Immunology

Second informative webinar in series addresses COVID-19 vaccines, immunology – Observer Online

ThinkND and the Eck Institute for Global Helath presented their second webinar of the series Consider This! Simplifying the COVID-19 Conversation Monday. Thissession was titled Vaccines and the Immunology of COVID-19, and covered COVID-19 vaccines, the clinical trial process and immunity. The goal of the series is to fight against common misconceptions about COVID-19.

Mondays webinar hosted two speakers: Brian Baker, Rev. John A. Zahm professor and department chair of chemistry and biochemistry, and Jeffrey Schorey, George B. Craig Jr. professor in the department of biological sciences.

To begin, co-hosts Mary Ann McDowell, an associate professor of biological sciences and a member of the Eck Institute for Global Health, and Heidi Beidinger-Burnett, director of the Eck Institute for Global Health and president of the St. Joseph County Board of Health, answered a question emailed to them by a student in regards to last weeks session, and addressed local news concerning the pandemic.

Viewers were informed that COVID-19 cases are currently rising in St. Joseph County, and Indiana set a new state record of new COVID-19 cases in a day on Saturday, with 1,945 reported new cases.

Schorey and Baker then explained the national news surrounding President Donald Trumps claim that he will utilize emergency-use authorization (E.U.A.) to speed up the U.S.s COVID-19 response.

To describe the E.U.A., Schorey used the analogy of a fast pass at an amusement park. Usually, companies must wait in line to get their vaccines approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but the E.U.A. serves as a kind of fast pass.

Next, on the segment McDowell and Beidinger-Burnett call Rumor Has It, Schorey and Baker spoke to the claim that once an individual contracts COVID-19, they are immune for 90 days.

Schorey and Baker said it is too early to tell how long immunity will last, as well as to what extent it will protect recovered COVID-19 survivors.

With that being said, Baker believes there will be long-lasting immunity from COVID-19. Schorey said similarities between the current COVID-19 virus and the SARS-CoV-1 virus give us hope there will be fairly good immunity developed from COVID-19, just as there was from SARS-CoV-1.

In regards to immunity, Schorey and Baker emphasized there are differences in peoples immune responses. Schorey said he would expect a stronger immune response from people who naturally got COVID-19 and recovered, than from those who were vaccinated.

The phases of vaccine development were then discussed by the speakers. First, the preclinical phase is conducted, which consists of animal testing. Next are Phases I and II, which test the vaccine with humans with special attention given to safety. Then, in Phase III, the vaccine is given to a large number of people to test for efficacy. Lastly, Phase IV consists of the deliverance of the vaccine to the public.

It is important that a high volume of people receive the vaccine in Phase III to account for varying immune responses from different populations of people, the speakers said.

Throughout the session, the audience submitted questions, which Schorey and Baker answered. Additionally, all are welcome to email additional questions to [emailprotected].

Consider This! airs live every week on Monday evenings from 6 to 7 p.m. Each session addresses a new topic related to COVID-19. Next weeks session is titled Masks, Distancing and Public Health, and registration for the webinars can be found under the Eck Institute for Global Healths website.

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Second informative webinar in series addresses COVID-19 vaccines, immunology - Observer Online

Immunology

C.S. Mott Center teams with Chinese university to create new International Women Health Research Program – The South End

The C.S. Mott Center for Human Growth and Development at the Wayne State University School of Medicine has teamed with the Institute of Reproductive Health of Tongji Medical College at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China, to establish the International Women Health Research Program.

The goal of the new collaboration is to improve womens treatment and care, particularly in the areas of cancer and reproductive health.

Maternal mortality, pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia and recurrent abortions, gynecologic cancers and infertility are still major global problems that can only be improved by international collaborations, said Gil Mor, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Mott Center and the John M. Malone Jr., M.D., Endowed Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology. A womans reproductive aspects have a major impact not only on her health, but on the health of her children. The International Women Health Research Program will achieve its objectives by enhancing the education of health providers, investigators, students and general public.

Because the programs success depends on improving the education of physicians and researchers involved in multiple aspects of womens health, training investigators to develop novel approaches

for diagnosis and treatment, and educating the general population on the complex aspects related to reproduction and womens health, a key component of the collaboration includes exchange programs in which trainees, physicians and scientists train at the two participating institutions.

