Immunology

New Research: Lessons from immune response of most severe Covid patients – The Indian Express

By: Express News Service | New Delhi | Updated: June 30, 2020 12:52:42 am Coronavirus test kits. T cells work alongside antibodies in trying to clear the virus and stopping the infection. (AP Photo: David J. Phillip)

A new study has found that even the sickest Covid-19 patients produce T cells that help fight the virus. T cells are a key component of the immune system and their roles include killing infected host cells, activating other immune cells, and regulating the immune response. The study cites its findings as further evidence that a Covid-19 vaccine (whenever developed) will need to elicit T cells to work alongside antibodies.

The new research was published in the journal Science Immunology on Friday.

The researchers followed 10 severely ill Covid-19 patients who were on ventilators at Erasmus University Medical Center, Netherlands. Two of the patients eventually died. An in-depth look at their immune system responses showed that all 10 patients produced T cells that targeted the SARS-CoV-2 virus. These T cells worked alongside antibodies in trying to clear the virus and stopping the infection.

The researchers note that these findings are in line with a recent study, published in Cell, that showed a robust T cell response in individuals with moderate cases of Covid-19. In both studies, the T cells in these patients prominently targeted the spike protein on SARS-CoV-2, according to La Jolla Institute for Immunology, researchers from which are involved in both studies. It is the spike protein that the coronavirus uses to enter human cells. The new study adds to growing evidence that the spike protein is a promising target. Accroding to La Jolla, it also confirms that the immune system can also mount strong responses to other targets on the virus.

This is good news for those making a vaccine using spike, and it also suggests new avenues to potentially increase vaccine potency, researcher Daniela Weiskopf, first author of the new study, said in a statement.

While the Cell paper followed San Diego residents, the new paper follows Dutch patientsand the T cell responses were consistent in both populations. This study is important because it shows this immune response in patients thousands of miles apart. The same observation has now been strongly reproduced in different continents and different studies, Weiskopf said.

Source: La Jolla Institute for Immunology

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New Research: Lessons from immune response of most severe Covid patients - The Indian Express

Immunology

Postdoctoral Positions in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases and Tumor – Nature.com

Postdoctoral Positions in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases and Tumor Immunology

Two postdoctoral training positions are available in the laboratory of Hans-Christian Reinecker MD, in the Department of Internal Medicine, the Division of Digestive and Liver Diseases and Division of Immunology at UT Southwestern Medical Center to study the role of genetic variants associated with inflammatory bowel diseases on mechanisms of inflammation, tumorigenesis and anti-microbial host defenses. Focus is on new mechanisms of innate immune recognition for viral and bacterial pathogens and control of dendritic cells, macrophages and T cells. Our laboratory offers opportunities in these projects:

1. Target intracellular microtubule based microbial pattern recognition to control disease mechanisms of Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.2. Control of adaptive host-defenses by Schlafen family proteins.3. Controlling innate and adaptive immune responses by Sensor Stimulator of Interferon Genes (STING) mediated microbial recognition.4. Developing strategies to induce anti-tumor immunity for cancer immunotherapy.

Candidates must hold a Ph.D. and/or M.D. Degree. Experience in Immunology, Oncology or Microbiology in addition to a solid foundation in molecular and cell biology is required. Prior experiences in protein mutagenesis, gene targeting approaches or biochemistry is preferred. Prior work leading to publication in peer-reviewed journals is recommended.

Information on our postdoctoral training program and benefits can be found in our Postdoc Handbook or at http://www.utsouthwestern.edu/postdocs.

Interested individuals should send a CV, statement of interests, and a list of three references to:

Hans-Christian Reinecker, M.D.UT Southwestern Medical Center5323 Harry Hines Blvd.Dallas, TX 75390-9151Hans-Christian.Reinecker@UTSouthwestern.edu

UT Southwestern Medical Center is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. Women, minorities, veterans and individuals with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

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Postdoctoral Positions in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases and Tumor - Nature.com

Immunology

Researchers look at benefits MMR booster shot could have on COVID-19 – Wink News

WINK NEWS

As concerns for coronavirus infections continue, a pair of medical researchers say one way to escape the worst of the virus is already here.

We spoke to researchers, a Lee Health doctor and other medical experts Thursday about the benefits of getting an MMR booster shot in relation to COVID-19.

Very suddenly, we were seeing nobody, and it came to the point we had to close this office, said Dr. Thomas Shiller, a pediatrician at Lee Health. Normally, wed be giving vaccines during that time, and they werent happening.

