CEO and CMO to present recent progress of vafidemstat

Will also participate in 9th Annual LifeSci Advisors Corporate Access Event 2020

Both events during week of the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference

MADRID, Spain and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jan. 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Oryzon Genomics, S.A. (ISIN Code: ES0167733015, ORY), a public clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company leveraging epigenetics to develop therapies in diseases with strong unmet medical need, announces that its management will present recent progress of vafidemstat in central nervous system (CNS) indications at the 3rd Neuroscience Innovation Forum in San Francisco on January 12.

Vafidemstat is in Phase II clinical development in multiple trials. It has demonstrated promise as a safe, well-tolerated and differentiated therapeutic option for treating agitation and aggression, and for treating non-aggressive features of three distinct psychiatric diseases.

Oryzons CEO Dr. Carlos Buesa and CMO Dr. Roger Bullock will make the presentation at the Marines' Memorial Club, a day before the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference. Oryzons presentation will take place at 13:50 PT in Track E in the Room Commandants. At the same event, Dr. Buesa will also participate in the Advances in Alzheimers & Other Cognitive Disorders Panel discussion at 9:30 am PT.

Oryzon will also take part in the 9th Annual LifeSci Advisors Corporate Access Event from January 13 to January 15, 2020 where Oryzons CEO and other management will hold meetings with pharmaceutical companies, institutional investors, analysts and other members of the biotech community at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel (450 Powell Street).

About OryzonFounded in 2000 in Barcelona, Spain, Oryzon (ISIN Code: ES0167733015) is a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company considered as the European champion in Epigenetics. Oryzon has one of the strongest portfolios in the field. Oryzons LSD1 program has rendered two compounds, vafidemstat and iadademstat, in clinical trials. In addition, Oryzon has ongoing programs for developing inhibitors against other epigenetic targets. Oryzon has a strong technological platform for biomarker identification and performs biomarker and target validation for a variety of malignant and neurodegenerative diseases. Oryzon has offices in Spain and the United States. For more information, visit http://www.oryzon.com.

Story continues

About VafidemstatVafidemstat (ORY-2001) is an oral, CNS optimized LSD1 inhibitor. The molecule acts on several levels: it reduces cognitive impairment, including memory loss and neuroinflammation, and at the same time has neuroprotective effects. In animal studies vafidemstat not only restores memory but reduces the exacerbated aggressiveness of SAMP8 mice, a model for accelerated aging and Alzheimers disease (AD), to normal levels and also reduces social avoidance and enhances sociability in murine models. In addition, vafidemstat exhibits fast, strong and durable efficacy in several preclinical models of multiple sclerosis (MS). Oryzon has performed a Phase IIa clinical trial in aggressiveness in patients with different psychiatric disorders (REIMAGINE), with positive preliminary clinical results reported. Additional Phase IIa clinical trials with vafidemstat are ongoing in patients with Mild to Moderate AD (ETHERAL), in aggressiveness in patients with moderate or severe AD (REIMAGINE-AD), and in Relapse-Remitting and Secondary Progressive MS (SATEEN).

