Category Archives: Immunology

IMMUNOLOGY 2017 May 12 16, 2017 | Washington, D.C.

March 24, 2017 student

Development of Inexpensive Multiplex Immunoassays: Assessment of Food Allergens in Plasma

1:45 AM 2:30 PM EXHIBITOR WORKSHOP ROOM 2 SCIENION US, Inc.

Presenter:

Attack by foreign substances, such as allergens, triggers a cascade of events, in which IgE is a first responder. An allergic reaction to certain foods, e.g., shellfish or peanuts, can elicit a response within minutes of ingestion. There are also more subtle responses, such as IgG, which remains in the bloodstream for an extended period, and is monitored to assess this delayed response. Th2 cytokines are involved in the humoral response, leading to the production ofIgE antibodies. Other cytokines, such as IL-25, are also involved in the induction of Th2 responses. In this study, a microplate-based microarray of allergenic proteins from food sources was constructed together with antibodies to measure inflammatory cytokines. Plasma from patients with known food allergy was assessed for specific IgG subclasses, specific IgE, and Th2 cytokine levels. Quantitative multiplex immunoassays were performed, and resulted in bright and colorful spots. The plates were analyzed using a novel colorimetric microplate imaging reader (sciREADER CL2, Scienion).

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IMMUNOLOGY 2017 May 12 16, 2017 | Washington, D.C.

Immunology

Immunology Conference | Immunology Meeting 2017 | Malaysia | Asia

March 24, 2017 medical

Scientific Sessions

Session Tracks

Conference Series invites all the participants from all over the world to attend"9th Annual Meeting on Immunology and Immunologist, July 03-04, 2017 Kuala Lumpur,Malaysiaincludesprompt keynote presentations, Oral talks, Poster presentations and Exhibitions.

TheImmunology conferencesdeals with the major branches like Classical immunology, Clinical immunology, Osteoimmunology,Medicine immunology, Tissue-based immunology. It will broadly classify the cells of immune system, autoimmune diseases, antigen-antibody reactions, T cell development, B cell development, cytokines etc. Immunology has applications in numerous disciplines of medicine, particularly in the fields of organ transplantation,oncology, virology, bacteriology, parasitology, psychiatry, and dermatology. Immunologists employed by universities work in virtually every life science department or division conducting research to increase our understanding of the immune system.

Track:1Cellular Immunology

The study of the molecular and cellular components that comprise the immune system, including their function and interaction, is the central science ofimmunology. The immune system has been divided into a more primitive innate immune system and, in vertebrates, an acquired oradaptive immune system

The field concerning the interactions among cells and molecules of the immunesystem,and how such interactions contribute to the recognition and elimination of pathogens. Humans possess a range of non-specific mechanical and biochemical defences against routinely encountered bacteria, parasites, viruses, and fungi. The skin, for example, is an effective physical barrier to infection. Basic chemical defences are also present in blood, saliva, and tears, and on mucous membranes. True protection stems from the host's ability to mount responses targeted to specific organisms, and to retain a form of memory that results in a rapid, efficient response to a given organism upon a repeat encounter. This more formal sense of immunity, termed adaptive immunity, depends upon the coordinated activities of cells and molecules of the immune system.

Related:Immunology Conferences|Immunologists Meetings|ConferenceSeries Ltd

2nd InternationalConference on Antibodiesand Therapeutics, July 11-12, 2016 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; 5thEuropean Immunology Conferences, July 21-23, 2016 Berlin, Germany; 7th InternationalConference on Allergy, Asthma and Clinical Immunology, September 14-15, 2016 Amsterdam, Netherlands; 2nd internationalconference on innate immunity, July 21-22, 2016, Germany; InternationalConference on Autoimmunity, October 13-14, 2016 Manchester, UK;Immunology 2016, American Association of Immunologists, Annual MeetingMay 13-17, Los Angeles, USA Immunology Conferences;InternationalConference onMucosalImmunology, July 28-29, 2016, Australia;International Congress of Immunology

Track: 2Inflammatory/Autoimmune Diseases

Autoimmune diseasescan affect almost any part of the body, including the heart, brain, nerves, muscles, skin, eyes, joints, lungs, kidneys, glands, the digestive tract, and blood vessels.

