Category Archives: Immunology

U-M researchers find new function for macropinocytosis in mammalian cell growth – Michigan Medicine

For the first time, researchers at Michigan Medicine have demonstrated that a cellular process known to be involved in cancer and other diseases also plays an important role in the growth of at least one type of normal mammalian cell.

Macropinocytosis is an ancient process by which cells take in large volumes of material from outside of themselves. The process is hijacked by certain cancer cells to gather proteins to break down into cellular fuel. The process is also exploited by viruses and bacteria to enter cells.

New findings from the lab of Philip D. King, Ph.D., professor of Microbiology & Immunology at the U-M Medical School and a member of the U-M Rogel Cancer Center, showed that both primary mouse and human T cells which play a central role in the immune response engage in macropinocytosis to support normal cell growth.

Our research suggests that this may be a more general phenomenon, applicable to the growth of other primary cell types, says study lead author John Charpentier, a graduate student in Kings lab.

King adds, Blocking macropinocytosis in cancer might not represent an effective means of treating cancer since it is predicted that the generation of an anti-tumor T cell immune response would also be inhibited using this approach.

Paper cited: Macropinocytosis drives T cell growth by sustaining the activation of mTORC1, Nature Communications. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13997-3

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U-M researchers find new function for macropinocytosis in mammalian cell growth - Michigan Medicine

Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence Are Poised to Revolutionize Asthma Care – Pulmonology Advisor

The advent of large data sets from many sources (big data), machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI) are poised to revolutionize asthma care on both the investigative and clinical levels, according to an article published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

According to the researchers, a patient with asthma endures approximately 2190 hours of experiencing and treating or not treating their asthma symptoms. During 15-minute clinic visits, only a short amount of time is spent understanding and treating what is a complex disease, and only a fraction of the necessary data is captured in the electronic health record.

Our patients and the pace of data growth are compelling us to incorporate insights from Big Data to inform care, the researchers posit. Predictive analytics, using machine learning and artificial intelligence has revolutionized many industries, including the healthcare industry.

When used effectively, big data, in conjunction with electronic health record data, can transform the patients healthcare experience. This is especially important as healthcare continues to embrace both e-health and telehealth practices. The data resulting from these thoughtful digital health innovations can result in personalized asthma management, improve timeliness of care, and capture objective measures of treatment response.

According to the researchers, the use of machine learning algorithms and AI to predict asthma exacerbations and patterns of healthcare utilization are within both technical and clinical reach. The ability to predict who is likely to experience an asthma attack, as well as when that attack may occur, will ultimately optimize healthcare resources and personalize patient management.

The use of longitudinal birth cohort studies and multicenter collaborations like the Severe Asthma Research Program have given clinical investigators a broader understanding of the pathophysiology, natural history, phenotypes, seasonality, genetics, epigenetics, and biomarkers of the disease. Machine learning and data-driven methods have utilized this data, often in the form of large datasets, to cluster patients into genetic, molecular, and immune phenotypes. These clusters have led to work in the genomics and pharmacogenomics fields that should ultimately lead to high-fidelity exacerbation predictions and the advent of true precision medicine.

This work, the researchers noted, if translated into clinical practice can potentially link genetic traits to phenotypes that can for example predict rapid response, or non-response to medications like albuterol and steroids, or identify an individuals risk for cortisol suppression.

As with any innovation, though, challenges abound. One in particular is the siloed nature of the clinical and scientific insights about asthma that have come to light in recent years. Although data are now being generated and interpreted across various domains, researchers must still contend with a lack of data standards and disease definitions, data interoperability and sharing difficulties, and concerns about data quality and fidelity.

Machine learning and AI present their own challenges; namely, those who utilize these technologies must consider the issues of fairness, bias, privacy, and medical bioethics. Legal accountability and medical responsibility issues must also be considered as algorithms are adopted into routine practice.

We must, as clinicians and researchers, constructively transform the concern and lack of understanding many clinicians have about digital health, [machine learning], and [artificial intelligence] into educated and critical engagement, the researchers concluded. Our job is to use [machine learning and artificial intelligence] tools to understand and predict how asthma affects patients and help us make decisions at the patient and population levels to treat it better.

Reference

Messinger AI, Luo G, Deterding RR. The doctor will see you now: How machine learning and artificial intelligence can extend our understanding and treatment of asthma [published online December 25, 2019]. J Allergy Clin Immunol. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2019.12.898

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Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence Are Poised to Revolutionize Asthma Care - Pulmonology Advisor

Victims of Iranian plane crash ‘represented the best of us,’ mourners hear at U of Manitoba vigil – CBC.ca

A memorial service was held at the University of Manitoba Friday afternoon to mournthe victims of Ukrainian International Airlines Flight PS752, which crashed in Iran earlier this week.