About IadademstatIadademstat (ORY-1001) is a small oral molecule, which acts as a highly selective inhibitor of the epigenetic enzyme LSD1 and has a powerful differentiating effect in hematologic cancers (See Maes et al., Cancer Cell 2018 Mar 12; 33 (3): 495-511.e12.doi: 10.1016 / j.ccell.2018.02.002.). A first Phase I/IIa clinical trial with iadademstat in refractory and relapsed acute leukemia patients demonstrated the safety and good tolerability of the drug and preliminary signs of antileukemic activity, including a CRi. Beyond hematological cancers, the inhibition of LSD1 has been proposed as a valid therapeutic approach in some solid tumors such as small cell lung cancer (SCLC), medulloblastoma and others. Oryzon is currently conducting two Phase IIa clinical trials of iadademstat in combination; the first one in combination with azacitidine in elderly AML patients (ALICE study) and the second one in combination with platinum/etoposide in second line SCLC patients (CLEPSIDRA study). In both studies, preliminary clinical results have been reported.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This communication contains, or may contain, forward-looking information and statements about Oryzon, including financial projections and estimates and their underlying assumptions, statements regarding plans, objectives and expectations with respect to future operations, capital expenditures, synergies, products and services, and statements regarding future performance. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts and are generally identified by the words expects, anticipates, believes, intends, estimates and similar expressions. Although Oryzon believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, investors and holders of Oryzon shares are cautioned that forward-looking information and statements are subject to various risks and uncertainties, many of which are difficult to predict and generally beyond the control of Oryzon that could cause actual results and developments to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied or projected by, the forward-looking information and statements. These risks and uncertainties include those discussed or identified in the documents sent by Oryzon to the Spanish Comisin Nacional del Mercado de Valores (CNMV), which are accessible to the public. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and have not been reviewed by the auditors of Oryzon. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they were made. All subsequent oral or written forward-looking statements attributable to Oryzon or any of its members, directors, officers, employees or any persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statement above. All forward-looking statements included herein are based on information available to Oryzon on the date hereof. Except as required by applicable law, Oryzon does not undertake any obligation to publicly update or revise any forwardlooking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. This press release is not an offer of securities for sale in the United States or any other jurisdiction. Oryzons securities may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration. Any public offering of Oryzons securities to be made in the United States will be made by means of a prospectus that may be obtained from Oryzon or the selling security holder, as applicable, that will contain detailed information about Oryzon and management, as well as financial statements.

IR & Media, US & Europe:

Spain:

Oryzon:

LifeSci Advisors LLC

ATREVIA

Emili Torrell

Hans Herklots

Patricia Cobo/Idoia Revuelta

BD Director

+41 79 598 7149

+34 91 564 07 25

+34 93 515 13 13

hherklots@lifesciadvisors.com

pcobo@atrevia.comirevuelta@atrevia.com

etorrell@oryzon.com

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ORYZON to Present at the 3rd Neuroscience Innovation Forum in San Francisco - Yahoo Finance

Neuroscience

AI-based motion-capture system for animals has applications from drug development to ecology – Princeton University

January 8, 2020 medical

A new system that uses artificial intelligence to track animal movements is poised to aid a wide range of studies, from exploring new drugs that affect behavior to ecological research. The approach, shown in the video above, can be used with laboratory animals such as fruit flies and mice as well as larger animals.

The technology developed by Mala Murthy, professor of neuroscience; Joshua Shaevitz, professor of physics and the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics; Talmo Pereira, graduate student in neuroscience; and then-undergraduate Diego Aldarondo of the Class of 2018 accurately detects the location of each body partlegs, head, nose and other pointsin millions of frames of video.

First, a human experimenter records video of a moving animal. Next, the experimenter directs the systems software to identify a small number of images in which to define body part positions. The system then uses this data set to train a neural network to calculate the location of the points in subsequent frames. The method has recently been extended by Pereira to work not only on videos of a single animal but also on footage of multiple interacting animals, keeping track of animal identities over time.

Funding sources included the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

This technology was featured at the annual Celebrate Princeton Innovation (CPI) event in November that highlights the work of faculty and student researchers who are making discoveries and creating inventions with the potential for having broad societal impact. The gathering attracts members of the broader entrepreneurial ecosystem outside the University such as members of the venture capital community, industry, as well as representatives from state and local governments who come to learn about the newest University discoveries and meet the faculty and staff engaged in Princetons innovation initiative.

