Michael W. Russell, professor emeritus in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at UB and the Department of Oral Biology in the School of Dental Medicine, has been awarded the distinction of fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Russell, whose specialty is mucosal immunology and vaccine development, was recognized for his novel approaches to mucosal immunization, and the induction and function of secretory and serum IgA antibodies, the AAAS said.

I was very pleased to receive this honor, and especially gratified by the citation for distinguished contributions to the field of mucosal immunology, which is the major discipline governing my research career for over 50 years, Russell said.

He was nominated by Thomas Van Dyke of the Forsyth Institute in Boston, who is a UB School of Dental Medicine alumnus.

Russell, who has been a member of the AAAS for 15 years, is one of 443 AAAS members elected as fellows this year. These individuals have attained this rank because of their efforts on behalf of the advancement of science, or its applications are scientifically and socially distinguished, the association said.

The new fellows were announced in the AAAS News & Notes section of the Nov. 28 issue of the journal Science.

The 2019 recipients will be recognized on Feb. 15 at the Fellows Forum during the AAAS Annual Meeting at the Washington State Convention Center in Seattle. They each will receive an official certificate and a gold and blue rosette pin. The two colors represent science and engineering, respectively.

The distinction of fellow is a lifetime honor. Fellows are expected to maintain the highest standards of professional ethics and scientific integrity.

Russell attended the University of Cambridge in England, where he studied natural sciences/biochemistry, and the University of Reading, also in England, where he studied microbiology. He was a postdoctoral research fellow at Guys Hospital Medical and Dental School in London. He held several positions at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and served as a visiting associate professor at the Royal Dental College in Aarhus, Denmark.

Russell began his career at UB in 2000. He retired in 2016. His research was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health from 1984 to 2013.

He has published 143 peer-reviewed research papers and reviews in scientific journals, and 90 book chapters and conference reports, and was an editor of the fourth edition of Mucosal Immunology (Academic Press/Elsevier, 2015). He and his colleagues have been awarded five patents.

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UB researcher named AAAS fellow - UB Now: News and views for UB faculty and staff - University at Buffalo Reporter

The research report Immunology Market Global Industry Analysis 2019 2025 offers precise analytical information about the Immunology market. The report identifies top players in the global market and divides the market into several parameters such as major drivers market strategies and imposing growth of the key players. Worldwide Immunology Industry also offers a granular study of the market dynamics, segmentation, revenue, share forecasts and allows you to make superior business decisions. The report serves imperative statistics on the market stature of the prominent manufacturers and is an important source of guidance and advice for companies and individuals involved in the Immunology industry.

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Food allergy refers to the bodys abnormal immune reaction to foods that would usually be harmless. In the case of food-allergic individuals, the immune system incorrectly identifies food proteins as harmful and launches an immune response to attack them. The severity of a reaction ranges from mild itchiness of the mouth, for example, through to severe and life-threatening anaphylaxis.

Image Credit: Evan Lorne / Shutterstock.com

According to estimates, 32 million Americans are living with a food allergy, 5.6 million of whom are children under the age of 18. Approximately 40% of food-allergic children are allergic to more than one food.

To help Americans avoid risky foods and allergic food reactions, the FDA enforced the Food Allergen Labeling and Consumer Protection Act of 2004, which requires that food labels name any major food allergens that are used to make the product.

While more than 170 foods have been recognized as reaction-inducing among people with an allergy, the eight most common allergenic foods recognized by the law are described below. These foods account for 90% of reactions and are often the foods from which other allergenic ingredients are derived.

Between 2% and 3% of children younger than three years of age are allergic to milk. Although experts used to think most infants would outgrow this allergy by the time they turned three, recent studies have shown that fewer than one-fifth outgrow it by age four. Still, approximately 80% of children are likely to have outgrown the allergy before the age of sixteen.

People who are allergic to cows milk may also be allergic to milk from other animals such as sheep and goats.

Milk allergy is not the same thing as lactose intolerance, which is very common. Lactose intolerance is the inability to digest the sugar in milk because some people lack the lactase enzyme. The associated discomfort and diarrhea are not an allergic reaction.

Egg allergy is the second most common food allergies among children in US, next to cows milk. The majority of children eventually outgrow the allergy. People who are allergic to chicken eggs may also be allergic to other types of eggs, such as duck, goose, or quail.

