Neuroscience

Covid-19 has shuttered labs. It could put a generation of researchers at risk – STAT

Scientists are skilled at tackling unexpected problems that threaten the integrity of their experiments it comes with the territory. But the coronavirus pandemic poses a new and entirely unprecedented challenge.

The global health emergency has shut down scientific research labs across the country in a crisis that has left some scientists scrambling to save their work and has left others grieving the loss of experiments they had dedicated months or even years to carrying out. Many are grappling with an overwhelming sense of uncertainty about how theyll continue their work.

The situation has hit early-career researchers particularly hard. Their funding and their futures depend on quickly gathering data to publish in prestigious journals. Without additional financial support and an extension of tenure clocks, some scientists who have just started their own labs fear the delays to their studies may be too disruptive to overcome.

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Early-career scientists will be very vulnerable, said Cullen Taniguchi, assistant professor at University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. Taniguchi said it will be crucial to properly support researchers when labs reopen or, he warned, we may lose a whole generation of researchers because of this.

Despite these struggles, many researchers say that shutting down the labs was necessary to stem the spread of the virus. And some labs are still up and running, though not all are doing so at full capacity. But for scientists whose work has been deferred, the closures have fueled a devastating ripple effect of consequences, both big and small.

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Even when laboratories are reopened, it may take months to a year for research to resume as normal.

I have [new hires] in the lab that havent even met each other physically, said Alice Soragni, a cancer researcher and assistant professor who runs a lab at the University of California, Los Angeles. There is a lot of training that needs to have happened that hasnt happened, she added.

STAT spoke to scientists across the country to better understand the wide-ranging impacts of lab shutdowns.

Scientists have transitioned from long hours in the laboratory to working from home but the abrupt halt to their research projects has left a lingering sense of disorientation for researchers like Kathleen Beeson, a sixth-year graduate student at Oregon Health and Science University.

Like many of her colleagues, Beeson was caught off guard by her labs closure.

We were given a weeks notice,she said. Immediately, I and others were in a race to finish experiments, collect any data that we could, and get the lab prepared for a minimum of six weeks of shutdown.

Beeson had been completing a final experiment for a publication she needs to earn her Ph.D. and move onto a postdoc research position at Harvard Medical School.

The shutdown has upended Beesons research, which involves measuring electrical activity in the brains of genetically engineered mice. Her work aims to describe how proteins at the junction of nerve cells help transmit chemical signals an important step in understanding neurological dysfunctions such as epilepsy.

While other scientists were able to freeze cells or preserve tissue samples in formaldehyde, Beesons research relied on analyzing freshly dissected brain tissue. Because she could no longer come into the lab, she had to sacrifice most of her mouse colony, which she had painstakingly raised from one male and one female to approximately 200 animals.

In the end, I found myself euthanizing mice by the masses in the university basement, she said. It was the punctuation on a sad and disorienting week.

Beeson said it will likely take her months to raise enough animals for experiments again. In the meantime, she has been working on her Ph.D. dissertation and a second publication from home although not at the pace that she had hoped for.

I applaud anyone making any progress, on anything, during this time, she said. Sometimes my progress is processing my grief.

Disruptions to research and long startup times pose an especially daunting challenge to early-career scientists who have just a few years to establish themselves as experts in their fields and obtain critical funding for their laboratories.

With experiments on hold, some early-career scientists cant collect the kind of preliminary data that is crucial for them to compete with more established researchers who have a decade or more of experimental findings to build on.

[All researchers] are impacted but I think there are exquisite challenges for early-career investigators like myself, said UCLAs Soragni.

To protect early-career scientists, the NIH has extended the time frame for which researchers can be considered early stage investigators a status that helps government institutes and centers prioritize funding for scientists running new laboratories. The agency has also relaxed some of the eligibility requirements for maintaining grants and added additional flexibility for spending funds.

Despite these welcome efforts, early-career researchers especially those lacking data needed to apply for new grants remain in a precarious position. Soragni and others said they hoped the NIH would take the impact of Covid-19 into account and temporarily adjust its criteria for reviewing applications. However, the agency has recommended that scientists without enough preliminary data submit their applications at a later date.

For Soragni, the most difficult challenge has been the uncertainty.

