Cell Biology

East Carolina University Researcher Is Conquering Disease | Greenville – Patch.com

From East Carolina University:

By Doug Boyd

January 9 2020

Byron Aguilar is studying how a group of signaling proteins called Rho GTPases, which play a role in several common cellular functions, might affect the development of not only cancer but also Alzheimer's disease.

He's been working on that for the past six years as a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology in the Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University.

Postdoctoral scholars are researchers who have completed their doctoral degrees and are working with a faculty mentor to further their knowledge and skills.

The ZCL compound is one Aguilar developed while researching cancer treatments.

Originally from the Pacific island of Guam, Aguilar was a graduate student at Florida A&M University and was presenting his research at a conference when ECU anatomy and cell biology professor Qun Lu began asking him about his work. And asking and asking.

"I was actually a bit annoyed by it all," Aguilar recalled. "At the end, he told me the reason he was asking all those questions is he was looking for a postdoc. So then I asked him if there was anything else he wanted to know."

Soon after, Aguilar arrived in Greenville. The National Cancer Institute funded his first few years of research, and the Alzheimer's Association is funding him now. That's because some of the drugs he developed, the ZCL compounds, have shown the ability to target the development of cancer cells as well as the cellular processes that lead to Alzheimer's disease. ZCL compounds regulate Rho GTPase activity.

"It's because of the support of so many people at ECU that I can focus wholeheartedly on research," he said.

Aguilar said his postdoc experience has given him a chance to work on the early stages of drug development as well as delve into the next step, which is animal testing. He also recently traveled to the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston for a business development workshop, which he said gave him a glimpse of what it would take to drive the development of his drugs to the next step, human clinical trials.

Aguilar will complete his postdoctoral work in December but might stay at ECU for further research, start a spinoff company with ECU collaboration or pursue an opportunity at another university or in industry.

"The more I learn about cancer and Alzheimer's disease, the more I learn they are not controlled by just one thing. They're controlled by multiple things, possibly even the same things," he said. And in many cases, those factors are aggravated by the effects of aging.

"I'm trying to understand how these things are connected and how I can make a drug that can help patients," he added.

In addition to his research, Aguilar founded a postdoctoral grant review group to share his experiences in grant writing. He has given educational presentations to dementia care professionals and patient families across eastern North Carolina. He's also vice president of the Postdoctoral Association at ECU.

"Byron is a well-rounded scientist and person always willing to lend a helping hand," said Lu. "He is one of my best postdoctoral fellows over the past 20 years. Besides his devotion to research, he stands out in being a wonderful citizen of community."

ECU's 30 postdoctoral scholars span 18 departments across the university's academic affairs, health sciences and research divisions. Former postdocs have taken positions at research campuses, public and private universities, and pharmaceutical companies, among others.

Aguilar's research has been funded by the National Cancer Institute and the Alzheimer's Association.

This press release was produced by East Carolina University. The views expressed here are the author's own.

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East Carolina University Researcher Is Conquering Disease | Greenville - Patch.com

Cell Biology

Emergex Raises More Than US$11 Million in a Series A Round to Progress Its Pipeline of Set-Point Vaccines for Infectious Diseases – Business Wire

ABINGDON, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Emergex Vaccines Holding Limited (Emergex), a biotechnology company developing set-point vaccines to prevent serious infectious diseases, today announced that it has secured over US$11 million in a Series A round. Vickers Venture Partners (Vickers), a top-ranked global early stage Venture Capital company led the round and Dr. Finian Tan, Chairman of Vickers Venture Partners, will join the Emergex Board as a non-executive director.

Founded in 2016, Emergex focuses on developing vaccines that prevent virulent diseases such as Zika, Dengue Fever, Ebola and even pandemic Flu. The Companys set-point vaccines deliver experimentally-derived pathogen peptide data via quantum-sized nanoclusters to prime the immune system to recognise subsequent infections, mimicking natural infection and preventing severe manifestation of the disease. Emergexs T-cell vaccines elicit different responses than traditional antibody-producing vaccines, eliminating allergic, autoimmune or antibody-mediated side effects.

Emergexs underlying platform technology enables rapid development of vaccines to entire families of pathogens, compared to traditional approaches that can take years to develop and scale vaccines for single pathogens. As purely synthetic vaccines with no biological components, Emergexs vaccines are much safer as they carry no infection risk from live attenuated pathogens; are much cheaper to produce since they do not require culturing; and can be conveniently transported and administered even in remote parts of the world as they can be stored and handled at room temperature.