Eggs are an ingredient found in many foods, ranging from salad dressing, canned soups, and ice cream through to meat-based dishes such as meatballs and meatloaf. Even some egg substitutes on the market can contain egg protein. People with an egg allergy, therefore, need to be extremely vigilant about checking food labels and the ingredients in foods people have prepared for them.

Whether a person has an allergy to egg whites or egg yolks, they should avoid eggs altogether because it is impossible to ensure complete separation of egg white from egg yolk.

The estimated prevalence of finned fish allergy in the United States is 0.4%, and the allergy is usually lifelong. Around 40% of those with this allergy first experience a reaction to fish during adulthood. The most common culprits are salmon, tuna, and halibut. More than 50% of people who are allergic to one type of fish are also allergic to other types of fish. Finned fish allergy is not connected to shellfish allergy; having one of these allergies does not necessarily mean a person has both allergies. However, people who are allergic to fish should avoid seafood restaurants, where there is a high risk of cross-contact between finned fish and shellfish. Fish markets and any areas where fish are being cooked should be also be avoided.

Shellfish allergy most commonly arises during adulthood but is also the third most common allergy among children in the United States. About 60% of people with this allergy first experience a reaction as adults, and the allergy is usually lifelong.

There are two groups of shellfish: crustacea (e.g., shrimps, crabs and lobster) and mollusks (e.g., clams, mussels, and oysters). The crustacean allergies account for the greatest number of reactions, which tend to be severe. Many people with an allergy to crustacea can eat mollusks without experiencing any problems, but anyone with a specific shellfish allergy should consult an allergist before eating any other type of shellfish. Fish restaurants or markets where different types of shellfish are often stored together should be avoided.

Tree nut allergy affects about 1.1 % of children and 0.5 % of adults in the United States. It is the second leading cause of severe allergic food reactions, and the estimated prevalence of tree nut anaphylaxis (life-threatening reaction) among children is 0.25% to 0.95%

Allergies to tree nuts such as almonds, walnuts, or cashews usually last a lifetime, with fewer than 10% of people with a tree nut allergy outgrowing it.

People often confuse peanut allergy with a tree nut allergy, but peanuts are legumes that grow underground and not true nuts. However, studies show that up to 40% of people with a peanut allergy also react to at least one type of tree nut. People with a tree nut allergy do not need to avoid coconuts, which is a fruit rather than a nut, even though the FDA classifies coconut as a tree nut. Although coconut allergies have been recorded, most people with a tree nut allergy can safely eat coconuts.

An allergy to peanuts is among the most common food allergies found in children in the United States, and peanut is one of the food allergens most commonly associated with anaphylaxis. Since awareness about the number of peanut allergy cases reported has risen, many schools have chosen to be nut-free or have designated seating areas for children with peanut allergy to eat their meals so that they will not contact others food that may contain peanuts.

In 2017, the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Disease released updated guidelines about how to classify infants as high, moderate, or low risk for peanut allergy, as well as how to proceed with introducing peanuts to the diet based on the risk level.

Wheat allergy is most common in children, with prevalence amongst the United States pediatric population somewhere between 0.4% to 1.0%. Most children outgrow the allergy before they reach adulthood; one-third outgrow it by age four, and two-thirds outgrow it by age twelve.

Wheat is the most commonly produced grain in the United States. Children with a wheat allergy can still eat a wide variety of foods, but the source of grain must be something other than wheat, such as barley, corn, oat, rice, or rye.

As is the case with adults, soy allergy prevalence among children is the lowest of the eight major allergens. The allergy affects about 0.4% of children in the United States. Children often outgrow the allergy by the age of three, and the majority have usually outgrown it by the age of ten.

Soybeans are a member of the legume family, but being allergic to soy does not mean an increased risk of allergy to other legumes such as beans, peas, lentils, and peanuts.

