HepatitisD have up to three times the risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma compared to those infected only with HepatitisB. These results, to be read in the Journal of Hepatology, plead for systematic screening of HepatitisD in patients with HepatitisB in order, on the one hand, to better manage patients and, on the other hand, to better understand the real prevalence of the disease.

There are five types of hepatitis viruses, with very different manifestations and consequences. Hepatitis A and E cause acute infections that can be severe but transient. HepatitisB, C and D, however, can become chronic and cause liver dysfunction months or even years after infection. Although HepatitisC is now well treated, HepatitisB and especially D are still difficult to control. "The most serious consequence of HepatitisB and D is hepatocellular carcinoma, explains Francesco Negro, Professor at the Department of Pathology and Immunology of UNIGE Faculty of Medicine and Head of the HUG Viropathology Unit. It was already known that co-infection of HepatitisB and D accelerates the progression of cirrhosis. However, to what extent co-infection of HepatitisB and D accelerates the progression towards this particularly aggressive liver cancer? This remained to be evaluated."

"To find out whether HepatitisD is even more dangerous than B, we carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis of all epidemiological studies, explains Dulce Alfaiate, a researcher at the Department of Pathology and Immunology of UNIGE Faculty of Medicine and first author of this work. To do this, we re-examined the data presented in 93 studies, representing a total of more than 100,000 patients. Although not all these studies are of similar quality, the analysis of the best of them is very clear: patients with HepatitisD have an almost threefold risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma compared to those with HepatitisB alone. That's huge!"

At least 15 million people infected worldwide

According to World Health Organization figures, hundreds of millions of people are infected with the HepatitisB virus. In some regions, such as Polynesia and some African countries, more than 6% of the adult population is infected and the virus is largely transmitted from mother to child. Moreover, children infected at birth almost always develop the chronic form of the disease.

The HepatitisD virus in turn infects a significant proportion of HepatitisB carriers, but the extent of the problem is unknown. "Some estimates suggest that at least 15 to 20 million people are infected with HepatitisD, whereas other estimates may reach 60 million, almost double the number of people living with HIV worldwide, says Dulce Alfaiate. In the absence of systematic testing, however, it is extremely difficult to be precise." In Switzerland, an estimated 25,000 people live with HepatitisB, among whom 1,500 with HepatitisD. And this in spite of an available and effective HepatitisB vaccine.

A call for research

Apart from interferon, an antiviral and an immuno-modulator with limited effectiveness but with deleterious side effects, there is currently no treatment for HepatitisD. "In our view, the evolution towards liver cancer is grossly underestimated, Francesco Negro points out. And yet, this disease affects young patients who suffer from cirrhosis as early as the age of 25-30 years."Several ways of controlling the disease are currently being explored: Francesco Negro's laboratory is studying the epigenetic changes induced by the virus and the mechanism of giving rise to liver tumours. The authors conclude: "Our work underlines the need to improve HepatitisD screening in HepatitisB patients and the urgent need for effective antiviral therapies, such as the one against HepatitisC, which has saved the lives of millions of people since 2011."

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Liver cancer: Awareness of hepatitis D must be raised - Science Codex

Immunology

Immunology Drugs Market: Latest Industry Innovation and Key Players Informations: Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., ERS Genomics, CRISPR THERAPEUTICS -…

New statistical research on Immunology Drugs Market 2020 will show you the latest industry insights on future trends, product, and service analysis, allowing you to penetrate deeply into the keyword market with high profitability.

The Immunology Drugs Market Report provides an in-depth analysis of the entire market. This report focuses on mainstream key players, production details, their applications, then analyzes global and major regional market potentials and benefits, opportunities, challenges, constraints, and risks.

There are a number of major competitive biotech companies that investigate the SARSs-Cov-2 genome and prepare a survival vaccine for it. Compared to the response rate to SARs/MERs, biotech organizations are investigating SARs-Cov-2 at an unprecedented rate, and a significant amount of funds are being put into R&D. For this reason, the report describes Covid19 as a major market contributor.

