Tag Archives: innovation

Cell Biology

HKU Biomedical Engineering develops novel 3D imaging technology to make fluorescence microscopy more efficient and push the boundaries of living cells…

Scientists have been using fluorescence microscopy to study the inner workings of biological cells and organisms for decades. However, many of these platforms are often too slow to follow the biological action in 3D; and too damaging to the living biological specimens with strong light illumination.

To address these challenges, a research team led by Dr Kevin Tsia, Associate Professor of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Programme Director of Bachelor of Engineering in Biomedical Engineering of the University of Hong Kong (HKU), developed a new optical imaging technology Coded Light-sheet Array Microscopy (CLAM) which can perform 3D imaging at high speed, and is power efficient and gentle to preserve the living specimens during scanning at a level that is not achieved by existing technologies.

This advanced imaging technology was recently published in Light: Science & Applications. An US patent application has been filed for the innovation.

CLAM allows 3D fluorescence imaging at high frame rate comparable to state-of-the-art technology (~10s volumes per second). More importantly, it is much more power efficient, being over 1,000 times gentler than the standard 3D microscopes widely used in scientific laboratories, which greatly reduces the damage done to living specimens during scanning, explained Dr Tsia.

Existing 3D biological microscopy platforms are slow because the entire volume of the specimen has to be sequentially scanned and imaged point-by-point, line-by-line or plane-by-plane. In these platforms, a single 3D snapshot requires repeated illumination on the specimen. The specimens are often illuminated for thousands to million times more intense than the sunlight. It is likely to damage the specimen itself, thus is not favorable for long-term biological imaging for diverse applications like anatomical science, developmental biology and neuroscience.

Moreover, these platforms often quickly exhaust the limited fluorescence budget a fundamental constraint that fluorescent light can only be generated upon illumination for a limited period before it permanently fades out in a process called photo-bleaching, which sets a limit to how many image acquisitions can be performed on a sample.

Repeated illumination on the specimen not only accelerates photo-bleaching, but also generates excessive fluorescence light that does not eventually form the final image. Hence, the fluorescence budget is largely wasted in these imaging platforms, Dr Tsia added.

The heart of CLAM is transforming a single laser beam into a high-density array of light-sheets with the use of a pair of parallel mirrors, to spread over a large area of the specimen as fluorescence excitation.

The image within the entire 3D volume is captured simultaneously (i.e. parallelized), without the need to scan the specimen point-by-point or line-by-line or plane-by-plane as required by other techniques. Such 3D parallelization in CLAM leads to a very gentle and efficient 3D fluorescence imaging without sacrificing sensitivity and speed, as pointed out by Dr Yuxuan Ren, a postdoctoral researcher of the work. CLAM also outperforms the common 3D fluorescence imaging methods in reducing the effect of photo-bleaching.

To preserve the image resolution and quality in CLAM, the team turned to Code Division Multiplexing (CDM), an image encoding technique which is widely used in telecommunication for sending multiple signals simultaneously.

This encoding technique allows us to use a 2D image sensor to capture and digitally reconstruct all image stacks in 3D simultaneously. CDM has never been used in 3D imaging before. We adopted the technology, which became a success, explained by Dr Queenie Lai, another postdoctoral researcher who developed the system.

As a proof-of-concept demonstration, the team applied CLAM to capture 3D videos of fast microparticle flow in a microfluidic chip at a volume rate of over 10 volumes per second comparable to state-of-the-art technology.

CLAM has no fundamental limitation in imaging speed. The only constraint is from the speed of the detector employed in the system, i.e. the camera for taking snapshots. As high-speed camera technology continually advances, CLAM can always challenge its limit to attain an even higher speed in scanning, highlighted by Dr Jianglai Wu, the postdoctoral research who initiated the work.

The team has taken a step further to combine CLAM with HKU LKS Faculty of Medicines newly developed tissue clearing technology to perform 3D visualization of mouse glomeruli and intestine blood vasculature in high frame-rate.

We anticipate that this combined technique can be extended to large-scale 3D histopathological investigation of archival biological samples, like mapping the cellular organization in brain for neuroscience research. Dr Tsia said.

Since CLAM imaging is significantly gentler than all other methods, it uniquely favours long term and continuous surveillance of biological specimen in their living form. This could potentially impact our fundamental understanding in many aspects of cell biology, e.g. to continuously track how an animal embryo develops into its adult form; to monitor in real-time how the cells/organisms get infected by bacteria or viruses; to see how the cancer cells are killed by drugs, and other challenging tasks unachievable by existing technologies today, Dr Tsia added.

CLAM can be adapted to many current microscope systems with minimal hardware or software modification. Taking advantage of this, the team is planning to further upgrade the current CLAM system for research in cell biology, animal and plant developmental biology.

This project is an interdisciplinary collaboration between HKU Faculty of Engineering and LKS Faculty of Medicine. It was funded by HKSAR Research Grants Council, Innovation and Technology Support Program, the University Development Funds of the University of Hong Kong and the Natural Science Foundation of China.

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HKU Biomedical Engineering develops novel 3D imaging technology to make fluorescence microscopy more efficient and push the boundaries of living cells...

Biochemistry

Five named SUNY Distinguished Professors – UB Now: News and views for UB faculty and staff – University at Buffalo Reporter

Campus News

UBNOW STAFF

Five UB faculty members have been named SUNY Distinguished Professors,the highest faculty rank in the SUNY system.

M. Laura Feltri, Jo Freudenheim, Amit Goyal, Elad Levy and Stephen Tiffany were appointed to the distinguished professor ranks by the SUNY Board of Trustees at its meeting on March 17.