"As the days go by, we're learning more about each of the passengers on Flight PS752, and our interconnectedness in our world is becoming evermore apparent," said U of M president David Barnard.

"It is written that the passengers on this flight represented the best of us," he said. "It's easy to understand why this is so."

CBC News has confirmed that at least eight people on board the flight were from Winnipeg.

The flight from Tehran to Kyiv, Ukraine crashed minutes after takeoff, around 6:15 a.m. local time in Tehran Wednesday. All of the 176 people on board were killed. Earlier figures put the number of Canadians on the flight at 63, but Foreign Affairs Minister Franois-Philippe Champagne announced Friday that the number of Canadian victims now stands at 57.

Jude Uzonna, who teachesimmunology and is the associate dean (research) at the U of M'sfaculty of health sciences, said hedid not prepare a speech for the memorial, wantingto speak from his heart about his friend Forough Khadem, who was among those killed in the crash.

She graduated with a PhD in immunology from the university in 2016, and wasa budding scientist, he said.

"Forough touched my life and she changed me as a mentor," Uzonna said.

He recalled that healways told Khadem that if she had been born in Canada, she would have becomeprime minister.

When the two started working together, though, there were many challenges, he said. Khadem was dealing with health issues shortly after coming to Canada, and there was pressure on Uzonna to let her go, he said.

"At the time, she says, 'Boss, please let me go,'" Uzonna recalled his student asking him.

His response, he said, was "'Forough, I can't let you go because we started this together. You're going to finish,'" he said, his voice cracking with emotion.

"And she finished."

Ayda Mohammadian says she is still in shock after the loss of her boyfriend,Amir Hossein Ghorbani.

Ghorbani, 21,was a science studentat the University of Manitobawhowanted to be a physician.

He worked hardto attain his goals, Mohammadian said. But he was also concerned for the safety of his family who still live in Iran, and who worked hard to help him come toCanada, she added.

Mohammadian said she hugged Ghorbani and cried just hoursbefore heboarded his flight fromWinnipeg to Iran.

"'I feel if you go, I'm going to lose you,'" she recalled telling him.

With tears in his eyes, he replied,"'Don't be silly. Am I going to die? I will be back in 20 days,'" said Mohammadian.

"But he didn't come back."

Mohammadiantold CBC News after the ceremony that she had planned a party for his return on Wednesday, but received the call about the crash Tuesday.

"For two, three hours, I was just laughing because I couldn't believe. I was really shocked," she said.

After a few hours, Mohammadian started looking at the list of names of people who were on board. She says she scanned it six or seven times.

"Then I was like, 'Who am I kidding? The name is there. I'm not going to change anything,'" she said, breaking down into tears.

"I don't have the chance to hug him again, to kiss him again, to smell him."

As people mourn, Canada is demandinganswers.

Though Iranian officials have denied the allegations, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday thatintelligence suggeststhe plane wasshot down by an Iranian missile possibly by mistake.

The Transportation Safety Board announced Thursday that it was invitedto Iran to investigate.

But Friday evening, Foreign Affairs Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne announced that representatives from various countriesare coming together to pushthe Iranian government "for a full and thorough investigation of the destruction of Flight PS752."

Meanwhile, inside the engineering building at the University of Manitoba, candles were lit for each of the victims with ties to Winnipeg.

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Victims of Iranian plane crash 'represented the best of us,' mourners hear at U of Manitoba vigil - CBC.ca

New Investigation Into PD-1 Blockade for Hepatocellular Carcinoma – Cancer Therapy Advisor

Researchers are taking a new approach to sorting out why immunotherapy only works in select patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A team of investigators is using newly developed high-throughput technologies to evaluate the therapeutic effects of the programmed death receptor 1 (PD-1) antibody (cemiplimab-rwlc), which was developed by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc, and Sanofi. Its hoped this new investigation will help investigators gain insight into why so many patients still fail to respond to immunotherapy.1

Our goal is to finally understanddynamic changes in the tumor immune microenvironment induced by novelimmunotherapies and/or chemotherapy, said study investigator Thomas Marron,MD, PhD, who is the assistant director of early-phase and immunotherapy trialsat The Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai, New York, New York.

He and his colleagues are conducting aphase 1 clinical trial to assess the clinical efficacy and response of patientsto cemiplimab therapy in HCC, early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), andhead and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). The team will investigate single-cellmapping of cancer lesions and circulating immune cells, spatial mapping of thetumor tissues, and sequencing of the patients microbiome before and aftertreatment.

