Immunology

Bicycle and Genentech Forge Immuno-Oncology Collaboration Worth up to $1.7 Billion – BioSpace

Shares of U.K.-based Bicycle Therapeutics are climbing this morning after the company announced it entered into a strategic immuno-oncology collaboration with Genentech to discover, develop and commercialize novelBicycle-based immuno-oncology therapies.

The collaboration has a value of up to $1.7 billion if all milestones are hit. Under terms of the agreement, Bicycle will receive an upfront payment of $30 million to focus its proprietary bicyclic peptides platform on a wide range of immuno-oncology targets. The U.K. companys proprietary discovery platform allows for rapid screening of novel targets to identifyBicyclesand the ability to readily conjugate these together to create novel molecules that may overcome the potential limitations of other modalities. Bicycles are fully synthetic short peptides constrained with small molecule scaffolds to form two loops that stabilize their structural geometry. This constraint facilitates target binding with high affinity and selectivity, which makes Bicycles attractive candidates for drug development, the company said.

Genentech, a Roche company, brings to the collaboration its knowledge of immuno-oncology drug discovery and emerging target biology, as well as its development and commercialization expertise, Bicycle said this morning.

Bicycle Chief Executive Officer Kevin Lee said the collaboration with Genentech recognizes the potential of his companys differentiated technology, which allows it to specifically direct immune cell stimulators and other payloads to tumors in a highly targeted manner. Additionally, Lee said, the flexibility of the companys platform will enable the rapid exploration of structure-activity relationships to fully optimize candidate molecules.

In its announcement, Bicycle did not identify the cancer targets it will focus on in its collaboration with Genentech. The company only said it will collaborate with Genentech on the discovery and pre-clinical development of novel Bicycle-based immunotherapies against multiple targets.

James Sabry, Roches head of Pharma Partnering, said Bicycles represent a novel therapeutic modality that have shown promise as modulators of several types of tumor-killing immune cells.

By leveraging Genentechs deep understanding of cancer immunology and Bicycles technological expertise, we hope to create a new wave of immunotherapy options to expand the population of patients who could potentially benefit from this powerful treatment paradigm, Sabry said in a statement.

Bicycle will be responsible for discovery research and early pre-clinical development up to candidate selection and Genentech will be responsible for further development and commercialization upon the selection of candidates. None of Bicycles wholly-owned oncology pipeline, including its immuno-oncology candidates, are included in the collaboration, the company noted. Bicycles lead product candidate, BT1718, is a Bicycle Toxin Conjugate (BTC) that targets MT1-MMP. BT1718 is being investigated in an ongoing Phase I/IIa clinical. The company is also investigating BT5528, a BTC targeting tumor antigen EphA2, in patients with advanced solid tumors associated with EphA2 expression.

The collaboration with Genentech follows a partnership with Cancer Research UK to develop BT7401, a multivalent Bicycle CD137 agonist, through a Phase IIa clinical study.

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Bicycle and Genentech Forge Immuno-Oncology Collaboration Worth up to $1.7 Billion - BioSpace

Immunology

Latex detection dogs help people with allergy return to normal life – TODAY

Ellen Heilman has been living with a latex allergy since she was 5 a worsening sensitivity that can leave her struggling to breathe if theres a rubber band, balloon or latex glove nearby.

It got to the point where I really couldnt leave my house safely. At 21 years old, that was not cool, Heilman, a graduate student who is now 22 and lives in Odenton, Maryland, told TODAY.

I used to be on high alert all the time, always looking over my shoulder: Where are the balloons? Where are the gloves? Im not safe anywhere. Now, I know that he has my back, that we are a team and that together, well find it and well be safe.

He is Francis, a 3-year-old service dog trained to detect natural rubber latex and alert Heilman to its presence. The black lab goes with her everywhere, from Target to class, sniffing for the allergen as they enter the building or room.

His highly-sensitive nose can recognize latex through cabinet seams and under doors. If Francis detects it, he sits down in a distinct way that Heilman recognizes right away. Depending on the situation, the latex object is either taken away or Heilman leaves the area.

I went from being able to go nowhere to being pretty much able to go anywhere, she said. Its a huge difference it makes things so much better for me.

Dogs have been trained to help people with peanut allergies for years. There are even gluten-sniffing canines.

But their role in latex detection has been rare, though its definitely on the rise, said Ciara Gavin, founder of Allergen Detection Service Dogs, a facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado, that provided Heilmans canine. The business used to focus mostly on training dogs to detect peanuts.