The rank of distinguished professor is an order above full professorship and has three co-equal designations: distinguished professor, distinguished service professor and distinguished teaching professor.

The five were all named distinguished professors in recognition of their international prominence and distinguished reputations within their chosen fields. According to SUNY, this distinction is attained through significant contributions to the research literature or through artistic performance or achievement in the case of the arts. The candidates work must be of such character that the individuals presence will tend to elevate the standards of scholarship of colleagues both within and beyond these persons academic fields.

UB is tremendously proud that five of our most distinguished faculty members have been appointed to SUNYs highest rank, said A. Scott Weber, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs. This distinction recognizes that UB faculty are among the best in the world and have a transformative impact through their sustained research and scholarship contributions.

UBs newest SUNY Distinguished Professors:

M. Laura Feltri, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Biochemistry

Feltri, professor of biochemistry and neurology in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and acting director of the Hunter James Kelly Research Institute, is an internationally renowned expert and pioneer in the study of myelin diseases in the nervous system. She conducts research on Schwann cells and disorders that affect the peripheral or central nervous systems, like Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, multiple sclerosis or Krabbe leukodystrophy.

With the undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students she has mentored, Feltri has made numerous seminal discoveries in her field, including developing the first mutagenesis tool for studying Schwann cell development and the signals that regulate myelination. In collaboration with Lawrence Wrabetz, she pioneered the use of transgenic animal to model neurological diseases and develop new therapies.

An internationally recognized leader in the biology of nervous system myelination, her fundamental research is contributing to the development of novel therapies for neurological disorders.

Feltri serves as chair of the Cellular and Molecular Biology of Glia National Institutes of Health study session, as a board member of scientific organizations and on the editorial board of various journals.

Jo Freudenheim, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Epidemiology and Environmental Health

Freudenheim, UB Distinguished Professor and chair of the Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health in the School of Public Health and Health Professions, is an internationally renowned expert in cancer epidemiology. She has conducted seminal research to understand factors that influence risk for cancer, particularly breast cancer, including the role of diet, alcohol and the physical environment. She uses a variety of methodologically rigorous approaches (e.g., molecular epidemiology) to examine carcinogenesis, from the molecular level to the individual and population levels.

Her research has been funded for more than 25 years by the NIH and other federal funding agencies. She has authored more than 275 peer-reviewed publications in national and international high-impact journals, where they have helped shape the field of chronic disease epidemiology.

A frequent reviewer for such entities as the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society and the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, she also has contributed to the field by serving as a mentor to graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, and in her role as director of a cancer epidemiology training program.

Amit Goyal, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Materials Science

An internationally recognized materials scientist, Goyal is a SUNY Empire Innovation Professor and founding director of UBs RENEW Institute. In 2018, he was elected to the National Academy of Engineering for groundbreaking scientific advances and technological innovations enabling the worldwide commercialization of high-temperature superconductors. He is also a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors, with 87 issued patents and additional patents pending.

Goyal joined UB in 2015 to direct RENEW, an institute that harnesses the expertise of more than 100 faculty in seven UB schools and colleges to explore solutions to globally pressing energy and environmental problems, as well as the social and economic issues connecting them. His leadership has placed UB at the forefront of efforts to reduce water and air pollution, and find innovative, clean ways to produce, transmit and store energy.

In 2019, he was awarded the UB Presidents Medal that recognizes outstanding scholarly or artistic achievements, humanitarian acts, contributions of time or treasure, exemplary leadership or any other major contribution to the development of the University at Buffalo and the quality of life in the UB community.

The author or co-author of more than 350 technical publications and co-editor of six books, Goyal was ranked by Thompson-Reuters Essential Science Indicators as the most cited author worldwide in the field of high-temperature superconductivity from 1999-2009. He is a fellow of eight professional societies: the American Association for Advancement of Science, the Materials Research Society, the American Physical Society, the World Innovation Foundation, the American Society of Metals, the Institute of Physics, the American Ceramic Society and the World Technology Network. He serves on several scientific advisory boards and on several National Academy review panels.

Elad I. Levy, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Neurosurgery

Levy, professor and chair of the Department of Neurosurgery in the Jacobs School, is an internationally renowned expert in stroke and cerebrovascular neurosurgery, and a major contributor to the service of organized neurosurgery. Widely regarded as one of the pioneers in this field, Levy has published extensively and developed new technology and approaches that have been instrumental in helping treat people around the world with previously incurable cerebrovascular disorders.

A member and fellow of the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the American College of Surgeons and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, Levy has achieved additional national and international prominence as one of 100 members of the American Academy of Neurosurgery and one of 12 members of the American Board of Neurosurgery.

He serves as secretary of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons and director of the American Board of Neurological Surgery.

Stephen Tiffany, SUNY Distinguished Professor of Psychology

The Empire Innovation Professor in the Department of Psychology, Tiffany is world-renowned expert on the study of addictions, developing theoretical models that have shaped the way experts in the field conceptualize the relationship between craving and addictive behavior.

Actively involved in numerous clinical studies many of which focus on nicotine Tiffany conducts empirical research with people and animal models using a combination of controlled experimentation and more translational work. He provided a dominant theoretical perspective on craving and its relationship to drug use with his 1990 Psychological Review paper that outlined a cognitive model of craving now referred to as the Tiffany model.

An extraordinarily productive and prolific researcher, Tiffany has more than 100 publications in highly prestigious journals and has received multiple grants from the National Science Foundation and the NIH.