This report sample includes: Brief Introduction to the research report, Table of Contents (Scope covered as a part of the study), Top players in the market, Research framework (Structure of This Report), Research methodology adopted by Worldwide Market Reports.

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The Top Players Covered in Immunology Drugs Market Are: Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., ERS Genomics, CRISPR THERAPEUTICS, Merck KGaA, Editas Medicine, GE Healthcare Dharmacon Inc., Takara Bio USA

Immunology Drugs Market Outlook:

The Global Immunology Drugs Market Report gives an exclusive coverage provided for market drivers, challenges, and opportunities for country-level markets in each regional segment. This report consists of a competitive analysis of the key players operating in the market and covers in-depth data related to the markets competitive environment, recent strategies and products to support or influence the market over the next few years.

Market Drivers and the Risks Associated With the Immunology Drugs Market:

The Immunology Drugs Market is characterized by several key factors, each of which tends to play a decisive role in the growing market. Product growth has doubled with the smooth availability of a customer base that helps companies thrive around the world. On the other hand, the presence of a dynamic supply chain helped the company grow exponentially. So, with respect to the increase in Immunology Drugs Market opportunities, Immunology Drugs face serious dissatisfaction in all respects.

Some Fundamental Parameters Included in the Report:

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The Main Geographical Regions and Markets of the Immunology Drugs Market:

If you look more closely at that region, the market is concentrated and what matters inside the file is to highlight Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and North America. These areas studied the intertwined traits and various possibilities, along with the prospects that could ultimately benefit the market.

Immunology Drugs Market Report Covers Following Questions:

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Immunology Drugs Market: Latest Industry Innovation and Key Players Informations: Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., ERS Genomics, CRISPR THERAPEUTICS -...

Immunology

Biosimilars in Immunology Market 2020: Qualitative Analysis of the Leading Players and Industry Scenario – 3rd Watch News

Biosimilars in Immunology Thematic Analysis report combines key opinion leader insight and interviews with payers in the US, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the UK, Japan, India and South Korea to provide an in-depth review of the biosimilars market for major autoimmune diseases.

The report includes an assessment of ongoing clinical trials, the geographical location of trial sponsors, discussion of the key players in the medical marijuana space as well as insights from industry experts discussing market challenges and considerations of stakeholders in the arena.

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Europe leads the way for immunology biosimilars in the 7MM, and India is at the forefront in the emerging markets. In terms of immunology biosimilar penetration, the 5EU and India demonstrate the highest favorability towards uptake of biosimilars.

Japan and South Korea have an intermediate biosimilar penetration index, while the US market is the least favorable towards biosimilars. Pricing is a key issue for expensive-to-develop biosimilars entering an increasingly crowded autoimmune disease market.Biosimilars are intended to relieve healthcare-associated cost burden; however, the economic effects of incorporating them into clinical practice are unclear, due to increased time and staff costs required for switching patients onto biosimilars.

Pricing can be a differentiating strategy among different biosimilars and larger discounts over originator brands can boost greater uptake of specific biosimilars. Quotas dictate prescribing patterns in the 5EU; however, physicians show concern about switching to a biosimilar from the originator brand. The majority of KOLs interviewed by GlobalData indicated that they used biosimilars mostly for new patients. KOLs also cited reluctance to switch existing patients to biosimilars, highlighting that they did not want to change a biologic treatment that was working for the patient.

Other reasons against switching included lack of incentives for physicians, lack of switching data, and nocebo effects.Biogen, Sandoz, Pfizer, and Amgen are dominating the immunology biosimilars field. The immunology biosimilars space is dominated in developed markets by established brand names, including Biogen, Sandoz, Pfizer, and Amgen.

In India and South Korea, major biosimilar players include Celltrion, Cipla, and Zydus Cadila.

Scope

Components of the report include Introduction toBiosimilars in Immunology-Defining biosimilars in immunology and discussing the history of drugs approved across the 9MM. Assessment of Marketed and Pipeline Products- An overview of biosimilar products on the market and drugs currently in clinical development. Regulatory Strategies-Overview of biosimilar regulatory strategies by country. Market Dynamics Overview of biosimilar market dynamics by country. Focus Indicationsand Market Potential In-depth assessment of biosimilars in major autoimmune indications, market potential as well as drivers and barriers to uptake.