The financing supports the progress of Emergexs development pipeline, including a first-in-man Phase 1 clinical trial of its Flavivirus (Dengue) vaccine in Switzerland, as well as Phase 1b clinical trials in the endemic regions of Singapore and Brazil. Proceeds will also support the Universal Influenza and Filovirus programmes through the preclinical stages and early clinical trials. In parallel, Emergex will continue to identify peptide libraries for a range of infectious disease indications to further expand and diversify the Companys development pipeline.

Professor Thomas Rademacher, CEO and co-founder of Emergex, commented, Attracting such high calibre investors is an endorsement of our development pipeline and validation of the potential our technologies hold in the field of infectious diseases. These new funds will support us to achieve some significant value-enhancing milestones as we progress our lead vaccine candidates into clinical development.

In addition to leading this financing, Vickers Venture Partners will assist Emergex with growth at the strategic level, by leveraging its experienced team of technical experts who have a strong track record in helping life science companies raise capital and scale up, and connecting Emergex to its networks of investment and industry partners.

Dr Finian Tan, Chairman of Vickers Venture Partners and a new Emergex non-executive director, added, With todays rising global population, the risk posed by infectious diseases is greater than ever before. As such, it is vital that we value and pursue innovation to ensure we have effective healthcare options. We see great potential in Emergexs technology as it allows vaccines to be produced quickly, administered easily and sold at a fraction of current prices. We believe that this would revolutionize the entire world of vaccines and increase access to a larger number of people around the world.

Over the last year, Emergex achieved significant milestones, including demonstrating an excellent safety profile for the base particle that will be used for all its vaccines and an excellent safety profile for the final dengue vaccine construct. The Company also signed a collaboration agreement with A*STARs IMCB in Singapore to develop a vaccine for Hand, Foot & Mouth disease, and secured a state-of-the-art R&D facility at Milton Park near Oxford, bringing in-house its own up-stream capabilities to drive development of its vaccines.

About Emergex

Emergex, a UK-based biotechnology company headquartered in Abingdon, UK, is pioneering the development of set-point vaccines to address some of the worlds most immediate health threats such as Dengue Fever, Zika, Ebola, pandemic flu and serious intra-cellular bacterial infections.

These set-point vaccines are population based and modify the initial immune status of recipients in a way that primes their immune systems to recognise subsequent infectious agents much like a natural infection would do, preventing an acute or severe manifestation of the disease.

Emergex combines validated technologies together with the very latest scientific insights to develop its vaccines, including using synthetic peptide codes determined on actual infected cells and using a proprietary gold nanoparticle carrier system for programming.

The Company has a growing pipeline of vaccine candidates. The most advanced development programme is a vaccine for Dengue Fever, which may also be disease modifying for other Flaviviruses such as the Zika and Yellow Fever viruses. Emergex also has programmes in development for a universal Influenza vaccine and a universal Filovirus vaccine (including viruses such as Ebola and Marburg) and discovery programmes for a Yellow Fever Booster vaccine and a Chikungunya vaccine.

Emergex has partnered with the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology (IMCB) of Singapore to develop a vaccine for the emerging threat of Hand, Foot and Mouth (HFM) disease and has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Brazil-based Oswaldo Cruz Foundation Fiocruz for the development of viral vaccines. This initially covers the development of a vaccine that universally targets diseases within the flavivirus family such as Dengue Fever, Zika and Yellow Fever but could be expanded to include the development of vaccines to target other viral families that are endemic to the region.

Find out more online at http://www.emergexvaccines.com.

About Vickers Venture Partners

Vickers Venture Partners is a global venture capital firm focused on early-stage investments in the technological and geographical mega trends of the world. The firms portfolio covers life sciences, technology, media, and telecommunications as well as consumer and financial services. The partners track records include hits such as Baidu.com, Inc, Focus Media Holding Ltd, Kongzhong Corp, Cambridge Real Estate Investment Trust, Sunfun Info Co., Asian Food Channel (trade sale), UUCUN (trade sale), TWG Tea (trade sale), RTG Asia (trade sale), JJE (trade sale), Hillstone (trade sale, IPO), M-Daq (trade sale), Tenfen (trade sale), Kuyun (trade sale) and Mainspring (trade sale). The total market value of the companies that the partners have helped grow exceeds US$90 billion today. Vickers Venture Partners announced that they are targeting to raise US$500 million for their latest fund VI and have started investing from it after their first close in Oct 2019.

Vickers Venture Partners was founded by Dr Finian Tan together with his co-founders Dr Khalil Binebine, Dr Jeffrey Chi, Dr Damian Tan, Linda Li and Raymond Kong in 2005. It is headquartered in Singapore with offices in Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Hong Kong, New York, San Diego, Silicon Valley and London.