Once the pandemic began, Schiller says childhood vaccinations plummeted.

But a new scientific theory says those vaccinations could be the key to helping everyone avoid the worst of the virus. And COVID-19 infection rates in children, or the lack thereof, lead the way.

The earliest data coming out of China with [COVID-19] nobody under the age of nine died, said Mairi Noverr, a Tulane professor with a Ph.D. in microbiology and immunology. So I wondered whether that was because children get repeated live attenuated vaccines throughout childhood.

Noverr and Paul Fidel, an adjunct professor at LSU with a Ph.D. in microbiology, immunology & parasitology, said, between their animal trials and anecdotal stories, certain vaccines seem to prime the immune system.

These live attenuated vaccines in general provide something more than just the immunity to the target pathogens that they are made for, Fidel said. They provide this sort of added extra non-specific immunity and non-specific benefits for other types of infections.

Now, the health experts are recommending adults get an MMR booster shot.

I called it a no harm no foul type situation because, if were wrong, well you got some immunity to measles, mumps and rubella, Fidel said. If were right, you have that, plus you could be helping yourself if you ever got infected with [COVID-19].

Its an idea that local health leaders say needs more evidence.

Until we get into deep research and doing some studies and really trying it out in the laboratory and on people, were not going to be able to determine if this is true or not, said Rober Hawkes, the director of FGCUs physician assistant program.

And its and idea Noverr and Fidel agree with. They say theyre hoping to get clinical trials underway to test their theory.

We have to do the science, and its really important to do it and to get the data, Fidel said.

But for Schillers patients, it could be just one more reason to come in and get vaccinated.

I hadnt seen one of my patients get [COVID-19] up until the past couple of weeks, and now its happening left and right, and its a little disconcerting, Schiller said.

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Researchers look at benefits MMR booster shot could have on COVID-19 - Wink News

Immunology

High fiber diet may improve the quality of life for patients with ulcerative colitis – News-Medical.Net

Eating diets low in fat and high in fiber may improve the quality of life of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) -; even those in remission.

That's the finding of a study published in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology led by Maria T. Abreu, M.D., professor of medicine and professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

Patients with inflammatory bowel disease always ask us what they should eat to make their symptoms better. Sadly, there have been very few really good studies that provide that information."

Maria T. Abreu, M.D., Professor and Director, Department of Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine

Dr. Abreu's work is changing that.

The current study looked at 17 people with UC, a type of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that can cause a number of symptoms, including bloody diarrhea, abdominal cramps and pain.

Each participant's UC was either in remission or considered mild, with relatively little diarrhea, bleeding, or pain.

All foods were catered and delivered to participants' homes.

Researchers looked at the participants' pre-study diets and used questionnaires to measure their quality of life based on their physical, social and emotional well-being.

The questionnaires were given at the study's start and four weeks after being on each diet.

Participants also underwent blood and stool tests during the same period to look for markers of inflammation and to check the balance of their gut bacteria and metabolites, something that can impact digestive health.

"The results were fascinating and show us how poorly patients eat at baseline," said Dr. Abreu, who is also director of the University of Miami Health Systems Crohn's and Colitis Center.

Perhaps more important, they showed that improving one's diet could improve their overall well-being. Both the low-fat and high-fat diets had more fruits and vegetables and fiber than the patients' baseline diets.

Both study diets were well tolerated and resulted in better quality of life for the study subjects compared to baseline diets, which were significantly unhealthier.

However, on the low-fat diet, participants also had lower levels of inflammation and signs of improvement in bacterial imbalance in the gastrointestinal tract.

Sadly, many patients with ulcerative colitis are told to avoid fruits and vegetables, which seem to be very beneficial.

The findings suggest that dietary interventions could benefit patients with UC in remission and, perhaps, other forms of IBD as well.

"We are now testing a similar diet in Crohn's disease patients but adding a psychological component to help with long-term adherence to a healthy diet," said Dr. Abreu.

Source:

Journal reference:

Fritsch, J., et al. (2020) Low-fat, High-fiber Diet Reduces Markers of Inflammation and Dysbiosis and Improves Quality of Life in Patients With Ulcerative Colitis. Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology. doi.org/10.1016/j.cgh.2020.05.026.