You are kind of left not knowing what you should do. Should you be ramping up completely? But what if you are switched down again?

Alice Soragni, UCLA cancer researcher

We really dont know if we are going to have a second wave of infections and what will be the consequences, she said. You are kind of left not knowing what you should do. Should you be ramping up completely? But what if you are switched down again? Should you be hiring? Will the economy bounce back? What is going to happen to your grants?

We are just at a more vulnerable stage of our career, Soragni said. I believe we may lose some laboratories to this, so that will be very painful to witness.

The shutdowns have taken a toll not only research, but also on the close professional relationships at the heart of scientific collaboration.

For Stephanie Campos, Covid-19 meant that she would not complete her research or be able to say goodbye to her mentor, Walter Wilczynski, in person. Campos had come to Georgia State University for a postdoctoral fellowship with Wilczynski, a pioneer in the field of behavioral neuroscience and the first director of the universitys Neuroscience Institute. But after 37 years of research, the lab was scheduled to close this summer after Wilczynskis cancer, once in remission, returned.

Campos and her colleagues were wrapping up their research a study of the brain activity in lizards aimed at unraveling the neural underpinnings of social behaviors when the pandemic hit. The lab shuttered earlier than expected.

With the laboratory closed, Campos has been limited to writing manuscripts from home and analyzing old videos of lizard behavior. She cant see Wilczynski who is immunocompromised again in person before she moves to a new role as a visiting assistant professor at Swarthmore College.

[This experience] has really affected me emotionally in the way that I knew I was going to be his last student, Campos said. And so I had really wanted to get as much as I could.

With Georgia easing restrictions on social distancing, there is a possibility that Campos could return to the lab late in the summer, but she is still unsure if returning to work would be socially responsible. Instead, she is planning on mailing the bulk of her delayed research project which involves 68 lizard brains preserved in vials of paraformaldehyde to Pennsylvania, where she will begin work in August.

Campos credits Wilczynski, who was at times too fatigued to read papers, for guiding her through the gauntlet of an academic job search and giving her the confidence to continue in academia.

His kindness during this time is what Ill remember the most, Campos said. For me it is all about the personal connection, how well your mentors make you feel. Those are the things that I will take away.

Waiting for their labs to reopen, principal investigators are steeling themselves for the months of effort that will be needed to reestablish the rhythms of a productive laboratory.

Theres a mountain of work to muddle through before experiments can get off the ground again.

We will have to first retest [our equipment] to make sure it is working, regrow our [bacterial] cultures, which takes a while, before we can even consider doing an experiment, said Eric Rubin, an immunology and infectious diseases researcher and professor at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Rubin also the editor-in-chief the New England Journal of Medicine.

Regrowing bacteria in Rubins laboratory is not a job for the impatient. The focus of his studies, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, causes tuberculosis and kills more people worldwide than any other infectious pathogen. M. tuberculosis also grows approximately 50 times more slowly than other microorganisms. Experiments that would take a day with other commonly studied bacteria typically take weeks in the Rubin lab.

When laboratories closed, Rubins team was in the midst of testing a batch of promising drug compounds for the ability to kill the bacteria. To resume the study, researchers will have to thaw out stocks of frozen bacteria and coax them to replicate in liquid broth.

We normally always have things growing so that we can grab them and do our next experiment, said Rubin. [But now] it will likely take four months before we will have enough cells to do experiments at full tilt again.

Restarting research may take even longer up to a year for those working with laboratory animals, such as Subhash Kulkarni, a scientist and assistant professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

In 2017, Kulkarni showed that, contrary to established dogma, nerve cells lining the intestines continue to grow and divide in adult animals. To understand how this discovery could lead to new treatments for digestive disorders, Kulkarni had begun analyzing how neurons behaved over the lifespan of a mouse. This project required raising genetically engineered mice at staggered times to have enough of each age group at the start of the study.

With his lab closed, the entire effort will have to be repeated once Kulkarni is allowed to work again. That timeline is daunting.

Think of this as the time when the planets are in perfect alignment, Kulkarni said. Once that time is lost, making the next time requires [new] breedings, which can take anywhere from six to 12 months.