Find out more online at http://www.vickersventure.com.

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Emergex Raises More Than US$11 Million in a Series A Round to Progress Its Pipeline of Set-Point Vaccines for Infectious Diseases - Business Wire

Cell Biology

A New "Census" of the Zebrafish Brain – Technology Networks

The zebrafish is a master of regeneration: If brain cells are lost due to injury or disease, it can simply reproduce them - contrary to humans where this only happens in the fetal stage. However, the zebrafish is evolutionarily related to humans and, thus, possesses the same brain cell types as humans. Can a hidden regeneration potential also be activated in humans? Are therapies for stroke, craniocerebral trauma and presently incurable diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's possible?

Dresden scientists have succeeded in determining the number and type of newly formed neurons in zebrafish; practically conducting a census in their brains. Following an injury, zebrafish form new neurons in high numbers and integrate them into the nervous system, which is the reason for their amazing brain regeneration ability.

The study was conducted as a collaboration project made in Dresden; scientists from the Center for Regenerative Therapies TU Dresden (CRTD) combined their expertise in stem cell biology with the latest methods from the DRESDEN-concept Genome Center and complex bioinformatic analyses from the Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems and the Center for Systems Biology Dresden.

For their study, the team led by Dr. Christian Lange and Prof. Dr. Michael Brand from the CRTD used adult transgenic zebrafish in whose forebrain they were able to identify the newborn neurons. The forebrain of the zebrafish is the equivalent to the human cerebral cortex, the largest and functionally most important part of the brain. The Dresden research team investigated the newborn and mature neurons as well as brain stem cells using single cell sequencing. Thus, they discovered specific markers for newborn neurons and were able to comprehensively analyze which types of neurons are newly formed in the adult brain of the zebrafish.

The scientists discovered two types of neurons that can be newly formed; projection neurons, which create connections between brain areas, and internal neurons, which serve to fine-tune the activity of the projection neurons. The researchers also investigated the data obtained from brain cell sequencing of mice and found that zebrafish and mice have the same cell types. This also makes these results highly relevant for humans.

"On the basis of this study, we will further investigate the regeneration processes that take place in zebrafish. In particular, we will study the formation of new neurons after traumatic brain damage and their integration," explains Prof. Dr. Michael Brand, CRTD Director and senior author of the study. "We hope to gain insights that are relevant for possible therapies helping people after injuries and strokes or suffering from neurodegenerative diseases. We already know that a certain regenerative ability is also present in humans and we are working on awakening this potential. The results of our study are also important for understanding the conditions under which transplanted neurons can network with the existing ones and thus could let humans re-gain their former mental performance.

Reference

Lange et al. (2020) Single cell sequencing of radial glia progeny reveals diversity of newborn neurons in the adult zebrafish brain. Development. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/nqz232

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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A New "Census" of the Zebrafish Brain - Technology Networks

Neuroscience

Mathematics and Neuroscience Merge to Shed Light on Learning – Columbia University Irving Medical Center

What can a fish tell us about the brain and our senses? At Columbias Zuckerman Institute, two labs with different expertise one in experimental neuroscience, the other in mathematical modeling have teamed up to find out.

When we walk along a busy street, we can easily distinguish moving people and cars from stationary objects, even though the entire world before our eyes is sweeping past us. Our brains employ unparalleled computing power to make this possible. To understand this computational ability, Nathaniel Sawtell, PhD, and Larry Abbott, PhD, study fish that sense their environment with electrical pulses. They use their findings to build mathematical models that explain how the brain learns to perform these kinds of complex computations. By investigating this form of learning, these scientists interdisciplinary work also has implications for machine learning technologies based on the brain.

We spoke with Drs. Sawtell and Abbott, as well as doctoral candidate Salomon Muller, about their latest discoveries, published recently in the journal Cell.

Nathaniel Sawtell: The ability to perceive and experience our world is effortless, but behind the scenes our brain is constantly performing sophisticated computations. A key feature of this process that we want to understand is how the brain can recognize and process external sensory stimuli, such as sounds and sights generated by the outside world, like the car whizzing by, while tuning out those sensory stimuli that we generate from our own movements; how it distinguishes between the self and the other. It turns out that this ability requires a form of learning.

Larry Abbott: We want to learn how the brain processes information about the environment while simultaneously updating its knowledge about how to react to that environment. This type of concurrent learning and updating is difficult for computers to accomplish but the brain does it automatically.

