Cell Biology

Massive proteomics investigation of COVID-19 infection – News-Medical.Net

Researchers from Germany and Switzerland revealed functional effects of individual severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) proteins on cellular level after infection. They placed the findings into the context of host signaling pathways in order to identify vulnerable parts of the virus amenable to treatment. The study is currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server.

The sudden global emergence of SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of an ongoing coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, prompted the need for an in-depth apprehension of molecular functions of viral proteins and their respective interactions with the host proteome.

Several omics studies have broadened our knowledge of COVID-19 pathophysiology, including some that were focused on proteomic aspects. For example, a comprehensive SARS-CoV-2 human protein-protein interaction map (derived with affinity-purification mass spectrometry) was recently published in the leading scientific journal Nature.

But albeit multi-omics studies (together with structural biology methods) are anticipated to have a fundamental role in the efficient clinical management of this pandemic, systems-level molecular studies of SARS-CoV-2 are hampered by the tremendously contagious nature of the pathogen.

However, there are scientists ready to tackle such challenging research questions. In order to understand the exact way how SARS-CoV-2 and related coronaviruses manipulate the host, a research group from Germany and Switzerland recently characterized proteome, interactome, and signaling processes in a systems-wide manner.

These researchers investigated closely related SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV viruses (the latter being the causative agent of the original SARS outbreak), as well as the influence of SARS-CoV-2 on the proteome, transcriptome, ubiquitinome, and phosphoproteome of a lung-derived human cell line.

More specifically, to acquire information on the concerted activity of viral proteins during the infection, they have infected A549 cells expressing ACE2 receptor with SARS-CoV-2 and characterized the impact of viral infection on RNA transcription, protein abundance, ubiquitination (i.e., bonding of a ubiquitin-protein to a substrate protein) and phosphorylation in a time-resolved manner

"For each viral protein, we mapped the collected data onto the global network of cellular interactions and applied a network diffusion approach," further explain study authors. "Such analysis identifies short links of known protein-protein interactions, signaling and regulation events that connect the interactors of the viral protein with the proteins affected by its expression," they add.

Such an analysis of proteome changes (induced by each viral protein) and consideration of subsequent protein interactions provided direct insights into their functions. Finally, the researchers tested a panel of 48 drugs modifying the pathways perturbed by the virus for their effects on SARS-CoV-2 replication.

The virus-host interaction network that stemmed from this comprehensive research endeavor revealed a myriad of cellular activities intercepted by both SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV. The systematic proteome and interactome profiling of individual viral proteins opened the door for a deeper understanding of their molecular mechanisms.

More specifically, when SARS-CoV-2 is concerned, this study found that it can interact with specific protein complexes, contributing in turn to a range of biological processes. Moreover, the virus can also target stress response components and DNA damage response mediators.

"Upon virus infection, we observed upregulation of TGF- and EGFR pathways, which modulate cell survival, motility, and innate immune responses," said study authors. "Besides promoting virus replication, activation of these pathways has been implicated in fibrosis, one of the hallmarks of COVID-19", they further emphasize.

According to the drug testing results, B-RAF, JAK1/2, and MAPK inhibitors led to a significant increase of viral growth in the laboratory infection setting; conversely, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, the mTOR inhibitor, or inducers of DNA damage led to the suppression of SARS-CoV-2.

In a nutshell, projecting the obtained data onto the global network of cellular interactions unveiled relationships between the perturbations that arise upon SARS-CoV-2 infection at different layers, but also identified unique and characteristic molecular mechanisms of SARS coronaviruses.

Taken together, the illustrated viral-host protein-protein interactions and pathway regulations that were observed at multiple levels recognize potential areas of SARS-CoV-2 that could be targeted by well-characterized selective antiviral drugs.

"The results highlight the functionality of individual proteins, as well as vulnerability hotspots of SARS-CoV-2, which we targeted with clinically approved drugs", explain study authors. "We exemplify this by identification of kinase inhibitors, as well as matrix metallopeptidase inhibitors with significant antiviral effects against SARS-CoV-2", they add.