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Covid-19 has shuttered labs. It could put a generation of researchers at risk - STAT

Neuroscience

Students respond to lack of learning experiences – UWEC Spectator

In addition to face-to-face instruction at UW-Eau Claire, most internships have been discontinued for the spring semester due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now, students struggle to find new experiential opportunities for the summer.

Savana Stahl, a fourth-year social work student, said she learned a lot from her internship at Mayo Clinic before it was canceled in March.

I was really excited to learn more about the medical side of social work, Stahl said. I worked with different patients every day and learned a ton about the paperwork that goes into hospital visits, which is something a lot of people overlook.

Stahl said she had a couple of weeks left at her internship, but Mayo Clinic decided to cancel all of their internships before UW-Eau Claire pulled interns out of their sites.

We thought we were prepared before, but nobody anticipated as large of a pandemic as it ended up being, Stahl said.

Stahl said she was stressed to find alternate internships. The university social work department was able to help her find an opportunity with Feed My People food bank that later offered her a temporary job, she said.

I worked there for less than two weeks as an intern and then the university canceled all internships on their end, Stahl said. Now I am only a temporary employee until the end of May.

Stahl said she was excited to get the opportunity to go back and provide her help by doing modified field activities.

Catey Leonardson, a fourth-year English rhetoric student, had a technical writing internship on campus that also got discontinued due to COVID-19.

Initially I kept going to campus, because I was told we had the option to, Leonardson said. Then, I made the decision myself not to go anymore for safety and health reasons.

Leonardson said she is doing some of the work remotely and still getting income. However, she is frustrated to not receive the technical writing experience that she needs before graduation.

I was planning on finding a job and moving away from Eau Claire this summer, Leonardson said. But its really difficult, given the current situation.

Gorana Puzovic, a first-year neuroscience student from Serbia, joined a research project in crystallography back in February. She was assigned to work on the project this semester and continue throughout the summer.

We were supposed to do most of our research this summer and get trained on how to use some of the lab equipment, Puzovic said. Now it is postponed until we can go back to campus.

Puzovic said her research group still holds weekly meetings online, but even with those meetings, she has lost valuable time and the opportunity to learn something completely different from her current field of study.

Going into college, I was debating whether to pursue a major in chemistry or neuroscience, Puzovic said. This could have been an opportunity to potentially switch my major.

Puzovic said she is going to stay in the U.S. until she can go back to campus to work on the research project or until it is safe to fly back home.

Stahl said the support from the UW-Eau Claire social work department has been very impactful and her professors are making sure students have the resources they need.

Professors have been working with me and my peers individually, Stahl said. It is comforting to know that they really care about me as a person, not just a student.

Stahl said this semester has been an important learning experience and has learned that she has more support than she thought.

We are all in different situations, but we are all in this together, she said.

Klavina can be reached at [emailprotected].

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Students respond to lack of learning experiences - UWEC Spectator

Immunology

Asthma and COPD Medication Adherence Has Increased During the COVID-19 Pandemic – Benzinga

Study in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice, an official journal of the AAAAI, examines adherence trends before and during the outbreak of COVID-19 in the United States using data from Propeller Health's digital health platform.

MILWAUKEE (PRWEB) May 04, 2020

According to research from The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice (JACI: In Practice), controller inhaler adherence increased between January and March 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Researchers analyzed the adherence of controller inhaler use for 7,578 patients using Propeller Health, a digital platform that uses electronic medication monitors to track inhaler use and send alerts to patients about missed doses. Data showed that between the first seven days of January 2020 and the last seven days of March 2020, there was a 14.5% relative increase in mean daily controller medication adherence. During the last week of March, data showed over 53% of patients achieved 75% or greater medication adherence, up 14.9% from the first seven days of January.

"We are encouraged by the increase in patient adherence to their medications for asthma and COPD, which is critical to avoiding symptoms and keeping patients out of the hospital during this pandemic," said first author Leanne Kaye, PhD, MPH. "This research further supports that digital health tools can improve adherence and provide insight into patient well-being between office visits."

The study authors believe that the observed trend may be attributable to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic guidelines regarding medication use, as well as patients' desire to keep their pre-existing respiratory disease under control at this time.