Lately, Ive had a lot of calls about latex detection, Gavin said. People are finding out more about it. Instead of living in a hopeless kind of situation where they feel like, I cant go anywhere because of this allergy, theyre finding out there might be hope.

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She placed her first latex detection dog two years ago. Now, one or two of the four dogs total she places each year are latex detection dogs, usually black labs.

Fewer than 1% of people in the U.S. have a latex allergy, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. But that proportion rises to 8-12% among health care workers who are exposed to latex gloves or medical products containing the substance, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration noted.

People can react when they breathe in latex fibers in the air or touch latex in objects such as condoms, handbags, athletic shoes, tires, waistbands, rubber toys, baby bottles and pacifiers.

Symptoms can include hives, itching, wheezing, a runny nose, chest tightness and difficulty breathing. They can be part of anaphylaxis, a severe, whole-body life-threatening allergic reaction.

The allergy usually develops after many previous exposures to latex, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Studies have called it a growing disease that can occur at any age.

Amy Crawford, 47, first found out she had a latex allergy last year when she was blowing up a balloons for a childrens party.

The next thing I know, I cant breathe, my face is just swollen and red, and covered in bumps and hives. I ended up being taken to the emergency room, Crawford, a middle school teacher in Humble, Texas, recalled.

They told me: You have a latex allergy. Go see a doctor. Get a [medical alert] bracelet.

Her only clue before that incident was a sensitivity to avocados, strawberries and kiwis. People with a latex allergy can also be allergic to foods that share certain proteins with latex, according to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

Crawford has now been to the emergency room six times in less than a year. Exposure to latex, whether airborne or via skin contact, can cause her throat to close up to the point where she cant swallow and has trouble breathing.

She carries an EpiPen with her everywhere she goes and wears a mask as a precaution. Crawford doesnt travel anywhere and cant take her two sons, ages 8 and 14, to birthday parties anymore.

Shes crowdfunding for a latex detection dog, which will cost about $17,000.

Im looking forward to just being able to just walk into a room, because I cant do that now. I have to peak in and look: Are there balloons? Is there anything that could affect me? Crawford said. My kids are really suffering because theyre terrified all the time.

It takes six months for a dog to be trained, Gavin said. The new owners and their canines then spend two weeks getting to know each other under the supervision of a trainer to make sure they understand each others signals.

The dogs are taught to sit and stare at the source of the latex. Theyre at least 95% accurate, but that estimate can depend on air currents, the size of the item and where its located, Gavin noted.

Heilman and her service dog Francis bonded the minute they met, she recalled.

At this point, it is kind of like we are one being. He uses his nose, I use my eyes and together we make sure I am safe, she said.

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Latex detection dogs help people with allergy return to normal life - TODAY

Immunology

Breakthrough research may lead to improved therapeutic options for people with asthma – News-Medical.net

Researchers from Trinity College Dublin have made a breakthrough that may eventually lead to improved therapeutic options for people living with asthma. The researchers have uncovered a critical role for a protein (Caspase-11), which had previously never been implicated in the disease.

They report their findings today [Wednesday 26th February 2020] in leading journal Nature Communications.

Lead author Zbigniew Zaslona, working with a team led by Luke O'Neill, Professor of Biochemistry in the School of Biochemistry and Immunology in the Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute, has been exploring the role that inflammation plays in asthma - a very common and often serious disease of childhood.

Ireland has one of the highest incidences of asthma in Europe, which in its most severe form remains difficult to treat and can be fatal. Caspase-11 is a protein with an important role in defending against bacteria, but the team in Trinity has found that when it is over-active it can provoke a damaging inflammatory reaction. When this happens, it is likely to be a key driver of allergic inflammation in the lungs of asthmatics.

Dr. Zaslona said:

Caspase-11 can cause cells to die, which is a very inflammatory event as the cells then release their contents, which can irritate tissues in our body. We have found that Caspase-11 is a key driver of inflammation in the airways in asthma. This causes the signs and symptoms of asthma which most notably involves difficulty breathing."

Although symptoms of mild asthma can be managed with current therapies, severe asthma remains very difficult to treat and asthma rates are constantly on the rise.

Dr. Zaslona added:

A variety of irritants such as airborne pollutants, certain types of pollen and house dust mites can induce cell death in the lungs. Our work suggests that Caspase-11 is sensing these noxious things and causing disease."

Professor O'Neill said:

Caspase-11 - or it's human equivalent, which is Caspase-4 - has never been implicated in asthma before so we think it holds great promise as a possible target for new drugs to treat this common, debilitating disease."