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High fiber diet may improve the quality of life for patients with ulcerative colitis - News-Medical.Net

Cell Biology

The biotech IPO boom is becoming ‘historic’ as four more throw their hats in – Endpoints News

Four more US biotechs filed to go public Friday as yet more companies clamber to get through a yawning IPO window and onto a market thats signaled its willingness to reward nearly any new drugmaker.

The new entrants are led by ALX Oncology and the biological analytics biotech Berkeley Lights, each of whom filed to raise $100 million. The autoimmune company Pandion Therapeutics also filed for $75 million, and Kiromic Biopharma, a tiny immuno-oncology startup based in San Antonio, filed for $25 million.

These companies will try to capitalize on a 2020 biotech IPO boom that the investment firm Renaissance Capital recently called historic. The spree began in January and, after a brief interlude when the pandemic first hit the US and Europe, has only picked up in the last two months. The 23 companies that have gone public averaged an 80% return on their offering price, according to Renaissance Capital numbers. Every single one priced above their midpoint or upsized their offering.

Unlike most of their fellow newly or would-be public biotechs, Berkeley Lights will enter the market with significant revenue on the books. The company doesnt make drugs but instead has built a digital cell biology platform that can analyze living cells from a variety of different dimensions and, in principal, accelerate drug development. Theyve partnered with Sanofi and Pfizer on antibody discovery and last year, signed a $150 million pact with Ginkgo Bioworks to help the synthetic biology unicorn advance its genetic engineering capabilities.

All told, the company earned $51 million in revenue last year. Unlike a drug developer, they have no cash earmarked for specific pipeline products, and said they will use proceeds for research, potential acquisitions and general corporate purposes.

For ALX Oncology, a successful offering would mean their second $100 million tranche of the year. In February, the California biotech raised $105 million to help advance its sole pipeline candidate: an antibody designed to target CD-47. Thats the same dont-eat-me signal targeted by Irv Weissmans Forty Seven Inc., the biotech Gilead paid $5 billion for in January. ALXs pitch is that their antibodys FC receptor is engineered to not attract macrophages, reducing toxicity. The biotech will use their proceeds to push the drug through its ongoinghead and neck squamous cell carcinomaand gastric cancer trial and begin new trials for it in acute myeloid leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome. A portion is also earmarked for CMC work.

Founded out of Polaris in 2018, Pandion Therapeutics was tapped last year for an up-to $800 million partnership to help a reorganizing Astellas develop antibodies for auto-immune disorders. That deal included $45 million upfront and the company also earned $80 million from a Series B in April. The new funding will be used to push their lead molecule through Phase I/II trials in ulcerative colitis while also backing preclinical research, particularly on a pair of antibodies meant to turn on the PD-1 checkpoint and tamp down the immune system.

Kiromic, meanwhile, is in part just trying to stay alive. With less than $2 million 5 million when a subsequent $3 million Series B is included in the bank at years end, they acknowledged in their S-1 that theres substantial doubt regarding the Companys ability to continue as a going concern. In this climate, though, thats worked out just fine for other companies. Applied Molecular Transport went publicin May with the same concerns. They ultimately raised $177 million.

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The biotech IPO boom is becoming 'historic' as four more throw their hats in - Endpoints News

Cell Biology

COVID 19 Impact On Global Cell And Tissue Analysis Products Market 2020 Analysis By Major Key Players | Danaher, Luminex, EMD Millipore Corporation,…

Cell And Tissue Analysis Products Industry Overview Competitive Analysis, Regional and Global Analysis, Segment Analysis, Market Forecasts 2026

The globalCell And Tissue Analysis Products marketshave undergone huge change in the last few months. These changes were due to the outbreak of the pandemic which was first detected in the Wuhan city of China. COVID-19 which has occurred due to the coronavirus has taken many lives of people around the world. As the disease is spreading at a rapid rate many of the countries have ordered lockdown for maintaining social distancing. Due to the lockdown, many of the industries have halted their manufacturing units. There have been restrictions for cross border trading within the countries and also within the states. Owing to these conditions, trading conditions in various regions have been affected badly. The overall countries in the world are facing economic crisis thus affecting some of the major markets in the world.

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The research analysts from theMarket Research Storehave conducted a detailed study about the global Cell And Tissue Analysis Products market. Owing to the above mentioned conditions, the global Cell And Tissue Analysis Products market has undergone several changes on the global platform. All these updates are mentioned in the Cell And Tissue Analysis Products market report study. The research analysts have conducted a thorough primary and secondary research for updating the market statistics as per the current market scenario. The detailed Cell And Tissue Analysis Products market report is of over 150 pages including more than 30 tables and around 20 figures. The report includes pictorial representations of the market data in order to understand the Cell And Tissue Analysis Products market in a simple and easy way.