Salomon Muller: Our work investigates how clusters of neurons, called circuits, make perceiving and learning possible. We believe that understanding this process will reveal critical clues to how the brain works and solves problems.

NS: We focus our investigations on the elephant-nose fish, an animal that emits and detects electrical pulses to perceive and navigate its surroundings. In particular, we study a structure in the fishs brain called the electrosensory lobe. This structure is very similar to the cerebellum, an ancient brain structure that is present in all vertebrates, including in people.

The electrosensory lobe helps the elephant-nose fish use its electrical pulses to detect nearby objects. For example, these pulses enable the fish to sense the minute electrical fields produced by the prey it wishes to eat. Remarkably, the fish can sense these small electrical fields even while the fish itself is producing much larger electric signals. We studied how this is done.

LA: These capabilities make this fish a powerful model for studying how circuits in the brain can cancel out self-generated sounds, or the effects of its own movement, thereby distinguishing between external and internal stimuli. In addition, this is a great system for exploring how brain circuits both process information and learn at the same time, and enable us to think about what happens when those circuits are disrupted.

NS: Previous work had shown that the fishs electrosensory lobe, which is similar to the cerebellum, contains several layers of neurons stacked on top of each other. In this study, we discovered that neurons in the middle layer do something incredible.

LA: Most neurons generate bursts of electricity to communicate. But, importantly, these middle-layer neurons produce two different types of electrical bursts one for learning and the other for communication.

SM: Earlier research had observed these dual signals but had not deciphered their role. We developed a mathematical model demonstrating that these signals actually emanate from different regions of the same neuron, and that this compartmentalized organization is what enables the circuit to learn on the go.

NS: As we mentioned, the fishs electrosensory lobe is remarkably similar to our own cerebellum. Recent evidence strongly suggests that our brains follow similar rules as those that allow fish to learn with flexibility and adaptability. Understanding those rules will help us to figure out how the brain grows and develops, as well as what goes wrong in disease when this circuitry gets disrupted. One example is tinnitus, or ringing in the ears. Tinnitus is a common and, in some cases, debilitating condition that is hypothesized to arise because of a malfunction of circuits in the human brain that normally function to cancel out self-generated sounds. Our work in the elephant-nose fish has the potential to inform efforts investigating the underlying mechanisms of this disorder.

LA: These findings could lead to machine-learning algorithms that more closely resemble what the brain does. At present, such algorithms divide learning and processing or communicating into two separate phases. The biological discovery we uncovered in our research suggests a new path forward: a learning mechanism that can do both things at once.

NS: The brain is the most complex thing we know of. Building sophisticated mathematical models is absolutely essential for understanding how it works, because they give a roadmap for experimentalists like me to use as I continue to delve deeper into the mechanisms of learning.

LA: As a neuroscientist who was originally trained in physics, I obviously have a background different from Nate Sawtells, but rather than that getting in the way of our collaborations, we use our different approaches to great advantage. Building bridges between mathematics and biology makes for successful collaborations that drive science, medicine and technology forward.

SM: As a doctoral candidate here at Columbias Zuckerman Institute, I have been mentored by both Drs. Abbott and Sawtell, which has been incredibly rewarding. In neuroscience, you often take things apart to understand them. Our collaboration allows us to also put the pieces back together; our focus is not on solving a one piece of a problem, but on understanding a system with all of its pieces.

###

This paper is titled Continual learning in a multi-layer network of an electric fish. Additional contributors include Abigail Zadina.

This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NS075023), the Irma T. Hirschl Trust, the Simons Foundation, the Gatsby Foundation and the National Science Foundation (1025849, NeuroNex Award DBI-1707398).

The authors report no financial or other conflicts of interest.

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Mathematics and Neuroscience Merge to Shed Light on Learning - Columbia University Irving Medical Center

Neuroscience

Aspen Neuroscience Announces Board of Directors and Scientific Advisory Board – PRNewswire

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Aspen Neuroscience, Inc.,a private biotechnology company developing the first autologous neuron replacement therapy to treat Parkinson disease, has announced the members of its Board of Directors and Scientific Advisory Board. These boards bring together many of the world's most distinguished industry and academic minds to deliver Aspen's personalized cell therapy to persons suffering with Parkinson disease.

"We are proud of the talented groups we have assembled," said Aspen CEO Howard Federoff, MD, PhD. "They bring a wealth of insights and experience in biomedical research and therapeutic development that will be essential for our success. Together, we are motivated to bring best-in-class treatments to Parkinson patients as rapidly as possible. They have waited long enough."