Source:

Journal reference:

Zasona, Z., et al. (2020) Caspase-11 promotes allergic airway inflammation. Nature Communications. doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-14945-2.

Posted in: Medical Science News | Medical Research News | Medical Condition News

Tags: Asthma, Bacteria, Biochemistry, Breathing, Cell, Cell Death, Drugs, Immunology, Inflammation, Lungs, Mites, Protein, Research

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Immunology

Meet the Company That Just Might Prevent a Global Recession – Motley Fool

You might think it's crazy to even remotely suggest that one company could singlehandedly thwart the onset of a global economic recession. But make no mistake -- that's exactly what I'm doing.

I think the odds are pretty high right now that a recession could be on the way. The coronavirus outbreak that started in China has now spread to many countries around the world. It's already making a significant financial impact. There's a real chance that the epidemic could become a true pandemic and trigger a global recession.

Multiple companies are racing to develop drugs or vaccines that could contain the spread of the current coronavirus strain and COVID-19, the disease caused by the virus. None, though, is in as strong of a position to succeed as Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ:GILD) is. And as crazy as it might sound, Gilead just might prevent a global recession.

Image source: Getty Images.

The first assumption with my premise is that the coronavirus could actually spark a global recession. Don't take my word for it, though. Consider an analysis performed by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) in 2005 and 2006.

Fifteen years ago, it wasn't the current strain of coronavirus that was worrying governments and investors. Instead, it was the avian flu. Bill Frist, the Senate majority leader at the time, requested that the CBO conduct a study to evaluate the possible macroeconomic impact of an avian flu pandemic.

The CBO determined that a severe avian flu pandemic could cause U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) to fall by around 4.25%. That's more than enough to throw the U.S. into an economic recession. As the U.S. goes, so goes the rest of the world.

Keep in mind that at the beginning of 2006, there had been 142 cases worldwide of avian flu with 74 deaths. So far, there have been over 80,000 cases of the coronavirus across the world with more than 2,700 deaths. It stands to reason that the CBO's analysis related to the avian flu is applicable for the coronavirus -- and the negative economic impact could be even worse.

Major companies are already feeling the effects of the viral outbreak. Applestated last week that it will miss its revenue guidance for the first quarter of 2020 because of the coronavirus. Mastercardreduced its Q1 revenue guidance as a result of the impact that the coronavirus is having on travel. Dun & Bradstreet estimates that at least 51,000 companies across the world will be negatively affected by the virus, including 163 members of the Fortune 1000.

All of this negativity could be a moot point if a safe and effective treatment or vaccine for the virus becomes available. That's where Gilead Sciences enters the picture.

Gilead originally developed experimental antiviral drug remdesivir to treat the Ebola virus. While the drug wasn't as effective as hoped with treating Ebola, it showed promise in preclinical testing in treating two other viruses -- MERS and SARS. Both MERS and SARS are members of the coronavirus family and are similar in structure to the2019-nCoV strain of coronavirus that's causing concerns now.

Over the past four weeks, Gilead has initiated two clinical studies in China evaluating patients with COVID-19. It began a U.S. clinical study earlier this week. The biotech is also working with government and non-government organizations to supply remdesivir to COVID-19 patients as an emergency treatment.

Other drugmakers are also scrambling to test experimental drugs and vaccines. They range from big pharma companies including AbbVie, GlaxoSmithKline, and Johnson & Johnsonto small biotechs such as Inovio, Moderna, and Novavax.

But there's one clear leader at this point -- Gilead. World Health Organization (WHO) assistant director-general BruceAylward stated in a press conference earlier this week that "there is only one drug right now that we think may have real efficacy and that's remdesivir."

Gilead expects to report results from its clinical studies ofremdesivir in April. If those results are positive, expect countries across the world to want the antiviral drug even before any regulatory approvals are granted. Gilead has already ramped up its production efforts and is keeping governments updated on its progress.

It's quite possible that the global economy could hinge on how the clinical studies forremdesivir turn out. Overwhelmingly positive results could enable governments and investors to breathe a huge collective sigh of relief if the drug demonstrates the potential to effectively treat COVID-19 and contain the economic impact of the coronavirus.

Gilead Sciences could end up being a hero to the rescue. But while the biotech stock has jumped on the news of its progress withremdesivir, Gilead might not enjoy as big of a hero's reward as you might think.

Bank of America analyst Geoff Meacham projects that Gilead would likely generate at most $2.5 billion in revenue from its antiviral drug. That's a lot of money, but it represents only around 11% of Gilead's current total revenue and would only give the company a temporary boost.