Furthermore, the drug screen that was pursued in this study demonstrated the value of this type of combined dataset, and further exploration of the interplay between different -omics levels may advance the knowledge of coronavirus biology and pathogenicity.

In conclusion, these results can serve as a base for the intelligent design of combination therapies that target the virus from multiple and synergistic angles, potentiating, in turn, the effect of individual treatments, and minimizing at the same time the side-effects on healthy tissues.

bioRxiv publishes preliminary scientific reports that are not peer-reviewed and, therefore, should not be regarded as conclusive, guide clinical practice/health-related behavior, or treated as established information.

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Massive proteomics investigation of COVID-19 infection - News-Medical.Net

Cell Biology

Medical Imaging Market to Grow at Robust CAGR in the COVID-19 Lockdown Scenario – Cole of Duty

The global market for medical imaging should grow from $34.1 billion in 2018 to reach $43.6 billion by 2023 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.1% for the period of 2018-2023.

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Report Scope:

The scope of this report is broad and covers various types of products available in the medical imaging instruments market and potential application sectors across various industries. The medical imaging instruments market is broken down into product types such as X-ray systems, ultrasound devices, MRI, CT and nuclear imaging. Revenue forecasts from 2018 to 2023 are given for each product type, technologies, application and end users with estimated valued derived from the revenue of manufacturers total revenues.

The report also includes a discussion of the major players across each regional medical imaging instrument market. It explains the major drivers and regional dynamics of the global medical imaging instruments market and current trends within the industry. An analysis of the regulatory scenario that governs the medical imaging industry is also included in the scope of this report.

The report concludes with a special focus on the vendor landscape and includes detailed profiles of the major vendors in the global medical imaging instruments market.

Report Includes:

101 data tables and 108 additional tables Country specific data and analysis for United States, Canada, Mexico, U.K., Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Japan, China, India, South Korea, Australia, Middle East, Africa and Latin America Detailed description of innovative imaging modalities such as mammography and 3D ultrasonic holography Identification of research areas for biomedical imaging and applications of biophotonics and biomedical imaging in research Comparative study of focused ultrasound with an ideal surgical tool and study challenges that need to be addressed in global medical imaging instruments market to achieve fiscal succes Identification of various strategies adopted by market players to enhance their market position, including expansion, product launch, acquisition and merger, innovation, partnership and joint venture Company profiles of major players in the market, including Agfa Healthcare, Boston Scientific, Bruker Corp., Canon, Inc. and GE Healthcare

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Summary

Due to the prevalence of chronic diseases coupled with the increasing geriatric population and number of road accidents, stronger demand for better imaging has emerged. Chronic diseases such as cancer, strokes, neurodegenerative diseases, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), cardiovascular diseases and others require imaging of body parts for proper diagnosis of the disease.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the major diseases that lead most NCD (noncommunicable diseases) deaths are cardiovascular diseases, cancers, respiratory diseases and diabetes, accounting for more than 80% of all premature NCD deaths. NCDs claim 40 million deaths each year and account for approximately 70% of global deaths. Such high instances of chronic diseases require improved and advanced imaging technologies such as MRI, ultrasound and others. Also, the number of road accidents calls for the imaging technologies in cases of major and minor fractures.

According to the World Health Organization (Switzerland), nearly 1.24 million people throughout the world die each year due to road traffic crashes that equates to ~3,400 deaths per day. Imaging instruments find huge application in cases of fractures. Factors such as prevalence of chronic diseases and an increasing geriatric population, coupled with increasing demand of 3D medical imaging equipment, are also providing traction to the global medical imaging instruments market.

Companies are focusing on the continuous development of products that support novel imaging technologies such as colored and 3D imaging due to their rising demand. Surging investments on technological advancements for increasing resolution and pixel capabilities, wider disease detection capabilities and more advanced software can be observed in the market. For instance, in 2017, Royal Philips (Netherlands) announced a new MRI system, MR Prodiva 1.5T, with enhanced clinical performance, workflow, and capability of 2D and 3D scans. Similarly, launched in November 2017 by NPL (National Physical Laboratory), 3D OrbiSIMSis a molecular imaging instrument used to explore potentials under cell biology and drug discovery.