What makes this investigation novel isthat it attacks the problem with a multipronged approach and combinesresearchers with distinct expertise in medicine, immunology, technology,mathematics, and physics. Utilizing new proprietary technologies and platforms,the investigators hope to better characterize immune profiles and responses ina diverse range of disease settings. We do not truly know how these agentswork in vivo. So, we are not able to identify rational combinatorial approachesin surgical patients or metastatic patients, Dr Marron told Cancer Therapy Advisor. We need toidentify biomarkers in order to identify who will benefit from therapy, so asto not waste our patients time, and cause unnecessary personal, physical, andfinancial toxicity.

He said in the metastatic setting, somepatients with HCC, NSCLC, or HNSCC have shown responses to immunotherapy. InNSCLC and HNSCC, the response rate to immunotherapy seems to increase whencombined with chemotherapy, but still, half of patients do not respond. Ourgoal is to use upfront immunotherapy to prime an immune response and decreasethe chance of recurrence, said Dr Marron. We believe that [in] patients withlocoregional disease, [and] with smaller, less heterogeneous tumors, there willlikely be a higher response rate than seen in the metastatic setting.

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New Investigation Into PD-1 Blockade for Hepatocellular Carcinoma - Cancer Therapy Advisor

ANP Technologies, in Partnership with Fulgent Pharma, Teams with Moffitt Cancer Center to Develop a New Class of Leukemia Therapies – Business Wire

NEWARK, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ANP Technologies Inc. (ANP) and Fulgent Pharma LLC through their partner Moffitt Cancer Center have successfully licensed the rights to develop a novel targeted therapy in the area of leukemia to Celgene (CELG), now Bristol Myers Squibb (BMY), a landmark deal that leverages ANPs nanotherapeutic platform technology. The partners will work together to develop a new cancer therapy for Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) and Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). The potential new therapy will target a novel pathway receptor.

The Moffitt research team recently discovered that a specific pathway receptor is up-regulated in MDS and AML malignant cells, and in particular the malignant stem cells, thus offering a potentially favorable disease-specific target for therapies. By utilizing a ligand specific for this pathway receptor along with a covalently linked nanoparticle developed by ANP and licensed to Fulgent Pharma, the team was able to show potential for treating this type of leukemia at the stem cell level.

Moffitt takes a team approach when it comes to cancer care and research. Our immunology and hematology teams worked together on this novel therapy. We are taking it to the next level, partnering with ANP/Fulgent Pharma to help accelerate translating this discovery from the laboratory to patients in need, said Jarett Rieger, Sr. Director, Innovation & Industry Alliances of Moffitt.

With our proprietary nano-delivery and nanotherapeutic technology platform, ANP has successfully developed multiple therapies including nanoencapsulated pactlitaxel, which is currently in clinical and licensed to Fulgent Pharma, as well as a nanoencapsulated antibody cocktail of drugs for the treatment of Ebola infection, which was funded for nonhuman primate testing by the US Department of Defense, says Dr. Ray Yin, President and CEO of ANP. The Moffitt collaboration expands our nanotechnology platform and spectrum of drug development, enabling ANP and Fulgent Pharma to develop new targeted therapies to benefit cancer patients.

About Moffitt Cancer Center

Moffitt is dedicated to one lifesaving mission: to contribute to the prevention and cure of cancer. The Tampa-based facility is one of only 51 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers, a distinction that recognizes Moffitts scientific excellence, multidisciplinary research, and robust training and education. Moffitt is a Top 10 cancer hospital and has been nationally ranked by U.S. News & World Report since 1999. Moffitts expert nursing staff is recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center with Magnet status, its highest distinction. With more than 6,500 team members, Moffitt has an economic impact in the state of $2.4 billion. For more information, call 1-888-MOFFITT (1-888-663-3488), visit MOFFITT.org, and follow the momentum on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

About ANP Technologies, Inc.

ANP Technologies, Inc. is a world leader in developing innovative nano-therapeutics. In addition to the novel targeted therapy, ANP has also developed nanoencapsulated chemotherapeutics, antibody therapies, immune-oncology and mRNA-based vaccines. Visit ANPTINC.com for more information.

About Fulgent Pharma

Fulgent Pharma is a clinical-stage specialty pharmaceutical company developing oncology therapies that leverage a proprietary nano-drug delivery technology. Fulgent Pharmas pipeline features three unique drug platforms: nanoencapsulated chemotherapy drugs being developed via the 505(b)(2) pathway, novel targeted therapies, and small molecule based immuno-oncology drugs. The Companys lead asset, FID-007, is a nanoencapsulated paclitaxel with improved drug solubility and efficacy, as well as decreased toxicity, and is currently tested in clinical trials. Fulgent Pharma was founded in 2015 and is headquartered in Temple City, California. Fulgent Pharma was spun off from Fulgent Genetics, Inc., (NASDAQ:FLGT) a comprehensive genetic testing company, in 2016.