Daily controller medications are essential for patients with respiratory conditions such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Controlling primary respiratory diseases with proper medication use can improve disease outcomes and reduce acute events requiring medical care, which could inadvertently expose a patient to COVID-19.

There were no statistically significant differences in improved medication adherence between asthma and COPD patients during the study period. The data showed similar medication adherence increases across all age groups, with older patients overall showing a higher baseline adherence.

You can learn more about asthma and COVID-19 on the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology website, aaaai.org.

The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) represents allergists, asthma specialists, clinical immunologists, allied health professionals and others with a special interest in the research and treatment of allergic and immunologic diseases. Established in 1943, the AAAAI has more than 7,100 members in the United States, Canada and 72 other countries. The AAAAI's Find an Allergist/Immunologist service is a trusted resource to help you find a specialist close to home.

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For the original version on PRWeb visit: https://www.prweb.com/releases/asthma_and_copd_medication_adherence_has_increased_during_the_covid_19_pandemic/prweb17086711.htm

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Asthma and COPD Medication Adherence Has Increased During the COVID-19 Pandemic - Benzinga

Immunology

COVID-19 Progression May Be Impacted by Immune Response Timing – Technology Networks

A new USC study suggests that temporarily suppressing the bodys immune system during the early stages of COVID-19 could help a patient avoid severe symptoms.Thats because the research, published online in the Journal of Medical Virology, shows that an interaction between the bodys two main lines of defense may be causing the immune system to go into overdrive in some patients.

The bodys first line of defense, the innate immune response, starts right after an infection, like an infantry going after a foreign invader, killing the virus and any cells damaged by it. The second line of defense, the adaptive immune response, kicks in days later if any virus remains, employing what it has learned about the virus to mobilize a variety of special forces such as T cells and B cells.

Using the target cell-limited model, a common mathematical model developed to understand the dynamics of viral infections, the researchers examined how the two immune responses work in COVID-19 patients compared to patients who have the flu.

The flu is a fast-moving infection that attacks certain target cells on the surface of the upper respiratory system and kills almost all of the target cells within two to three days. The death of these cells deprives the virus of more targets to infect and allows the innate immune response time to clear the body of almost all of the virus before the adaptive system comes into play.

The danger is, as the infection keeps going on, it will mobilize the whole of the adaptive immune response with its multiple layers, said Weiming Yuan, associate professor in the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Keck School of Medicine of USC, and co-corresponding author of the study. This longer duration of viral activity may lead to an overreaction of the immune system, called a cytokine storm, which kills healthy cells, causing tissue damage.

The interaction of the innate and the adaptive immune responses might also explain why some COVID-19 patients experience two waves of the disease, appearing to get better before eventually getting much worse.

Some COVID-19 patients may experience a resurgence of the disease after an apparent easing of symptoms, said Sean Du, adjunct researcher and lead author of the study. Its possible that the combined effect of the adaptive and the innate immune responses may reduce the virus to a low level temporarily. However, if the virus is not completely cleared, and the target cells regenerate, the virus can take hold again and reach another peak.

Based on the results of the mathematical modeling, we proposed a counterintuitive idea that a short regimen of a proper immunosuppressant drug applied early in the disease process may improve a patients outcome, said Du. With the right suppressive agent, we may be able to delay the adaptive immune response and prevent it from interfering with the innate immune response, which enables faster elimination of the virus and the infected cells.

Small studies out of China, including a recent one of COVID-19 patients and one of SARS patients in 2003 show patients who received immunosuppressants such as corticosteroids had better results than those who did not.

The researchers said a possible next step could be to take daily measurements of viral loads and other biomarkers in COVID-19 patients, to see if the data validates the mathematical modeling. More preclinical studies including experiments in animal models will also be needed to prove the efficacy of an early immune suppressing treatment.