Gilead just might prevent a global recession. For investors, though, the biotech's HIV franchise and promising immunology drug filgotinib that could win FDA approval later this year are better reasons to consider buying the stock than its coronavirus drug is.

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Genetics

First Prospective Study Shows +RNAinsight Identifies More Patients with Increased Risk for Hereditary Cancer Than DNA-Only Testing – PRNewswire

ALISO VIEJO, Calif., Feb. 25, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Ambry Genetics(Ambry), a leading clinical genetic testing lab, announced the publication of a studyin Nature Partner Journal Precision Oncology finding that RNA genetic testing, conducted at the same time as DNA testing, identifies more genetic mutations that increase genetic cancer risk than DNA testing alone. Through +RNAinsight,Ambry is the first and only lab to offer concurrent RNA and DNA genetic testing for hereditary cancer risk as a commercially available clinical test.

Inherited mutations variants or errors in our DNA that increase cancer risk play a major role in about five to 10 percent of all cancers. Genetic testing identifies these inherited mutations and is a critical tool to prevent hereditary cancers or treat them early. Standard DNA testing for hereditary cancer risk excludes portions of DNA, thereby missing some mutations. In addition, DNA testing can produce inconclusive results and fail to determine whether a variant increases cancer risk. These limitations impact patients and their families because doctors may not have the information needed to recommend appropriate preventive, early-detection, or therapeutic steps. Additionally, relatives may not be referred for genetic testing and obtain the care they would otherwise have gotten if they had learned they had mutations.

Adding RNA genetic testing at the same time as DNA testing helps address these limitations. Specifically, RNA genetic testing is an additional line of evidence that helps determine that an uncertain result from DNA-only testing is actually benign (normal) or pathogenic (disease-causing). It also helps identify mutations that DNA-only testing misses. In the study published today, co-authors from Ambry researchers describe their scalable and targeted approach to RNA genetic testing that is performed concurrently with DNA genetic testing (+RNAinsight), showing that +RNAinsight identified more mutations than DNA-only testing.

Ambry, in collaboration with 19 other leading clinical institutions across the country, including Mass General Cancer Center, Huntsman Cancer Institute, and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, looked at 18 tumor suppressor genes where the loss of function is known to be associated with increased cancer. A prospective study on the first 1,000 patients sent in for hereditary cancer testing using RNA testing coupled with DNA was performed.

The study found that RNA testing identified seven patients with pathogenic mutations that would otherwise have received negative or inconclusive results on DNA testing alone. For six of these seven cases, substantial changes to medical management could be or were recommended based on current guidelines.

"The study findings demonstrate both the feasibility and clinical utility of adding concurrent RNA genetic testing to determine hereditary cancer risk," said Tyler Landrith, Ph.D., an Ambry scientist and study co-author. "+RNAinsight provides healthcare providers with more accurate results to inform patient care."

Notably, the prospective analysis showed a 9.1 percent relative increase in diagnostic yield than DNA testing alone. Adding RNA genetic testing also resulted in a 5.1 percent relative decrease in the number of patients that would have received inconclusive results with DNA testing alone and would not have learned whether they had increased cancer risk.

"Paired RNA and DNA genetic testing has given answers to my patients who have struggled for years with inconclusive results that left them feeling helpless," said Community Health Network Genetic Counselor Rebekah Krukenberg. "With +RNAinsight, I know that I'm providing my patients with the most accurate and conclusive information about their risks for hereditary cancer."

The study also validated the accuracy of +RNAinsight, establishing a large control dataset of healthy patients. This dataset allowed study co-authors from Ambry researchers to establish a baseline for benign and disease-causing variants across the genes tested.

Studies have previously demonstrated the benefits of RNA genetic testing, but this testing has been traditionally performed as a follow-up to inconclusive DNA testing. This approach to RNA testing has limitations that +RNAinsight does not. A previous studyfrom Ambry showed that only 10 percent of patients invited to receive RNA testing after having undergone DNA testing actually sent in samples. Moreover, retrospective RNA testing only looks at targeted variants and not a full range of possible mutations. Given these limitations, Ambry has made RNA genetic testing available to all patients at the same time as DNA testing through +RNAinsight.

+RNAinsight is now available through doctors and genetic counselors around the country. For more information on RNA genetic testing, please go to http://www.ambrygen.com/RNAinsight.