He has served as a standing member of three different NIH review panels and on the editorial boards of multiple journals.

A UB faculty member since 2007, Tiffany served as chair of the Department of Psychology from 2011-18.

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Five named SUNY Distinguished Professors - UB Now: News and views for UB faculty and staff - University at Buffalo Reporter

Immunology

REPEAT – QUESTCAP TO INVEST $1 MILLION WITH SUNNYBROOK RESEARCH INSTITUTE TO ESTABLISH THE SUNNYBROOK TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH GROUP FOR EMERGING AND…

TORONTO, April 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

QuestCap Inc. (QuestCap or the Company) (CSE: QSC; OTCMKTS: COPRF; FRA: 34C1) is pleased to announce an investment of $1 million in the Sunnybrook Research Institutes COVID-19 research. With these funds, Sunnybrook will establish the Sunnybrook Translational Research Group for Emerging and Respiratory Viruses (SERV) and QuestCap will receive a 3.5% royalty on any revenues earned by Sunnybrook from the commercialization of any of the research done by SERV.

Led by infectious diseases physician and microbiologist Dr. Samira Mubareka, SERVs work will focus on three crucial streams of research: vaccines and therapeutics, virus biology and transmission prevention. Dedicated investment in SERV means Dr. Mubareka and her team will be able to accelerate the pace of further research into COVID-19 at a crucial time.

Dr. Lawrence Steinman and Mike McCarthy Appointed as Advisors

QuestCap is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Lawrence Steinman and Mike McCarthy to the board of advisors. Dr. Lawrence Steinman is Professor of Neurology, Neurological Sciences and Pediatrics at Stanford University and Chair of the Stanford Program in Immunology from 2001 to 2011.

Mike McCarthy has more than 14 years of experience with the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and 24 years in health policy and delivery. He was appointed Senior Policy Advisor to the Progressive Conservative Minister of Health of Ontario, advising on physician, nursing and primary care, public health, laboratories, OHIP, organ transplant, HIV and blood issues. In 2003, he provided strategic support and counsel to the government of Ontario during the SARS outbreak.

Lawrence Steinman stated that, The Sunnybrook technology will be a key tool for the development of both powerful and safe vaccines against COVID-19, and for the development of point of care and even home diagnostics to test whether one is immune to the COVID-19 virus. Those who are immune can return to work and can provide safe and needed duties to the community. It would be especially important to know if you are a health care worker, grocer or delivery person whether or not you have immunity. You could then be safe and carry on as a SuperWomen or SuperMan in these times, knowing you are immune! Mike McCarthy adds I look forward to advising QuestCap in its visionary efforts to bring innovative testing and vaccine technologies to Canada and the world to combat COVID-19.

The Company has granted 500,000 stock options to Mr. Steinman pursuant to the Companys stock option plan. The stock options shall vest in four equal instalments every three months such that all stock options fully vest by the date that falls 12 months from the date of grant and may be exercised at a price of $0.305 per common share for a period of five years from the date of grant. This grant of options is subject to the approval of the Canadian Securities Exchange.

Sunnybrook Translational Research Group

Sunnybrook has been at the global forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic since the first Canadian case was identified, both clinically and on the research front. Dr. Mubareka, along with clinical microbiologist Dr. Robert Kozak and a team of close collaborators, has led Sunnybrooks research response efforts since the earliest days of the pandemic. Their work has been globally significant, leading to early implementation of a hospital-based COVID-19 test. Most crucially, on March 10, 2020, their team isolated the agent responsible for the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19. The isolated virus is helping researchers in Canada and elsewhere to develop better diagnostic testing, treatments and vaccines, and gain a better understanding of the viruss biology, evolution and clinical shedding.

This is extremely time-sensitive research, says Dr. Mubareka. As a scientist on the frontlines, I have seen the devastation this virus can cause. We all feel the effects of physical distancing as our lives are fundamentally changed. This is why support from our community is so important right now. The more we understand how this virus behaves, the better we can limit its spread as we race to find a treatment or vaccine. This investment will be put to work immediately toward our human and operational funding needs to rapidly accelerate research into COVID-19.

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Now is the time to dedicate as many resources as possible to stopping the spread of this highly contagious virus, explains Dr. Andy Smith, Sunnybrooks President and CEO. On behalf of Sunnybrook, I would like to extend my deepest thanks to QuestCap for stepping up with this inspiring investment. Your support will have a direct impact on the lives of countless people in our communities, across Canada and around the world.

With these crucial tools in hand, QuestCap saw an opportunity to give this research a major boost at a critical juncture. As countries grapple with the effects of COVID-19, there has been a collective global effort to help minimize the impacts of this deadly virus, says Stan Bharti, Co-Chairman of QuestCap. QuestCap, through its investment platform, is looking to do its part by providing a critical investment to help fund the vital research being conducted by Dr. Mubareka, Dr. Kozak and their teams.

The investment to Sunnybrook will help researchers in Canada and across the world develop better diagnostic testing, treatments and vaccines, and gain a better understanding of SARS-CoV-2 biology, evolution and clinical shedding for the development of commercial applications (Commercial Applications). As consideration for its investment, QuestCap will receive a 3.5% royalty on any revenue earned by Sunnybrook from the any Commercial Applications resulting from the research conducted by SERV.

At a time of global uncertainty as COVID-19 continues to devastate people, families and entire countries, the urgency of research has never been greater, says Dr. Kullervo Hynynen, Vice President of Research & Innovation at Sunnybrook. Yet, often times, there simply isnt enough funding for research. I am deeply grateful to QuestCap for this clear statement on supporting the power of research to save and change lives.