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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COVID-19 Progression May Be Impacted by Immune Response Timing - Technology Networks

Immunology

T Cell Counts and Cytokine Storms May Hold Key to Effective COVID-19 Treatment – Technology Networks

Cytokine storms may affect the severity of COVID-19 cases by lowering T cell counts, according to a new study published in Frontiers in Immunology. Researchers studying coronavirus cases in China found that sick patients had a significantly low number of T cells, a type of white blood cell that plays a crucial role in immune response, and that T cell counts were negatively correlated with case severity.Interestingly, they also found a high concentration of cytokines, a protein that normally helps fight off infection. Too many cytokines can trigger an excessive inflammatory response known as a cytokine storm, which causes the proteins to attack healthy cells. The study suggests that coronavirus does not attack T cells directly, but rather triggers the cytokine release, which then drives the depletion and exhaustion of T cells.

The findings offer clues on how to target treatment for COVID-19, which has become a worldwide pandemic and a widespread threat to human health in the past few months. We should pay more attention to T cell counts and their function, rather than respiratory function of patients, says author Dr. Yongwen Chen of Third Military Medical University in China, adding that more urgent, early intervention may be required in patients with low T lymphocyte counts.

Chen says he and his co-authors became interested in examining T cells when they noticed that many of the patients they treated for COVID-19 had abnormally low numbers of lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell that includes T cells. Considering T cells central role of response against viral infections, especially in the early stage when antibodies are not boosted yet, we took the T cells as our focal point, says Chen.

Authors examined 522 patients with coronavirus along with 40 healthy controls. All patients studied were admitted to two hospitals in Wuhan, China between December 2019 and January 2020, and ages ranged between 5 days and 97 years old. Of the 499 patients who had their lymphocytes recorded, 76% had significantly low total T cell counts. ICU patients had significantly lower T cell counts compared with non-ICU cases, and patients over the age of 60 had the lowest number of T cells.

Importantly, the T cells that did survive were exhausted and could not function at full capacity. Not only does this have implications for COVID-19 patient outcomes, but T cell exhaustion leaves patients more vulnerable to secondary infection and calls for scrupulous care.

Chen says that future research should focus on finding finer subpopulations of T cells in order to discover their vulnerability and effect in disease, along with identifying drugs that recover T cell numbers and boost function. Authors say that Tocilizumab is an existing drug that may be effective, but that it needs to be investigated in the context of coronavirus. Antiviral treatments, such as Remdesivir, may also prevent the progression of T cell exhaustion, but all future treatments will require further study.

In the meantime, this new research deepens our understanding of how the novel coronavirus affects the body and it indicates ways to lessen its impact.ReferenceDiao et al. (2020). Reduction and Functional Exhaustion of T Cells in Patients With Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Frontiers in Immunology. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2020.00827

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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T Cell Counts and Cytokine Storms May Hold Key to Effective COVID-19 Treatment - Technology Networks

Immunology

Clinigen: IL-2 Plays Role in Emerging TIL Therapies – Business Wire

BURTON UPON TRENT, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Clinigen Group plc (AIM: CLIN, Clinigen or the Group), the global pharmaceutical and services company acknowledges the presentation of results from the Phase I trial Durable complete responses to adoptive cell transfer using tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) in non -small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Ben C. Creelan MD, MS from the Thoracic Oncology, Immunology Program of the Moffitt Cancer and Research Institute presented at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) virtual annual meeting on April 28, 2020. Eligibility criteria described in trial registry (NCT03215810).

The objectives of the study were to evaluate the safety and efficacy of TIL therapy in metastatic NSCLC (mNSCLC) after evidence of progression on nivolumab*. The authors concluded that the Cy/Flu/TIL/IL-2 therapy has manageable toxicity and sustained activity in PD-1 experienced mNSCLC. It also was speculated that TIL may be a promising therapeutic option for certain mNSCLC patients.

Adoptive cellular therapy is a novel treatment which typically includes select lymphodepleting agents, autologous tumor infiltrating lymphocytes and Proleukin. This therapy currently is being studied in a range of tumors.

Shaun Chilton, Group Chief Executive Officer, Clinigen said:

We applaud the Moffitt Cancer Center, Dr Creelan and co-investigators on this study and their work looking at this novel treatment in a cancer with such high unmet medical need. At Clinigen, we strive for solutions to improve peoples lives and are pleased with the role Proleukin is playing in the development of these emerging TIL therapies.