Last month, Aspen announced it has raised $6.5 million in seed fundingand unveiled its plans to use neurons derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to combat the debilitating motor symptoms of Parkinson disease. These iPSCs will be created from each patient's own cells and then differentiated into dopamine-producing neurons, replacing the critical cells lost in Parkinson disease. Because the therapy is created from each patient's own tissue, no immunosuppression will be necessary.

"The creation of our esteemed Board of Directors and Scientific Advisory Board is an important step for Aspen's future development as it will help guide the company's progress toward regulatory approval," said Kim P. Kamdar, PhD, Aspen Board Chair and Partner at Domain Associates. "The members of each board bring significant expertise, complementary skills and an external perspective, which will be very valuable in informing Aspen's strategy."

Aspen's Board of Directors includes well-known industry veterans and financial minds from leading venture capital firms that are poised todirect the growth of Aspen through clinical trials and regulatory approval.

Aspen Neuroscience Board of Directors

The Scientific Advisory Board consists of leaders in the fields of bioethics, regenerative medicine clinical trials, autologous iPSC-based therapy, and Parkinson disease neuron replacement and neuroimaging.

Aspen Neuroscience Scientific Advisory Board

The newly established boards will join Aspen's impressive leadership team: Howard J. Federoff, MD, PhD, Chief Executive Officer; Jeanne Loring, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer; Edward Wirth, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer; Jay Sial, Chief Financial Officer; Andres Bratt-Leal, PhD, Vice President of Research and Development; Thorsten Gorba, PhD, Senior Director of Manufacturing; and Naveen M. Krishnan, MD, MPhil, Senior Director of Corporate Development.

About Aspen NeuroscienceAspen Neuroscience, Inc., is a development stage, private biotechnology company that uses innovative genomic approaches combined with stem cell biology to deliver patient-specific, restorative cell therapies that modify the course of Parkinson disease. Aspen's therapies are based upon the scientific work of world-renowned stem cell scientist, Dr. Jeanne Loring, who has developed a novel method for autologous neuron replacement. For more information and important updates, please visithttp://www.aspenneuroscience.com.

SOURCE Aspen Neuroscience

https://www.aspenneuroscience.com

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Aspen Neuroscience Announces Board of Directors and Scientific Advisory Board - PRNewswire

Neuroscience

ProMIS Neurosciences to present at Sachs 3rd Annual Neuroscience Innovation Forum – GlobeNewswire

TORONTO and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jan. 09, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ProMIS Neurosciences, Inc. (TSX: PMN) (OTCQB: ARFXF), a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of antibody therapeutics targeting toxic oligomers implicated in the development of neurodegenerative diseases, today announced its participation in the Sachs 3rd Annual Neuroscience Innovation Forum being held on January 12, 2020 at the Marines Memorial Club, San Francisco, CA.

ProMIS President and CEO, Elliot Goldstein, MD will provide overviews of its novel drug discovery and development programs for Alzheimers disease, Parkinsons disease and ALS(amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). The audio webcast and slides of Dr. Goldsteins presentation will be available approximately one week following the conference presentation on ProMIS web site https://promisneurosciences.com.

About ProMIS NeurosciencesProMIS Neurosciences, Inc. is a development stage biotechnology company focused on discovering and developing antibody therapeutics selectively targeting toxic oligomers implicated in the development and progression of neurodegenerative diseases, in particular Alzheimers disease (AD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Parkinsons disease (PD). The Companys proprietary target discovery platform is based on the use of two complementary thermodynamic, computational discovery engines ProMIS and Collective Coordinates to predict novel targets known as Disease Specific Epitopes on the molecular surface of misfolded proteins. Using this unique precision approach, the Company is developing novel antibody therapeutics for AD, ALS and PD. ProMIS is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, with offices in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ProMIS is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol PMN, and on the OTCQB Venture Market under the symbol ARFXF.

To learn more, visit us at http://www.promisneurosciences.com, follow us onTwitter and LinkedIn and listen to the podcast, Saving Minds, at iTunes or Spotify.