The imaging technologies are used across various end users including hospitals, diagnostic centers and research centers. In hospitals, the imaging instruments are used for imaging body parts in cases of chronic diseases or accidents. In diagnostic centers, the imaging instruments are widely adopted for diagnosing a particular body part or the whole body. The imaging instruments are used for molecular imaging in the research centers for drug discovery purposes.

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The global medical imaging market is projected to rise at a CAGR of REDACTED during the forecast period of 2018-2023. By 2023, total revenue is expected to reach nearly REDACTED, with an increase of REDACTED from REDACTED in 2017.

The report provides an analysis based on each product type segment, which includes X-ray systems, magnetic resource imaging equipment/instruments, CT scanners, ultrasound systems and nuclear imaging equipment/instruments.

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Medical Imaging Market to Grow at Robust CAGR in the COVID-19 Lockdown Scenario - Cole of Duty

Neuroscience

COVID-19 Survey Shows One-Third of Researchers Could Leave Neuroscience – Technology Networks

A UK-wide survey has exposed the damaging effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on neuroscience research. A third of respondents to the survey, organized by the British Neuroscience Association (BNA), said that they were considering leaving the field. Nearly nine in ten respondents felt that the pandemic had had a negative impact on their research. The survey, recorded between May and June, highlights the wide-ranging impacts of the pandemic across academia, the full effects of which are still to be felt.The survey findings were published yesterday (18th June) by the BNA. The findings reveal huge anxiety among researchers around the future of their work in a post-pandemic world.

The survey found that researchers had felt immediate impacts of COVID-19 on their work:

Over 400 neuroscience researchers from around the UK contributed to the survey, with the majority of respondents in early career researcher positions. The survey showed an uncertain outlook for researchers whose external funding timelines have been thrown into jeopardy. Over a quarter of researchers had requested further funding to maintain their research. Worryingly, just under half of these respondents reported that their requests had gone unanswered.The survey included quotes from respondents that bring into sharp focus the human cost of a field put into stasis. My fellowship is due to finish next year. We have received a three-month salary extension and a six-month extension to the end date. However, this year was the key year to be collecting the data after several years of training the animals and developing the new techniques to use in my lab. I am worried that there won't be enough time to re-train the animals and complete all the experiments in time. We have had to maintain the implants on the animals, which has been difficult as we continue to go into work and clean them but can't train them or collect any data from them, said a senior academic behavioural scientist who contributed to the survey.

Speaking to Technology NetworksAnne Cooke, CEO of the BNA, said the most concerning reports from the survey were about the number of researcher looking to a future outside of science. The most worrying and surprising finding was about the number of people who are considering or really think they will have to leave frontline neuroscience research as a direct result of coronavirus. I think we anticipated responses that the impact had been negative, but I think the finding that people really thought they wouldn't be able to carry on was, for me, the most shocking result.

The early stages of research have a notoriously high attrition rate, but Cooke said that some of the respondents insights suggest that COVID-19 is exerting an additional pressure to leave the sector. One of our next steps will be digging into these key findings more, said Cooke. When you look at the career pyramid in science, you get a lot of early-career researchers who leave science naturally. But when we looked at the comments behind the survey, we realized that this is a direct result of coronavirus, this isnt just the natural career progression attrition that you get at that stage.

Cooke continued, People commenting on the fact that they've had to look after children at home has had a really detrimental effect. They are no longer going to be able to compete their research project. They therefore don't think they'll get the next fellowship or the next set of funding.

Whilst around half of respondents hoped that their work will resume pre-lockdown levels by the end of 2020, four out of five believed that this progress will be hindered by insufficient funding. Additional concerns for respondents included:

The BNA have written a letter to the science minister, Amanda Solloway MP, asking for clarity on how existing projects will be brought back on track.Joseph Clift, the BNAs head of policy, said any response should support researchers as they return to the workplace and also secure supplies of lab equipment that have been disrupted by the pandemic. What researchers need now is little bit more detail on how those funds can help support efforts to salvage research, said Clift.