Epidemiology of wheat allergy. Dr. Schr Institute. Available at: https://www.drschaer.com/us/institute/a/epidemiology-wheat-allergy

What You Need to Know about Food Allergies. U.S Food and Drug Administration. Available at: http://www.fda.gov/.../what-you-need-know-about-food-allergies

Food allergies: Understanding food labels. Mayo Clinic. Available at: http://www.mayoclinic.org/.../art-20045949

Facts and Statistics. FARE: Food Allergy Research & Education. Available at: http://www.foodallergy.org/.../facts-and-statistics

Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Public Declaration. EAACI: European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Available at: http://www.eaaci.org/.../...ergy&AnaphylaxisPublicDeclarationCombined.pdf

Warren, C et al. Prevalence and characteristics of adult shellfish allergy in the United States. The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 2019. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2019.07.031 Available at: https://www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(19)31027-9/abstract

All About Tree Nut Allergies. Allergic Living. Available at: http://www.allergicliving.com/2010/08/19/nut-main-about-tree-nut-allergy/

Allergy Prevalence: Useful facts and figures. Allergy UK. Available at: http://www.allergyuk.org/.../Stats_for_Website_original.pdf?1505209830

Soy Allergy. FARE: Food Allergy Research & Education. Available at: https://www.foodallergy.org/common-allergens/soy-allergy

Wheat Allergy. FARE: Food Allergy Research & Education. Available at: https://www.foodallergy.org/common-allergens/wheat-allergy

Shellfish allergy. FARE: Food Allergy Research & Education. Available at: https://www.foodallergy.org/common-allergens/shellfish-allergy

Fish Allergy. FARE: Food Allergy Research & Education. Available at: https://www.foodallergy.org/common-allergens/fish-allergy

Wheat Allergy. Mayo Clinic. Available at: http://www.mayoclinic.org/.../syc-20378897

Egg Allergy. Mayo Clinic. Available at: http://www.mayoclinic.org/.../syc-20372115

Peanut Allergy. American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Available at: acaai.org/.../peanut-allergy

Tree nut Allergy. American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Available at: acaai.org/.../tree-nut-allergy

Shellfish Allergy. American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Available at: acaai.org/.../shellfish-allergy

Milk & Dairy Allergy. American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Available at: acaai.org/.../milk-dairy-allergy

Egg allergy. American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Available at: acaai.org/.../egg-allergy

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Most Common Food Allergies in the USA - News-Medical.net

Wonder Drake of Vanderbilt University in Nashvillein her lab with some of the students she supports through the National Institutes of Healths diversity supplements

By Jeffrey MervisDec. 13, 2019 , 4:10 PM

Wonder Drake knows how being poor can hinder someones dream of becoming a biomedical researcher.

Raised in rural Alabama by a single mother who never graduated from high school, Drake overcame those obstacles by finding mentors willing to take her under their wing. Now a professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Drake has repeatedly returned that favor by participating in a National Institutes of Health (NIH) program aimed at improving the diversity of the biomedical workforce.

Under the program, NIH grantees such as Drake can win additional funding, called diversity supplements, to aid students from one of several groups underrepresented in biomedical research. Some 90% of the awards made in 2018 serve students who are Hispanic or African American, whereasfewer than 1% of investigators cite the category of economically disadvantaged when applying for a diversity supplement.

NIH officials think that tiny slice should be bigger. So last month, the agency tweaked its definition of the word disadvantaged in hopes that the diversity supplements would serve a broader swath of that population.

Diversity supplements can be used to support students from high school through postdoctoral training. NIHs previous definition of disadvantaged referred to students whose pursuit of a research career was hampered by living in an educational environment such as those found in certain rural or inner-city environments. But that language may have confused people, says Michael Lauer, who leads NIHs office of extramural research. What does [that] mean? Lauer asked in a 26 November blog announcing the change, adding that the phrase is nearly impossible to evaluate.

NIHs new definition of disadvantagedwhich applies to all of the agencys programs meant to foster diversityhas seven components. A person is eligible if they have been homeless, or qualified for a free or reduced-priced lunch in elementary or high school, or if they meet the income level requirements to receive a federal Pell grant to help finance their college education. NIH also invites in those who were in foster care, whose parents never graduated from college, or who grew up in a rural area or a region with a shortage of health professionals.

We wanted to make it easy for students to self-identify while not being overly redundant, says Jon Lorsch, director of the National Institute of General Medical Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, the hub of NIHs diversity activities. The goal of the supplements remains the same, he says: helping students overcome barriers caused by their low economic status.

Drake, for one, applauds NIHs move. The new definition may attract more students who are immigrants, or poor Caucasians, she speculates. Just think how useful their input would be in finding solutions to the opioid crisis, which is ravaging so many low-income communities.

Drake notes that she would have met several of the new eligibility criteria when she was a student. I certainly grew up disadvantaged, she says. She is also African American, so she would have qualified in that category as well.