To date, in addition to developing three courses in reproductive immunology and one in ovarian cancer, the program has mentored 11 students in Wuhan, with two trained at WSU.

Under an internship program, physicians selected for the program are trained in the design and conduct of clinical and translational research in a 12-month program at the WSU School of Medicine. The partnership also includes support for training post-doctoral fellows for two years and the exchange of speakers for seminars at both institutions.

Throughout September, WSU and Huazhong University of Science and Technology virtually hosted a four-part lecture series for faculty of both schools featuring Dr. Mor speaking on reproductive immunology, implantation, infection in pregnancy and fetal-maternal immune interaction.

The collaboration has published eight papers, with more in various stages of pre-publication, and has secured one grant.

The universities held their first International Symposium for Reproductive Immunology and Genetics in Wuhan on May 18, 2017.

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C.S. Mott Center teams with Chinese university to create new International Women Health Research Program - The South End

Immunology

Innovent Announces the Appointment of Dr. Yong Jun Liu as the President of the Group – BioSpace

SAN FRANCISCO and SUZHOU, China, Oct. 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Innovent Biologics, Inc. ("Innovent") (HKEX: 01801), a world-class biopharmaceutical company that develops, manufactures and commercializes high-quality medicines for the treatment of oncology, metabolic, autoimmune and other major diseases, today announces the appointment of Dr. Yong Jun Liu, a renowned world class scientist and successful leader in biopharmaceutical industry, as the president of the group. Reporting to Dr. Michael Yu, founder, chairman and CEO of the group, Dr. Liu will be mainly responsible for group's global R&D, portfolio strategy, business development as well as international operation.

As a world renowned scientist in immunology, oncology and translational medicine, Dr. Liu has over 30 years' experiences in both academic institutions and top global pharmaceutical companies. Dr. Liu received his MD's degree in internal medicine from Bethune Medical University in 1984 and Ph.D. degree in Immunology from University of Birmingham, UK in 1989. After two years postgraduate training in the same laboratory at University of Birmingham, he joined multinational pharmaceutical company Schering-Plough in 1991 as a Senior Scientist at Schering-Plough Lyon France. In 1997, he moved to the DNAX Research Institute, a biotech company owned by Schering-Plough in Palo Alto, California, as a Principal Staff Member. In 2002, Dr. Liu was recruited by the University of Texas (UT), MD Anderson Cancer Center, as the Vivian Smith Distinguished Chair Professor, Chairman of the Department of Immunology and the founding Director of the Center for Cancer Immunology Research (CCIR). In 2011, Dr. Liu was recruited by the Baylor Research Institute as the Chief Scientific Officer and the Director of the Baylor Immunology Research Institute. After more than 10 years at the academia, Dr. Liu was recruited by Medimmune, a biopharmaceutical subsidiary of AstraZeneca, as Chief Scientific Officer and global Head of Research in 2014. Before joining Innovent, Dr Liu served as the global Head of Research at Sanofi from 2016 to 2020.

Dr. Liu has remarkable academic achievements and rich experience in research institutions. As one of the top cited scientists in Immunology with over 94,000 citations, Dr. Liu published over 260 scientific papers in Nature, Science and other top academic journals. These studies provide a number of key targets for drug development in the area of inflammation, autoimmune diseases, allergy and oncology, such as thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), OX40 (CD134), plasma cell like dendritic cells (pDCs).

As key executive R&D leader in multiple global pharmaceutical companies for nearly a decade, Dr. Liu has made remarkable achievements in strengthening drug research capability and enriching early stage innovative pipelines in major therapeutic areas, especially in the fields of immunology and oncology. His leadership skill and strategic thinking guided R&D functions to effectively develop first-in-class and best-in-class drugs during his tenure in various global pharmaceutical companies.

"Warmly welcome Dr. Liu and we are more than excited to have him join Innovent," said Dr. Michael Yu, founder, chairman and CEO of Innovent. "Dr. Liu is not only a renowned scientist with strong academic background but also a powerful manager with extraordinary leadership and rich experience in drug research and development. His successful experience in strengthening the drug research capability and enriching innovative pipeline is an ideal fit to Innovent's strategic goal of developing a first-in-class pipeline for the global market. We believe that Dr. Liu's leadership will bring added benefits to further strengthen our R&D capability and solidify our efforts in building a global R&D platform and developing a more innovative pipeline."