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ANP Technologies, in Partnership with Fulgent Pharma, Teams with Moffitt Cancer Center to Develop a New Class of Leukemia Therapies - Business Wire

OncoMyx Therapeutics Announces Formation of Scientific Advisory Board – Business Wire

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--OncoMyx Therapeutics, a privately-held oncolytic immunotherapy company, announced today the formation of its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), comprised of experts in tumor immunology, oncology drug discovery and development, and oncolytic viruses. The SAB will work closely with the OncoMyx leadership team as the company advances a therapeutic pipeline of oncolytic immunotherapies based on the myxoma virus (MYXV) platform. The companys pipeline includes both monotherapies and therapies to be used in combination with immune checkpoint blockade and other immuno-modulatory approaches, offering significant therapeutic promise to a wide range of cancer targets.

This is a group of highly-accomplished scientists and drug hunters, some whom I have known for many years, said Leslie Sharp, Ph.D., chief scientific officer (CSO) of OncoMyx. We are thrilled to welcome Tobias, Neil, Grant, Ronan, and Dominic to our SAB, and I look forward to working with the team to develop new therapeutic options for cancer patients.

The SAB will be comprised of the following members:

Tobias Bald, Ph.D. is the Head of the Oncology and Cellular Immunology Laboratory at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. He is a leading expert in tumor immunology with a strong focus on the role of the innate immune system during tumor development, progression and cancer immunotherapy.

Neil Gibson, Ph.D. is President and CEO of PDI Therapeutics and Senior Vice President of COI Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Gibson has more than 30 years of drug development experience and has been involved in the successful discovery, development and commercialization of four approved oncology drugs (including temozolomide, sorafenib, erlotnib, and crizotinib). Dr Gibsons extensive oncology experience includes being CSO of Pfizer Oncology Research Unit, CSO of Regulus Therapeutics and CSO of OSI Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Gibson also serves on the board of TCR2, a new public company focused on T-cell therapies.

Grant McFadden, Ph.D. is founder, research advisor, and director at OncoMyx. He is one of the top global leaders in oncolytic viruses with a specialization in pox viruses, including myxoma. The McFadden lab pioneered the field of viral immune subversion (also called anti-immunology) and is credited with the discovery of a wide spectrum of virus-derived inhibitors of the immune system.

Ronan OHagan, Ph.D. is Senior Vice President of Research and Translational Sciences at Akrevia Therapeutics. Prior to Akrevia, Ronan served as Executive Director, Oncology Discovery at Merck Research Laboratories. In this role he led the oncology discovery program at Merck with a particular emphasis on approaches to enable and enhance immune-modulatory therapies in cancer. Earlier at Merck, he led target identification and validation for oncology and generated an early-discovery pipeline including both biologics and small-molecule programs. He has helped to bring multiple small-molecule and biologics programs into clinical development during his time in industry. His academic career included undergraduate and graduate work in Canada followed by post-doctoral work at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI). In Dr. Ron DePinhos laboratory at DFCI, he focused on genetically engineered mouse models of cancer and novel approaches to target discovery.

Dominic Spinella, Ph.D. has over 25 years of experience in drug research and development and the discipline of Translational Medicine. He has been an executive leader at Chugai Biopharmaceuticals USA, where he was Vice President of Exploratory Research; at Pfizer where he served as head of Translational Medicine for the Oncology division; and at Amgen where he was Executive Director of Medical Sciences and head of Biomarkers and Diagnostics. A former professor of Medicine and Immunology at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine and Howard Hughes postdoctoral fellow at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, he also served on several national and international cancer biomarker development bodies.

We are assembling a world-class team with deep expertise in developing and commercializing innovative therapeutics, said Steve Potts, Ph.D., MBA, founder and chief executive officer of OncoMyx. Our SABs collective strategic, scientific, and clinical experience, together with our existing team, will help transform OncoMyx into a high growth clinical-stage therapeutics company.

About OncoMyx Therapeutics

OncoMyx Therapeutics, a startup launched from Arizona State University (ASU), develops oncolytic immunotherapies based on the myxoma virus (MYXV) platform to orchestrate an immune response and treat cancer. Successful immuno-oncology (IO) cancer treatment generally requires combination therapy, and oncolytic viruses (OVs) have emerged as a safe and effective IO complement. The companys MYXV platform, spun out from ASU, is poised to be a best-in-class OV approach, and the top OV team has assembled around MYXV to create important new therapeutic options for cancer patients. For more information, please visit http://www.oncomyx.com.