About the Research

SERV is a three-pronged COVID-19 research response program, consisting of the following critically important areas of focus:

1. Virus biology (genomics): Identifying the genetic sequence of a virus is an essential step for identifying key targets for treatments and vaccines. It also tells the story of origin and its relation to other viruses. This approach provides precision genomic data, which will be essential for outbreak investigation. Funds for SERV allow Sunnybrook scientists to turn around whole genome viral sequences at the site of care: Sunnybrook.

2. Vaccines and therapeutics: Our ability to identify and isolate the virus that causes COVID-19, based on samples from infected patients, allows us to collaborate on antiviral research and conduct our own vaccine and transmission work. With SERV, Sunnybrook will share our findings about the virus within the Canadian research and diagnostic community, thereby driving further innovative solutions to the COVID-19 pandemic.

3. Transmission prevention: As part of a World Health Organizations effort to evaluate risk to health-care workers of providing certain support measures, such as high-flow oxygen use, Sunnybrook is building a simulation space for live virus experiments using mannequins with funds for SERV. This is important because protecting care providers is key to preventing the spread of the virus within hospitals.

About Lawrence Steinman

Steinman is Professor of Neurology, Neurological Sciences and Pediatrics at Stanford University and Chair of the Stanford Program in Immunology from 2001 to 2011. His research focuses on antigen specific tolerance in autoimmune disease and in gene therapy for degenerative neurologic diseases. He has elucidated what provokes relapses and remissions in multiple sclerosis (MS). He is taking forward a pivotal clinical trial with antigen specific tolerization therapy for type 1 diabetes. He serves as attending neurologist at Stanfords Lucille Packard Childrens Hospital. Steinman is an elected member of the US National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine.

Steinman was senior author on the 1992 Nature article that led to the drug Tysabri, approved for MS and Crohns disease. Tysabri has been taken by over 200,000 individuals with MS.

Dr. Steinman graduated from Dartmouth College, Magna Cum Laude in Physics. His MD is from Harvard Medical School. He was a post-doctoral fellow in chemical immunology fellow at the Weizmann Institute of Science. After neurology residency he remained on the faculty in 1980. He has received numerous honors, including the John M. Dystel Prize in 2004, the Javits Neuroscience Investigator Award from the NINDS twice, the Charcot Prize in MS research, and the Cerami Prize in Translational Medicine. Steinman is a member of both the National Academy of Sciences, and the National Academy of Medicine.

Dr. Steinman co-founded several biotech companies, including Neurocrine, Atreca, 180 Therapeutics, and Tolerion. He was a Director of Centocor from 1988 until its sale to Johnson and Johnson.

About Mike McCarthy

Mike is widely recognized across Canada as a stellar health care advocate and system expert. As a volunteer Vice-President of the Canadian Hemophilia Society, Mike was the national spokesperson for Canadians infected by blood tainted with Hepatitis C. His tireless efforts resulted in a landmark $2 billion settlement with the federal government in 2006, and the Queens Golden Jubilee Award presented by the Governor General of Canada.

Presently Mike is a Principal at Grosso McCarthy and provides counsel to clients in both the not-for-profit and for-profit sectors. He helps clients navigate provincial, federal and international governments at the levels of the civil service and elected officials. Mike has also been on the front lines of health care, working for 18 years as a psychiatric nurse.

As a principal with Grosso McCarthy, Mike builds on more than 14 years of experience with the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care and 24 years in health policy and delivery. He was appointed Senior Policy Advisor to the Progressive Conservative Minister of Health of Ontario, advising on physician, nursing and primary care, public health, laboratories, OHIP, organ transplant, HIV and blood issues.

In 2003, he provided strategic support and counsel to the government of Ontario during the SARS outbreak.

About QuestCap

QuestCap is an investment company that seeks to enhance shareholder value over the long term by opportunistically making various investments that may include, without limitation, the acquisition of equity, debt or other securities of publicly traded or private companies or other entities, financing in exchange for pre-determined royalties or distributions and the acquisition of all or part of one or more businesses, portfolios or other assets.

For additional information, please contact:

G Scott Moore

Co-Chairmansmoore@forbesmanhattan.com1-416-861-5903

Media contact:

Wynn TheriaultThirty Dash Communications34 King St East #400Toronto M5C 2X8416.710.3370

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-lookingInformation

This press release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking information includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to the investment with SERV; the grant of options; and Sunnybrook and the appointment of advisory board members. Generally, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "is expected", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might" or "will be taken", "occur" or "be achieved". Forward-looking information is subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements of the Company, as the case may be, to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Although the Company has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in forward-looking information, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking information, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.

NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATION SERVICES PROVIDER HAS REVIEWED OR ACCEPTS RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THIS RELEASE.

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REPEAT - QUESTCAP TO INVEST $1 MILLION WITH SUNNYBROOK RESEARCH INSTITUTE TO ESTABLISH THE SUNNYBROOK TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH GROUP FOR EMERGING AND...

Physiology

What does it take to receive a National Science Foundation CAREER award? – Nevada Today

The National Science Foundations Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) Program sets the bar high. It is the NSFs most prestigious award in support of early-career faculty, described by the NSF as supporting those with the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization.

Feifei Fan, assistant professor in the College of Engineering; Heather Holmes, assistant professor in the College of Science; and Robert Renden, assistant professor in the School of Medicine are the latest University of Nevada, Reno faculty to receive CAREER awards, bringing the total number of University faculty to receive the award since 2013 to 20.