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AI-based motion-capture system for animals has applications from drug development to ecology - Princeton University

Neuroscience

BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics to Present at the 2020 Biotech Showcase and 3rd Annual Neuroscience Innovation Forum at JPM Week – StreetInsider.com

January 8, 2020 medical

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BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics to Present at the 2020 Biotech Showcase and 3rd Annual Neuroscience Innovation Forum at JPM Week - StreetInsider.com

Neuroscience

Stress-recovery wearable helps the body bounce back with Covestro polycarbonate blend – PRNewswire

January 8, 2020 medical

According to Kathryn Fantauzzi, CEO and co-founder of Apollo Neuroscience, Inc., Apollo is the first wearable that helps the body beat stress by rapidly restoring its natural equilibrium for better sleep, energy and more. She explains that, unlike other wearables, Apollo doesn't just track your bodyit uses vibration to improve your recovery from stress. Originally developed by physicians and neuroscientists at the University of Pittsburgh, Apollo's gentle vibration waves signal safety to the body and improve HRVall through the sense of touch.

Since Apollo is worn on the wrist or ankle, the wearable required a material that withstands everyday productssuch as lotions, perfumes and detergentsas well as drops and daily wear and tear. Makroblend M525 PC+polyester blend from Covestro delivers the toughness and chemical resistance needed to create this durable yet lightweight device.

"Wearables have a long checklist of needs to meet, and it all starts with the right materials," said Doug Hamilton, global healthcare marketing leader, Covestro LLC.

Zachary Williams, market development, Healthcare Polycarbonates, Covestro LLC, added, "Makroblend M525 PC+polyester blend 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."

"Apollo is about empowering people to take control of their healththat's why we chose Covestro as a partner," said John Maholtz, chief operating officer at Apollo Neuroscience. "Covestro's premier materials ensure that Apollo users experience a clean, comfortable and long-lasting product that is just as resilient as they are."

The device works in tandem with an intuitive app which, according to Apollo, features a variety of programs that help users:

Attendees at the following shows will be able to experience first-hand how the Apollo device helps their body adapt to stress:

Learn about what else Covestro has in store for CES: http://www.solutions.covestro.com/en/highlights/campaigns/ces-2020.

About Covestro LLC:Covestro LLC is one of the leading producers of high-performance polymers in North America and is part of the global Covestro business, which is among the world's largest polymer companies with 2018 sales of EUR 14.6 billion. Business activities are focused on the manufacture of high-tech polymer materials and the development of innovative solutions for products used in many areas of daily life. The main segments served are the automotive, construction, wood processing and furniture, electrical and electronics, and healthcare industries. Other sectors include sports and leisure, cosmetics and the chemical industry itself. Covestro has 30 production sites worldwide and employed approximately 16,800 people at the end of 2018.

About Apollo Neuroscience:Apollo is the first wearable that actively helps your body adapt to stress, for better sleep, focus, energy, and more. While other wearables track your body, Apollo empowers you to change it, harnessing the power of neuroscience to deliver gentle waves of vibration shown to rapidly restore your body's natural equilibrium. Apollo works by signaling safety to the body and has been scientifically-validated to improve heart rate variability (HRV), a key metric of health and recovery. Apollo has been evaluated in university-led trials and has been tested by over 2,000 users. For more information, visit http://www.apolloneuro.com.

Find more information at http://www.covestro.usorwww.solutions.covestro.com/en/materials/plastics.

Forward-Looking StatementsThis news release may contain forward-looking statements based on current assumptions and forecasts made by Covestro AG. Various known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors could lead to material differences between the actual future results, financial situation, development or performance of the company and the estimates given here. These factors include those discussed in Covestro's public reports which are available at http://www.covestro.com. The company assumes no liability whatsoever to update these forward-looking statements or to conform them to future events or developments.

Makroblend is a registered trademark of the Covestro Group.

This press release is available for download from our website. Click here to view all our press releases.

Editor's Note: Follow news from Covestro on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CovestroUS

Contact John Skabardonis Telephone +1 412 413 5444 Email John.Skabardonis@covestro.com

SOURCE Covestro LLC

http://www.covestro.com/en

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Stress-recovery wearable helps the body bounce back with Covestro polycarbonate blend - PRNewswire

Neuroscience

R&D alliance between Harvard and Deerfield announces first project agreement – Harvard Office of Technology Development

January 8, 2020 medical

All News

January 08, 2020

Profs. Lauren Orefice and David Ginty discuss their research in more detail in a Harvard Gazette Q&A. (File photo: Harvard OTD.)