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Key Players In-depth assessment of key players in the space across the 9MM Key Clinical and Commercial Concepts- An examination of key clinical and commercial concepts in the biosimilars in immunology space, based on KOL and payer insights. Pricing and reimbursement infrastructure and challenges are examined. Future Opportunities- Overview of future strategies recommended by KOLs and payers for boosting biosimilar uptake is discussed.

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Biosimilars in Immunology Market 2020: Qualitative Analysis of the Leading Players and Industry Scenario - 3rd Watch News

Immunology

Newly Discovered Dendritic Cell Important in Respiratory Infections – Technology Networks

With a discovery that could rewrite the immunology textbooks, an international group of scientists, including the teams of Bart Lambrecht, Martin Guilliams, Hamida Hammad, and Charlotte Scott (all from the VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research) identified a new type of antigen-presenting immune cell. These cells, that are part of an expanding family of dendritic cells, play a crucial role presenting antigens to other immune cells during respiratory virus infections, and could explain how convalescent plasma helps to boost immune responses in virus-infected patients.

When our body faces an infection, it responds with inflammation and fever. This is a sign that the immune system does its work, and leads to the activation of many cells, like soldiers in an army. Dendritic cells (DCs) are the generals of that army. They can precisely activate and instruct the soldiers to kill infected cells by presenting antigens derived from the invaders to cells of the immune system.

There are several types of DCs that perform antigen-presenting functions in the body. A first type of conventional DCs continuously scan the body for dangerous invaders, even when there is no infection. When there is inflammation triggered by infection, another subset of DCs emerges from inflammatory monocytes. Because monocyte-derived DCs are easily prepared in vitro from monocytes isolated form human blood, it was always assumed these cells were very important antigen-presenting cells. Clinical trials using monocyte-derived DCs in cancer therapy have however been disappointing.

A study by the teams of Bart Lambrecht, Martin Guilliams, Hamida Hammad, and Charlotte Scott (all from the VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research) and international colleagues, shows that monocyte-derived DCs are poor antigen-presenting cells, but have wrongly been assumed to have these functions because of a case of mistaken identity.

The scientists studied mice with a viral respiratory infection (pneumonia virus of mice and influenza virus) with single-cell technologies. This single-cell resolution allowed them to finely separate the monocyte-derived cells from other DCs during their response to the infection. They found that monocyte-derived DCs do exist, but actually do not present antigens. The reason for all the confusion in the past is that a look-alike new DC emerges called inflammatory type 2 conventional DC, or inf-cDC2 that combines some of the best characteristics of monocytes, macrophages, and conventional DCs, to induce the best form of immunity.

Bart Lambrecht: This was a big surprise for us. Weve all been taught that monocyte-derived cells are excellent antigen presenting cells, certainly when theres inflammation. Now, we show that its actually a new hybrid DC type thats doing all the work. This really changes what we know about the immune system and is very important knowledge for understanding respiratory viral infections and other inflammatory diseases.

Martin Guilliams: It took a massive team effort but the strength of single-cell sequencing has finally cracked the complex DC code. Many contradicting findings from the last two decades now make much more sense. This also opens tremendous therapeutic opportunities, since vaccination strategies can now be designed to trigger formation of inf-cDC2s and thus generate a stronger antiviral immune response.

Charlotte Scott: Through the use of single cell technologies we have been able to align all the findings from the past few years and identify the distinct cell types involved. Moving forward it will be very interesting to see under what other inflammatory conditions these inf-cDC2s are generated and how they can potentially be targeted therapeutically.

The findings of the researchers also have a direct relevance for the current COVID-19 pandemic, caused by another respiratory virus. An emergency treatment that is currently being explored is the use of convalescent plasma, or the blood plasma of recovered patients.