The classic sign of an autoimmune disease is inflammation, which can cause redness, heat, pain, and swelling. How an autoimmune disease affects you depends on what part of the body is targeted. If the disease affects the joints, as inrheumatoid arthritis, you might have joint pain, stiffness, and loss of function. If it affects the thyroid, as in Graves disease and thyroiditis, it might cause tiredness, weight gain, and muscle aches. If it attacks the skin, as it does in scleroderma/systemic sclerosis, vitiligo, andsystemic lupus erythematosus(SLE), it can cause rashes, blisters, and colour changes. Many autoimmune diseases dont restrict themselves to one part of the body. For example, SLE can affect the skin, joints, kidneys, heart, nerves, blood vessels, and more. Type 1 diabetes can affect your glands, eyes, kidneys, muscles, and more.

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Track: 3T-Cells and B-Cells

T cell: A type of white blood cell that is of key importance to the immune system and is at the core of adaptive immunity, the system that tailors the body's immune response to specific pathogens. The T cells are like soldiers who search out and destroy the targeted invaders. Immature T cells (termed T-stem cells) migrate to the thymus gland in the neck, where they mature and differentiate into various types of mature T cells and become active in the immune system in response to a hormone called thymosin and other factors. T-cells that are potentially activated against the body's own tissues are normally killed or changed ("down-regulated") during this maturational process.There are several different types of mature T cells. Not all of their functions are known. T cells can produce substances called cytokines such as the interleukins which further stimulate the immune response. T-cell activation is measured as a way to assess the health of patients withHIV/AIDSand less frequently in other disorders. T cell are also known as T lymphocytes. The "T" stands for "thymus" -- the organ in which these cells mature. As opposed to B cells which mature in the bone marrow.B cells, also known asBlymphocytes, are a type of white bloodcellof the lymphocyte subtype. They function in thehumoral immunitycomponent of the adaptive immune system by secreting antibodies. Many B cells mature into what are called plasma cells that produce antibodies (proteins) necessary to fight off infections while other B cells mature into memory B cells. All of the plasma cells descended from a single B cell produce the same antibody which is directed against the antigen that stimulated it to mature. The same principle holds with memory B cells. Thus, all of the plasma cells and memory cells "remember" the stimulus that led to their formation. The maturation of B cells takes place in birds in an organ called the bursa of Fabricus. B cells in mammals mature largely in the bone marrow. The B cell, or B lymphocyte, is thus an immunologically important cell. It is not thymus-dependent, has a short lifespan, and is responsible for the production ofimmunoglobulins.It expresses immunoglobulins on its surface.

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.http://annualmeeting.conferenceseries.com/immunologist/

Track: 4Cancer and Tumor Immunobiology

The tumour is an important aspect of cancer biology that contributes to tumour initiation, tumour progression and responses to therapy. Cells and molecules of the immune system are a fundamental component of the tumour microenvironment. Importantly,therapeutic strategies for cancer treatmentcan harness the immune system to specifically target tumour cells and this is particularly appealing owing to the possibility of inducing tumour-specific immunological memory, which might cause long-lasting regression and prevent relapse in cancer patients.The composition and characteristics of the tumour microenvironment vary widely and are important in determining the anti-tumour immune response.Immunotherapyis a new class ofcancer treatmentthat works to harness the innate powers of the immune system to fight cancer. Because of the immune system's unique properties, these therapies may hold greater potential than current treatment approaches to fight cancer more powerfully, to offer longer-term protection against the disease, to come with fewer side effects, and to benefit more patients with more cancer

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Track: 5 Vaccines

A vaccine is a biological preparation that improves immunity to a particular disease. A vaccine typically contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism, and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe, its toxins or one of its surface proteins. The agent stimulates the body's immune system to recognize the agent as foreign, destroy it, and "remember" it, so that the immune system can more easily recognize and destroy any of these microorganisms that it later encounters. There are two basictypes of vaccines: live attenuated and inactivated. The characteristics of live and inactivatedvaccinesare different, and these characteristics determine how thevaccineis used. Liveattenuatedvaccinesare produced by modifying a disease-producing (wild) virus or bacteria in a laboratory.