Holmes wildfire-smoke research through the Department of Physics Atmospheric Sciences Program has received support from NASA, NSF and NIH and has resulted in epidemiological advancements. Her CAREER proposal, supported by a $400,000 grant, seeks to improve forecasting of wildfire smoke by improving atmospheric modeling, especially for summer atmospheric mixing over mountainous areas.

Fans research through the Department of Mechanical Engineering is set against the backdrop of the growing and critical importance of rechargeable batteries. Her CAREER proposal, supported by a $500,000 grant, focuses on the complex electrochemical cycling of batteries and, through study of the mechanics and other physical and chemical processes in electrodes, seeks to improve energy density, power density and capacity retention.

Rendens neurological research through UNR Meds Department of Physiology and Cell Biology and the Universitys Neuroscience Institute explores how brain cells maintain the energy needed to communicate at contact sites, called synapses. The prevailing view is that mitochondria supply this energy, but Rendens research data suggests other mechanisms are at play. Understanding this will inform experiments to correct systems where mitochondrial function is impaired, such as in neurodegenerative disease and aging. A $1.1 million CAREER grant will support his work.

The CAREER proposals of Holmes, Fan and Renden are in line with advice that Jamie Voyles-Ensor, associate professor of biology and 2019 CAREER awardee, received from an NSF program manager and shared during a February 2020 panel session sponsored by Research & Innovation. It should be something that can be accomplished, yet is a stretch, Voyles-Ensor said Its a tricky line to define.

More than 30 faculty members gathered for the panel session, indicating growing campus interest in the CAREER program and awards. Joining Voyles-Ensor as panelists were 2019 CAREER awardees Matteo Aureli, associate professor of mechanical engineering, and Mohammed Ben-Idris, assistant professor electrical and biomedical engineering.

Aureli shared that he held off applying until he was at a place in his career where he was more confident of his research interest and had a body of work to substantiate it. As he said, Its about your career. You need to show a line that is different from the work of your mentor.

It has to be new, advised Ben-Idris. Come up with a unique research approach. Make the case in the first two pages.

Describe the work in a way that is widely understandable one that your grandmother will understand before describing it in a scientific way that your science colleagues will understand, said Voyles-Ensor. Your proposal will be reviewed by scientists, but from a range of fields and not necessarily familiar with your field.

Aureli also encouraged developing a thorough, thought-out budget. It shows you are serious and committed. It helped me get more specific and dialed in about the scope of my project, he said.

In addition to the panel session, efforts by Research & Innovation to encourage and support faculty to prepare for the CAREER award application process include proposal writing workshops, a suggested timeline and the opportunity for external review. In the months of April and May, potential applicants are encouraged to draft their full-project summary for external-review. By June 1, contact your colleges grant coordinator or, if your college doesnt have a grant coordinator, contact Proposal Capture Manager Carrie Busha or Proposal Editor Kate Dunkelberger to develop a personalized timeline for submission.

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What does it take to receive a National Science Foundation CAREER award? - Nevada Today

Genetics

GeneDx Celebrates 20 Year History as Pioneer In Genetic Sequencing and Testing – BioBuzz

GeneDx, a global leader in genomics andpatient testing, is celebrating its remarkable 20th anniversary throughout themonth of March.

The Gaithersburg, Maryland company has played an important role in the history of genetic sequencing and the rise of the BioHealth Capital Region as a global biohealth cluster. GeneDx was the very first company to commercially offer NGS (Next Generation Sequencing) testing in a CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments) lab and has been at the leading edge of genetic sequencing and testing for two decades. The companys whole exome sequencing program and comprehensive testing capabilities are world-renowned.

In its storied 20 yearhistory, GeneDx has provided genetic testing to patients in over 55 countries.The company is known globally as world-class experts in rare and ultra-rarediseases.

In 2000, GeneDx was founded by former National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists Dr. Sherri Bale and Dr. John Compton. These two genomics experts and thought leaders started GeneDx to complete an important mission: To provide rare and ultra-rare disease patients and families with diagnostic services that were not commercially available at that time.

Prior to launching GeneDx, Bale spent 16 years at NIH, the last nine as Head of the Genetic Studies Section in the Laboratory of Skin Biology. She has been a pioneer during her storied career, publishing over 140 papers, chapters and books in the field. Her 35-year career includes deep experience in clinical, cytogenetic, and molecular genetics research.

Before partnering with Bale to form GeneDx, Compton was an investigator at the Jackson Laboratory, and for the last nine years as a senior scientist in the Genetics Studies Section at the NIH. Comptons work on the molecular genetics of inherited skin disease and expertise in laboratory methodology is known throughout the world. Compton has remarkable experience in the development and application of molecular biological techniques to answer questions about genetics and epidermal differentiation.

GeneDx, like manysuccessful BHCR life science companies, had a humble start, operating initiallyout of the Technology Development Center incubator. Just six years later,GeneDx was acquired by BioreferenceLabs for approximately $17M.

From there, the companylaunched its first array CGH (Comparative Genomic Hybridization) or aCGH testin 2007. An array CGH is also called microarray analysis, which is a atechnique enabling high-resolution, genome-wide screening of segmental genomiccopy number variations (NIH). By 2008, GeneDx had launched its Cardiology NextGeneration Sequencing Panel and by 2011 the company had commercialized itsneurology testing program. In 2012, GeneDx launched its Whole Exome Sequencing (XomeDx) for which it has become so well known in the genomicfield. A year later its Inherited Cancer Panels hit the market. 2018 saw thecompany achieve a significant milestone when it announced ithad performed clinical Exome Sequencing on more than 100,000 individuals.