- Ends -

Notes to Editors

About TIL therapy

Adoptive cell therapy (ACT) using tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) is a personalized cancer treatment based on the infusion of autologous CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes expanded in-vitro from tumors in the presence of interleukin-2 (IL-2) 2 alone, or in combination with IL-7, IL-15, and/or IL-21. 3,4,5 The treatment may include high-dose lymphodepleting chemotherapy, the infusion of the expanded and activated T cells and interleukin-2 (IL-2) injections to increase survival of the T cells. 6 TIL therapy currently is being studied in a wide range of tumors.

About Proleukin

Proleukin is the first and only approved recombinant IL-2 indicated for the treatment of adults with metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) or metastatic melanoma (mM) by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). For further information, specific to the US product dosing and administration please visit http://www.proleukin.com. IL-2 is being studied in clinical development programs as a component of cell immunotherapies, including TIL therapy.

About Clinigen

Clinigen Group plc (AIM: CLIN) is a global pharmaceutical and services company with a unique combination of businesses focused on providing ethical access to medicines. Its mission is to deliver the right medicine to the right patient at the right time through three areas of global medicine supply; clinical trial, unlicensed and licensed medicines. The Group has sites in North America, Europe, Africa and Asia Pacific.

Clinigen now has over 1,100 employees across five continents in 14 countries, with supply and distribution hubs and operational centres of excellence in key long-term growth regions. The Group works with 22 of the top 25 pharmaceutical companies; interacting with over 15,000 registered users across over 100 countries, shipping approximately 6.4 million units in the year.

For more information on Clinigen, please visit http://www.clinigengroup.com.

* Nivolumab is manufactured and distributed by Bristol-Myers Squibb Company under the trade name OPDIVO.

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Clinigen: IL-2 Plays Role in Emerging TIL Therapies - Business Wire

Immunology

South Africa’s Covid-19 epidemic is almost only getting started – NICD expert – CapeTalk

Vaccine and immunology expert Dr Melinda Suchard says the number of Covid-19 infections in the country is only going to get higher.

Dr Suchard is the head of the Centre for Vaccines and Immunology at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD).

She says the Covid-19 numbers will rise as the country gradually eases the lockdown, with new transmission patterns expected to emerge.

Dr Suchard says the health system is still managing with sufficient bed capacity for infected patients so far.

RELATED: Dr Max Price explores reasons why SA has an extremely low Covid-19 death rate

The contact patterns are increasing.

We have to anticipate and expect higher numbers.

The numbers will go higher. We know that our epidemic is almost only getting started... The early lockdown prevented the numbers from taking off.

Listen to the discussion on Afternoon Drive with John Maytham:

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South Africa's Covid-19 epidemic is almost only getting started - NICD expert - CapeTalk

Immunology

Sitting on a Pile of Cash? Here is a Company in the Immunology Field with a 77% Upside Target Mid-term – Live Trading News

$CGEN

Compugen Ltd. (NASDAQ:CGEN) is seen as Buy and the price target at 23.

The stock finished at 13.82-0.70 (-4.82%) at close: 4:00p EDT and 13.90+0.08 (0.58%) Pre-Market:5:12a EDT

All of our Key indicators have turned Very Bullish across the board since 16 April. Key Support is at 11.79 and the Resistance is Nil.

Compugen Ltd. is a therapeutic discovery company engaged in the research, development, and commercialization of therapeutic and product candidates in Israel, the US, and EU.

The companys therapeutic pipeline consists of immuno-oncology programs against novel drug targets, including T cell immune checkpoints and other early-stage immuno-oncology programs focusing on myeloid target.

Its product pipeline consists of COM701, a therapeutic antibody that is in phase I clinical trials for PVRIG; BAY 1905254, a therapeutic antibody that is in phase I clinical trials for ILDR2; and COM902, a therapeutic immuno-oncology antibody for TIGIT program.

Compugen Ltd. has a collaboration agreement with Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (NYSE:BMY)to evaluate the safety of COM701 in combination with Bristol-Myers Squibbs programmed death-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor Opdivo in patients with advanced solid tumors; and license agreement with MedImmune Limited for the development of bi-specific and multi-specific immuno-oncology antibody products.

The company was incorporated in Y 1993 and is HQd in Holon, Israel.

Have a healthy day, Keep the Faith!