Cedric Bosteels, lead author of the new paper: One of the unique features of the new DCs is that they express functional Fc receptors for antibodies that are found in the plasma of patients who have recovered from COVID-19

This study is the first to show that one of the mechanisms through which convalescent plasma and the virus-specific antibodies in it work, is via boosting of inf-cDC2. Since boosted DCs induce a much stronger immune response, this study reveals a new target for therapeutic intervention for viral infections and other inflammatory diseases.

ReferenceBosteels, Neyt, et al. (2020). Inflammatory Type 2 cDCsAcquire Features of cDC1s and Macrophages to Orchestrate Immunity to Respiratory Virus Infection. Immunity. 52: 1 18. Doi: j.immuni.2020.04.005.

This article has been republished from the following materials. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.

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Newly Discovered Dendritic Cell Important in Respiratory Infections - Technology Networks

Immunology

Do Antibodies Against The Novel Coronavirus Prevent Reinfection? : Shots – Health News – NPR

A medical worker walks in front of Transform MD Medical Center in White Plains, N.Y., where antibody testing was being offered. Pablo Monsalve/VIEW press/Corbis via Getty Images hide caption

A medical worker walks in front of Transform MD Medical Center in White Plains, N.Y., where antibody testing was being offered.

Most people infected with the novel coronavirus develop antibodies in response.

But scientists don't know whether people who have been exposed to the coronavirus will be immune for life, as is usually the case for the measles, or if the disease will return again and again, like the common cold.

"This to me is one of the big unanswered questions that we have," says Jeffrey Shaman, a professor of environmental health sciences at Columbia University, "because it really says, 'What is the full exit strategy to this and how long are we going to be contending with it?' "

He's one of many scientists on a quest for answers. And the pieces are starting to fall into place.

Antibodies, which are proteins found in the blood as part of the body's immune response to infection, are a sign that people could be developing immunity. But antibodies are by no means a guarantee a person will be protected for life or even for a year.

Shaman has been studying four coronaviruses that cause the common cold. "They're very common and so people seem to get them quite often," Shaman says. Ninety percent of people develop antibodies to those viruses, at least in passing, but "our evidence is those antibodies are not conferring protection."

That may be simply because colds are relatively mild, so the immune system doesn't mount a full-blown response, suggests Stanley Perlman, a pediatrician who studies immunology and microbiology at the University of Iowa. "That's why people get colds over and over again," he says. "It doesn't really tickle the immune response that much."

He's studied one of the most severe coronaviruses, the one that causes SARS, and he's found that the degree of immunity depended on the severity of the disease. Sicker people remained immune for much longer, in some cases many years.

For most people exposed to the novel coronavirus, "I think in the short term you're going to get some protection," Perlman says. "It's really the time of the protection that matters."

Perlman notes that for some people the symptoms of COVID-19 are no worse than a cold, while for others they are severe. "That's why it's tricky," he says, to predict the breadth of an immune response.

And it's risky to assume that experiences with other coronaviruses are directly applicable to the new one.

"Unfortunately, we cannot really generalize what kind of immunity is needed to get protection against a virus unless we really learn more about the virus," says Akiko Iwasaki, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator at the Yale University School of Medicine.

An immunobiologist, she is part of a rapidly expanding effort to figure this out. She and her colleagues are already studying the immune response in more than 100 patients in the medical school hospital. She's encouraged that most people who recover from the coronavirus have developed antibodies that neutralize the coronavirus in a petri dish.

"Whether that's happening inside the body we don't really know," she cautions.

Research like hers will answer that question, eventually.

But not all antibodies are protective. Iwasaki says some can actually contribute to the disease process and make the illness worse. These antibodies can contribute to inflammation and lead the body to overreact. That overreaction can even be deadly.

"Which types of antibodies protect the host versus those that enhance the disease? We really need to figure that out," she says.

The studies at Yale will follow patients for at least a year, to find out how slowly or quickly immunity might fade. "I wish there was a shortcut," Iwasaki says, "but we may not need to wait a year to understand what type of antibodies are protective."