Drake, who has received many diversity supplements, typically chooses students from a racial or ethnic minority because its obvious. Students of color at Vanderbilt who want a research experience tend to seek her out, Drake adds.

But she also contacts nearby institutions that educate large numbers of students who fit NIHs definition of diversity. I call up the chair of the basic science department and I tell them, I need your best student, she says. Then I give them the chance to see what its like to be a scientist. The goal is to have them complete a research project over the summer, she says, and then present a poster session at a scientific conference.

The new definition of disadvantaged could help more students tap into such experiences. And Drake says, Based on my experience, the economically disadvantaged students are sometimes the most talented because they have had to overcome so much adversity.

A National Institutes of Health diversity program helped Matthew Bruce begin to trainfor a career as a biomedical researcher after he spent 4 years in prison for armed robbery.

Some diversity experts fear eligible students could shy away from identifying themselves as economically disadvantaged because of the stigma associated with the term. I was a single mother on Medicaid and food stamps during part of my student years, and also the first in my family to go to college, but I never thought of it as being a disadvantage, says a researcher who has led diversity efforts at her institution. I am also averse to playing the hardship card.

But others arent too worried. I think that students with the potential to succeed in graduate school would not be dissuaded, says Jacqueline Tanaka, a professor emeritus of biology at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and former director of its Minority Access to Research Careers (MARC) program, one of NIHs longest running diversity initiatives. They are probably already carrying a lot of student debt, and this is an opportunity to get the type of research experience they need to move ahead.

In fact, Tanaka would like to see NIH broaden the definition even more to include students with backgrounds like that of Matthew Bruce, now a third-year graduate student in immunology at the University of California, Davis. In 2008, Bruce used a gun to rob a convenience store for money to support his drug habit. A few months, later he turned himself in, pleaded guilty, and served 4 years in a Pennsylvania state prison.

After his release, Bruce juggled work and a full load of courses at a local community college before transferring to Temple. There, Tanaka recruited him to the MARC program, which offers high-achieving, upper-level undergraduate students the type of research experiences they need to get into a good graduate program, the first rung on an academic career.

It may sound corny, Bruce says, but being in the MARC program was everything to me. I was feeling the imposter syndrome times 100, he says about the well-documented phenomenon of students from disadvantaged backgrounds underestimating their ability to make it in science.

I didnt come from the same background as my peers, and I hadnt really paid much attention in school [because of his drug dependency], Bruce continues. When Dr. Tanaka told me that, as a scientist, I would essentially get paid to solve problems, I said, That sounds phenomenal. Sign me up. In 2017 he graduated from Temple with a near-perfect academic record.

Bruce grew up in rural Pennsylvania, was the first in his family to attend college, and received a Pell grant, so he would likely qualify as disadvantaged under NIHs new definition. But what really sold Tanaka on Bruce was how he had overcome a huge obstacleincarcerationthat is not included in the definition.

Lorsch saysNIH is open to further revisions of the criteria for disadvantaged. Our goal is to give students as many on-ramps as possible, he says.

And money is not an impediment. Lorsch estimates that NIH could, without straining its budget, accommodate a 10-fold increase in the number of supplement applications that cite the disadvantaged category; in 2018 there were fewer than 11 such applications.

Given that NIH funds nearly two-thirds of the proposals it receives for diversity supplements, Drake doesnt understand why more of her colleagues dont apply. I think [the diversity supplements] are one of the best-kept secrets at NIH, she says. And were doing everything we can at [Vanderbilt] to spread the word.

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NIH clarifies meaning of 'disadvantaged' in bid to boost diversity in science - Science Magazine

On 9 December, 1979, health officials declared smallpox as the first and only human disease to be eradicated in what is considered the greatest achievement of modern medicine. Four decades on, the U.S. and Russia still maintain samples of the potentially deadly virus, and the debate on whether they should be kept or destroyed rages on.

We don't know where smallpox came from. But the infectionwhich is caused by two related variola virusesis thought to date back to the Egyptian Empire in the 3rd Century BCE, with its pustules found on the head of the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses V. Trade and the expansion of civilizations helped the disease, found only in humans, spread. Characterized by symptoms including a fever, a widespread rash of fluid-filled blisters, vomiting and diarrhea, smallpox is estimated to have killed as many as 300 million people in the 20th century alone.