Cambridge, Mass. January 8, 2019 Lab1636, the R&D alliance between Harvard University and Deerfield Management Company, announced today its first project agreement to advance Harvard researchers innovations toward the development of novel therapeutics. Lab1636 has committed to a first project out of the laboratory of David Ginty, PhD, the Edward R. and Anne G. Lefler Professor of Neurobiology in the Blavatnik Institute at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator.

Launched in March 2019, Lab1636 is a major strategic R&D alliance between Harvard and the healthcare investment firm Deerfield to speed the development and translation of biomedical and life-science innovations into transformative treatments to improve life, health, and medical care. Lab1636 was established with a funding commitment of up to $100 million from Deerfield.

Through this first project, Lab1636 will dedicate focused resources to advancing innovations with great therapeutic potential for patients. Recognized for his labs elucidation of the peripheral nervous system, Ginty seeks to answer fundamental questions in neuroscience relating to how we perceive and respond to our environment. Over the past few years, in particular, significant strides in understanding tactile hypersensitivity have been led by a postdoctoral researcher in his lab, Lauren Orefice, PhD, who is now Assistant Professor of Genetics at HMS and Massachusetts General Hospital. Together, they identified certain compounds that may point the way to a treatment for the touch hypersensitivity experienced by people with autism spectrum disorders.

Its exciting to see discoveries made in my lab being propelled into therapeutic development, where they can benefit from the medicinal chemistry expertise and clinical expertise of other groups, said Ginty. The resources at Harvard to support translational biomedical innovation were really instrumental in helping us advance this work to a jumping-off point, and Im hopeful that further development and clinical testing of the results could make a significant and lasting difference in the lives of patients.

The Ginty Labs research in this area has previously received funding from the federal government and the Simons Foundation, as well as translational research funding from Harvards Blavatnik Biomedical Accelerator and Q-FASTR at HMS. Lab1636 is now poised to validate and expand upon the labs findings, advancing them through late-stage preclinical development.

Were thrilled by the momentum of the Lab1636 alliance so far, said Vivian Berlin, Managing Director of Strategic Partnerships in Harvards Office of Technology Development, which spearheaded the creation of Lab1636 with Deerfield. The collaboration holds great promise to drive rapid innovation across many fields of biomedical science and translate valuable insights into real-world impact.

This is an important milestone for Lab1636 and potentially for people suffering from tactile hypersensitivity, said James E. Flynn, Managing Partner at Deerfield. We look forward to continued progress in Professor Gintys novel work and other exciting developments on the horizon at Harvard.

A private company wholly owned by affiliates of Deerfield, Lab1636 supports Harvard R&D projects through various stages of drug discovery and development, for example enabling studies to explicate the biology of disease, validate therapeutic targets, or achieve a proof-of-concept necessary for filing an Investigational New Drug (IND) application. Harvards R&D projects funded by Lab1636 are initiated by principal investigators from labs across the University and selected by a joint advisory committee.

See also: Harvard professors David Ginty and Lauren Orefice discuss their translational research in a Q&A published today.

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Neuroscience

Richest Set of Results to Date Pinpoint Six Genes That Are Linked to Anxiety Disorders – Technology Networks

January 8, 2020 medical

A new collaborative research study of over 200,000 military veterans has discovered six genetic variants that are linked to anxiety.According to statistics from the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, anxiety disorders are the most common mental illnesses in the U.S., affecting a staggering 18.1% of the population each year.

Suffering from an anxiety disorder can have major adverse effects on an individual's quality of life; it may prevent them from being able to socialize, to work, or to engage in relationships, for example. Individuals with an anxiety disorder are three to five times more likely to go to the doctor, and six times more likely to be hospitalized when compared to those who do not suffer from an anxiety disorder.