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OncoMyx Therapeutics Announces Formation of Scientific Advisory Board - Business Wire

AbbVie Sets up Allergan Aesthetics Ahead of Finalizing its $63 Billion Acquisition – BioSpace

While Allergan and AbbVie prepare to complete their $63 billion merger later this year, plans are being laid out for a new, stand-alone company called Allergan Aesthetics that will include Botox as a tent pole.

AbbVie announced the proposed company Wednesday, along with a dedicated leadership team. The new division of AbbVie will include Botox, as well as the Juvederm collection of dermal fillers, the CoolSculpting body contouring treatments and other aesthetic products. It will also have its own research and development functions to continue to build out its aesthetics programs, AbbVie said.

The new division will be headquartered in Irvine, Calif. and will be helmed by Carrie Strom, who is currently senior vice president of U.S. Medical Aesthetics at Allergan. When the merger of the two companies is completed this quarter, Strom will be named senior vice president of AbbVie and president of Global Allergan Aesthetics. She will oversee the worldwide operations of the new company and will be assisted with an experienced team of other Allergan aesthetics veterans. As a division of AbbVie, Strom will report directly to AbbVie Chief Executive Officer Richard Gonzales.

Allergans eye care and specialty businesses, which include the use of Botox as a therapeutic for migraine headaches and other indications, as well as treatments of the central nervous system, womens health and gastrointestinal diseases, will be integrated into the current AbbVie pipeline. The combined companies will have several strong franchises across immunology, hematologic oncology, medical aesthetics, neuroscience, women's health, eye care and virology.

Gonzales said they are enthusiastic about the changes coming to AbbVie due to the Allergan acquisition. At the time the deal was announced, Gonzales said it would be transformational for the company. The announcement of the new aesthetics division, as well as the leadership changes, marks an important step forward for the company.

We are fortunate to have a leadership team with a deep breadth of both industry and company experience and we are excited to welcome the new Allergan leaders to our company, Gonzales said in a statement.

The new executive leadership team of AbbVie includes:

The new leadership team will certainly be tasked with integrating a number of pipeline-boosting therapeutics that AbbVie could gain from a number of collaborative deals over the past several months. In December, AbbVie and The Scripps Research Institute entered into a research collaboration focused on oncology, immunology, neurology and fibrosis. In November, AbbVie and Dragonfly Therapeutics struck a deal to advance new treatment options for autoimmune and oncology indications. At the center of the agreement are Dragonflys novel NK cell engager-based immunotherapies. AbbVie also entered into a collaboration with Idera Pharmaceuticals targeting metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. AbbVie snapped up Seattle-based Mavupharma and its STING (STimulator of INterferon Genes) pathway-focused treatments in July. The STING pathway plays an important role in the innate immune system, which is the bodys first line of defense against various pathogens, including the development of cancerous tumors.

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AbbVie Sets up Allergan Aesthetics Ahead of Finalizing its $63 Billion Acquisition - BioSpace

Friend of Winnipeg plane crash victim shocked by news the jet may have been shot down – CTV News

WINNIPEG -- A Winnipegger who knows one of the victims aboard Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 is reacting to new information the plane may have mistakenly been shot down by an Iranian missile.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters Thursday afternoon the Canadian government has intelligence from multiple sources, including its allies and its own intelligence.

The evidence indicates that the plane was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile, said Trudeau. This may have been unintentional.

The news left Jude Uzonna shaken. The University of Manitoba professor advised Forough Khadem when she was completing her PhD in immunology -- Khadem was among the 176 people on board the plane.

How could that happen, said Uzonna. Thats terrible. Thats terrible. And it makes me so upset if this is really true.

Uzonna said he had exchanged text messages with Khadem just before her flight and she expressed concern about the tensions between Iran and the U.S.

(Source: Jude Uzonna)

Uzonna is remembering Khadem for her affable personality and knowledge in the field of immunology.

This is somebody with an infectious smile and infectious optimism, he said. There is nobody that Forough crosses his or her path that would never want to know who is this lady.

Humanity has lost one of its greatest, one of its finest,

Counsellors are meeting with students, faculty and staff to help everyone cope with the loss.

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Friend of Winnipeg plane crash victim shocked by news the jet may have been shot down - CTV News

Not enough parents in Lancashire are vaccinating their babies – Lancashire Post

Babies in Lancashire could be at risk of catching potentially deadly illnesses as uptake rates for important jabs fall below safe levels.