That's because she and other immunologists are looking for patterns in the immune response that will identify people who have long-term immunity.

Researchers long ago figured out what biological features in the blood (called biomarkers) correlate with immunity to other diseases, says Kari Nadeau, a pediatrician and immunologist at the Stanford University School of Medicine. She expects researchers will be able to do the same for the new coronavirus.

Nadeau is working on several studies, including one that seeks to recruit 1,000 people who were previously exposed to the coronavirus. One goal is to identify people who produce especially strong, protective antibody responses. She says the antibody-producing cells from those people can potentially be turned into vaccines.

Another critical question she's zeroing in on is whether people who become immune are still capable of spreading the virus.

"Because you might be immune, you might have protected yourself against the virus," she says, "but it still might be in your body and you're giving it to others."

It would have huge public health implications if it turns out people can still spread the disease after they've recovered. Studies from China and South Korea seemed to suggest this was possible, though further studies have cast doubt on that as a significant feature of the disease.

Nadeau is also trying to figure out what can be said about the antibody blood-tests that are now starting to flood the market. There are two issues with these tests. First, a positive test may be a false-positive result, so it may be necessary to run a confirmatory test to get a credible answer. Second, it's not clear that a true positive test result really indicates a person is immune and, if so, for how long.

Companies would like to be able to use these tests to identify people who can return to work without fear of spreading the coronavirus.

"I see a lot of business people wanting to do the best for their employees, and for good reason," Nadeau says. "And we can never say you're fully protected until we get enough [information]. But right now we're working hard to get the numbers we need to be able to see what constitutes protection and what does not."

It could be a matter of life or death to get this right. Answers to these questions are likely to come with the accumulation of information from many different labs. Fortunately, scientists around the world are working simultaneously to find answers.

You can contact NPR Science Correspondent Richard Harris at rharris@npr.org.

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Do Antibodies Against The Novel Coronavirus Prevent Reinfection? : Shots - Health News - NPR

Immunology

Changes to the Roche Enlarged Corporate Executive Committee – Benzinga

Basel, 11 May 2020 - Roche today announced that Michael Varney (1958) Ph.D., and Head of Genentech Research and Early Development (gRED) since 2015, will retire from the company at the end of July. Aviv Regev (1971), Ph.D., and currently Chair of the Faculty, Core Institute Member, and member of the Executive Leadership Team of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, as well as Professor of Biology at MIT and Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, will join Genentech as the new Head of gRED and will become a member of the enlarged Corporate Executive Committee as of 1 August 2020. She will be based in South San Francisco.

Commenting on the appointment, Roche's CEO Severin Schwan said: "I am very excited to have Aviv Regev joining us. She brings a rare combination of expertise that will help us unlock even more possibilities in data-based drug discovery and development." Schwan further commented: "I have tremendous gratitude for Mike's many contributions over the past fifteen years including expanding our drug platform capabilities and the positive impact he has made to the strength of our pipeline. I wish him continued happiness and health in his retirement."

Aviv Regev has a Ph.D. in computational biology and Master of Science from Tel Aviv University. Through her pioneering efforts she is a leader in deciphering molecular circuits that govern cells, tissues and organs in health and their malfunction in disease. In particular, she has pioneered assays for RNA sequencing in single-cells, machine learning algorithms for distilling biological knowledge from the resulting information, and many of the first demonstrations of how to yield foundational new insights into an extraordinarily wide range of molecular circuits, systems, and fields, including immunology, neurobiology, development, inflammatory disease, cancer, and evolution. In doing so, her groundbreaking work is helping to answer the deepest and most general of biological questions -- how cells and their circuits function and rewire, and how these dynamics underlie health and malfunction in disease.