Anxiety disorders like all psychiatric conditions are complex in their pathophysiology. We don't know exactly what causes them, and therefore, our knowledge on how to treat them is somewhat incomplete. A variety of pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment options are available; however, they are often limited in success and may only benefit certain individuals.

An increasing amount of research is focusing on the contribution of genetics to the development of mental health conditions. Murray Stein, San Diego VA staff psychiatrist and Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry and of family medicine and public health at UCSD points out "While there have been many studies on the genetic basis of depression, far fewer have looked for variants linked to anxiety, disorders of which afflict as many as one in ten Americans."

Stein is the senior author of a new study, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, that explores the contribution of certain genetic variants to the development of anxiety disorders.

The research, a genome wide association study (GWAS), analyzed the genomes of approximately 200,000 military veterans from the Million Veteran Program (MVP). From the data, they discovered six genetic variants linked to anxiety. Five were identified in European Americans and one was identified in African Americans.

A selection of these variants has also been previously linked to other conditions such as bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and posttraumatic stress disorder.

"This is the richest set of results for the genetic basis of anxiety to date," said co-lead author Joel Gelernter, the Foundations Fund Professor of Psychiatry, professor of genetics and of neuroscience at Yale. "There has been no explanation for the comorbidity of anxiety and depression and other mental health disorders, but here we have found specific, shared genetic risks."

The MVP offers the opportunity to study a large data set that would otherwise be difficult to gather and collate. Thus far, several studies have utilized the MVP data to make interesting discoveries relating to genetics and psychiatric disorders. Gelernter says, "This is a rich vein we have just begun to tap."

Also of note is the fact that some of the genetic variants identified were linked to genes that regulate hormonal activity, specifically in relation to the sex hormone estrogen. As more females are affected by an anxiety disorder than males, this is an intriguing finding. However, the scientists emphasize that the research sample from the MVP largely consists of men, which could be considered a study limitation.

Nonetheless, the research serves as a contributor to the pool of research expanding our knowledge of the molecular underpinnings of psychiatric disorders.

"One of the goals of this research is to find important risk genes that are associated with risk for many psychiatric and behavioral traits for which we don't have a good explanation," Yale's Daniel Levey, a postdoctoral associate and co-lead author of the study, concludes.

Reference: Leveyet al. (2020). Reproducible Genetic Risk Loci for Anxiety: Results from ~200,000 Million Veteran Program Participants. The American Journal of Psychiatry. DOI:https://doi.org/10.1101/540245.

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Richest Set of Results to Date Pinpoint Six Genes That Are Linked to Anxiety Disorders - Technology Networks

Immunology

Assistant/Associate, Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology job with UNITED ARAB EMIRATES UNIVERSITY | 191835 – Times Higher Education…

January 8, 2020 medical

Job Description

The Department of Medical Microbiology & Immunology, College of Medicine and Health Sciences (CMHS), UAE University, seeks candidates for a faculty position at the rank of Assistant/Associate Professor in Microbiology. We are particularly looking for an innovative investigator who has an established, or a clear potential to establish an independent research program in host-parasite interactions at the cellular and molecular level. Preference will be given to candidates with a strong background in computational and systems biology, genomics or bioinformatics. The College of Medicine operates an internationally recognized, integrated, problem/team-based learning curriculum and provides excellent research facilities. English is the language of instruction. Current research in the department focuses on cancer immunology, autoimmune diseases, antibiotic resistance, host-pathogen interactions, retroviral RNA packaging, dimerization and gene expression, EBV and its role in the pathogenesis of human diseases, and public health.

Minimum Qualification

The successful candidate must have a PhD or MD/PhD from an accredited institution.

Preferred Qualification

As above

Expected Skills/Rank/Experience

It is expected that the successful candidate will also have experience in teaching medical students, and postgraduate students. Importantly, candidates must demonstrate the potential to establish an independent and sustained research program in their area of expertise and be able to obtain peer-reviewed internal and external funding. International collaboration is encouraged.