The British Society for Immunology has urged the new government to deliver on its promise to develop the UKs first vaccine strategy to protect communities against nasty diseases.

Young children should get the so-called six-in-one jab, which protects against six serious infections including polio, whooping cough and diphtheria, in the first few months of their lives.

But new Public Health England data shows that just 93.2 per cent of those in Lancashire who had their first birthday in the six months to September were vaccinated.

It means 400 children missed out, with the area falling slightly short of the 95 per cent rate recommended by the World Health Organisation to prevent outbreaks.

The uptake rate for the North West over the period was 92.2 per cent, while the figure across England stood at 92.1 per cent.

The British Society for Immunology said the uptake rate across England for the six-in-one vaccine among one year olds has averaged around 92 per cent over the past year.

Low levels of vaccination coverage matter as it means these diseases have the potential to spread within our communities, infecting unvaccinated people, with young babies and people with compromised immune systems particularly at risk, said Dr Doug Brown, the groups chief executive.

We urge the new government to deliver on its promise to develop the UKs first vaccine strategy and to fully fund immunisation services to ensure our communities are protected against these preventable diseases.

But he also urged parents to make sure their children get the jabs.

He added: If you are worried your child hasnt received all the doses of the six-in-one vaccine, do make an appointment at your GP surgery.

Its much better to get your child vaccinated than risk them catching one of these nasty diseases.

Babies should have three rounds of the six-in-one vaccination at eight, 12 and 16 weeks of age.

It helps them develop a strong immunity to diphtheria, hepatitis B, haemophilus influenza type b, polio, tetanus and whopping cough all described by the NHS as serious childhood diseases.

Health minister Nicola Blackwood said: Every child must be vaccinated against dangerous and potentially fatal diseases. Vaccine uptake is very high, at around 90 per cent, for most childhood vaccines, but we are determined to drive rates up even further.

"Our new vaccination strategy, published in the new year, will consider a range of approaches to improve uptake.

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Not enough parents in Lancashire are vaccinating their babies - Lancashire Post

DBV Technologies Reports Positive Three-Year, Long-Term Data from the PEOPLE Phase III Open-Label Extension Study of Viaskin Peanut in Children with…

Montrouge, France, January 8, 2020

DBV Technologies Reports Positive Three-Year, Long-Term Data from the PEOPLE Phase III Open-Label Extension Study of Viaskin Peanut in Children with Peanut Allergy

Patients demonstrated durable, long-term clinical benefit with an additional two years of treatment

Low discontinuations due to adverse events observed

Study represents the largest long-term peanut allergy immunotherapy trial to date, with high compliance enabling extended study participation

DBV Technologies (the Company) (Euronext: DBV ISIN: FR0010417345 Nasdaq Stock Market: DBVT), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, today announced positive topline results of the three-year, open-label extension of the Phase III PEPITES trial (PEOPLE) evaluating the long-term efficacy and safety of investigational Viaskin Peanut in peanut-allergic children ages 4 to 11 years. The results demonstrate long-term clinical benefit as shown by an increase in eliciting dose (ED), which may decrease the chance of reacting to an accidental peanut exposure. After three years, 75.9% (107/141) of patients had increased their ED from baseline, and 51.8% (73/141) of patients reached an ED of at least 1,000 mg peanut protein by year three.

These new long-term data support the overall clinical benefit of Viaskin Peanut that weve observed to date in Phase II and III clinical trials. We are particularly pleased to see that approximately three out of four patients showed an increase in their eliciting dose over three years, regardless of their individual baseline, with roughly 1 in 7 patients able to consume 5,444 mg peanut protein without reacting during the Month 36 oral food challenge, said Dr. David Fleischer, Principal Investigator of PEPITES and PEOPLE, Director, Allergy and Immunology Center and Section Head, Childrens Hospital Colorado. Most peanut-allergic children react to a single peanut (300 mg of peanut protein) or less, with some reacting to as little as 1 mg, leading many children and families to experience constant fear of accidental exposure, loss of normalcy and decreased quality of life. These new data provide further evidence that Viaskin Peanut may reduce the risk of reaction from accidental exposure by increasing threshold reactivity through a treatment option that could be safe and convenient.

The PEOPLE study is an ongoing open-label extension study evaluating the long-term safety, tolerability and efficacy of Viaskin Peanut 250 g in patients who have completed the Phase III PEPITES trial. Of the 213 patients who were randomized in the active treatment arm of PEPITES and completed the 12-month trial, 198 patients opted to enter the PEOPLE study (safety population). Of these patients, 148 were considered completers after 36 months and 141 patients completed all treatment according to the study protocol without major deviations. Efficacy data were analyzed from these 141 patients (per-protocol).