The data that is included about the Cell And Tissue Analysis Products market incorporates historical data from 2016 to 2019 and forecasts data from 2020 to 2026. The major players that are functioning in the Cell And Tissue Analysis Products market areDanaher, Luminex, EMD Millipore Corporation, PARTEC, GE Healthcare, Thermo Fisher Scientific, BD, Mindray, PerkinElmer, Miltenyi Biotec. Details about all the market players, distributors, suppliers, and retailers are profiled in the Cell And Tissue Analysis Products market report.

Read Detailed Index of full Research Study at::http://www.marketresearchstore.com/report/global-cell-and-tissue-analysis-products-market-report-289478

The Cell And Tissue Analysis Products market is segmented into{Cell & Tissue Characterization Products, Bio specimens, Cell Separation Products}; {Drug Discovery and Development, Stem Cell Research, Cell Biology, Other Research Practices}. Each of the market segments is described in detail within the report. Data about the segments are represented in both qualitative and quantitative format, thus enabling to understand the market in detail.

Major Advantages for Cell And Tissue Analysis Products Market:

Well-organized description of the international Cell And Tissue Analysis Products market along with the ongoing inclinations and future considerations to reveal the upcoming investment areas. The all-inclusive market feasibility is examined to figure out the profit-making trends to obtain the most powerful foothold in the Cell And Tissue Analysis Products industry. The Cell And Tissue Analysis Products market report covers data which reveal major drivers, constraints, and openings with extensive impact analysis. The current market is quantitatively reviewed from 2019 to 2028 to pinpoint the monetary competency of the global Cell And Tissue Analysis Products market. Last but not least, PORTERS Five Forces Analysis shows the effectiveness of the customers and providers from a global perspective.

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COVID 19 Impact On Global Cell And Tissue Analysis Products Market 2020 Analysis By Major Key Players | Danaher, Luminex, EMD Millipore Corporation,...

Cell Biology

If Biology Can Build It, They Will Come: Ginkgo Bioworks Is Laying The Foundation For The $4 Trillion Bioeconomy – Forbes

Early innovators in synthetic biology have had to get creative to grow not just their own ... [+] businesses, but the industry as a whole. Perhaps no company has contributed more to this growth than Ginkgo Bioworks.

Imagine there was a single method for making just about any product in the worldplastics, food, medicine, data storage devices, even a brain-computer interfaces. Now imagine that this method was faster, cheaper, and more sustainable than conventional manufacturing. Sounds like science fiction, right?

Its not science fiction: its synthetic biology, a field that uses biology as a manufacturing platform. Using the latest gene-editing techniques, synthetic biology can program yeast and bacteria into tiny cellular factories capable of making an endless range of products. Its also the driving force behind the $4 trillion bioeconomy, with great promise for building a more sustainable and abundant world.

Compared to sectors like pharmaceuticals and industrial chemicals, synthetic biology is relatively young. About 150 companies on Crunchbase describe themselves using the term synthetic biology, although SynBioBeta tracks more than 700 companies in the field. These early adopters either manufacture their own products with synthetic biology or provide synbio tools and technologies to help other companies transform the way they make things.

Early innovators in synthetic biology have had to get creative to grow not just their own businesses, but the industry as a wholeand perhaps few companies have contributed more to the industrys growth than Ginkgo Bioworks.

Ginkgo Bioworks is in a class of companies like Genomatica, Arzeda, Conagen, Zymergen, and Amyris AMRS that provides biotech infrastructure and servicesthe back-end of the synthetic biology industry. Rather than produce final products itself, Ginkgo designs and engineers microbes for a wide range of customer needs, from cannabinoid-producing bacteria to yeast that ferment next-generation food proteins.

Inside of Ginkgo Bioworks.

While Ginkgo believes that its microbes could one day produce virtually any physical good, most of Ginkgos would-be customers have relied for decades on traditional petrochemical or agricultural means of production. But Ginkgo isnt waiting for the slow, gradual adoption of synthetic biology by old-world players. Instead, its bringing its biology-based approach to the market by creating its own demand.