For media inquiries, please contact:Shanti Skiffingtonshanti.skiffington@gmail.comTel. 617 921-0808

For Investor Relations please contact:Alpine Equity AdvisorsNicholas Rigopulos, Presidentnick@alpineequityadv.comTel. 617 901-0785

The TSX has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This information release contains certain forward-looking information. Such information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by statements herein, and therefore these statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. All forward-looking statements are based on the Company's current beliefs as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to it as well as other factors. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Due to risks and uncertainties, including the risks and uncertainties identified by the Company in its public securities filings, actual events may differ materially from current expectations. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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ProMIS Neurosciences to present at Sachs 3rd Annual Neuroscience Innovation Forum - GlobeNewswire

Neuroscience

Cortexyme to Present at the 3rd Annual Neuroscience Innovation Forum on January 12, 2020 – Business Wire

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cortexyme, Inc. (Nasdaq: CRTX), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering a novel disease-modifying therapeutic approach to treat what it believes to be a key underlying cause of Alzheimers and other degenerative diseases, today announced Casey Lynch, the companys chief executive officer, chair, and co-founder will present at the 3rd Annual Neuroscience Innovation Forum on Sunday, January 12, 2020 at 3:45 p.m. PST / 6:45 p.m. EST. The Forum will take place on the eve of the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in downtown San Francisco.

A live webcast of the corporate presentation will be accessible at the Investor Calendar page under the News & Events heading of the Cortexyme investor site (ir.cortexyme.com). The webcast will be archived at that location for 90 days.

In addition to the corporate presentation, Ms. Lynch will participate in a plenary session at the Forum, Advances in Alzheimers & Other Cognitive Disorders, earlier in the day. This event will feature brief presentations from a panel of neuroscience drug development experts followed by a roundtable discussion moderated by co-chairs Christian Jung, Partner at the Dementia Discovery Fund, and Sumant Kulkarni, Managing Director of Biotechnology Equity Research at Canaccord Genuity LLC.

About Cortexyme, Inc.

Cortexyme (Nasdaq: CRTX) is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering a novel, disease-modifying therapeutic approach to treat what it believes to be a key underlying cause of Alzheimers disease and other degenerative diseases. Cortexyme is targeting a specific, infectious pathogen found in the brain of Alzheimers patients and tied to neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation in animal models. The companys lead investigational medicine, COR388, is the subject of the GAIN Trial, an ongoing Phase 2/3 clinical study in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimers. To learn more about Cortexyme, visit http://www.cortexyme.com or follow @Cortexyme on Twitter.

Forward-Looking Statements

Statements in this press release contain forward-looking statements that are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release may be identified by the use of words such as anticipate, expect, believe, will, may, should, estimate, project, outlook, forecast or other similar words. Forward-looking statements are based on Cortexymes current expectations and are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks and assumptions that are difficult to predict. Further, certain forward-looking statements are based on assumptions as to future events that may not prove to be accurate. Factors that could cause actual results to differ include, but are not limited to, the risks and uncertainties described in the section titled Risk Factors in the final prospectus related to Cortexymes initial public offering filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on May 9, 2019 and Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on November 12, 2019. Forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of this date, and Cortexyme undertakes no duty to update such information except as required under applicable law.

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Cortexyme to Present at the 3rd Annual Neuroscience Innovation Forum on January 12, 2020 - Business Wire

Neuroscience

Neuroscience had a ‘transformative’ decade, giving us brain-computer interfaces, new research tools – Genetic Literacy Project

I rarely use the words transformative or breakthrough for neuroscience findings. The brain is complex, noisy, chaotic, and often unpredictable.

But I can unabashedly say that the 2010s saw a boom in neuroscience breakthroughs that transformed the field and will resonate long into the upcoming decade.

In 2010, the idea that wed be able to read minds, help paralyzed people walk again, incept memories, or have multi-layered brain atlases was near incomprehensible. Few predicted that deep learning, an AI model loosely inspired by neural processing in the brain, would gain prominence and feed back into decoding the brain. Around 2011, I asked a now-prominent AI researcher if we could automatically detect dying neurons in a microscope image using deep neural nets; we couldnt get it to work. Today, AI is readily helping read, write, and map the brain.

The next decade may see non-invasive ways to manipulate brain activity, such as focused ultrasound, transcranial magnetic or direct current stimulation (TMS/tDCS), and variants of optogenetics. Along with increased understanding of brain networks and dynamics, we may be able to play select neural networks like a piano and realize the dream of treating psychiatric disorders at their root.

Read full, original post: These Breakthroughs Made the 2010s the Decade of the Brain

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Neuroscience had a 'transformative' decade, giving us brain-computer interfaces, new research tools - Genetic Literacy Project

Neuroscience

Melissa Franch ’12: ‘Skills I Developed During Teaching Have Transferred Naturally to the Research Environment and Continue to Help Me Become a…

Melissa Franch 12 has an older brother with severe, nonverbal autism. From a young age, she wondered what caused him to exhibit various behaviors and how her family could best help him. The more she learned in biology classes, the more curious she became about the causes of autism and ways to improve the lives of individuals with the disorder.