Special Instructions to Applicant

Attach CV and publication list, names & contact information of 3 referees, and a cover letter describing research and teaching experience.

Division College of Medicine&Health Sciences

Department Microbiology - (CMHS)

Job Close Date open until filled

Job Category Academic - Faculty

Salary 28000-35000 UAE Dirhams per month, based on experience

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Assistant/Associate, Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology job with UNITED ARAB EMIRATES UNIVERSITY | 191835 - Times Higher Education...

Immunology

Lava Therapeutics Appoints Immuno-Oncology Experts James Allison, Ph.D., and Padmanee Sharma, MD, Ph.D., to Advisory Board – BioSpace

January 8, 2020 medical

Jan. 8, 2020 13:30 UTC

UTRECHT, Netherlands & PHILADELPHIA--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Lava Therapeutics (LAVA) today announced that James P. Allison, Ph.D., a 2018 Nobel Prize recipient in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of cancer therapy by inhibition of negative immune regulation, and Padmanee Sharma, M.D., Ph.D., a scientific leader in oncology, specializing in renal, bladder and prostate cancer, have joined the companys Advisory Board.

We are thrilled to welcome Jim and Pam, two of the most respected leaders in the field of oncology, to our Advisory Board, said Steve Hurly, Chief Executive Officer of LAVA. We believe we are at the forefront of developing gamma-delta T cell engagers, which represents a novel class of potential treatments for a range of cancer indications. As we approach this next phase as a clinical-stage company, Jim and Pams collective insights and deep expertise will be invaluable, and we are excited to be collaborating with them.

Dr. Paul Parren, Executive Vice President and Head of R&D for LAVA added, Jims and Pams willingness to join LAVAs Advisory Board is a transformative event for our young company, as it strongly increases our potential for developing truly transformative cancer drugs based our exciting bispecific gamma-delta T cell engaging technology. We are pleased to have them on board and look forward to leveraging their expertise as we advance our programs.

Dr. James Allison Dr. Allison has spent his career studying the regulation of T cell responses. Dr. Allisons work led to the development of an antibody to human CTLA-4 called ipilimumab which became the first immune checkpoint blockade therapy ever approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The approval of ipilimumab cleared the path for the emerging field of immune checkpoint blockade therapy in the treatment of cancer. His current work is focused on improving immune checkpoint blockade therapies and identifying new targets to unleash the immune system and eradicate cancer. Dr. Allison is a member of the National Academies of Science and Medicine and is currently Regental Professor and Chair of the Department of Immunology, the Vivian L. Smith Distinguished Chair in Immunology, the Executive Director of the Immunotherapy Platform and Co-Director of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Dr. Padmanee Sharma Dr. Sharma is focused on understanding resistance mechanisms within the immune system that impact anti-tumor responses. For more than a decade, she has been a principal investigator for multiple clinical trials to improve the efficacy of cancer immunotherapies. Dr. Sharmas work on new pathways to treat prostate cancer implicated, for the first time in a human tumor, the checkpoint VISTA in inhibiting immune responses. In partnership with Dr. Allison, Dr. Sharma is currently exploring combinations of immunological therapies and targeted drugs in preclinical studies to treat a variety of cancers more effectively. Dr. Sharma is a professor of Genitourinary Medical Oncology and Immunology in the Division of Cancer Medicine, the T.C. and Jeanette Hsu Endowed Chair in Cell Biology, the Scientific Director of the Immunotherapy Platform and the Co-Director of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

About Lava Therapeutics, Inc. Lava Therapeutics proprietary platform is focused on developing next generation T cell engaging bispecific antibodies to treat cancer. Our first-in-class immuno-oncology approach specifically activates V9V2 T cells upon binding to a tumor target. LAVAs vision is to develop therapeutics for the curative treatment of cancer. Founded in 2016, LAVA has grown into a start-up company with a highly experienced antibody research and development team located in Utrecht, the Netherlands (Headquarters) and Philadelphia. http://www.lavatherapeutics.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200108005103/en/