"Innovent is a rapid growing and innovative biopharmaceutical company," said Dr. Liu. "I'm very pleased to join such a company with strong emphases on science and innovation, high execution capability and so many talented and passionate people. I look forward to working with our global team to develop innovative life changing medicine that benefit patients of the world."

About Innovent

Inspired by the spirit of "Start with Integrity, Succeed through Action," Innovent's mission is to develop and commercialize high quality biopharmaceutical products that are affordable to ordinary people. Established in 2011, Innovent is committed to developing, manufacturing and commercializing high quality innovative medicines for the treatment of cancer, metabolic, autoimmune and other major diseases. On October 31, 2018, Innovent was listed on the Main Board of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited with the stock code: 01801.HK.

Since its inception, Innovent has developed a fully-integrated multi-functional platform which includes R&D, CMC (Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls), clinical development and commercialization capabilities. Leveraging the platform, the company has built a robust pipeline of 23 valuable assets in the fields of cancer, metabolic, autoimmune diseases and other major therapeutic areas, with four products, TYVYT (sintilimab injection), BYVASDA (bevacizumab injection), SULINNO (adalimumab injection), HALPRYZA (rituximab injection) officially approved for marketing in China, four assets in Phase III or pivotal clinical trials, and additional 15 molecules in clinical trials. TYVYT has been the only PD-1 inhibitor included in the NRDL since 2019.

Innovent has built an international team with expertise in cutting-edge biological drug development and commercialization. The company has also entered into strategic collaborations with Eli Lilly, Roche, Adimab, Incyte, MD Anderson Cancer Center, Hanmi and other international partners. For more information, please visit: http://www.innoventbio.com.

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SOURCE Innovent Biologics, Inc.

Company Codes: HongKong:1801, OTC-PINK:IVBIY

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Innovent Announces the Appointment of Dr. Yong Jun Liu as the President of the Group - BioSpace

Immunology

Boehringer Ingelheim and Oxford BioTherapeutics Expand Collaboration to Discover Novel Selective Tumor Targets as First Bispecific Antibody Advanced…

DetailsCategory: More NewsPublished on Wednesday, 14 October 2020 18:36Hits: 562

INGELHEIM, Germany and OXXFORD, UK I October 14, 2020 I Boehringer Ingelheim and Oxford BioTherapeutics Ltd. (OBT) today announced they are building on their successful partnership and are establishing a new alliance to discover additional selective targets for strategic cancer indications to deliver first-in-class treatments for cancer patients. Boehringer Ingelheim will use OBTs OGAP platform to identify novel target opportunities for new immunotherapies utilizing their T-cell engager, cancer vaccine and oncolytic virus platforms. This follows the initiation of the first patient dosing in a Phase 1 clinical trial of a bispecific antibody for the treatment of patients with small cell lung carcinoma and other neoplasms, where the target for the bispecific antibody was discovered during the first phase of the partnership.

This collaboration with Oxford BioTherapeutics is important for advancing therapeutic modalities that depend upon the identification of unique and specific tumor antigens within our cancer immunology portfolio, said Jonathon Sedgwick, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Global Head Cancer Immunology & Immune Modulation Research at Boehringer Ingelheim. We are committed to developing innovative, efficacious and safe treatment options for patients suffering from cancer, and these novel cancer target discoveries are a key step in the development of new potential treatments.

We view the hopeful discovery of additional tumor targets as further confirmation of the value of our OGAP platform to identify novel targets that can be substrates for innovative new therapies, said Christian Rohlff, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of OBT. OBTs platforms are designed to discover and validate novel therapeutic targets and we look forward to continuing our partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim to best address difficult-to-treat cancers.

In addition to the programs in the partnership with Boehringer Ingelheim, OBTs clinical assets have also been enabled through the OGAP discovery platform. Selecting the right target is fundamental for the successful development of a truly first-in-class oncology product. OBTs platforms are designed to discover novel therapeutic targets and engineer antibodies to those targets, including CAR-T, other T-cell and NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) therapeutics to best address difficult-to-treat cancers. A major differentiator between OBTs discovery platform and other approaches is the retention of the link between individual patient samples through to the design of therapeutic antibodies and diagnostic patient selection tools, increasing the overall successful transition into clinical development.