Already, Ginkgo has announced three spin-outs and strategic investments:

In February 2019 Ginkgo launched Motif Foodworks with a $90 million Series A, the largest in food tech history. This spin-out is using microbes to provide next-generation alternative proteins and other ingredients to food companies, showing the holistic view Ginkgo takes in the synthetic biology market. Ginkgo spun out Motif to develop and manufacture animal-free food ingredients, betting that plant-based meats and alternative dairy products would grow into a lucrative market. As part of this spin-out, a servicing agreement positioned Ginkgo as the provider of the microbes that Motif would use to manufacture its products.

Depending on the project, a subsidiary like Motif might have access to Ginkgos platform and technology at no cost. Alternatively, the investment may have dollars specifically earmarked for Ginkgos services, resulting in an immediate, new revenue-paying customer. Regardless of the initial financial arrangement, Ginkgo successfully created both a promising investment and a reliable future customer in one ambitious move.

Joyn Bio is a joint venture announced in March 2018 and funded to the tune of $100 million by agricultural giant Bayer, Ginkgo, and Viking Global Investors. The Joyn Bio venture carries technological benefits as well, with 100,000 of Bayers proprietary microbial strains being shared with Gingko. These strains can now be incorporated into Ginkgos internal metagenomics database. Even without explicit IP transfer, Ginkgo gets to flex its technological and commercial muscles in the context of a new industry.

In the pharmaceutical industry, Ginkgo has invested $80 million in its partner Synlogic, which will use Ginkgos cell programming platform to accelerate Synlogics pipeline of living medicines. Both companies believe that the ability to program living cells to sense and respond to treat complex diseases has great potential, possibly transforming the next generation of pharmaceuticals.

Aoife Brennan, Synlogic CEO

We have been working with Ginkgo for over two years now, said Aoife Brennan, Synlogic CEO. We initially started with a pilot project that went so well, we expanded our collaboration.

Brennan says Synlogic has really benefited as a company from working with Ginkgo. Having access to Ginkgos expertise and foundry services has allowed us to initiate more projects and to make sure that we are moving the best synthetic biotics into further development.

Brennan says that Ginkgo is not just a good collaborator, it also shares her companys values. Both of our companies share a passion for synthetic biology and making a positive impact on the world.

As Ginkgo seeks to attract customers in new markets, spin-outs and investments like Motif, Joyn Bio, and Synlogic demonstrate to other big players how synthetic biology is going to disrupt industries like food, agriculture, and pharmaand how synthetic biology can be used to transform their own businesses.

With this business model successfully piloted, Ginkgo has begun building a pipeline of promising biotech start-ups poised to be users of its microbial design platform. Partnering with start-up incubators Y Combinator and Petri, Ginkgo offers select start-ups access to its services in exchange for equity. The start-ups benefit from access to a technology stack that can save them large amounts of capital and time that would otherwise be sunk into building their own microbial design infrastructure.

Y Combinator partner Jared Friedman

"Ginkgo Bioworks was the first life sciences company YC funded, back in 2014, Y Combinator partner Jared Friedman told me. We believed early on that what they were building would help power the next generation of synbio startups, and it's been impressive to see them execute on that mission.

Friedman says that Ginkgo is making it cheaper and easier for new companies to get started by providing them with a platform that makes engineering biology easier.

We have a shared vision for the future, one in which bio startups are as easy to start as software startups, where founders don't have to spend years and millions of dollars booting up a genetic engineering lab, said Friedman. We're proud to be part of Ginkgo's continuing work to make this the standard."

Further enhancing this early pipeline of start-ups which rely on Ginkgos platform, the company recently announced the creation of a $350 million Ferment Fund. The Ferment Fund will spin out additional companies into promising markets identified by the Ginkgo team. Not only do these investments provide Ginkgo with a stake in promising biotech firms, but they also enable Ginkgo to support the growth of a synbio ecosystem reliant on its platform.

In a demonstration of the flexibility of the companys technology platform, as well as its commitment to help in the fight against the coronavirus, Ginkgo recently took several actions to help scale the research communitys response to the pandemic.

Ginkgo announced Concentric, a program to offer COVID-19 testing at scale to support schools and businesses in their reopening strategies. Concentric can provide end-to-end, on-site testing services for organizations that seek to make testing available to their communities.

Testing is essential for understanding and stopping the spread of the virus, Ginkgo said in an op/ed. By repurposing its next-generation sequencing capacity to rapidly scale testing, Ginkgo hopes to turn the tide.