ABOUT AMBRY GENETICsAmbry Genetics, as part of Konica Minolta Precision Medicine, excels at translating scientific research into clinically actionable test results based upon a deep understanding of the human genome and the biology behind genetic disease. Our unparalleled track record of discoveries over 20 years, and growing database that continues to expand in collaboration with academic, corporate and pharmaceutical partners, means we are first to market with innovative products and comprehensive analysis that enable clinicians to confidently inform patient health decisions. We care about what happens to real people, their families, and the people they love, and remain dedicated to providing them and their clinicians with deeper knowledge and fresh insights, so together they can make informed, potentially life-altering healthcare decisions. For more information, please visitambrygen.com.

For more information on risk factors for hereditary cancer, please visit cancer.gov's fact sheet on hereditary cancer and genetic testing.

ABOUT +RNAInsight+RNAinsight,paired with Ambry Genetics' hereditary cancer DNA tests, uses next-generation sequencing to concurrently analyze a patient's DNA and RNA, another layer of genetic information. +RNAinsight identifies more patients who have mutations that increase their cancer risks than through standard DNA-only testing by overcoming limitations of DNA testing. +RNAinsight enables more accurate identification of patients with increased genetic risks for cancer, finds actionable results that may otherwise be missed, and decreases the frequency of inconclusive results. +RNAinsight is now available through doctors and genetic counselors around the country. For more information on +RNAinsight, please go towww.ambrygen.com/RNAinsight.

Press Contact:Liz Squirepress@ambrygen.com (202) 617-4662

SOURCE Ambry Genetics

https://www.ambrygen.com

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Neuroscience

Memorial Neuroscience Institute Performs Its First Robotic Brain Surgery to Help Ease Epileptic Seizures – PR Web

"We are committed in adopting technology that is at the forefront of surgical treatments for epilepsy. The use of the robot will help the Memorial Neuroscience Institute to provide the cutting edge care to our patients.

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. (PRWEB) February 26, 2020

The epilepsy team at Memorial Neuroscience Institute successfully completed its first use of a minimally-invasive, robotic device that helps pinpoint the origin of epileptic seizures on a patient.

The device, now in full use at Memorial Regional Hospital, is called a Robotized Surgical Assistant, or ROSA. With assistance from the robot, neurosurgeons only need to make small, precise incisions in the scalp and skull to place electrodes deep in the brain and investigate where seizures are triggered.

The robot also improves accuracy, safety and can significantly reduce total surgery time, said Tarek Zakaria, MD, Medical Director for the Adult Neurology Program and Epilepsy Program.

By using the new technology, more data will be available to the epilepsy team to offer patients more advanced treatment options and help them to achieve their dreams to be seizure free, Zakaria said.

"We are committed in adopting technology that is at the forefront of surgical treatments for epilepsy," Zakaria said. The use of the robot will help the Memorial Neuroscience Institute to provide the cutting edge care to our patients.

When medication is not enough to control seizures, neurosurgeons like Christopher DeMassi, MD and Daxa Patel, MD may take a surgical approach. That includes altering or removing brain tissue at the location where a patient's seizures begin. However, they can only do so if they can first zero in exactly where that origin is. This is where Rosa can assist.

Recently, they performed the two-part procedure on a 24-year-old female patient, who began having epileptic seizures at age eight and had exhausted all available medications.

The procedure, called robot-assisted stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG), was performed as part of the services offered by the Memorial Neuroscience Institute Comprehensive Epilepsy Center.

Our goal is to always bring in the latest innovative technologies to achieve the best possible outcome for our patients, DeMassi said. This is just the latest advancement available to the South Florida community and keeps us at the front of epilepsy care.

Surgeons used ROSA and a 3-D reconstruction of the patients brain to guide them where to surgically implant electrodes without having to remove sections of her skull. DeMassi and Patel then used the robot's arm to make two- or three-millimeter holes in the scalp through which the electrode wires were passed.

With the electrodes in place, Zakaria and his team were later able to see part of the patient's brain light up on a computer monitor as a seizure began, essentially flagging the point of origin.

Memorial Neuroscience Institute is proud to offer the most technologically advanced and comprehensive services for our patients and the community, said Haroula Protopapadakis Nordem, FACHE, Associate Administrator at Memorial Regional Hospital.

The addition of the ROSA to our program will allow our surgeons to deliver more precise results in a less invasive manner and allow our physicians to treat patients who otherwise might not have had a feasible treatment option, she said.

Memorials epilepsy center is accredited by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers (NAEC) as a Level 4 program, a designation for programs offering the highest level of comprehensive and specialized care.

Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood, Fla., is one of the largest hospitals in Florida and is a facility of Memorial Healthcare System, one of the largest healthcare systems in Florida. Its wide scope of medical services and programs includes Memorial Cancer Institute, Breast Cancer Center, Cardiac and Vascular Institute, Neuroscience Center, Comprehensive Weight-Loss Surgery Program, Family Birthplace, Center for Behavioral Health, Sickle Cell Day Hospital, Womens Services, Fitness and Rehabilitation Center, and a level I Trauma Center. For more information, visit memorialregional.com.

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Neuroscience

BioXcel Therapeutics to Present at Two Upcoming Healthcare Investor Conferences – BioSpace

NEW HAVEN, Conn., Feb. 26, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioXcel Inc. (BTI or Company) (Nasdaq: BTAI), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company utilizing artificial intelligence to identify improved therapies in neuroscience and immuno-oncology, today announced that Dr. Vimal Mehta, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of BTI, will present at two upcoming healthcare investor conferences.

Conference Presentation Details:

Event: Cowen and Co. 40th Annual Health Care ConferenceDate/Time: Wednesday, March 4, 2020 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern TimeLocation: Boston, MA

Event: Barclays Global Healthcare ConferenceDate/Time: Tuesday, March 10, 2020 at 3:50 p.m. Eastern TimeLocation: Miami, FL

Live webcasts from the Cowen and Barclays conference presentations and any accompanying presentation materials that will be discussed will be accessible through the Investors section of the Company's website at http://www.bioxceltherapeutics.com. Following the conference, the webcast will be archived on the BioXcel Therapeutics, Inc. website for at least 30 days.

About BioXcel Therapeutics, Inc.:

BioXcel Therapeutics, Inc. is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on drug development that utilizes artificial intelligence to identify improved therapies in neuroscience and immuno-oncology. BTI's drug re-innovation approach leverages existing approved drugs and/or clinically evaluated product candidates together with big data and proprietary machine learning algorithms to identify new therapeutic indices. BTI's two most advanced clinical development programs are BXCL501, an investigational sublingual thin film formulation in development for acute treatment of agitation resulting from neuropsychiatric disorders, and BXCL701, an investigational orally administered systemic innate immunity activator in development for treatment of a rare form of prostate cancer and for treatment of pancreatic cancer in combination with other immuno-oncology agents. For more information, please visit http://www.bioxceltherapeutics.com.

Contact Information:

BioXcel Therapeutics, Inc.www.bioxceltherapeutics.com

Investor Relations:John Grazianojgraziano@troutgroup.com 1.646.378.2942

Media:Julia Deutschjdeutsch@troutgroup.com 1.646.378.2967

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BioXcel Therapeutics to Present at Two Upcoming Healthcare Investor Conferences - BioSpace

Neuroscience

New California Bill Aiming to Eliminate Racial And Other Biases in Hiring – Sacramento Observer

(CBM) Imagine applying for a job online.

But instead of a hiring manager or some pre-screening software reviewing your application and pushing it along or eliminating it based on personal biases or other random criteria a company sets up, a smart computer program that is agnostic does the filtering, determiningwhether you are a good fit for the job or not.

Relying only on your qualifications and experience, the program does not consider factors like your name, your zip code, social connections or where you went to school in the screening process.

Sounds too futuristic? Well, the future may be right now at least in California.

On Friday, lawmakers in California introduced SB 1241 or the Talent Equity for Competitive Hiring (TECH) Act. The bill sets a new legal high bar against discrimination in hiring by writing clear guidelines for employers to follow that allow them to modernize their recruiting processes using technological tools that reduce bias, leading to a more diverse workforce.

Sen. Lena Gonzalez (D-Long Beach) introduced the legislation in the Senate. Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer (D-South Los Angeles), Sen. Steven Bradford (D-Gardena), and Assemblymember Mike A. Gipson (D-Carson) are co-authors.

California has a growing opportunity gap that leaves many families and communities in our state behind, said Gonzalez after she introduced the bill in Long Beach along with leaders from community based organizations and social justice groups. Hiring discrimination plays a significant role in our current inequality. The TECH Act will help ensure access to jobs that offer competitive wages and upward mobility for all our residents.

The TECH Act states assessment technologies will be considered in compliance with anti-discrimination rules if: 1) they are pre-tested for bias before being deployed and found not likely to have an adverse impact on the basis of gender, race or ethnicity; 2) outcomes are reviewed annually and show no adverse impact or an improvement of hiring among underrepresented groups; and 3) their use is discontinued if a post-deployment review indicates adverse impact.