Financial terms of the expanded agreement are not being disclosed. Under the terms of the agreement, Boehringer Ingelheim is responsible for the development and commercialization of antibody product candidates that interact with the novel targets identified by OGAP. OBT will receive development and regulatory milestone payments and royalties on any future product sales. To date, Boehringer Ingelheim has exercised two options under the first agreement and has selected two therapeutic candidates for further development.

Boehringer Ingelheim Oncology is taking cancer on by leading the science with cancer cell directed agents, immuno-oncology therapies and their combinations to address unmet needs in lung and gastrointestinal cancers. The company invests significantly in early stage research to identify unexplored and undrugged pathways of cancer. Learn more about Boehringer Ingelheims innovation in oncology here.

About Boehringer IngelheimMaking new and better medicines for humans and animals is at the heart of what we do. Our mission is to create breakthrough therapies that change lives. Since its founding in 1885, Boehringer Ingelheim is independent and family-owned. We have the freedom to pursue our long-term vision, looking ahead to identify the health challenges of the future and targeting those areas of need where we can do the most good.

As a world-leading, research-driven pharmaceutical company, more than 51,000 employees create value through innovation daily for our three business areas: Human Pharma, Animal Health, and Biopharmaceutical Contract Manufacturing. In 2019, Boehringer Ingelheim achieved net sales of19 billion euros. Our significant investment of almost 3.5 billion euros in R&D drives innovation, enabling the next generation of medicines that save lives and improve quality of life.

We realize more scientific opportunities by embracing the power of partnership and diversity of experts across the life-science community. By working together, we accelerate the delivery of the next medical breakthrough that will transform the lives of patients now, and in generations to come.

More information about Boehringer Ingelheim can be found at http://www.boehringer-ingelheim.com or in our annual report: http://annualreport.boehringer-ingelheim.com.

Boehringer Ingelheim in OncologyCancer takes. Takes away time. Takes away loved ones. At Boehringer Ingelheim Oncology, we are giving patients new hope, by taking cancer on. We are dedicated to collaborating with the oncology community on a shared journey to deliver leading science. Our primary focus is in lung and gastrointestinal cancers, with the goal of delivering breakthrough, first-in-class treatments that can help win the fight against cancer. Our commitment to innovation has resulted in pioneering treatments for lung cancer and we are advancing a unique pipeline of cancer cell directed agents, immuno-oncology therapies and intelligent combination approaches to help combat many cancers.

About Oxford BioTherapeuticsOxford BioTherapeutics is a clinical stage oncology company; based in Oxford, UK and San Jose, USA; with a pipeline of first-in-class immuno-oncology (IO) and antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) based therapies designed to fulfil major unmet patient needs in the field of cancer. OBT's IO discovery process provides unique insights into the cancer - immune cell synapse and has identified several novel IO candidates and bispecific antibodies for cancer therapy.

OBTs clinical lead program is OBT076 (MEN1309), currently in a U.S. Phase I Clinical Trial in Patients with Advanced Solid Tumors. OBT076 is in development for a number of tumors including HER2 negative breast cancer, triple-negative metastatic breast cancer, gastric, bladder, ovarian and lung cancer, where CD205 is overexpressed. Infiltration of primary localized breast tumors by immunosuppressive cells correlates with an adverse outcome (PFS and OS), suggesting they contribute to the progression of breast cancer and several other solid and liquid cancers.

OBTs pipeline and development capabilities have been validated through multiple strategic partnerships including with world leaders in antibody development (such as Amgen, Alere, BioWa, Medarex (BMS), Immunogen, Nerviano and WuXi) and Menarini. Additionally, one clinical and a second pre-clinical program are partnered with Boehringer Ingelheim. OBT has a strong oncology focused management team and board with significant experience in developing IO and antibody-based therapies.

For more information on Oxford BioTherapeutics, please visit http://www.oxfordbiotherapeutics.com (link is external).

SOURCE: Boehringer Ingelheim

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Boehringer Ingelheim and Oxford BioTherapeutics Expand Collaboration to Discover Novel Selective Tumor Targets as First Bispecific Antibody Advanced...

Immunology

Boehringer expands oncology partnership with Oxford BioTherapeutics – pharmaceutical-technology.com

Boehringer Ingelheim has announced the expansion of its partnership with UK-basedOxford BioTherapeutics (OBT) to discover novel selective targets for strategic cancer indications to deliver treatments for cancer patients.