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Lava Therapeutics Appoints Immuno-Oncology Experts James Allison, Ph.D., and Padmanee Sharma, MD, Ph.D., to Advisory Board - BioSpace

Immunology

Cellectis: An Expert Review on Allogeneic CAR-T for Cancer Published in Nature Reviews Drug Discovery – Yahoo Finance

January 8, 2020 medical

Cellectis and World Experts Review New Avenue of Allogeneic CAR T-cells, Optimization and Promises in Oncology

Cellectis (Paris:ALCLS) (NASDAQ:CLLS) (Euronext Growth:ALCLS; Nasdaq:CLLS), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing immunotherapies based on gene-edited allogeneic CAR T-cells (UCART), announced today the publication of a review in Nature Reviews Drug Discovery by Prof. Stphane Depil1*, Dr. Philippe Duchateau2, Prof. Stephan Grupp3, Prof. Ghulam Mufti4 and Dr. Laurent Poirot2. The authors review the opportunities and challenges presented by universal allogeneic CAR T-cell therapies.

One of the most promising approaches in cancer treatment is chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, in which part of the bodys own immunological defendors, T-cells, are redirected against cancerous cells after being engineered to express CARs. Since their initial development in the early 90s, CAR T-cells have evolved through several generations. The use of autologous (patient-derived) CAR T-cells has proven to be successful in treating people with certain blood cancers such as B-cell malignancies. However, autologous CAR T-cell therapy is not suitable for all patients, and it often requires a long and expensive manufacturing process since each treatment must be made individually for each patient.

Cellectis was the first company to develop and test an allogeneic CAR T-cell therapy in patients, where T-cells are derived from healthy donors. This gives rise to off-the-shelf product candidates which aim to be suitable for many patients as opposed to only a single person.

"We realized early on that refined gene-editing techniques were what was needed to take an allogeneic approach to CAR T-cell therapy," said Dr. Laurent Poirot, VP, Immunology Division, Cellectis. "Despite the complexity of this approach, we decided to follow this route because we are confident that it can provide the most impact for a maximum number of people living with severe cancers. This comprehensive review underlines just how much this technology has evolved in very little time. It also gives us exciting areas to explore as we continue to improve our product candidates."

Story continues

One of the major challenges in the allogeneic approach involves mitigating the risk of graft-versus-host-disease (GvHD) a medical complication that can present itself in people that have received tissues or cells from another person. The review examines aspects of this challenge and helps weigh the pros and cons associated with the different methods used to create allogeneic CAR T-cells. It also outlines some of the gene-editing work that Cellectis has done in this area along with complementary approaches being taken by others in the field, such as using cells other than conventional T-cells, also known as alpha beta T-cells.

"Our immune system, including our T-cells, is incredibly sophisticated. We know that T-cells can now be retasked to successfully fight cancer. There are amazing approaches to gene editing that are driving progress towards the most safe and efficacious versions of allogeneic products. It is exciting to see these approaches applied to off the shelf CAR T-cell products," said Prof. Stephan Grupp, Chief of Cell Therapy and Transplant Section at the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, Professor of Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine, and a member of Cellectis Clinical Advisory Board. "Im looking forward to seeing emerging clinical data as well as even newer approaches, as Cellectis expertise in gene-editing technology continues to transform CAR-T."

Off-the-shelf allogeneic CAR T cells: new development and current challenges

Stphane Depil1*, Philippe Duchateau2, Stephan Grupp3, Ghulam Mufti4, Laurent Poirot2

1Formerly Cellectis, now Centre Lon Brard and Centre de Recherche en Cancrologie de Lyon, 28 rue Laennec, 69008 Lyon, France2Cellectis, 8 rue de la Croix Jarry, 75013, Paris, France3Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia and Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, 3401 Civic Center Blvd Philadelphia, PA 10104, USA4Kings College London and Kings College Hospital, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 9RS, United Kingdom

About CellectisCellectis is developing the first of its kind allogeneic approach for CAR-T therapies, pioneering the concept of off-the-shelf and ready-to-use gene-edited CAR-T cells to treat patients. As a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with over 20 years of expertise in gene editing, we are developing game-changer product candidates in immune-oncology. Utilizing TALEN, our gene editing technology, and PulseAgile, our pioneering electroporation system, we are harnessing the power of the immune system to target and eradicate cancer cells.