In addition to her current roles, she holds further responsibilities as founding co-chair of the international Human Cell Atlas project and founding Director of the Klarman Cell Observatory at Broad Institute. Prior to joining MIT and the Broad, she was a Bauer Fellow for the Center for Genomics Research at Harvard University. Beyond her many scientific publications, she has been recognized with numerous designations and awards such as member of the National Academy of Sciences, recipient of the Paul Marks Prize from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and the Innovator Award from the International Society for Computational Biology. She serves on multiple corporate advisory, scientific advisory, and journal editorial boards, and served on the advisory committee to the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health. About Roche Roche is a global pioneer in pharmaceuticals and diagnostics focused on advancing science to improve people's lives. The combined strengths of pharmaceuticals and diagnostics under one roof have made Roche the leader in personalised healthcare a strategy that aims to fit the right treatment to each patient in the best way possible.

Roche is the world's largest biotech company, with truly differentiated medicines in oncology, immunology, infectious diseases, ophthalmology and diseases of the central nervous system. Roche is also the world leader in in vitro diagnostics and tissue-based cancer diagnostics, and a frontrunner in diabetes management.

Founded in 1896, Roche continues to search for better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat diseases and make a sustainable contribution to society. The company also aims to improve patient access to medical innovations by working with all relevant stakeholders. More than thirty medicines developed by Roche are included in the World Health Organization Model Lists of Essential Medicines, among them life-saving antibiotics, antimalarials and cancer medicines. Moreover, for the eleventh consecutive year, Roche has been recognised as one of the most sustainable companies in the Pharmaceuticals Industry by the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI).

The Roche Group, headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, is active in over 100 countries and in 2019 employed about 98,000 people worldwide. In 2019, Roche invested CHF 11.7 billion in R&D and posted sales of CHF 61.5 billion. Genentech, in the United States, is a wholly owned member of the Roche Group. Roche is the majority shareholder in Chugai Pharmaceutical, Japan. For more information, please visit http://www.roche.com.

All trademarks used or mentioned in this release are protected by law.

Roche Group Media Relations Phone: +41 61 688 8888 / e-mail: media.relations@roche.com - Nicolas Dunant (Head) - Patrick Barth - Daniel Grotzky - Karsten Kleine- Nathalie Meetz - Barbara von Schnurbein

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Changes to the Roche Enlarged Corporate Executive Committee - Benzinga

Immunology

Expert says he’s now ‘begging the Government’ to change guidelines on face masks – Newstalk

An immunology expert says he is now 'begging the Government' to change the guidelines and recommend the wearing of face masks in public.

It comes amid increasing calls for clarity and guidance for the public on face coverings as part of the phased reopening of the country in the coming weeks and months.

The National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) has called for the compulsory wearing of masks for all commuters to protect staff and 'enhance customer confidence'.

Officials have indicated that the use of face coverings in the community will be part of the efforts to ease social distancing measures over the summer.

However, the public has not yet been advised by health officials to wear masks when out and about.

Luke ONeill - Professor of Biochemistry at the School of Immunology at Trinity College Dublin - spoke to The Pat Kenny Show about why he believes people should be covering their faces while out shopping or on public transport.

Expert says he's now 'begging the Government' to change guidelines on face masks

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He said the situation regarding masks in Ireland remains gob-smacking

He observed: I go into work at the moment, and Im on the DART: nobody was wearing a mask.

I went out to Tesco and got myself a sandwich for lunch: again, nobody was wearing a mask.

Prof ONeill noted that the evidence regarding mask-wearing has grown stronger and stronger and stronger.

He said: "The Royal Society, a very famous institution, issued a big report two days ago summarising the evidence the best brains in the world say you have to wear a mask in a supermarket or on public transport.

Im begging the Government now to change the guidelines.

He said its vital there are adequate supplies of protective equipment for healthcare workers and that the public is well-informed on how to use masks properly.

However, he stressed: The evidence is clear: it helps decrease spread. Its obvious in a way, isnt it?

Im pretty sure the Government will change the guidelines on this - we hope so soon."

Prof O'Neill also stressed that people shouldn't feel awkward about wearing masks in public.

He suggested: "Don't worry about yourself - it's the other person you're protecting. That's the key thing."

Main image: File photo. Photograph: Sasko Lazarov / RollingNews.ie

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Expert says he's now 'begging the Government' to change guidelines on face masks - Newstalk