Financial terms of the expanded deal remain undivulged.

Under the deal, Boehringer will develop and commercialise antibody product candidates that interact with the novel targets identified by OBTs OGAP platform.

OBT is eligible for development and regulatory milestone payments and royalties on any product sales in the future.

Boehringer will utilise the OGAP platform to discover targets for novel immunotherapies using its T-cell engager, cancer vaccine and oncolytic virus platforms.

The latest development follows the initiation of dosing in a Phase I trial of a bispecific antibody for treating small cell lung carcinoma patients and those with other neoplasms.

The target for the bispecific antibody was discovered during the first phase of the companies collaboration.

So far, Boehringer exercised two options under the first deal, picking two therapeutic candidates for further development.

Boehringer Ingelheim Cancer Immunology & Immune Modulation Research senior vice-president and global head Jonathon Sedgwick said: This collaboration with Oxford BioTherapeutics is important for advancing therapeutic modalities that depend upon the identification of unique and specific tumour antigens within our cancer immunology portfolio.

OBTs programmes enable discovery of new treatment targets and build antibodies specific to those targets including CAR-T, other T-cell and NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC) treatments to address difficult-to-treat cancers.

Oxford BioTherapeutics CEO Christian Rohlff said: We view the hopeful discovery of additional tumour targets as further confirmation of the value of our OGAP platform to identify novel targets that can be substrates for innovative new therapies.

Last month, Boehringer partnered with Click Therapeuticsto develop and commercialise a new prescription digital therapeutic, CT-155, to treat schizophrenia.

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Boehringer expands oncology partnership with Oxford BioTherapeutics - pharmaceutical-technology.com

Immunology

Immune Systems Response to COVID-19 Was Just Revealed by Scientists Who Discovered SARS – SciTechDaily

In this study, which was recently published in the journal Frontiers in Immunology, researchers used sequencing to characterize the immune system of patients who survive from COVID-19 infection from symptom onset through recovery. Importantly, they also identified a potent biomarker for predicting disease progression. Follow-up studies could lead to the development of a treatment for COVID-19 that is inspired by our own immune system.

The study was led by Ling Chen and Nanshan Zhong of the National Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease in China and Jian Han, Faculty Investigator at the Hudson Alpha Institute in Alabama and founder of iRepertoire. Zhong is one of the doctors who first diagnosed SARS and was instrumental in treating and controlling the disease. Han was previously recognized for his work during the SARS outbreak, earning a Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Award.

Now, Han, Zhong, and collaborators have taken insights from their experience with SARS and used them to take an unprecedented approach to studying COVID-19. For emerging viruses with no vaccine, our only defense is our immune system. This study provides an unprecedented level of insight into the immune cells of 23 COVID-19 patients over three different stages of the disease.

In order for our immune system to fight off a new infectious disease, it first has to learn to recognize it. That recognition is coordinated by a family of proteins called receptors that live on the surface of T cells and B cells.

There are seven types of T cell and B cell receptor proteins, called chains, two of which combine to form the receptors on the surface of each B or T cell. Each individual chain is made up of multiple different segments, enabling millions of different unique B and T cells in every person.

When a new infection is introduced, the immune cells that recognize the invading virus multiply rapidly, causing a shift in the diversity of B and or T cells. By studying an infected persons immune system fingerprint, known as the immune repertoire, we can gain insights into what kind of immune cells will be effective at fighting off the virus.

This study captured, for the first time, the expansion and contraction of all seven chains in the immune repertoire. They discovered that early in COVID-19 infection, T cell discovery is significantly depleted. T cells recovered as patients improved, suggesting that the T cell repertoire might be an important marker for predicting disease progression.

For B cells, the chain composition of receptors can indicate whether the B cell has become activated by an infection. Activated B cells switch their chain type (from D/M to A/M, or G/M) and begin producing antibodies. Determining which specific chains are activated might help identify what antibodies will be effective in treating the infection. Chen and colleagues discovered that patients infected with COVID-19 exhibit a prominent expansion of their M- and G-type chains, followed by a later transition to A-type chains.