As part of our commitment to a cure, Cellectis remains dedicated to its goal of providing life-saving UCART product candidates to address unmet need for multiple cancers including B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) and multiple myeloma (MM). Cellectis is listed on the Nasdaq (ticker: CLLS) and on Euronext Growth (ticker: ALCLS).

Cellectis headquarters are in Paris, France, with additional locations in New York, New York and Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information, visit http://www.cellectis.com.

Follow Cellectis on social media: @Cellectis, LinkedIn and YouTube.

TALEN is a registered trademark owned by Cellectis.

DisclaimerThis press release contains "forward-looking" statements that are based on our managements current expectations and assumptions and on information currently available to management. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. Further information on the risk factors that may affect company business and financial performance is included in Cellectis Annual Report on Form 20-F and the financial report (including the management report) for the year ended December 31, 2018 and subsequent filings Cellectis makes with the Securities Exchange Commission from time to time. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200106005969/en/

Contacts

Media:Jennifer Moore, VP of Communications, 917-580-1088, media@cellectis.comCaitlin Kasunich, KCSA Strategic Communications, 212-896-1241, ckasunich@kcsa.com

IR:Simon Harnest, VP of Corporate Strategy and Finance, 646-385-9008, simon.harnest@cellectis.com

Excerpt from:
Cellectis: An Expert Review on Allogeneic CAR-T for Cancer Published in Nature Reviews Drug Discovery - Yahoo Finance

Anatomy

Great moments in PC gaming: Restarting Anatomy – PC Gamer

January 8, 2020 medical

Great moments in PC gaming are bite-sized celebrations of some of our favorite gaming memories.

We talk about dread a lot when the subject of horror games come up. It's what the best horror is aboutanticipation and imagination, half-heard sounds and glimpsed shapes. It keeps you dangling on the hook, wondering what the fish will look like.

Anatomy is a perfect example. All you know is that you're exploring a darkened house hunting for cassette tapes. Each open doorway is perfect blackness until you walk through it, then pace out the corners of rooms in what seems like an ordinary suburban home. You find a cassette, walk back to the room with the tape player, and then have to stand there in the pool of red light it casts just waiting while it plays a snippet of spooky philosophical rambling about the psychogeography of houses and how they relate to human anatomy.

Then words appear on the screen. THERE IS A TAPE IN THE LIVING ROOM, the words say, or THERE IS A TAPE IN THE GARAGE, and you set off away from the red light into darkness again.

At first this is literally the entire game. I won't spoil where it goes from there, but I will tell you that at some point Anatomy simply stops running. The program closes, disentangling you from the hook to stare at your operating system. Anatomy isn't done with you, though. It's waiting for you to muster the courage to start it again.

When you do, things are different. The VHS lines that wash over the screen are more frequent, the audio is distorted, and the house is different. Like a tape that's been played too many times it's degraded. There's a word: Things can be degraded both in the simple sense of lowering their quality, but also in terms of degenerating, of debasing, of growing further into abnormality.

Then Anatomy stops running for a second time and you're staring at the screen and you really don't want to run that .exe again.

If it was just pushing you back to a prior checkpoint or even the menu it wouldn't have the same effect. The momentum of playing a game would continue, carrying straight on would be a relatively frictionless decision. But because the game's stopped completely, it's a bit more tempting to stop playing. To just quickly check your email or get a snack or maybe play something else.

Actually running Anatomy.exe suddenly feels like a weighty decision, one that's deliberate and so requires deliberation, and everything that happens afterward will therefore be your own fault. That's dread, and the fact that Anatomy imbues the act of double-clicking an icon with such a powerful emotion is a hell of an achievement.