In March, Ginkgo pledged $25 million of its research and development resources to help researchers battling the coronavirus. Ginkgo has used its DNA synthesis capabilities to make the viruss sequences freely available for use in R&D for diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines. Ginkgo also is a part of a Berkeley Lights consortium for antibody discovery and testing, helping to scale up infrastructure for antibody lead optimization.

As synthetic biology start-ups grow, they will continue to lean on Ginkgos platform for microbial design, since developing in-house capabilities will appear increasingly redundant with each successful Ginkgo collaboration. In this way, Ginkgo will have created a robust ecosystem of companies modeled after its own Motif Foodworks, full of start-ups that excel at developing and biomanufacturing final products while they outsource their microbial design to the Ginkgo Bioworks mothership.

Follow me on Twitter at @johncumbers and @synbiobeta. Subscribe to my weekly newsletters on synthetic biology. Thank you to Matthew Kirshner for additional research and reporting in this article. Im the founder of SynBioBeta, and some of the companies that I write aboutincluding Ginkgo Bioworksare sponsors of the SynBioBeta conference and weekly digestheres the full list of SynBioBeta sponsors.

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If Biology Can Build It, They Will Come: Ginkgo Bioworks Is Laying The Foundation For The $4 Trillion Bioeconomy - Forbes

Cell Biology

Cytovia Therapeutics, Inc Adds Two Industry Leaders to Its Board of Directors – BioSpace

NEW YORK, June 24, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cytovia Therapeutics, Inc (Cytovia), an emerging biopharmaceutical company developing Natural Killer (NK) immunotherapies for cancer, today announces the appointment of Dr. Leila Alland and Ms. Jane Wasman to its Board of Directors, effective immediately.

Dr. Leila Alland brings extensive experience in oncology drug development to her role at Cytovia Therapeutics. Dr. Alland is currently Chief Medical Officer at PMV Pharma, a leader in the discovery and development of small molecule therapies targeting p53 mutations, which are prevalent in many cancers. Dr. Alland was previously Chief Medical Officer at Affimed, where she advanced the companys portfolio of clinical-stage immuno-oncology programs. During her career, she has held leadership positions at Tarveda Therapeutics, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Novartis and Schering-Plough, and has contributed to numerous successful oncology drug approvals over the course of her career, spanning both molecularly targeted and immuno-oncology therapeutic products. Dr. Alland is a member of the Scientific Advisory Council of Columbia University's Center for Radiological Research. Dr. Alland obtained her medical degree from New York University School of Medicine, completed her residency in pediatrics at The Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia and her fellowship in pediatric hematology/oncology at The New York Hospital and Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and was Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine. I am very excited to be joining the Board of Directors at Cytovia Therapeutics, said Dr. Alland. Cytovias portfolio of immune therapeutics is steeped in the science of NK cells and the development of powerful new technologies that leverage the ability of NK cells to fight cancer. These novel technologies have the potential to go far beyond current drug development paradigms and make a real difference to individuals living with cancer.

Ms. Jane Wasman is a strategic leader with almost 25 years in the biopharma industry, with extensive U.S. and international experience. Ms. Wasman is Chair of the Board of Directors of Sellas Life Sciences, a board member at Rigel Pharmaceuticals, and serves on the board of NY BIO. Ms. Wasman is Founder and President of JWasman Advisors, (a consulting firm focused on strategic, operational and corporate governance matters for biopharma and life sciences organizations). She previously served as President, International, General Counsel and Chief, Strategic Development at Acorda Therapeutics, where she led long-range planning and development in addition to international expansion and in leadership positions including Vice President at Schering Plough. Ms. Wasman graduated magna cum laude from Princeton University, and earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School. I am thrilled to be able to joinCytovia's team who is implementing an agile partnership strategy and capital-efficient execution approach, said Ms. Wasman. I believe Cytovia Therapeutics is positioned to become a leading NK company with a differentiated product portfolio, leveraging two strong technologies - CAR NK and NK engager antibodies.

Dr. Daniel Teper, co-founder, Chairman and CEO of Cytovia Therapeutics, Inc stated:"We are delighted to welcome two exceptional industry leaders to our boardof directors. Cytovia Therapeutics is at a growth inflexion point where it can fully benefit from Dr. Alland's solid track record in oncology drug development and Ms. Wasman's expertise in corporate and financial transactions."