Both Bale and Comptonhave since retired and GeneDx is currently led by Chief Medical Officer Dr. Gabriele Richard;Chief Innovation Officer Kyle Retterer, MS;Rhonda Brandon, MS

Chief InformationOfficer; and Dr. Sean Hofherr, FACMG, CLIA Laboratory Director & ChiefScientific Officer.

GeneDx has come a longway from its incubator headquarters over the past two decades. With over 450employees, the company continues to deliver on its mission to provide crucialdiagnostic genetic testing capabilities to patients and families across theglobe.

Happy Anniversary GeneDX. Heres to many more.

Steve has over 20 years experience in copywriting, developing brand messaging and creating marketing strategies across a wide range of industries, including the biopharmaceutical, senior living, commercial real estate, IT and renewable energy sectors, among others. He is currently the Principal/Owner of StoryCore, a Frederick, Maryland-based content creation and execution consultancy focused on telling the unique stories of Maryland organizations.

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GeneDx Celebrates 20 Year History as Pioneer In Genetic Sequencing and Testing - BioBuzz

Physiology

Student Coronavirus Tracking Website Tops Nearly 1.4 Million Views From 193 Countries – UVA Today

Find the latest information on the Universitys response to the coronavirus here.

TrackCorona, a COVID-19 tracking website developed by two University of Virginia students, James Yun and Soukarya Ghosh, and friends at Virginia Tech and Stanford University, is proving to be a valuable public service for anyone who wants to know more about the development of the pandemic. The website went live in early February with only a smattering of clicks by people who already knew about the site. Now, more than 300,000 people in 193 countries have visited the website about 1.4 million times.Were averaging more than 40,000 users per day for the last week, with a record 50,000 users on March 12, said Ghosh, a third-year computer science and mathematics major who helped lead development of the site. Were on trajectory for 50,000 more on the 16th.

TrackCorona provides up-to-date information about the spread of the virus, including infection and mortality rates, recovery rates and locations by country, with links to the latest news and accurate information. The student team uses data from the World Health Organization, the U.S. Center for Disease Control and other infectious disease information sources. The data is made visual with a near-real-time map that displays the growth of the pandemic.

The students have consulted with several UVA faculty members in the development of their site, seeking to optimize the quality of the data and information.

Dr. Christopher Holstege, director of UVA Student Health, is serving as a contact to the students for medical questions. Wladek Minor, a professor of molecular physiology and biology physics, has offered the students an opportunity to co-write a research paper analyzing the spread of COVID-19. David Leblang, a professor of politics and public policy, has proposed a research role for the students in a study on the cascading effects of the pandemic. And Bryan Lewis, an epidemiologist at UVAs Biocomplexity Institute, has offered advice and a summer internship.

Fellow students also have proposed ideas to Yun and Ghosh and suggested sources for reliable information about the virus and its spread.

Its not every day that you get to work on something with this large of an audience and potentially save lives, Yun, a fourth-year computer science major, said. Being part of this startup-like journey has taught me how to manage exponential user growth, seek funding and deal with the occasional cyberattack.

This summer Yun will begin work as a software engineer at Capital One, where he says he will use the skills hes picked up along the way, in his classes and through development of the website.

TrackCorona is a visually compelling website, well designed, user-friendly, full of relevant information, epidemiologist Bryan Lewis said. The team has done a nice job of creating this, especially considering their busy schedules as students. It is a form of citizen science that is valuable to the community.

TrackCorona is a nominee for the Social Good of the Year award by the Charlottesville Business Innovation Council; as well as for Innovator of the Year; and Student Entrepreneurs of the Year awards. The students are seeking funding to keep the site operating, as costs for cloud computing and other resources are running about $350 per day.

Doing this work has been very fulfilling, Ghosh said. I already had a strong urge to do work that would benefit the welfare of the public, and this experience has further engrained and confirmed that for me. I hope to continue to do similar work in my career after UVA, using the skills I have learned here to make an even bigger impact.

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Student Coronavirus Tracking Website Tops Nearly 1.4 Million Views From 193 Countries - UVA Today

Physiology

Cooley Strengthens IP Litigation Team With DC Duo – Financial Post

Arriving from Finnegan, they bring powerful life sciences, ANDA litigation capabilities

WASHINGTON Cooley is growing its market-leading intellectual property litigation practice group with the addition of partners Sanya Sukduang and Jonathan Davies, who will be based in Washington, DC. Arriving from Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, Sukduangs and Davies practices focus on life sciences with an emphasis on pharmaceuticals litigation, including HatchWaxman Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) litigation.

Sanyas and Jonathans experience navigating complex ANDA cases adds significant depth to the life sciences component of our IP litigation practice and complements the work done by our patent counseling and life sciences partnering practice groups, said Stephen Smith, chair of Cooleys intellectual property litigation practice. Together, their experience will prove an invaluable asset to our clients, particularly the increasing number of them with later-stage products ripe for ANDA litigation.

Sukduang advises clients on patent litigation before federal district courts and the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, as well as all aspects of proceedings before the Patent Trial and Appeal Board. His work centers on litigating matters concerning ANDA challenges for brand drug manufacturers, diagnostic methods, biological products and medical devices. Sukduang also guides clients on an array of issues concerning biologics, including due diligence investigations and strategic patent portfolio planning. He formerly chaired Finnegans diversity and inclusion committee.