Following a failed attempt to wipe out the disease in 1959, efforts were renewed in 1967. Thanks to a worldwide vaccination program, the last person to ever be naturally infected by smallpox fell ill in Somalia, on October 12, 1977. By 9 December, 1979, the WHO had concluded the virus had been eradicated worldwide. And on May 8, 1980, the 33rd World Health Assemblythrough which the World Health Organization is governed by its member statesdeclared the world free of smallpox. Amid the Cold War, the body decided it would be wise to have two smallpox repositories in the West and one in the Soviet Bloc, in the interests of political neutrality.

To this day, only two remaining stocks of the variola virus are known to exist. They are kept under high-security conditions at a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention laboratory in Atlanta, and at Russia's State Research Centre of Virology and Biotechnology (Vector) in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk. Everything known about their location is in the public domain except for the exact rooms and freezers where the samples are kept, David Relman, professor of microbiology and immunology at Stanford University, told Newsweek.

Experts agreed on keeping the virus in case the disease reappears, and in order to help to improve vaccines, create treatments, antivirals and improve diagnostics methods. Any work on variola must be pre-approved by the World Health Organization, which takes inventories on samples every year, and inspects the labs biennially.

Until these objectives are met, the World Health Organization agrees the stocks should not be destroyed. Professor Grant McFadden, director of the Biodesign Center for Immunotherapy, Vaccines, and Virotherapy at Arizona State University, told Newsweek: "There remains debate about how close each of these goals is to completion."

So far, the decision to retain the samples has been somewhat fruitful. In 2018, for instance, the FDA approved the first drug that it believes could treat smallpox. Following a meeting in September 2018, members of the WHO's Advisory Committee on Variola Virus Research were divided, but once again concluded the repositories are still needed to develop an antiviral drug different from the one approved by the FDA.

While some argue the aims of the research agenda have been essentially achieved, McFadden said, others point to the fact only one new drug is now available, the animal models to test the new vaccines are currently inadequate, and the new generation of diagnostics remain unproven, he said.

The virus is needed to test the efficacy of new vaccines and drugs, David Relman, professor of microbiology and immunology at Stanford University, told Newsweek. "And chemical synthesis of the virus, in the event of destruction and then unexpected re-emergence and the need for new testing with the virus, would take too long," he said.

But what ifothers arguethe virus was released by accident, or on purpose? As people are no longer vaccinated against smallpox, this could potentially spark a large and deadly epidemic or pandemic, Amesh A. Adalja, a senior scholar at Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told Newsweek. Its potential as a tool of bioterrorism adds another layer to the controversial question of smallpox stock retention.

Concerning incidents have reignited the debate over the years. Previously unknown smallpox vials were found in an FDA building at the NIH Bethesda campus back in 2014. Last year, biosecurity experts feared the publication of a study that detailed the replication of the horsepox virus could provide terrorists with a recipe for making a pathogen that causes smallpox. And in September of this year, an explosion occurred at the Vector lab, (during which the smallpox samples were unscathed).

Relman told Newsweek that while he believes it is safe, but "not foolproof," to keep the repositories, he is "much more worried about the re-synthesis of smallpox from chemicals in the library and re-booting the virus with methods that have now been published."

McFadden is also concerned by that prospect, as well as the potential existence of any undeclared stocks.

For Adalja, the time has come to get rid of smallpox once and for all. "The virus should be destroyed," he said. "As time passes, the initial reason for keeping viable virus has less support."

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"In 2019, we now have achieved most of those milestones so it has become increasingly unnecessary to keep viable virus, especially since its genetic sequence is known and the virus could be recreated if needed," he argued.

"Keeping the viable stocks and working with them could lead to laboratory accidents with resultant infection and spread. The stocks could also be misused or fall into the wrong hands and be used nefariously," Adalja said.

Relman countered that in his view, the arguments for retention are stronger than the arguments for destruction. Not until re-synthesis can happen overnight and is reliable "will the balance of the arguments shift, and by then, by definition, we're back to the same or greater danger despite destruction," he said.

McFadden, meanwhile, said remains agnostic on the issue. "A great deal has been achieved on the original research goals, but the argument that more remains to be done is hard to refute," he said.

"I believe that a fully unanimous opinion of the research community and public health experts familiar with variola virus will be hard to achieve in the near future, and so the destruction decision will need to be political," he said. "It is important to have these debates about whether mankind should deliberately eliminate feared pathogens, or study them."