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COVID-19 Survey Shows One-Third of Researchers Could Leave Neuroscience - Technology Networks

Neuroscience

Neuroscience Antibodies and Assays Market Share, Growth, Statistics, by Application, Production, Revenue & Forecast to 2025 – Jewish Life News

Market Study Report Adds New, 2020-2025 Global Neuroscience Antibodies and Assays Industry Market Report to its research database presenting an informative study covering the market with detailed analysis. The Global Neuroscience Antibodies and Assays Industry market research report is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of global Industry.

This Neuroscience Antibodies and Assays Industry market research study is a collection of insights that translate into a gist of this industry. It is explained in terms of a plethora of factors, some of which include the present scenario of this marketplace in tandem with the industry scenario over the forecast timeframe.

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The report is also inclusive of some of the major development trends that characterize the Neuroscience Antibodies and Assays Industry market. A comprehensive document in itself, the Neuroscience Antibodies and Assays Industry market research study also contains numerous other pointers such as the current industry policies in conjunction with the topographical industry layout characteristics. Also, the Neuroscience Antibodies and Assays Industry market study is comprised of parameters such as the impact of the current market scenario on investors.

The pros and cons of the enterprise products, a detailed scientific analysis pertaining to the raw material as well as industry downstream buyers, in conjunction with a gist of the enterprise competition trends are some of the other aspects included in this report.

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Neuroscience Antibodies and Assays Market Share, Growth, Statistics, by Application, Production, Revenue & Forecast to 2025 - Jewish Life News

Neuroscience

AMSA and Sunovion Team Up For Second Year of Neuroscience Peer Teaching Program While Transitioning to Remote Learning Experience – Business Wire

MARLBOROUGH, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Advanced Math & Science Academy Charter School (AMSA) and Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Sunovion) today announced completion of the second year of a program to help students understand Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) life science career paths within a pharmaceutical company and foster a deeper knowledge of neuroscience. Six AMSA upper school level students, five seniors and one junior, were selected as a team to participate in this collaborative project with Sunovion for their schools Capstone Project. Due to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts response to COVID-19 and schools moving to remote learning for the remainder of the 2020 school year, Sunovion and AMSA worked together to adjust and transition the program to a virtual experience.

The high school student team developed a lesson plan about the central and peripheral nervous systems that they successfully taught seventh grade students at AMSA via a video classroom, with the goal to enhance and complement their existing biology class curriculum. This material was developed in consultation with a cross-functional team from Sunovion with a range of expertise.

Our goal at AMSA is to create an atmosphere of celebration of knowledge where children of diverse backgrounds and abilities excel, especially in math, science and technology, and we empower them to succeed in the workplace in our modern high-tech world. The partnership between AMSA and Sunovion was what AMSA founders envisioned in our charter with the State, when they located the school in Marlborough for close proximity to a growing innovation ecosystem. AMSA is proud of this program, which has leveraged access to Sunovions in-depth expertise to enhance our science education. We thank the Sunovion team for their positive impact and inspiring our students, said Ellen Linzey, Executive Director, AMSA.

This important program with AMSA reinforces our commitment to advancing the next generation of innovators and leaders and we appreciate the continued collaboration with administrators and faculty. We were impressed by the students and their ability to absorb and convey complex neurobiology information to their peers in an accessible way. They adapted to a remote peer teaching environment this year with great effectiveness and success, said Ken Koblan, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, who serves as Sunovions executive sponsor of the program with AMSA.

The student teachers were honored during a virtual ceremony on May 13, 2020 as they look forward to the next chapters in their academic careers and consider pursuing further learning in healthcare, the life sciences, or neurobiology. Seniors were provided with certificates and scholarships upon completion of their Capstone Project. The program was initiated in 2019 through the collaboration of Mark Vital, Community Outreach Manager, AMSA and Wendy Scoppa, Senior Manager, Community Relations, Sunovion. A video of the ceremony and project can be viewed here.