Media Snippets accompanying this announcement are available by clicking on the images or links below:

ABOUT CYTOVIA THERAPEUTICS, INCCytovia Therapeutics Inc is an emerging biotechnology company that aims to accelerate patient access to transformational immunotherapies, addressing several of the most challenging unmet medical needs in cancer and severe acute infectious diseases. Cytovia focuses on Natural Killer (NK) cell biology and is leveraging multiple advanced patented technologies, including an induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) platform for CAR (Chimeric Antigen Receptors) NK cell therapy, next-generation precision gene-editing to enhance targeting of NK cells, and NK engager multi-functional antibodies. Our initial product portfolio focuses on both hematological malignancies such as multiple myeloma and solid tumors including hepatocellular carcinoma and glioblastoma. The company partners with the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), the New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF), the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Macromoltek.

Learn more atwww.cytoviatx.com

Contact for media enquiries at Cytovia Therapeutics, IncSophie BadrVice President, Corporate AffairsSophie.badre@cytoviatx.com1(929) 317 1565

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Cytovia Therapeutics, Inc Adds Two Industry Leaders to Its Board of Directors - BioSpace

Embryology

In the NGSS, a Dogmatic Standard on Evolution – Discovery Institute

Inaccurate teaching about evolution is widespread, as Jonathan Wellss review of textbooks shows. The 2013 Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS, which most states have adopted verbatim or used to inform their science standards, are one sided on the issue as well.

Ive recently been perusing Proficiency Scales for the New Science Standards: A Framework for Science Instruction and Assessment, by Robert J. Marzano and David C. Yanoski. Marzano is a big name in education. The Marzano Framework and the Danielson Framework are the two most prominent teacher evaluation models. Proficiency scales are frameworks that help teachers grade students according to a state standard, to measure their progress of learning.

This book provides proficiency scales for each of the NGSS. Proficiency scales are generally on a 4-point scale, with a score of 3 meaning meets standard. 2. A score of 4 means a student demonstrates in-depth inferences and applications that go beyond what was taught according to Marzano. Scores lower than 2 demonstrate partial success at 2, with or without teacher help.

Id like to examine the proficiency scale for one of the most dogmatic standards on evolution in the NGSS:

Communicate scientific information that common ancestry and biological evolution are supported by multiple lines of empirical evidence (for example, communicate orally, graphically, or textually to give evidence for common ancestry and biological evolution such as similarities in DNA sequences, anatomical structures, and the order of appearance of structures in embryological development and to explain how each line of evidence relates to common ancestry and biological evolution).

What does Marzano list for score 2.0 criteria? The student will:

(a) Recognize or recall specific vocabulary (for example, anatomical structure, biochemical characteristic, biological evolution, common ancestry, degree of kinship, development, DNA sequence, embryological, evidence for unity of life, order of appearance, origin of life, phylogenetics, shared characteristic, similarity, structure).

(b) Describe similarities in DNA sequences, anatomical structures, and order of appearance of structures in embryological development of various organisms.

(c) Describe the process of biological evolution.

Lets analyze each of these in turn. For (a) some of these vocabulary terms are a great choice, but some are somewhat complex to define (origin of life or biological evolution, for example). More importantly, there are issues with using phylogenetics and embryological development as evidence for common ancestry and biological evolution. Okay, (b). Jonathan Wells (Icons of Evolution, Zombie Science both address this) and others have written extensively on homology and embryology in the past and how they fail to support evolution. And (c). Well, scientists are still trying to figure out how to describe the process of biological evolution. A student performing below standard is supposed to be able to do this? And what specifically is the student to describe neo-Darwinian theory? Genetic drift? Evo-devo?

The Marzano proficiency scales are undoubtedly used by a myriad of science teachers. At least on evolution, thats contributing to inaccurate education.

Photo credit:Yustinus Tjiuwanda viaUnsplash.

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In the NGSS, a Dogmatic Standard on Evolution - Discovery Institute

Embryology

How to safely deliver fertility treatments in the COVID-19 era: the controversy of guidelines – BioNews

29 June 2020

The Health Secretary's announcement on 1 May 2020 that fertility services in the UK could apply to reopen (see BioNews 1045) was a message of hope for all those who depend on fertility treatment for having a baby. Around the same time, various national and international scientific fertility societies published guidance on the 'safe' restart of the services during the coronavirus pandemic.

Fertility clinics in the UK had therefore the rather straightforward task of re-designing their practice protocols according to this COVID-19 guidance. Or perhaps this was not so straightforward?

As the medical director of a group of fertility clinics in the UK, I was assigned to design the new coronavirus-proof practice for my group. However, after starting to read the published guidelines, I soon realised that their recommendations were not as aligned as anticipated.