Topline results from PEOPLE support the long-term tolerability and clinical benefit of Viaskin Peanut, demonstrating desensitization over 36 months of treatment. After 36 months, 51.8% (73/141) of patients reached an ED of at least 1,000 mg peanut protein, an increase relative to Month 12, 40.4% (57/141). In addition, 13.5% (19/141) of patients completed the food challenge without meeting stopping criteria at 36 months (cumulative dose of 5,444 mg). At Month 36, the mean cumulative reactive dose (CRD) was 1,768.8 mg (median 944 mg) compared to 223.8 mg (median 144 mg) at baseline.

The safety profile of Viaskin Peanut was consistent with that observed in the clinical program to date in over 1,000 patients. During PEOPLE, the most common adverse events were mild to moderate skin reactions localized to the administration site and there was no epinephrine use deemed related to treatment. No treatment related serious adverse events (SAEs) were reported. One patient experienced one case of mild anaphylaxis that was determined by the investigator to be possibly related to treatment and resolved without treatment. Treatment compliance remained high throughout the study at a mean of 98% over three years of treatment.

Exploratory analyses suggest Viaskin Peanut may offer sustained effect even after a period without treatment. All participants who reached an ED 1,000 mg at Month 36 were eligible to continue the study for two additional months without treatment while maintaining a peanut-free diet. A further double-blind placebo-controlled food challenge to determine ED was administered at the end of this period (Month 38). The analysis showed that 77.8% (14/18) of the children who completed the oral food challenge at Month 38 maintained desensitization with an ED 1,000 mg.

Harnessing the important immune properties of the skin, epicutaneous immunotherapy represents a potentially unique mechanism of action that may support the sustained desensitization observed in this study even after a period without treatment. These data further advance our understanding of the profile of Viaskin Peanut, which is currently under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and may offer a simple, once daily, non-invasive treatment option for children living with peanut allergy in the second half of 2020, if approved, said Dr. Pharis Mohideen, Chief Medical Officer of DBV Technologies. Importantly, we would like to thank the children, families and investigators for participating in this study, the largest long-term trial in this underserved disease.

The Company plans to present full study results at future medical congresses as well as submit for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.

About PEOPLEThe PEOPLE study is an open-label extension of the Phase III PEPITES trial designed to evaluate the long-term safety, tolerability and efficacy of Viaskin Peanut 250 g (NCT03013517). Participants who completed the 12-month study period of PEPITES were eligible to enroll in PEOPLE. Patients who were randomized to active treatment in PEPITES are eligible to receive up to four additional years of treatment, and those previously receiving placebo are eligible to receive up to five years of treatment.

The study evaluates the eliciting dose after three years (Month 36) of active treatment using a double-blind, placebo-controlled food challenge (DBPCFC). The starting dose of each challenge is 1 mg of peanut protein and escalates to the highest dose of 2,000 mg peanut protein; possibly repeated once to reach a maximum total cumulative dose of 5,444 mg peanut protein. For the next DBPCFCs after four and five years, the starting dose of each challenge is 10 mg of peanut protein and escalates to the highest dose of 3,000 mg peanut protein; possibly repeated once to reach a maximum total cumulative dose of 6,440 mg peanut protein.

The analysis also includes exploratory assessments of safety parameters, immune biomarkers such as immunoglobulin E (IgE) and immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4), and sustained desensitization following a two-month period without treatment.

About PEPITESThePeanutEPIT Efficacy andSafety Study (PEPITES) was a global, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase III trial designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of Viaskin Peanut 250 g in children ages 4 to 11 years (NCT02636699). PEPITES was conducted in 31 centers across North America (Canada and the United States), Germany, Ireland and Australia.

Eligible patients were aged 4-11 years at screening with physician-diagnosed peanut allergy, currently following a strict peanut-free diet. Other key inclusion criteria were peanut-specific IgE >0.7 kUA/L, a peanut skin prick test with a largest wheal diameter 6 mm (children 4-5 years) or 8 mm (children 6 years) at screening, and an ED (the single highest dose at which a patient exhibited objective signs/symptoms of an immediate hypersensitivity reaction) of 300 mg peanut protein based on a DBPCFC.

PRACTALL,the joint American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) and European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (EAACI) published food challenge methodology that defines strict, 30-minute intervals for peanut protein dosing, was used to evaluate sensitivity to peanut at baseline and exit.Challenges were stopped when patients exhibited clear, objective symptoms based on a pre-specified symptom scoring scale. A Good Manufacturing Practice food challenge matrix was used for all peanut protein and placebo food challenges.