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Smallpox Was Eradicated 40 Years Ago, So Why Are the U.S. and Russia Still Holding Stocks of the Virus? - Newsweek

Viral and bacterial infections are not the only causes of inflammation of body tissue. It has been known for some time that certain fat molecules in our bloodstream can also trigger an inflammatory response. Patients with higher levels of these fats in their blood have a significantly greater chance of dying early from kidney damage or vascular disease. This causal link has now been clearly demonstrated by an international team of researchers led by Dr. Timo Speer of Saarland University.

The research team was able to show how these fat molecules interact with body cells and how they can mobilize the body's own immune system to damaging effect. The study's findings have now been published in the highly respected medical journal 'Nature Immunology'.

Doctors interested in ways to minimize the risk of cardiovascular disease have long had blood cholesterol levels in their sights. But other types of blood fats (also known as 'lipids') can also be damaging to health.

Our work has involved studying a special group of lipids, the triglycerides. We've been able to show that when these naturally occurring fats are present at elevated concentrations they can alter our defense cells in such a way that the body reacts as if responding to a bacterial infection. This leads to inflammation, which, if it becomes chronic, can damage the kidneys or cause atherosclerosis - the narrowing of arteries due to a build up of deposits on the inner arterial wall. And atherosclerosis is one of the main causes of heart attacks and strokes."

Timo Speer, Saarland University

Speer, who has doctorates in medicine as well as biology, is the lead author of the work just published in Nature Immunology.

The large-scale study was able to demonstrate that patients with elevated levels of triglycerides in their blood had a significantly higher mortality rate than comparison groups with a similar health history. 'Put another way, we can now say that adopting a low-fat diet can significantly extend the life expectancy of high-risk patients, such as those with diabetes or those whose blood pressure is too high,' says Timo Speer. Blood triglyceride levels rise substantially in people who eat a high-fat diet. 'As a result of biochemical changes, the triglycerides develop toxic properties that activate the body's innate immune system. This initiates a series of self-destructive processes including those in which the walls of the arteries are attacked and the blood vessels become occluded, reducing blood flow,' explains Speer. The study has established a definitive link between the chronic inflammation triggered by an elevated triglyceride concentration in the blood and secondary diseases such as kidney failure or heart attack. 'We hope that our results will help in developing new strategies for treating and preventing these life-threatening diseases,' says Timo Speer.

The publication in Nature Immunology is one of the results of the diverse range of scientific investigations being carried out as part of a Transregional Collaborative Research Centre between Saarland University and RWTH Aachen University. The focus of the work performed within the Collaborative Research Centre is to discover which cardiac and vascular diseases can be caused by chronic kidney disease. The German Research Foundation (DFG) is funding this major research programme with ten million euros over a three-year period. Timo Speer is the lead researcher for one the research projects. He is also a senior physician at Saarland University Hospital and laboratory director for experimental and translational nephrology.

Source:

Journal reference:

Zewinger, S., et al. (2019) Apolipoprotein C3 induces inflammation and organ damage by alternative inflammasome activation. Nature Immunology. doi.org/10.1038/s41590-019-0548-1.

Posted in: Medical Science News | Medical Research News | Medical Condition News

Tags: Apolipoprotein, Atherosclerosis, Blood, Blood Pressure, Blood Vessels, Cardiovascular Disease, Cholesterol, Chronic Kidney Disease, Diabetes, Diet, Heart, Heart Attack, Hospital, Immune System, Immunology, Inflammasome, Inflammation, Kidney, Kidney Disease, Kidney Failure, Laboratory, Life Expectancy, Lipids, Medicine, Mortality, Nephrology, Research, Triglyceride, Vascular

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Research shows how high levels of blood fat induce inflammation and organ damage - News-Medical.net

La Jolla, California-based immunology specialist Equillium has inked a deal with Biocon, expanding an existing collaboration and license agreement.

The deal builds on the firms research into Biocons novel biologic itolizumab, granting Equillium exclusive rights for developing and commercializing the candidate in Australia and New Zealand. The firm secured rights to the US and Canadian markets in May 2017.

Itolizumab is a novel first-in-class humanized anti-CD6 monoclonal antibody, which Biocon developed and launched in India under the brand name Alzumab, to treat moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in 2013.

The firms are working to develop the candidate for a wide range of autoimmune disorders.