True, some of the recommended practice points were similar - mainly the use of social distancing and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) by clinical staff. On the other hand, the guidelines approached the topic of testing for COVID-19 in their own different ways. For example, the European Society for Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) guidance recommended testing only for individuals who have symptoms or have had contact with someone with symptoms of COVID-19 infection, while the British Fertility Society and Association of Reproductive and Clinical Scientists (BFS-ARCS) advised to routinely test IVF patients for COVID-19, if a test is available.

When I investigated the availability of testing, I found out that indeed testing is available, but one had to research which tests are more reliable before deciding which one to go for. Moreover, the logistics of ordering the test, sending the sample to the laboratory and retrieving the result in time for the treatment had to be worked out.

I was so intrigued by the different approaches of the fertility guidelines, which prompted me to author an opinion paper about it, which has now been accepted in a reputable reproductive medicine journal.

Why is there such controversy among the guideline recommendations?

The inconsistencies in guidelines cannot be simply explained by geography. After all, these guidelines come from Europe (including the UK) and North America (USA and Canada), which have been experiencing similar challenges with coronavirus.

The answer is obvious; we simply do not know enough about the virus and we are still developing the relevant tests. More importantly, there is no experience how to best apply these tests in the fertility setting.

Guidance is, therefore, based mostly on expert opinion rather than scientific evidence.

It has to be acknowledged that fertility treatment is unique, in the sense that it lasts for a few weeks, during which one's good health needs to be continually re-affirmed. This is different to elective surgery, where a COVID-19 test can be scheduled just before admission.

One could hope to repeat the COVID-19 test every few days or before every visit to the fertility clinic. However, this is not practical for many reasons. The test often has to be outsourced to an external laboratory and inevitably takes at least a couple of days for the result to be available.

Testing introduces a substantial burden on the fertility services and staff resources, as well as an obvious financial burden for the paying party - whether this is the patient or the health authority.

Another concern has to do with the reliability of the test. No currently available test will pick up 100 percent of COVID-19 cases (current tests have approximately 70 percent sensitivity). This implies that, even if we performed the test repeatedly, we could still 'miss' some of the patients who carry the virus.

The absolute benefit of testing also has to do with how widespread the virus is in the community at any given point in time. At times of low infection rates, the chance of a COVID-19 test being positive is expected to be quite low.

Finally, there are other readily applicable measures, which help to reduce transmission (such as the social distancing and use of PPE); so, even if a patient carries the virus and doesn't know it, this does not mean they will definitely transmit it to others.

So, how should fertility clinics design their COVID-19 protocols for safety?

Until such time when enough experience has accumulated in the fertility sector, each clinic has to make its own decision how to go about it. Since there is no single full-proof test or intervention against coronavirus at the moment, combined measures are warranted. These measures should include social distancing when possible, PPE use, remote appointments, strict sanitation etc. Whether opportunistic COVID-19 testing should be part of the 'artillery' remains up to the individual clinic.

In my opinion, there are reasons for opting to apply more, rather than fewer, anti-COVID-19 measures at the restart.

Firstly, it is presumed to be safer to test, as doing a COVID-19 test can only detect more positive cases than not doing one. This will allow prompt cancellation of the treatment, thereby minimising the risk to others.

Secondly, testing allows the clinic to obtain important feedback on the usefulness of this approach, which could inform future policies. For example, if the test detects positive cases, it is obviously useful and should be continued (or even expanded). If, on the other hand, no positives are detected over a considerable number of sampled patients, this could make an evidence-based argument for discontinuing the test.

If a clinic chooses not to test, they can only learn the hard way, through trial and error; if they experience COVID-19 'clusters', their measures obviously allow enough COVID-19 cases to slip through (a 'cluster' is at least two positive individuals, patients or staff, who have had contact during the fertility treatment).

Other important metrics should also be internally monitored by clinics. The regional trends in infection rates as published by authoritative bodies - need to be regularly monitored. If the rates increase, it makes sense to tighten the anti-COVID-19 measures, which could include introducing - or re-introducing - a COVID-19 test.

Another important outcome to monitor is for the presence of clusters of positive cases within the same clinic. Clinics should be encouraged to report COVID-19 clusters that occur in their practice to the regulator - the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) - together with an action plan how they aim to minimise recurrence by strengthening their COVID-19 protocols.

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How to safely deliver fertility treatments in the COVID-19 era: the controversy of guidelines - BioNews