During PEPITES, patients responses were assessed using DBPCFCs. Patients were randomized 2:1 to receive either Viaskin Peanut 250 g or placebo for 12 months. The primary endpoint was based on a responder analysis after 12 months of treatment with Viaskin Peanut 250 g. For patients with a baseline peanut protein ED equal to or less than 10 mg, a responder was defined as a patient with a peanut protein ED equal to or greater than 300 mg of peanut protein after 12 months of treatment. For patients with a baseline ED greater than 10 mg, a responder was defined as a patient with a peanut protein ED equal to or greater than 1,000 mg of peanut protein after 12 months of treatment.

As a secondary efficacy endpoint, CRD was also evaluated in PEPITES to establish the total quantity of peanut protein that triggers patient reactions at Month 12 of active treatment versus placebo. Serological markers were also measured at baseline, 3, 6, and 12 months in order to characterize the immunological changes in patients.

During the study, investigators relied on the commonly used National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) definition of anaphylaxis, which has been shown to be highly sensitive but only moderately specific in diagnosing anaphylaxis, in an attempt to capture as many potential reactions as possible.

Two hundred thirteen of the 238 patients randomized to the peanut-patch and 107 of the 118 patients randomized to the placebo-patch completed the study. After 12 months of therapy, patients treated with Viaskin Peanut showed a statistically significant improvement in the ED of peanut required to provoke an allergic reaction at food challenge compared with placebo. After 12 months of treatment, we observed that 35.3% of patients on Viaskin Peanut 250 g were responders, compared to 13.6% of patients in the placebo group (treatment difference = 21.7%; 95% CI = 12.4% - 29.8%; p<0.001). An increase in the CRD was also observed between the treatment and placebo groups (nominal p-value<0.001) after 12 months. The median CRD of patients in the treatment group increased from 144 mg at baseline to 444 mg at Month 12, compared with no improvement in the placebo group.

There were no cases of severe anaphylaxis, and only four of 238 patients (1.7%) dropped out due to treatment-emergent adverse events. A low rate of treatment-related epinephrine use was reported (2.9% treatment group vs. 0.8% placebo group). Ten cases in eight Viaskin Peanut patients (3.4%) of possibly or probably treatment-related anaphylaxis occurred; all were classified as mild or moderate without evidence of cardiovascular, neurologic, or respiratory compromise. Six of these ten cases were treated with epinephrine, and five of the eight patients continued on Viaskin Peanut in the study.

About DBV TechnologiesDBV Technologies is developing Viaskin, an investigational proprietary technology platform with broad potential applications in immunotherapy. Viaskin is based on epicutaneous immunotherapy, or EPIT, DBVs method of delivering biologically active compounds to the immune system through intact skin. With this new class of self-administered and non-invasive product candidates, the Company is dedicated to safely transforming the care of food allergic patients, for whom there are no approved treatments. DBVs food allergies programs include ongoing clinical trials of Viaskin Peanut and Viaskin Milk, and preclinical development of Viaskin Egg. DBV is also pursuing a human proof-of-concept clinical trial of Viaskin Milk for the treatment of Eosinophilic Esophagitis, and exploring potential applications of its platform in vaccines and other immune diseases. DBV Technologies has global headquarters in Montrouge, France and offices in Bagneux, France, and North American operations in Summit, NJ and New York, NY. The Companys ordinary shares are traded on segment B of Euronext Paris (Ticker: DBV, ISIN code: FR0010417345), part of the SBF120 index, and the Companys ADSs (each representing one-half of one ordinary share) are traded on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (Ticker: DBVT).

Forward Looking StatementsThis press release contains forward-looking statements, including statements about the potential of the EPIT platform and Viaskin Peanut as a treatment for peanut-allergic children. These forward-looking statements are not promises or guarantees and involve substantial risks and uncertainties. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described or projected herein include risk associated with uncertainties associated generally with research and development, clinical trials and related regulatory reviews and approvals. A further list and description of these risks, uncertainties and other risks can be found in the Companys regulatory filings with the French Autorit des Marchs Financiers and U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including in the Companys Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2018. Existing and prospective investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof. The Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements as a result of new information, future events or circumstances, or otherwise, except as required by law.

DBV Investor Relations Contact Sara Blum ShermanSenior Director, Investor Relations & Strategy+1212-271-0740sara.sherman@dbv-technologies.com

DBV Media Contact Joe BeckerVP, Global Corporate Communications +1646-650-3912joseph.becker@dbv-technologies.com

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DBV Technologies Reports Positive Three-Year, Long-Term Data from the PEOPLE Phase III Open-Label Extension Study of Viaskin Peanut in Children with...