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BRIEFEquillium and Biocon expand itolizumab deal - The Pharma Letter

Illinois-based AbbVie and La Jolla, California-based The Scripps Research Institute entered into a broad research collaboration in oncology, immunology, neurology and fibrosis.

Based on our strong switchable CAR-T alliance launched in 2018, we feel the expanded relationship with AbbVie represents a robust path forward for some of our programs, complementing a diverse ecosystem of innovation weve created over the past several years at Scripps to advance life-changing therapies, said Peter Schultz, chief executive officer of Scripps Research and Calibr, its drug discovery division.

Under the terms of the 2018 agreement, AbbVie paid Calibr an upfront license fee and picked up exclusive access to Calibrs switchable CAR-T platform for up to four years. The plan was to develop T-cell therapies against solid tumor targets chosen by AbbVie. AbbVie had the option to develop more cell therapies toward its targets and license existing Calibr cell therapy programs in hematological and solid cancers, including Calibrs lead programs.

In the new collaboration, in addition to the initial programs, Scripps will offer AbbVie a certain number of preclinical programs each year to be included in the partnership. They will work together in parallel to advance CD3 bispecifics against cancer targets picked by AbbVie

Under the terms of the deal, Scripps will run preclinical R&D, and in some cases, Phase I clinical trials. AbbVie will have an exclusive option to continue development and possible commercialization activities.

Once AbbVie chooses to exercise its option on any given program, it will pay Scripps additional payments that include option exercise fees, success-based development and commercial milestone payments, and tiered royalties. At hitting a milestone, AbbVie will make an undisclosed upfront payment as well as near-term milestone payments.

The best way to develop transformational medicines is through collaborations that bring together the brightest minds, said Mohit Trikha, vice president and head of oncology early development at AbbVie. This partnership with Scripps Research will collaboratively advance next generation programs, build stronger relationships with proven and emerging scientific leaders, and most importantly help us advance novel medicines for patients.

Trikha added, We are eager to partner with Scripps on these assets as they enter the clinic over the next few years as Scripps has one of the strongest track records of any academic institution when it comes to advancing novel medicines for patients.

Although neither organization released financial terms, they did say the partnership requires antitrust review. Under the law, reports The San Diego Union-Tribune, antitrust review has to be conducted for deals exceeding $84.4 million.

The Tribune notes, A deal of that size will bolster the La Jolla biomedical science institutes troubled finances for several years, and perhaps much longer. And if approved cancer therapies result, the payout could be gigantic.

The early work will be on an immuno-oncology treatment for lymphoma, which Calibr plans to launch in the clinic in 2020.

What were developing is a fully controllable, universal switchable CAR-T cell platform that allows a physician fine control over the activation and specificity of the CAR-T cells, Travis Young, director of protein sciences at Calibr told The Tribune.

At the moment, there are two CAR-T products approved, Novartis Kymriah and Gilead Sciences Yescarta. Both are quite effective in certain patient populations, but the process is expensive and time-consuming, requiring immune cells be collected from the patient, engineered to focus on the patients specific cancer, then be infused back into the patient. A number of companies are working on off-the-shelf CAR-T, that would not require the specific engineering catered to each patient.

CAR-T and other immunotherapy approaches also have high risks of immune reactions, although Novartis and Gilead have both developed protocols for minimizing or dealing with them. Scripps argues that their type of CAR-T improves over these, particularly in terms of safety, convenience and versatility.

These antibody-based switches bridge the CAR-T cells to the target cell. And so, by forming that bridge, they develop an immunological synapse, which redirects the CARs very specifically towards the target cells, said Young.

They also claim they can control the intensity of the response by varying the number of antibodies infused, would should minimize the adverse immune reactions.

The Tribune notes that in recent years Scripps has reported annual deficits that have hit as high as $20 million. The company currently has a drug in early clinical trials for osteoarthritis and is prepping another for prostate cancer, which it is hoping to partner with a company for commercialization.