About Advanced Math & Science Academy (AMSA)

Ranked as the #4 public high school in Massachusetts by U.S. News & World Report, The Advanced Math & Science Academy Charter School (AMSA) was chartered by the Massachusetts Department of Education in February 2004 and opened in September 2005. AMSAs teaching model is centered on rigorous college-oriented education for all students. AMSAs teaching philosophy involves starting challenging abstract learning, typically expected for high school students, early in the middle school grades. AMSA creates an atmosphere of celebration of knowledge where children of all backgrounds and abilities excel in all subjects, especially in math, science and technology, empowering them to succeed in the workplace in our modern, high-tech world. AMSA's core values are collective and individual values: Model Integrity, Pursue Your Excellence and Foster Community. Learn more about AMSA at http://www.amsacs.org and join AMSA on social media at http://www.amsacs.org/social.

About Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Sunovion)

Sunovion is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on the innovative application of science and medicine to help people with serious medical conditions. Sunovions vision is to lead the way to a healthier world. The companys spirit of innovation is driven by the conviction that scientific excellence paired with meaningful advocacy and relevant education can improve lives. With patients at the center of everything it does, Sunovion has charted new paths to life-transforming treatments that reflect ongoing investments in research and development and an unwavering commitment to support people with psychiatric, neurological and respiratory conditions. Headquartered in Marlborough, Mass., Sunovion is an indirect, wholly-owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Dainippon Pharma Co., Ltd. Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Europe Ltd., based in London, England, and Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc., based in Mississauga, Ontario, are wholly-owned direct subsidiaries of Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc. Additional information can be found on the companys web sites: http://www.sunovion.com, http://www.sunovion.eu and http://www.sunovion.ca. Connect with Sunovion on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube.

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AMSA and Sunovion Team Up For Second Year of Neuroscience Peer Teaching Program While Transitioning to Remote Learning Experience - Business Wire

Neuroscience

What Innovations, Technologies Are Emerging in the Pipeline of Parkinson Disease Treatment? – AJMC.com Managed Markets Network

Central nervous system gene therapies and advanced technologies to provide these treatments were noted as emerging opportunities in treatment for neurological conditions such as Parkinson disease, according to review findings. Researchers also highlighted the lack of experience and technology in medical centers nationwide to provide these services.

Currently, vector-based intracerebral gene therapies are being used to treat specific neurodegenerative conditions. While these therapies have been included in clinical trials for PD and other similar conditions, there has yet to be a breakthrough treatment.

However, researchers note that new molecular agents, device innovations, and improved neurosurgical techniques have unlocked the potential of therapies delivered directly via infusion into the CNS. With this opportunity emerging, they sought to review how these CNS gene therapy treatments performed in neurological diseases, as well as if skill sets and health delivery strategies within the clinical neuroscience practices are aligned with future demand for these therapies.

Focusing on patients with idiopathic PD, researchers referenced image-guided convection enhanced delivery (CED) as optimizing the parenchymal distribution of gene therapies applied within the CNS. Citing this as the potential therapeutic breakthrough, researchers then highlighted how image-guided CED and gene therapy are not part of training programs for most neurosurgeons and neurologists. This could prove to lessen the impact among patients as treatment will be limited by factors such as geographic location and specialization.

If CNS gene therapies prove to be efficacious for PD and/or other conditions, the demand for such treatments will overwhelm the available number of experienced clinical neuroscience teams and treatment centres, warned the study authors.

To address this potential demand, researchers said that a worldwide education effort to provide this training to clinical neuroscience practitioners would be warranted. Moreover, they say to begin this transition, at least a limited number of Centers of Excellence will need to establish relevant educational training requirements and best practice for these therapies.

The crucial availability of advanced technologies, such as robotics and artificial intelligence, were then cited by researchers as they will expand the treatment team's capabilities while assisting in the safe and timely care of those afflicted.

Reference

Fiandaca MS, Lonser RR, Elder JB, et al. Advancing gene therapies, methods, and technologies for Parkinson disease and other neurological disorders. Neurol Neurochir Pol. Published online June 18, 2020. doi:10.5603/PJNNS.a2020.0046

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What Innovations, Technologies Are Emerging in the Pipeline of Parkinson Disease Treatment? - AJMC.com Managed Markets Network

Neuroscience

Theres no such thing as an objective view of something – Medical News Today

Researchers from Johns Hopkins University used a series of sophisticated experiments to test a philosophical idea. They found that it is nearly impossible to separate an objects true identity from the viewers perception of it.