That interest and curiosity led Franch first to the NC State College of Education to complete a bachelors in science education and eventually to the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, where she is a doctoral student in neuroscience and conducting research on the neural correlates of social behavior such as cooperation.

Role: Neuroscience Ph.D. student at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Education: Bachelor of Science in Science Education, NC State College of Education; Bachelor of Science in Biological Sciences, NC State University

What She Enjoys Most About Science: The scientific inquiry and investigation process is truly cathartic for me. There is something wonderful and satisfying about identifying a problem, asking questions and trying to solve it.

Why She Chose the NC State College of Education: I wanted to be a part of the Students Advocating for Youth (SAY) Village because of the youth mentoring responsibilities and because I knew I was joining a community of other individuals who are passionate about service through education. I also really enjoyed the campus atmosphere surrounding the College of Education.

Why She Chose Education: I chose education as my career because one of my core values is service. I think growing up with a brother who has a disability inspired me to empower others, and I decided to do that through education and science. While teaching is very rewarding in the moment as you can see students learn within a lesson, your positive influence as a teacher can lead to future changes in students lives that you will never know about.

Specifically, she records neural activity from animals as they cooperate for a reward. Through this research, she seeks to understand how the brain processes socially relevant visual cues from the environment, like the body language or actions of the partner, to use in social decision-making, such as forming the choice to cooperate.

This project will improve our understanding of social cognition, promoting the development of better therapeutics that can improve the lives of individuals suffering from social dysfunction, Franch said.

Her research was showcased last fall at the Society of Neuroscience annual meeting in Chicago. Having her research featured confirmed to Franch that the problems she wants to solve and the questions she sees as important are also acknowledged by the rest of the neuroscience community.

It really motivates me to continue on this career path and confirms that my ideas and research can make a positive impact, she said.

Franch developed an interest in science at a young age. Her father, an environmental chemist, encouraged her to participate in science events when she was a child and teen. While in high school, for example, she attended a Sally Ride Science event for women in science where they made their own DNA models and lip balm. Through such experiences, Franchs love for science grew.

I am so grateful to my dad for encouraging me to step out of my comfort zone and pursue my talents and interests, she says.

Her high school biology teacher, Mr. Lewis, and his exemplary teaching inspired her to initially pursue a career in science education. She chose to attend the NC State College of Education North Carolinas largest producer of STEM educators because she wanted to be surrounded by other individuals passionate about service through education.

She was also drawn to the mentoring opportunities available through the Students Advocating for Youth (SAY) Village and the field experiences she would receive.

I really enjoyed that we visited and worked in real high school classrooms very often and from the beginning of our college career, said Franch, who was a Burroughs Wellcome Foundation Scholarship recipient while an NC State student.

During her sophomore year, she observed and assisted a proficient biology teacher at Wake Early College High School, which was an invaluable experience for me.

A former high school teacher, a current neuroscientist researcher and a future biology professor, Melissa Franch 12 chose education because of the impact she could have on the lives of others. Help us prepare more extraordinary educators like her.

That same year, she also completed an internship with the U.S. Department of Energy Pre-Service Teachers program. Through that experience, she discovered a desire to contribute her skills and serve others through both education and research on a daily basis, which led her to add a second major in biological sciences and decide to teach high school biology for a few years before pursuing a Ph.D. in neuroscience.

And this is exactly what I have done, Franch said.

She taught biology for three years at Millbrook Magnet High School in Raleigh, North Carolina, before enrolling in her Ph.D. program.

I hope everyone can teach at some point in their life, as I think the act of teaching instills a skillset and values in you that improve every aspect of yourself, she said. Teaching has helped me become the best person I can be, and the skills of leadership, communication, collaboration and persistent work ethic that I developed during teaching have transferred naturally to the research environment and continue to help me become a successful scientist.

When Franch finishes her Ph.D., she plans to complete a post-doc and remain in academia. She aspires to become a professor so she can teach science and conduct research on a daily basis.

I enjoy knowing that the work I will complete during my career will be used to help people someday, she said. I really enjoy both research and education because the impact is greater than one can imagine.

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Melissa Franch '12: 'Skills I Developed During Teaching Have Transferred Naturally to the Research Environment and Continue to Help Me Become a...

Neuroscience

Medical wearables: What they’re wearing at CES this year – Plastics Today

There are countless bright, shiny objects vying for the attention of attendees at CES, the vast consumer electronics event in Las Vegas this week. Amid the barrage of brand new things that you didnt know you needed until just now, its easy to lose sight of innovations in slightly more-established technologies. The healthcare-related wearables space is a case in point.