Last September, the California Assembly voted unanimously to pass ACR 125, also known as the Fair Hiring Resolution. ACR 125 was a call to action for the states lawmakers to pass legislation that tackles implicit racial and social biases in corporate hiring by creating clear rules of the road for how employers can use these smart technologies.

Five months later, their motion has become a reality.

Innovative technologies for hiring and promotion, including artificial intelligence and algorithm-based technologies, have the potential to reduce bias and discrimination in hiring and promotion based on protected characteristics, such as socioeconomic status or status as a formerly incarcerated person, the resolution read.

At the same time, these technologies can help employers reach larger and more diverse pools of qualified talent and better identify candidates with the right skills and abilities to succeed, it went on to make the case for the merits of the legislation.

Jones-Sawyer and Gonzalez introduced the resolution in August last year. It was co-authored by Assemblymember Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Los Angeles), Assemblymember Chris Holden (D-Pasadena), and Assemblymember Evan Low (D-Silicon Valley).

California is one of the most diverse states in the nation. Our diversity is our strength, but corporate executive offices and boardrooms across our state frequently fail to reflect the same diversity, Jones-Sawyer points out.

Just look at San Franciscos Silicon Valley high tech sector as an example, he explained. Women make up just 36.7 percent of the workforce; 3.3 percent of the workforce is Black; and only 6.6 percent is Hispanic. Thats unacceptable.

The TECH Act builds on a series of laws California has passed in recent years to fight discrimination in hiring, such as ban the box legislation prohibiting employers from asking about an applicants criminal history before giving a conditional job offer, according to Jones-Sawyer.

Frida Polli is a co-founder at Pymetrics, a company that makes neuroscience games using artificial intelligence that are designed to eliminate the biases in hiring the resolution intends to prevent.

Before we release the technology, we look at the outcomes and audit it. And we go through the audit, she told California Black Media. We are giving an objective data point or an objective score for employers. It is mitigating the human biases of employers. All of us are biased. The way a lot of these tools work are customized for each role. We have employees working with each of our clients. It is not a one-size-fits-all solution.

According to Pymetrics, the companys AI tools is based on decades of research and technology developed by the global neuroscience community.

They are widely considered the gold-standard of neuroscience research, and measure established building blocks of cognitive and emotional functioning, akin to the DNA of cognition and personality, the company website reads.

Jones-Sawyer says he realizes that there will be kinks to work out in what the law legislates but he hope this technology can be used everywhere, starting with large companies in the state.

At the beginning we will have to prove the technology, Jones-Sawyer concedes. We will have to offer it and hope their some companies are willing to take a chance. If we mandate it, it could sabotage us before we get out of the gate. We will have to be sure there is not government overreach with this.

California has some of the strongest legal employee protections in the country. But even with the existing state and federal laws that prohibit discrimination in hiring and firing, Black and Latino workers still face significant discrimination in hiring, according to a 2017 Harvard Business Review report.

The study found that employers called back White applicants 36 percent more times than they did Black applicants with identical resumes. For Latinx applicants, that differential was 24 percent. It also found that the standardized tests some employers use to screen potential employees have been proven to identify qualified candidates, but leads to biased outcomes.

In another study conducted in 2012, researchers switched the names on women resumes to male names. The swap improved ratings from professors who were reviewing the resumes to select candidates for STEM research positions.

This is an amazing, amazing initiative, says Rhonda Gregory, co-founder of the National Diversity Coalition, a non-profit social justice organization that supports the legislation. I think it needs to be sooner than later. Im all for it. For me, this is so compelling. You look at a persons name or gender or area where they are from and people tend to say oh no I dont want to deal with that.

By Tanu Henry | California Black Media

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Neuroscience

Depletion and repopulation of microglia could be a future therapy for TBI – Drug Target Review

Researchers have shown that by effectively resetting the microglia, recovery of mice after a traumatic brain injury (TBI) was improved.

Depleting microglia and allowing for their repopulation limited brain cell loss as well as cognitive and motor deficits in a murine model of traumatic brain injury (TBI). The researchers suggest their discovery could be used as a novel therapeutic for TBI in humans.

The team, from the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM), US, targeted overactive microglia in mice with TBIs by administering a CSF-1R inhibitor for one week a month after the initial injury. They chose this point as it is a time at which animals have brain inflammation and neurological deficits.

According to the results of the study, published in Neuroscience, the CSF-1R inhibitor depleted 95 percent of overactive microglia, reducing neurotoxic inflammation. Several weeks later, these cells had regenerated but with characteristics similar to normal microglia, with less inflammatory features.