A persons ability to see the world objectively, separate from their perspective, is the subject of intense debate in philosophy and neuroscience.

What happens when a person looks at an object that appears different from its true nature because of their perspective on it? For example, a circular coin rotated toward them will appear as an oval.

The classical view is that the brain transforms the image that hits the retina and removes our perspective from the representation. This means that the brain represents the object in its true form in this case, a circle.

Researchers from the Perception and Mind Lab at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, MD, have turned this view on its head.

They carried out a series of experiments to find out how people detect objects under different conditions. They suggest that the brains representation of an object includes how someone perceives it not just how it truly is. They conclude that a person cannot see an object in a way that is entirely separate from their point of view.

Their findings challenge previous assumptions in the philosophy, psychology, and neuroscience of perception and appear in the journal PNAS.

A persons perception of the world around them is a complex process that goes far beyond wavelengths of light hitting the back of the eye. It involves multipart transformations by the brain and is biased by what we a person has seen previously and what they know to be true about the world.

The way a person perceives things depends on their perspective, their point of view. What happens when perspective distorts an objects form is the subject of a long-standing philosophical debate. As the paper puts it, do we ever escape the perspective from which we view the world?

This question about the influence of ones own perspective on perception is one [that] philosophers have been discussing for centuries, says senior author Chaz Firestone, assistant professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences and Director of the Perception & Mind Lab.

Firestone and his team are investigating whether the brain represents an object based on how a person sees it (their perspective) and influences this perception, even when the person knows that the true form of the object is different.

To test this idea experimentally, the researchers conducted nine separate experiments, the first seven involving computer-generated objects and the final two using real-world objects viewed under natural conditions.

Most of the experiments featured coins that were either circular shown head-on (immediately recognizable as a circle), oval shown head-on (immediately recognizable as an oval), or a circular coin rotated in such a way that it appeared similar to the oval coin.

In the first experiment, researchers showed the participants a series of images and asked them to determine which showed the oval coin. An oval coin presented head-on was present in all images, and a circular coin appeared either head-on or turned 45 degrees.

Further experiments involved coins of different sizes, rotations, the number of coins, and the movement of the coins. Other experiments included variations on this theme using different shapes.

In the final experiments, the participants sat in front of a real-life display containing wooden coins, and the researchers asked them to indicate the location of the oval coin.

The results showed that when the researchers presented the participants with tilted, circular coins at the same time as the oval coins, their response times slowed significantly. This was the case whether the coins were still or moving and whether the volunteers saw them on a computer screen or in real life.

The fact that the subjects were distracted by the tilted circles suggests that their brains did represent the tilted coin as oval in shape, rather than as the circular object it is in reality. All of the experiments generated results consistent with this idea.

The results indicate that people cannot separate an objects true identity from how they see it.

Our subjective approach to the world stays with us, says lead author Jorge Morales, postdoctoral fellow and resident philosopher in the Perception & Mind Lab. Even when we try to perceive the world the way it really is, we cant completely discard our perspective.

This study also shows that researchers can test ideas from philosophy empirically, and is the first of several experiments the lab is working on to understand human perception better.

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Theres no such thing as an objective view of something - Medical News Today

Neuroscience

Engrail Therapeutics Raises $32 Million in Series A Financing – Business Wire

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Engrail Therapeutics (Engrail) (the Company) today announced the close of a $32 million Series A financing round. Nan Fung Life Sciences (NFLS), the global investment platform of the Nan Fung Group, led the round. The Company plans to use the proceeds from the financing to support the clinical development of its first pipeline asset, ENX-101, a sub-type selective GABA A modulator.

Neuroscience is making massive strides. As the brains complexities and molecular mechanisms have become clearer, we are better able to identify disease targets, which has also a supported a resurgence in funding neuroscience drug development, said Vikram Sudarsan, Ph.D., CEO and president, Engrail Therapeutics. These factors have contributed to recent clinical and commercial success across the industry. However, significant unmet needs persist, placing immense disease burden on patients. Our goal is to build a leading neuroscience company fueled by a robust pipeline. We are focused on the acquisition, development and commercialization of patient-centric neuroscience therapeutics. ENX-101 represents the first milestone in this effort.