Davies practice centers around patent litigation, particularly on pharmaceutical and biotechnology cases, including HatchWaxman litigation related to ANDAs and biologics litigation under the Biologics Price Competition and Innovation Act. He has deep experience advising on all aspects of pretrial and trial federal district court practice, in addition to advising clients on infringement and validity opinions. Prior to his legal career, Davies completed graduate studies in human physiology and conducted doctoral and post-doctoral research in cellular and molecular biology and genetics.

We know firsthand how high stakes ANDA litigation is for the innovative companies we advise, said Sukduang. We are excited about the opportunities well be able to provide our clients with the support of Cooleys powerful IP litigation platform.

We look forward to delivering successful results for our clients as we team up with our new colleagues, said Davies. We are also impressed by Cooleys standout, collaborative culture and are eager to help build on the firms legacy as it continues to grow.

With a team of 60+ lawyers, Cooleys IP litigation practice is renowned for its ability to win bet-the-company competitor cases in which multibillion-dollar products, technologies and brands are at stake. The practice has unprecedented experience representing clients in tech and life sciences matters. Cooley boasts one of the most active patent litigation practices in the US, having handled 525+ patent cases and 70+ Federal Circuit patent appeals, the vast majority as the appellee, in the past five years.

About Cooley LLP

Clients partner with Cooley on transformative deals, complex IP and regulatory matters, and high-stakes litigation, where innovation meets the law.

Cooley has 1,100+ lawyers across 16 offices in the United States, Asia and Europe.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200303005657/en/

Contacts

Andrea Orzehoski Cooley LLP aorzehoski@cooley.com +1 858 550 6259

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Cooley Strengthens IP Litigation Team With DC Duo - Financial Post

Immunology

Cuba develops new drugs against cancer and other diseases – OnCubaNews

Cuban scientists are working on several new drugs against cancer and other diseases, such as cardiovascular ailments and rheumatoid arthritis, Granma newspaper reported.

The BioCubaFarma group is currently carrying out 102 projects, of which 75 have a Cuban patent, explained Rolando Prez, director of Science and Innovation of this state conglomerate dedicated to the production of medicines, medical equipment and high-tech services.

The HerberSavax therapeutic vaccineone of the leading products in the oncology areais in phase III clinical trials in ovarian tumors and hepatocarcinoma, which is the most common type of liver cancer.

Developed by the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CIGB), a leading entity in this field on the island, the vaccine reduces the formation of blood vessels in the tumor, thereby limiting the supply of nutrients and oxygen and inhibiting its growth and shows encouraging results in some patients.

Cuba prueba una nueva vacuna contra tumores slidos

For its part, a biopharmaceutical created at the Molecular Immunology Center is about to begin a phase I clinical trial in patients with solid tumors. According to Prez, it is a product of the field of cancer immunotherapy, in which intensive research is being carried out.

We have five other products in development in the initial stages of clinical trials, of which two are therapeutic vaccines, two antitumor peptides and a monoclonal antibody, he told Granma.

The director of Science and Innovation of BioCubaFarma also referred to a novel drug, the immunomodulatory peptide called cigb814, to treat patients with rheumatoid arthritis, a disease that causes a high degree of disability.

Another product being developed is the cigb500 peptide, which has shown a powerful cardioprotective activity, according to the specialist.

The phase I clinical trial demonstrated the safety of the drug. A phase II clinical trial is currently underway in patients with acute myocardial infarction, whose results should be ready in the second half of the year, said Prez.

Empresa farmacutica cubana niega despidos masivos

Founded in 2012 and made up of about thirty companies, BioCubaFarma manufactures and distributes more than 1,000 products, 482 of which are included in Cubas basic medicine chart, and its products are exported to more than 50 countries.

In general, biotechnology products and the pharmaceutical industry are among Cubas main exportable items. Among its most recognized medicines are Heberprot-P, a successful therapy to treat diabetic foot ulcers registered in more than 20 countries, of which Havanas CIGB is now working on new formulations.

In addition, the CIMAVAX-EGF vaccine against lung cancer and the Heberferon for the treatment of skin cancer, as well as vaccines against hepatitis B and meningitis and the recombinant Interferon alfa 2B antiviral (IFNrec), which is among the drugs chosen by China to treat COVID-19 coronavirus.

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Cuba develops new drugs against cancer and other diseases - OnCubaNews

Genetics

CIBC Innovation Banking Provides InformedDNA With US$10 Million Growth Financing – Yahoo Finance

CIBC Innovation Banking is pleased to announce a US$10 million growth capital financing for InformedDNA.

Founded in 2005, InformedDNA was built with the vision to provide genetic testing services to patients and health insurers. The company optimizes genetic-related healthcare spending and patient care by improving access to clinical and scientific genomics expertise. It is the nations largest independent provider of genetic specialists enabled by a comprehensive evidence-based knowledge library for genetic tests and hereditary conditions.

InformedDNA recently announced a strategic growth investment with private equity funds TT Capital Partners, NovaQuest Capital Management, and Frist Cressey Ventures. The company will use the capital to continue scaling its technology and expand its staff of genetic counselors.

"InformedDNA has a deep understanding of the genetic testing space and uses this knowledge to help both patients and insurance companies improve outcomes," said Jeff Chapman, a Managing Director in CIBC Innovation Bankings Menlo Park office.

"CIBC Innovation Banking understands the capital needs of our business and is willing to provide a flexible debt solution so we can continue to execute on our business strategy," added David Nixon, CEO of InformedDNA.