The next step is to isolate individual B cells that are exhibiting chain switching in order to identify the antibodies produced by patients who recover from infection, said Han. We are continuing this work at iRepertoire by performing network analysis on the B-cell data from these patients and identifying responding clones. We are also participating in a local study to use our single cell sequencing technology on samples from infected patients by directly identifying Sars-Cov-2-specific B-cells. Both methods can reveal the identity of neutralizing antibodies of therapeutic value.

What really makes this study interesting, is that we profiled all seven chains of the immune repertoire at the same time, said Miranda Byrne-Steele, Director of Research and Development at iRepertoire and an author on the paper. Most studies look at one or two chains at a time. By profiling all seven chains, we identified patterns that you wouldnt have noticed in a single chain study.

Those patterns have potential clinical significance. For T-cells, the signature observed in patients that recover versus those that progress, could aid in the development of prognostic tests. Such tests might help identify which patients are likely to need or benefit from particular treatments. For B-cells, those that proliferate might point to antibodies that can themselves serve as potential treatments for people who are already infected, but not recovering.

Reference: Longitudinal Analysis of T and B Cell Receptor Repertoire Transcripts Reveal Dynamic Immune Response in COVID-19 Patients by Xuefeng Niu, Song Li, Pingchao Li, Wenjing Pan, Qian Wang, Ying Feng, Xiaoneng Mo, Qihong Yan, Xianmiao Ye, Jia Luo, Linbing Qu, Daniel Weber, Miranda L. Byrne-Steele, Zhe Wang, Fengjia Yu, Fang Li, Richard M. Myers, Michael T. Lotze, Nanshan Zhong, Jian Han and Ling Chen, 30 September 2020, Frontiers in Immunology.DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2020.582010

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Immune Systems Response to COVID-19 Was Just Revealed by Scientists Who Discovered SARS - SciTechDaily

Immunology

Daniela Weiskopf awarded $1.4 million to study COVID-19 in Latino Americans – Latino Americans have been hit very hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. In…

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Dr. Daniela Weiskopf (Credit: Gina Kirchweger, La Jolla Institute for Immunology)

Latino Americans have been hit very hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have reported that Hispanic and Latino Americans have been hospitalized with COVID-19 at more than four times the rate of white Americans. This huge disparity can be linked to lower access to health insurance and health care, as well as a higher likelihood of exposure through essential jobs.

At the same time, researchers also want to know if Latino Americans may have immune system differences that sway how they respond to the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Now La Jolla Institute for Immunology research assistant professor Daniela Weiskopf, Ph.D., has been granted $1.4 million from the National Institutes of Healths National Cancer Institute (NCI) to examine the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 in study volunteers from Puerto Rico, where at least 75 percent of the population identifies as Hispanic or Latino. The five-year project is part of NCIs Serological Sciences Network (SeroNet), the largest coordinated effort to study immunology and COVID-19 in the United States.

We know the Latino population is over-represented in terms of COVID-19 cases, says Weiskopf. We need to get the whole picture.

The nations top researchers in academia, government and private industry have come together in an unprecedented effort to fight the pandemic, says Dinah Singer, Ph.D., deputy director of NCI. Through SeroNet, we are examining the immune response to the coronavirus to speed delivery of testing, treatments and vaccine development for COVID-19. What we learn could be applied immediately and will prove invaluable to public health beyond the current pandemic.

Weiskopfs research focuses on how gene expression patterns affect how a person responds to a viral infection. An expert in mosquito-borne viruses, she pivoted to studying SARS-CoV-2 very early in the pandemic. Her study in the May issue of Cell, with LJI Professors Shane Crotty, Ph.D., and Alessandro Sette, Dr. Bio. Sci., offered the first detailed analysis of the human immune response to SARS-CoV-2. The research team has since published key T cell studies in Science, Science Immunology and Cell that could help guide COVID-19 vaccine development.

For the new project, Weiskopf will work closely with project co-leaders Carlos Sariol, M.D., of the University of Puerto Rico and Marcos Lpez-Casillas, Ph.D., of the University of Puerto Rico and the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust. Weiskopf and her colleagues at LJI will analyze blood samples from patients in Puerto Rico to study how their T cells respond to the virus. Researchers at the Saint Louis University will then study the antibody response in these patients.

We will basically have the entire adaptive immune response covered, says Weiskopf. This work will also give us a baseline for how many people in the population have been exposed or have been infected and how they respond.

Weiskopf has worked with Sariols team at the University of Puerto Rico on previous studies of immune responses to dengue virus, Zika virus and other related viruses. This work is made possible through an island-wide clinical network that collects blood samples for scientific research.