Dr. Sudarsan continued, We are pleased to close this financing round with a world-class investor who believes in the bold vision of our new company. With these resources and a long-term commitment from NFLS to invest $1.5 billion in the life sciences sector, we will leverage our unique, flexible transaction model to build a world-class neuroscience company.

Engrail adopts a 'science-first' approach that begins with a thorough biological understanding of disease and rational therapeutic targeting, enabling the Company to identify compounds with greater opportunity to address patient unmet needs. This, combined with a comprehensive view of clinical development strategy, regulatory considerations, intellectual property and optimal commercial positioning, allows Engrail to acquire high-quality assets with a lower-risk path to market. The Company expects to acquire assets with validated mechanisms, ultimately catalyzing a diverse portfolio of therapies to treat diseases of the nervous system. Engrails flexible transaction model includes licensing, co-development and company acquisitions.

Engrails dynamic model for advancing drugs aimed at treating life-limiting diseases of the nervous system is exactly the innovation this complex field requires, said Peter Bisgaard, managing director of NFLS and chairman of Engrails board of directors. We look forward to supporting Engrails team of passionate entrepreneurs as it acquires assets and moves these compelling therapies through the clinic.

About Engrail Therapeutics

Founded in 2019, Engrail is forging a new direction to reduce the enormous burden of diseases that impact the nervous system. We unite biological insights with clinically meaningful solutions to build and catalyze a diversified portfolio of transformative medicines. Harnessing our rigorous scientific approach to identify the most promising therapies, we leverage our flexible transaction model to advance assets with validated mechanisms and efficiently move them through development to commercialization. Engrail is supported by a long-term capital commitment from Nan Fung Life Sciences. For more information, visit http://www.engrail.com.

About Nan Fung Life Sciences

Nan Fung Life Sciences is a global life sciences investment platform with a long-term capital commitment from the Nan Fung Group. Our team possesses diverse experience with long track records in company formation, venture capital, growth/buyout investments, and drug discovery and development. Through direct investments via Pivotal bioVenture Partners US and Pivotal bioVenture Partners China as well as fund investments, we cover the full spectrum of the life sciences industry including therapeutics, medical devices and diagnostics and across all development stages. To learn more, visit http://www.nanfunglifesciences.com.

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Engrail Therapeutics Raises $32 Million in Series A Financing - Business Wire

Neuroscience

Madrid-based Kymatio raises 725K to expand its cybersecurity tools for employees – EU-Startups

Spanish startup Kymatio, the SaaS platform that manages cyber risk for employees, has increased its first round of investment by 40% to accommodate two new partners, Banco Sabadell, BStartup and the JME Ventures fund. These new investors joined the round led by The Crowd Angel, which also had support from Wayra, Telefnicas open innovation hub, and prominent business angels such as Enrico Raggini.

Kymatio, founded in 2017, addresses cybersecurity from one of the most significant parts of risk: that associated with people. According to Kymatio, around 60% of security incidents involve internal personnel. The startup states that organizations face massive losses in domestic incidents with an average cost of 8 million in large corporations and 40K in the case of SMEs.

As stated Fernando Mateus, CEO of Kymatio: 70% of organizations have suffered an internal incident. Kymatio determines the cyber risks being faced, and assesses the level of awareness of each employee in the main areas of cybersecurity, to automatically deploy measures focused on customized strengthening of the individuals in those areas of risk, and enhancing the role of the first and last line of defense that employees have.

With this round, Kymatio aims to fuel its sales and boost the product, adding functionality that identifies, analyses, and overall covers everything an organization needs to address the security risks linked to information and employees.

According to Yolanda Prez, Director of BStartup: Cybersecurity is a field of growing importance to businesses and with the expansion of remote work it will be even more relevant. Kymatio allows a holistic prevention strategy, tackling the problem from the human factor by the means of state-of-the-art techniques and innovative technology. At Banco Sabadell we hope to be able to contribute to the growth of this company that has a first-class team and product.