About CIBC Innovation Banking

CIBC Innovation Banking delivers strategic advice, cash management and funding to North American innovation companies at each stage of their business cycle, from start up to IPO and beyond. With offices in Atlanta, Austin, Chicago, Denver, Menlo Park, Montreal, Reston, Toronto and Vancouver, the team has extensive experience and a strong, collaborative approach that extends across CIBCs commercial banking and capital markets businesses in the U.S. and Canada.

About InformedDNA

InformedDNA is the authority on the appropriate use of genetic testing. It leverages the expertise of the largest full-time staff of independent, board-certified genetics specialists in the U.S. to help ensure health plans, hospitals, employers, clinicians and patients all have access to the highest quality genetic services. Key offerings include clinical genetic counseling, genetic testing utilization management, genetic testing payment integrity, and expert genetics clinical trial support. For more information: http://www.InformedDNA.com

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200227005493/en/

Contacts

Kathryn Lawler, 416-242-1943kathryn.lawler@cibc.com

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CIBC Innovation Banking Provides InformedDNA With US$10 Million Growth Financing - Yahoo Finance

Cell Biology

Bit Bio Secures Distribution Agreement with Abcam to Democratize Access to Human Cells for Global Life Science Research – BioSpace

CAMBRIDGE, England, Feb. 25, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Bit Bio announces agreement with Abcam, a global innovator in life science reagents and tools, to make Bit Bio's iPSC derived functional human cells widely available to the global life science community. Over the course of the next two years this new partnership will provide an increasing range of highly defined, scalable and consistent human cells for research and high-throughput screening applications. The first product available are brain cells (ioNEURONS/glutTM, glutamatergic neurons) serving the neuroscience community.

Access to human cells is a significant bottleneck in the field of medical research and drug development. Human cells differ from animal models, and therefore research using animal models often does not translate into clinical applications.

Bit Bio is commercializing opti-oxTM, a precise reprogramming proprietary technology platform that enables uniquely efficient and consistent production of human cells for use in research, drug discovery, and cell therapy.

"Bit Bio's goal is to develop a scalable technology platform capable of producing consistent batches of every human cell type," said Bit Bio CEO Mark Kotter, a neurosurgeon at Cambridge University, and stem cell biologist. "This agreement will accelerate our mission of putting highly defined human cells in the hands of the researchers who need them to pursue their life-saving work."

"Supporting enhanced access to complementary technologies that have the potential to improve and accelerate research is part of our growth strategy," said John Baker, Senior Vice President Product Portfolio and Innovation at Abcam. "Our industry expertise, and co-location in major biotechnology hubs throughout the world, enables our partners to rapidly put their innovations into the hands of the global research community, helping advance the understanding of biology and cause of disease to enable new treatments and improved health outcomes."

Bit Bio's breakthrough technology has been successfully employed to reprogram stem cells into functional neurons on a scalable and consistent basis. The proprietary approach ensures batch to batch reproducibility and unprecedented purity compared to current technologies and yields fully differentiated neurons within days. The protocol is also universally applicable, from small-scale laboratory research projects to high throughput screens in pharmaceutical R&D laboratories.

Bit Bio's human-induced glutamatergic neurons are a highly defined and consistent human model for the study of neurological physiology and disease, including neurodegeneration, and are available from the Abcam website.

"At Bit Bio we believe that world-wide access to our iPSC derived cells will drive human translational experiments and ultimately help to fuel the next generation of medicine," said Bit Bio Chief Business Officer Paul Morrill. "Abcam's reputation as a disruptive innovator in the field of biological reagents and dedicated global commercialization infrastructure make them the ideal partner. In line with our core value of democratizing access to human cells for research and drug development, our ioNEURONS/glut are offered at a highly competitive price point."

About Bit Bio

Bit Bio, the cell coding company, is based in Cambridge, UK. Bit Bio's team includes world leaders in stem cell biology, cellular reprogramming and cell therapy who are harnessing the power of synthetic biology to tackle the problem of inconsistency in the production of human cells. Bit Bio is developing opti-oxTM, a proprietary technology platform capable of producing any human cell for research, drug discovery and cell therapy.

We areintroducing ioNEURONS/glutTM,human-induced glutamatergic neuronscells, providing a high-quality human model for research, drug development and high-throughput screening.ioNEURONS/glut cells have been reprogrammed from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) using a precise reprogramming technology.

To find out more, please visit http://www.bit.bio

Bit Bio press contact:Dr Farah Patell-Socha, press@bit.bio

About AbcamAs a global life sciences company, Abcam identifies, develops, and distributes high-quality biological reagents and tools that are crucial to research, drug discovery and diagnostics. Working across the industry, the Company supports life scientists to achieve their mission, faster. Abcam partners with life science organisations to co-create novel binders for use in drug discovery,in vitrodiagnostics and therapeutics, driven by the Company's proprietary discovery platforms and world-leading, antibody expertise.

By constantly innovating its binders and assays, Abcam is helping advance the global understanding of biology and causes of disease, which enables new treatments and improved health. The Company's pioneering data-sharing approach gives scientists increased confidence in their results by providing validation, user comments and peer-reviewed citations for its 110,000 products. With eleven sites globally, many of Abcam's 1,100 strong team are located in the world's leading life science research hubs, complementing a global network of services and support.

To find out more, please visitwww.abcam.comandwww.abcamplc.com.

Abcam press contact:Dr Lynne Trowbridge, lynne.trowbridge@abcam.com

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/bit-bio-secures-distribution-agreement-with-abcam-to-democratize-access-to-human-cells-for-global-life-science-research-301010337.html

SOURCE Bit Bio

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Bit Bio Secures Distribution Agreement with Abcam to Democratize Access to Human Cells for Global Life Science Research - BioSpace