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Track: 6Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy,also called biologic therapy, is a type of cancer treatment designed to boost the body's natural defences to fight the cancer. It uses materials either made by the body or in a laboratory to improve, target, or restore immune system function. Immunotherapy is treatment that uses certain parts of a persons immune system to fight diseases such as cancer. This can be done in a couple of ways:1)Stimulating your own immune system to work harder or smarter to attack cancer cells2)Giving you immune system components, such as man-made immune system proteins. Some types of immunotherapy are also sometimes called biologic therapy or biotherapy.

In the last few decadesimmunotherapyhas become an important part of treating some types of cancer. Newer types of immune treatments are now being studied, and theyll impact how we treat cancer in the future. Immunotherapy includes treatments that work in different ways. Some boost the bodys immune system in a very general way. Others help train the immune system to attack cancer cells specifically. Immunotherapy works better for some types of cancer than for others. Its used by itself for some of these cancers, but for others it seems to work better when used with other types of treatment.

Many different types of immunotherapy are used to treat cancer. They include:Monoclonal antibodies,Adoptive cell transfer,Cytokines, Treatment Vaccines, BCG,

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Track: 7Neuro Immunology

Neuroimmunology, a branch of immunologythat deals especially with the inter relationships of the nervous system and immune responses andautoimmune disorders. It deals with particularly fundamental and appliedneurobiology,meetings onneurology,neuropathology, neurochemistry,neurovirology, neuroendocrinology, neuromuscular research,neuropharmacologyand psychology, which involve either immunologic methodology (e.g. immunocytochemistry) or fundamental immunology (e.g. antibody and lymphocyte assays).

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Track: 8Infectious Diseases and Immune System

Infectious diseases are caused by pathogenic microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, parasites or fungi; the diseases can be spread, directly or indirectly, from one person to another.Zoonotic diseasesare infectious diseases of animals that can cause disease when transmitted to humans. Some infectious diseases can be passed from person to person. Some are transmitted by bites from insects or animals. And others are acquired by ingesting contaminated food or water or being exposed to organisms in the environment. Signs and symptoms vary depending on the organism causing the infection, but often include fever and fatigue. Mild complaints may respond to rest and home remedies, while some life-threatening infections may require hospitalization.

Many infectious diseases, such as measles andchickenpox, can be prevented by vaccines. Frequent and thorough hand-washing also helps protect you from infectious diseases

There are four main kinds of germs:

Bacteria - one-celled germs that multiply quickly and may release chemicals which can make you sick

Viruses - capsules that contain genetic material, and use your own cells to multiply

Fungi - primitive plants, like mushrooms or mildew

Protozoa - one-celled animals that use other living things for food and a place to live

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Track: 9Reproductive Immunology,

Reproductive immunologyrefers to a field of medicine that studies interactions (or the absence of them) between the immune system and components related to thereproductivesystem, such as maternal immune tolerance towards the fetus, orimmunologicalinteractions across the blood-testis barrier. The immune system refers to all parts of the body that work to defend it against harmful enemies. In people with immunological fertility problems their body identifies part of reproductive function as an enemy and sendsNatural Killer (NK) cellsto attack. A healthy immune response would only identify an enemy correctly and attack only foreign invaders such as a virus, parasite, bacteria, ect.