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Daniela Weiskopf awarded $1.4 million to study COVID-19 in Latino Americans - Latino Americans have been hit very hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. In...

Immunology

COVID-19 Preventative Measures Associated With Reduced Asthma Hospitalizations – Benzinga

MILWAUKEE, Oct. 13, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ --According to new research published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice (JACI: In Practice), preventative measures used to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Japan have also lowered the rate of hospitalizations for asthma.

Researchers used the Diagnosis Procedure Combination inpatient database to conduct their research. The data on all hospitalizations per week across 272 hospitals nationwide from December 30, 2019, to May 31, 2020, was gathered and compared to the same periods in 2017, 2018, and 2019.

A total of 16,317 hospitalizations for asthma were observed in the study. Asthma hospitalizations in 2017-2019 and 2020 showed parallel trends until week eight. Researchers observed a decline in asthma hospitalizations from week nine onwards in 2020. Hospitalizations for COVID-19 were first observed during week seven of 2020. Further analysis found the average number of asthma hospitalizations significantly decreased during weeks nine to 22 in 2020 compared to 2017-2019 for both children and adults.

"Asthma hospitalizations usually indicate that an individual's asthma is not currently under control," said Atsushi Miyawaki, MD, PhD, corresponding author for the study. "This would suggest that asthma control improved during the pandemic. It illustrates the importance of environmental factors when it comes to treating and managing patients with asthma."

One possible explanation for the results is that increased hygiene by individuals to reduce their chances of contracting COVID-19 would also reduce their exposure to asthma triggers. Enhanced preventative measures by individuals concerned that COVID-19 may trigger asthma, such as frequent cleaning and reduced smoking, may also have helped to remove allergen triggers. Individuals may have also been more likely to use preventative asthma medications. Another explanation might be that community prevention measures may have helped suppress other respiratory infections, which can cause asthma exacerbations.

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

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

SOURCE The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology

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Immunology

Targeting the tumour stroma: Phenomic AI launches with $6m financing – pharmaceutical-technology.com

Toronto-headquartered Phenomic AI has launched with $6m in seed funding. The round was led by CTI Life Sciences Fund, while AV8 Ventures, Luminous Ventures, and Viva BioInnovator also joined the round.

Phenomic plans to use this funding to push our lead programs through in vivo proof-of-concept studies, explains CEO Sam Cooper. The companys two lead programmes were discovered using its artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) platform and they are antibody drugs that target the tumour stroma, which has prevented immunotherapies, such as checkpoint inhibitors, working effectively in solid cancers.

Cooper adds the funds will allow us to continue building out our platform, identify additional drug targets to enrich our pipeline, and expand internal efforts and collaborations with top academic institutions around the world.

Founded in 2017, Phenomic initially focused on software, but the team quickly realised our AI/ML platform could be used to screen targets in complex assays that contain different cell types, and which previously presented a significant analysis challenge, notes Cooper.

CTI Life Sciences Fund managing partner Shermaine Tilley explained in a statement: Cells do not exist in isolation in the human body, and the interactions between different cell types in disease states carries significant information that Phenomic has unlocked for drug discovery.

As a result, Phenomic could overcome the challenges involved in understanding how different cells interact in disease states and particularly tumour stroma of solid cancers, a major unsolved puzzle in cancer, in the words of Cooper.

The tumour stroma is a very complex barrier to the tumour, which is comprised of many cell types, such as the extracellular matrix and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and it is a major barrier that prevents checkpoint therapies from working effectively, explains Cooper. Checkpoint inhibitors have been a recent revolution in the treatment of cancers, but solid tumours have been excluded from its benefit because of the tumour stroma.

By targeting the tumour stroma effectively with therapeutic antibodies, we aim to activate the immune system in stroma-rich cancers, either directly or in combination with immune checkpoint therapies, says Cooper.

Phenomics drugs target CAFs in numerous solid cancers, including colorectal cancer, because analysis suggests these targets are playing a critical role in promoting tumour growth and blocking anti-tumour immune activity.

To coincide with the seed round, Phenomic has appointed chief scientific officer Dr Mike Briskin and two Nobel laureates Jim Allison and Pam Sharma to its scientific advisory board.