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AbbVie and Scripps Research Enter Research Partnership in Cancer, Immunology, Neurology and Fibrosis - BioSpace

Chase Burton, Mee Y Bartee, Eric Bartee

Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC, USA

Correspondence: Eric BarteeDepartment of Microbiology and Immunology, Medical University of South Carolina, 173 Ashley Ave, Charleston, SC, USAEmail bartee@musc.edu

Introduction: Cancer has become one of the most critical health issues of modern times. To overcome the ineffectiveness of current treatment options, research is being done to explore new therapeutic modalities. One such novel treatment is oncolytic virotherapy (OV) which uses tumor tropic viruses to specifically target and kill malignant cells. While OV has shown significant promise in recent clinical trials, the therapeutic use of viruses poses a number of unique challenges. In particular, obtaining effective viral spread throughout the tumor microenvironment remains problematic. Previous work has suggested this can be overcome by forcing oncolytic viruses to induce syncytia formation.Methods: In the current work, we generated a series of recombinant myxoma viruses expressing exogenous fusion proteins from other viral genomes and examined their therapeutic potential in vitro and in vivo.Results: Similar to previous studies, we observed that the expression of these fusion proteins during myxoma infection induced the formation of multinucleated syncytia which increased viral spread and lytic potential compared to non-fusogenic controls. Contrary to expectations, however, the treatment of established tumors with these viruses resulted in decreased therapeutic efficacy which corresponded with reduced viral persistence.Discussion: These findings indicate that enhanced viral spread caused by syncytia formation can actually reduce the efficacy of OV and supports a number of previous works suggesting that the in vitro properties of viruses frequently fail to predict their in vivo efficacy.

Keywords: myxoma virus, syncytia, fusogenic, oncolytic virotherapy, lung cancer

This work is published and licensed by Dove Medical Press Limited. The full terms of this license are available at https://www.dovepress.com/terms.php and incorporate the Creative Commons Attribution - Non Commercial (unported, v3.0) License.By accessing the work you hereby accept the Terms. Non-commercial uses of the work are permitted without any further permission from Dove Medical Press Limited, provided the work is properly attributed. For permission for commercial use of this work, please see paragraphs 4.2 and 5 of our Terms.

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Impact of Induced Syncytia Formation on the Oncolytic Potential of Myx | OV - Dove Medical Press

CHICAGO, Dec. 9, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Advaite Inc., a Chicago, IL based oncology-focused biotech company developing novel therapeutics and diagnostics to help patients suffering from debilitating diseases, has announced that it has entered into an exclusive license option agreement with the George Washington University with respect to the intellectual property of a novel AMES Negative HDAC6 inhibitor. Histone Deacetylases modulate a multitude of cellular processes and are part of the regulation of cellular pathways involved in anti-tumor immunologic responses. Selective inhibition of HDAC6 slows tumor growth in various cancer models. Under terms of this agreement, Advaite has the option to exclusively license intellectual property covering methods of use and pharmaceutical compositions.

"We look forward to future success by advancing the development of this novel HDAC6 inhibitor to treat a multitude of cancers, to ease suffering and extend life. This epigenetic regulator can have a potentially enormous therapeutic effect on patients who continue to suffer from debilitating cancer, as there is a great need for therapies that deliver an effective response, and specifically ones which are not limited by their toxicity profile. George Washington University's expertise with HDACs provide a perfect relationship for Advaite to advance truly viable, state of the art, impactful technology," said Karthik Musunuri, CEO & Co-Founder of Advaite.

"The quest for newer and more effective ways of treating cancer has now led to an extensive focus on the involvement of the immune system and its capacity to recognize and engage tumor cells. Recent findings from several research groups have demonstrated that ultra-selective HDAC6 inhibitors have the unique capacity of remodeling of the cellular composition of tumors, favoring the recognition and killing of cancer cells by the immune system. Our novel HDAC6 inhibitor has shown to have reduced toxic effects, thus clearly differentiating from previous HDAC inhibitors used in the clinic," said Alejandro Villagra, Ph.D., Member of the Immunology and Microbial Oncology Research Program at the GW Cancer Center and Assistant Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences.

About Advaite

Advaite Inc. is a biotech company focused on developing novel therapeutics and diagnostics to help patients suffering from a variety of debilitating diseases, primarily within the oncology space. Advaite strives to maintain a patient centric approach in developing healthcare innovations. For more information, please visit http://www.advaite.com.

Forward Looking Statement

This press release includes statements that are "forward-looking statements," within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. While Advaite has based any forward looking statements contained herein on its current expectations, the information on which such expectations were based may change. These forward-looking statements rely on a number of assumptions concerning future events and are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties, and other factors, many of which are outside ofAdvaite's control.

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SOURCE Advaite Inc.

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Advaite Inc. Enters into Exclusive License Option Agreement with the George Washington University for Novel AMES Negative HDAC6 Inhibitor Technology -...