Use of experimental CSF-1R inhibitor drug reduced inflammation in microglia cells after treatment (right) compared to before treatment (left) (credit: University of Maryland School of Medicine).

The paper states that the CSF-1R inhibitor treated mice recovered better from their TBI than the untreated control group. The population that received the drug had less tissue and neuron loss and significantly better motor and cognitive performance.

We were surprised to see that the extent to which such late treatment could reverse the inflammatory state and the cognitive effects of experimental TBI, said study co-author Dr Rebecca Henry, Research Associate in Anesthesiology at UMSOM. This was a proof-of-concept study that depletion and subsequent repopulation of microglia cells after injury has a strong protective effect, but we clearly need more research to better understand this process before clinical translation.

These pre-clinical studies suggest that the consequences of TBI on brain degeneration and related neurological impairment may be modifiable quite long after injury, said study co-author Dr Alan Faden, the David S. Brown Professor in Trauma at UMSOM. We can potentially alter these effects by even highly delayed targeting of inflammatory pathways, a finding at odds with widely accepted views about treating head injury.

The researchers now intend to explore which genes are driving inflammation and overactivation in microglia following a TBI.

This is an intriguing finding that points to an important role that inflammation plays in chronic debilitation from brain injuries, said UMSOM Dean Dr E Albert Reece, MBA, University Executive Vice President for Medical Affairs and the John Z and Akiko K Bowers Distinguished Professor. Future studies will hopefully lead to new treatments for severe TBI that destroys a patients quality of life.

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Depletion and repopulation of microglia could be a future therapy for TBI - Drug Target Review

Neuroscience

Columbia University Names Julie Mehretu Artist-in-Residence Focusing on Brain Science & the Arts at Tadias Magazine – Tadias Magazine

Artist Julie Mehretu is one of three trailblazers in visual arts, music and creative writing who have been named by Columbia University's Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute as the 2020 Artists-in-Residence. (Photo: Julie Mehretu in New York Nathan Bajar/The New York Times/Redux/Eyevine)

Columbia University

Columbias Zuckerman Institute Announces Three Artists-in-Residence, Fostering Connections Between Brain Science and the Arts

Year-long program embeds award-winning painter, jazz musician and author with scientists studying the mind, the brain and behavior

NEW YORK A trio of pioneers in the fields of visual arts, jazz and literature have been named as the 2020 Artists-in-Residence at Columbias Mortimer B. Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute. Artist Julie Mehretu, musician Miguel Zenn and author Nicole Krauss will spend the next year collaborating with scientists at the Institute in an endeavor that immerses artists in the cutting-edge field of neuroscience.

Science and the arts have much to learn from each other, and the Artist-in-Residence program provides a concrete way to bridge these disciplines. I cannot think of a better group of artists to enrich our scientific community, said Rui Costa, DVM, PhD, Director and CEO of Columbias Zuckerman Institute. By building bridges between neuroscience and creative expression, while also strengthening our links to our neighboring communities, these artists-in-residence will inspire scientists, artists and the public to think creatively about their work, how each of us, using our own medium and expertise, can provide a positive impact on society.

During their residencies, each artist will work with Zuckerman Institute researchers and scientists across the University, as well as engage with the neighboring communities in Upper Manhattan and the Bronx. The artists-in-residence, each hosted by a Zuckerman Institute faculty member, will develop, participate and lead a variety of events, from formal lectures, seminars and performances, to informal workshops, collaborations and conversations. By the end of their residencies, each artist as well as the scientists and members of the wider Columbia and neighboring communities stands to benefit from access to new knowledge and perspectives

More about the 2020 Artists-in-Residence:

Julie Mehretu, Alan Kanzer Artist-in-Residence

Julie Mehretu is a world-renowned painter, born in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, who lives and works in New York City and Berlin. Mehretu is a MacArthur Fellow and recipient of the US Department of State Medal of Arts Award. She has shown her work extensively in international and national solo and group exhibitions and is represented in public and private collections around the world. Projects include completing two large-scale paintings for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Arts Evelyn and Walter Haas, Jr. Atrium in September 2017. Recent exhibitions include Venice Biennale and a mid-career survey at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, which travels to The Whitney Museum of American Art in New York in 2020.

Read the full article at columbia.edu

Related:

Julie Mehretus Mid-Career Survey at LA County Museum of Art

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Columbia University Names Julie Mehretu Artist-in-Residence Focusing on Brain Science & the Arts at Tadias Magazine - Tadias Magazine