Before presenting some of the wearables making waves at CES this year, heres some context. The size of the healthcare wearables market is substantial, and its growing, noted Mark Brinkerhoff, President of Fusion Design Inc., a turnkey product and equipment development consultancy based in Campbell, CA. Brinkerhoff will present an engineers perspective on advances in wearable technology during a conference at next months co-located Medical Design & Manufacturing (MD&M) West and PLASTEC West event in Anaheim, CA. In advance of his session, he shared some telling statistics with PlasticsToday.

Fusion Design claims expertise in industrial design, mechanical engineering and prototyping. Focused on the transition from concept to manufacturing, the company seeks to balance aesthetics, ruggedness, ergonomics, communications and cost in developing wearable products, explained Brinkerhoff. It is all about engineering the trade offs for market success, he said, adding that plastics and elastomers are the most common enclosure materials used because they help to achieve that balance of properties.

Its too soon to say whether the following wearable devices featured at CES will achieve success in the marketplace, but they did catch our eye because they advance and, indeed, democratize medical technology. And yes, in one way or another, plastics made them possible.

A wrist- or ankle-worn device developed by Apollo Neuroscience reportedly is the first wearable to help the body relieve stress by rapidly restoring its natural equilibrium via gentle vibration waves. Originally developed by physicians and neuroscientists at the University of Pittsburgh, the vibrations signal safety to the body and improve heart rate variability.It works in tandem with an app that, according to the company, helps users increase energy, improve focus, accelerate recovery, deepen relaxation and promote sleep. Because it needs to withstand exposure to everyday products such as cosmetics and detergents and be sufficiently durable to survive bumps and drops, Apollo selected the Makroblend M525 polycarbonate/polyester blend from Covestro to fabricate the device. The material meets two important requirementstoughness and chemical resistanceto help Apollo users find balance with a strong and lightweight device that remains unchanged when exposed to a variety of personal care products, said Covestro.

Graphene heals all wounds

Grapheal has developed a wound-care device that continuously monitors wound healing, measuring biological parameters and sending updates to the cloud via a smartphone app. The non-invasive graphene-based dressing also stimulates wound healing. Fully flexible and extremely sensitive electrodes integrated in the graphene through a proprietary process capture any changes in wound healing and transmit the data.

What if you could train your brain to sleep better? That question is posed by Urgotech, which, of course, has an answer. Its non-invasive system uses neuro-feedback to measure brain activity, which an app uses to create a custom regimen on a smartphone that trains the user to tap into sleep-inducing brainwaves. The headgear is not worn in bed, a much appreciated feature by some beta testers. Users wear the headband for 20 minutes during the day while playing a game that rewards them when they generate the desired brain waves. They progressively learn to produce those brain waves when they go to bed. Thats the theory, anyway.

The Atmos wearable air filter covers your nose and mouth, purifying the air that you breathe, without hiding your winsome facial features thanks to what I presume to be a polycarbonate shield. Developed by Ao Air, the device uses built-in fans to create a positive-pressure clean air environment with one-way outflow that repels polluted air. It is reportedly 50 times more effective than other personal filtering devices; plus, it looks kind of cool. A great conversation starter, if youre looking to start one.

From smartwatches to a device that prevents premature ejaculation

And there are the watches at CES, at least they look like watches and are worn around the wrist, but most of them literally wont give you the time of day.

IEVA unveiled the Time.C smartwatch, which monitors personal health statistics as well as environmental factors that impact health, well-being and beauty, according to the company. As it captures personalized data, the smartwatch will suggest techniques to improve the wearers health and incentivize him or her to share environmental data with scientists to further climate change research. A feel-good win win.

Reliefband is at CES touting its FDA-cleared wristband that applies neuro-modulation technology to prevent and treat nausea and vomiting associated with motion sickness, chemotherapy, migraines, anxiety and even hangovers.

Finally, theres the guy at CES who just wants to talk about premature ejaculation, as media outlet Engadget puts it. Jeff Bennett has invented a device about the size of a large band aid that contains a small battery, electrodes and a Bluetooth connection. Worn on the perineum, it delivers mild electrical pulses that confuse the nerves and delay a male orgasm. Bennetts company Morari Medical has developed a prototype but is still wrestling with some design and manufacturing issues, notes Engadget in its slightly snarky reportage.

Premature ejaculation is a recognized medical condition, stresses Morari, that affects 30% of men. The product has the potential to capture an unserved $1 billion market, according to the company. Its worth noting that prior to founding Morari, Bennett worked with a number of medtech companies, including Medtronic and Boston Scientific, in the marketing space.

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Medical wearables: What they're wearing at CES this year - Plastics Today