BMY, CGEN, commercialization, development, discovery, immunology, oncology, product, research, therapeutic

Paul A. Ebeling, polymath, excels in diverse fields of knowledge. Pattern Recognition Analyst in Equities, Commodities and Foreign Exchange and author of The Red Roadmasters Technical Report on the US Major Market Indices, a highly regarded, weekly financial market letter, he is also a philosopher, issuing insights on a wide range of subjects to a following of over 250,000 cohorts. An international audience of opinion makers, business leaders, and global organizations recognizes Ebeling as an expert.

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Sitting on a Pile of Cash? Here is a Company in the Immunology Field with a 77% Upside Target Mid-term - Live Trading News

Physiology

Dufresne thrives on challenges, even in a pandemic – Lethbridge Herald

By Yoos, Cam on May 4, 2020.

It takes a certain type of person to not only put themselves on the front lines of a worldwide pandemic, but to embrace the uncertainties of that experience.

I really love to be challenged, says Natalie Dufresne, a 2015 Lethbridge College Nursing graduate who now works in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Chinook Regional Hospital.

Things change every hour so we have to be very resilient and adapt very quickly, which isnt always easy. But its a part of my career and a part of my art of adapting to the world of health and wellness.

Serving her community in the midst of a pandemic wasnt on the top of Dufresnes mind when she was a 16-year-old weighing her post-secondary education options. In fact, she wasnt sure what she wanted to do. She was leaning towards a career in health care, perhaps as a speech pathologist, until her mom nudged her in another direction.

She reminded me how much I loved the TV show E.R. as kid, laughs Dufresne. I was always interested in the medical profession and she said, well, what about nursing? And I said, sure. Thats exactly how it happened.

Her time at the college feels like a blur, where she was rapidly learning the lessons that would allow her to succeed later. She remembers her instructors, like Ramona Stewart, who made her want to try harder just by their encouraging nature, and Robin Brownlee, who showed the value of patience as Dufresnes first clinical instructor. In the third year of her program, all of the pieces she learned finally connected for her during a placement in Pincher Creek.

I loved Pincher Creek the staff, the hospital, my clinical instructor, my clinical group, everything about it, she remembers. I had this moment with my patients where I connected anatomy and physiology and the disease process, and something happened in that moment where I was like, this is what I want to do.'

Dufresnes journey has now come full circle. In addition to working as an ICU nurse, she has returned to her Lethbridge College roots as a clinical instructor. Ive always liked helping students and it reminds me of my own time being terrified as a student, she says. I thought, this is like the perfect time to try teaching a clinical group. I also wanted to dive back into some of my basics like anatomy, physiology and pathways, so I thought, I might as well challenge myself a little bit and teach, because thats how you learn.'

Although it is still early in her career, Dufresne says she has found a home in the ICU, where she plays an important role in helping people.

I like to be an advocate for people who are truly experiencing the worst weeks or more of their life, she says. I like the bedside nursing part of it knowing my patient and seeing them improve is so wonderful. When youve seen a patient struggling for days or weeks and then they get better, its awesome to see.

While the next few weeks and months may challenge her like never before there are many unknowns when dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic Dufresne is confident her training and outlook will serve her well in continuing to help people and adapting to whatever situation she encounters.

A long time ago one of my coworkers said, nursing is a science theres black and white, and policy and procedures that we have to follow, but its also an art. You kind of have to adapt and make it your own,' she remembers. And thats how Ive thought of it, too. Nursing is an art to me.

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Physiology

LTE: Good intell on masks from The Intell – The Intelligencer

MondayMay4,2020at5:16AM

I want to sincerely thank The Intelligencer for its weekly health pages concerning valid information on COVID-19.

Being a retired RN, I find this information accurate, and useful for the general public that does not know or understand infection control principles.

How to sew and wear a mask, physiology on how COVID virus affects persons with diabetes, obesity and other underlying conditions. Todays article (May 1) on how to properly remove, clean or store various types of masks was again excellent information for all to understand.

Knowing we will be needing to continue the use of masks, and social distancing until a vaccine is available to all, this type of information is invaluable. Thank you!

Gwynne Bee

Warwick

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LTE: Good intell on masks from The Intell - The Intelligencer