As indicated by Lourdes lvarez de Toledo , Principal at JME Venture Capital: Kymatio is a pioneer in addressing vulnerability and internal cyber risk threats by coupling technology with neuroscientific tools. This position, together with the team that leads it, as well as the distribution agreements that it is carrying out, are the factors that make us trust in the future success of this company.

To date, Kymatio has had the support and validation of important cybersecurity institutions, such as INCIBE, and leading neuroscience research centers, such as the Autonomous University of Madrid. The startup was acclaimed winner of the first call for Cybersecurity by ElevenPaths , and the Ministry of Science and Innovation, granted the NEOTEC grant from the CDTI for technology companies of 160K.

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Madrid-based Kymatio raises 725K to expand its cybersecurity tools for employees - EU-Startups

Neuroscience

This is how the brain maps our interpersonal relationships – Hindustan Times

The closer you feel to people emotionally, the more similarly you represent them in your brain. In contrast, people who feel social disconnection appear to be lonelier, according to a new study.

The findings of the Dartmouth study are published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Over the past 100 days or a little over that, a large number of the worlds population has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic and the virus-led lockdown, leading to several people getting accustomed to staying home all the time, experience the impact of social isolation.

With the new normal becoming an important part of our lives, solitary confinement has possibly entered our homes and workplaces (or the makeshift ones at home) making loneliness a major threat to our overall health including obesity, hypertension and other lifestyle disorders.

If we had a stamp of neural activity that reflected your self-representation and one that reflected that of people whom you are close to, for most of us, our stamps of neural activity would look pretty similar. Yet, for lonelier people, the neural activity was really differentiated from that of other people, explained senior author Meghan L. Meyer, an assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences, and director of the Dartmouth Social Neuroscience Lab.

The study was comprised of 50 college students and community members ranging from age 18 to 47. Before going to an fMRI scanner, participants were asked to name and rank five people whom they are closest to and five acquaintances.

The results showed how the brain seemed to cluster representations of people into three different cliques: oneself, ones own social network, and well-known people, like celebrities.

The closer participants felt to someone, the more similar their brain represented them throughout the social brain, including in the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), the region associated with the concept of self.

Lonelier people showed less neural similarity between themselves and others in the MPFC, and the demarcations between the three cliques were blurrier in their neural activity. In other words, the lonelier people are, the less similar their brain looks when they think about themselves and others.

Meyer added, Its almost as if you have a specific constellation of neural activity that is activated when you think about yourself. And when you think about your friends, much of the same constellation is recruited. If you are lonely though, you activate a fairly, different constellation when you think about others than when you think about yourself. Its as though your brains representation of yourself is more disconnected from other people, which is consistent with how lonely people say they feel.

The findings illustrate how loneliness seems to be associated with distortions in the neural mapping of social connections with others.

Researchers have found evidence for a causal link between the prolonged experience of loneliness and smoking in a recent study. The study led by researchers from the University of Bristol was published in the journal Addiction. Although numerous studies have shown there is an association, it has been difficult to disentangle whether being lonely leads to substance abuse or if substance abuse leads to loneliness.

By applying a novel research method to the question - Mendelian randomisation - which uses genetic and surveys data from hundreds of thousands of people, the team found that loneliness appears to lead to an increased likelihood of smoking behaviour. There was evidence that being lonelier increases the likelihood of starting smoking, the number of cigarettes smoked per day and decreases the likelihood of successfully quitting.

Deborah Arnott, chief executive of Action of Smoking & Health (ASH), commented that If lonely people are more likely to start smoking and find it harder to quit, they are more likely to suffer the harm caused by smoking. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable premature death, with thirty times as many people who die suffering serious smoking-related illnesses such as cancer, heart and respiratory disease. This research highlights the need for smokers suffering from loneliness to be given support to stop, to improve not just their health and wellbeing but also to help reduce their loneliness.

-- with inputs from ANI

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This is how the brain maps our interpersonal relationships - Hindustan Times