AV8 general partner Ruchita Sinha commented: In two years, the Phenomic team has made impressive progress in building their platform and using it to find new drug targets in the tumour stroma. The appointments of Mike, Jim, and Pam, leaders in immuno-oncology, further highlight the exceptional advancements of Phenomic.

Cooper adds: Mikes experience as a serial biotech entrepreneur and his expertise in immuno-oncology is an important addition to the team, and one that will help further our goals of getting exceptional medicines into the clinic and ultimately approved for the benefit of patients.

Jim and Pam are undoubtedly two of the best immunologists alive today, having brought to light field-defining discoveries in cancer immunology. Their guidance and knowledge have put us in a world-leading position with insights and knowledge needed to effectively solve the stromal puzzle.

Were unbelievably happy to have them team up with Phenomic and bring their expertise, and the work that theyve put into this problem to date, to the company.

cGMP Contract Manufacturing of Plasmid DNA and Recombinant Proteins

Biopharma Cold Chain Engineering with State-of-the-Art Transport Simulation Laboratory

Process Systems and Packaging Machines for the Pharmaceutical Industry

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Targeting the tumour stroma: Phenomic AI launches with $6m financing - pharmaceutical-technology.com

Genetics

Genetic Variant for EFIH in Thoroughbreds Found The Horse – TheHorse.com

Researchers at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine have identified a genetic cause for the fatal condition equine familial isolated hypoparathyroidism (EFIH) in Thoroughbreds, marking the first genetic variant for hypoparathyroidism identified in any domestic animal species. Additionally, this is the first widely available genetic test for Thoroughbreds.

The study, led by Carrie Finno, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, and Gary Magdesian, DVM, CVA, Dipl. ACVIM, ACVECC, ACVCP, wasreportedin the journalPLoS Genetics.Genetic testingcan now be performed at theUC Davis Veterinary Genetics Laboratoryto identify horses with the variant and avoid mating carriers that could produce affected foals.

For Thoroughbred owners and breeders, the loss of a foal has tremendous economic and emotional impacts, said first author Victor Rivas, who conducted the project as part of his undergraduate training in Finnos laboratory. It is important to promote safe and strategic breeding habits by actively breeding horses genetically screened not only for EFIH but for other diseases that may impact quality of life.

Foals affected with EFIH suffer from low blood calcium concentrations, resulting in involuntary muscle contractions, muscle stiffness that leads to a stiff gait and can progress to an inability to stand, seizures, fevers, and an abnormally fast pulse. Parathyroid hormone is typically produced to increase calcium levels in the body, but in these foals concentrations are low or inappropriately normal (i.e., they should be high due to the low calcium). Affected foals die or are euthanized due to poor prognosis. Necropsy results reveal underdeveloped or absent parathyroid glands.

Previously termed idiopathic hypocalcemia, EFIH has been observed in Thoroughbred foals up to 35 days of age. Disease onset and progression are likely determined by the amount of calcium in the diet early in life. This can vary based on dam milk calcium concentration and the amount of milk ingested.

In the current study, the researchers determined an autosomal recessive mode of inheritance and performed whole genome sequencing of two affected foals. A mutation in therap guanine nucleotide exchange factor 5(RAPGEF5) gene was present in two copies (homozygous) in both foals. They further analyzed the variant in a frog developmental model and demonstrated loss of function of the RAPGEF5 protein leading to aberrant development. Based on these data, the researchers hypothesize thatRAPGEF5might play a role in the derivation of the parathyroid gland during development.

Researchers have not identified the variant in individuals from 12 other breeds. The allele frequency for theRAPGEF5variant in an expanded set of 82 randomly selected, unaffected Thoroughbreds was 0.018. An unbiased allele frequency study has not been performed, so the allele frequency in the larger Thoroughbred population is currently unknown.

The next steps are to assess the allele frequency in a large population of randomly selected Thoroughbreds, said Finno. Additionally, we have discussed collaborating with Dr. Nathan Slovis at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Kentucky to test for the variant in cases of sudden death in Thoroughbred foals.

The clinical presentation of EFIH is similar to human familial hypoparathyroidism. Because theRAPGEF5gene is highly conserved across species, it is a potential new candidate gene for primary hypoparathyroidism in humans, the researchers said.

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Genetic Variant for EFIH in Thoroughbreds Found The Horse - TheHorse.com