The concept of reproductive immunology is not widely accepted by all physicians.Those patients who have had repeated miscarriages and multiple failed IVF's find themselves exploring it's possibilities as the reason. With an increased amount of success among treating any potential immunological factors, the idea of reproductive immunology can no longer be overlooked.The failure to conceive is often due to immunologic problems that can lead to very early rejection of the embryo, often before the pregnancy can be detected by even the most sensitive tests. Women can often produce perfectly healthy embryos that are lost through repeated "mini miscarriages." This most commonly occurs in women who have conditions such asendometriosis, an under-active thyroid gland or in cases of so called "unexplained infertility." It has been estimated that an immune factor may be involved in up to 20% of couples with otherwiseunexplained infertility. These are all conditions where abnormalities of the womans immune system may play an important role.

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Track:10Auto Immunity,

Autoimmunityis the system ofimmuneresponses of an organism against its own cells and tissues. Any disease that results from such an aberrantimmuneresponse is termed an autoimmune disease.

Autoimmunity is present to some extent in everyone and is usually harmless. However, autoimmunity can cause a broad range of human illnesses, known collectively as autoimmune diseases. Autoimmune diseases occur when there is progression from benign autoimmunity to pathogenicautoimmunity. This progression is determined by genetic influences as well as environmental triggers. Autoimmunity is evidenced by the presence of autoantibodies (antibodies directed against the person who produced them) and T cells that are reactive with host antigens.

Autoimmune disorders

An autoimmune disorder occurs whenthe bodys immune systemattacks and destroys healthy body tissue by mistake. There are more than 80 types of autoimmune disorders.

Causes

The white blood cells in the bodys immune system help protect against harmful substances. Examples include bacteria, viruses,toxins,cancercells, and blood and tissue from outside the body. These substances contain antigens. The immune system producesantibodiesagainst these antigens that enable it to destroy these harmful substances. When you have an autoimmune disorder, your immune system does not distinguish between healthy tissue and antigens. As a result, the body sets off a reaction that destroys normal tissues. The exact cause of autoimmune disorders is unknown. One theory is that some microorganisms (such as bacteria or viruses) or drugs may trigger changes that confuse the immune system. This may happen more often in people who have genes that make them more prone toautoimmune disorders.

An autoimmune disorder may result in:

The destruction of body tissue

Abnormal growth of an organ

Changes in organ function

A person may have more than one autoimmune disorder at the same time. Common autoimmune disorders include:

Addison's disease

Celiac disease - sprue(gluten-sensitive enteropathy)

Dermatomyositis

Graves' disease

Hashimoto's thyroiditis

Multiple sclerosis

Myasthenia gravis

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Track: 11Costimmulatory pathways in multiple sclerosis

Costimulatory moleculescan be categorized based either on their functional attributes or on their structure. The costimulatory molecules discussed in this review will be divided into (1)positive costimulatory pathways:promoting T cell activation, survival and/or differentiation; (2)negative costimulatory pathways:antagonizing TCR signalling and suppressing T cell activation; (3) as third group we will discuss themembers of the TIM family, a rather new family of cell surface molecules involved in the regulation of T cell differentiation and Treg function.Costimulatory pathways have a critical role in the regulation of alloreactivity. A complex network of positive and negative pathways regulates T cell responses. Blocking costimulation improves allograft survival in rodents and non-human primates. The costimulation blocker belatacept is being developed asimmunosuppressivedruginrenal transplantation.

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Track: 12Autoimmunity and Therapathies

Autoimmunityis the system ofimmuneresponsesof an organism against its own cells and tissues. Any disease that results from such an aberrantimmuneresponse is termed an autoimmune disease.

Autoimmunity is present to some extent in everyone and is usually harmless. However, autoimmunity can cause a broad range of human illnesses, known collectively as autoimmune diseases.Autoimmune diseasesoccur when there is progression from benign autoimmunity to pathogenic autoimmunity. This progression is determined by genetic influences as well as environmental triggers. Autoimmunity is evidenced by the presence of autoantibodies (antibodies directed against the person who produced them) and T cells that are reactive with host antigens.

Current treatments for allergic and autoimmune disease treat disease symptoms or depend on non-specific immune suppression. Treatment would be improved greatly by targeting the fundamental cause of the disease, that is the loss of tolerance to an otherwise innocuous antigen in allergy or self-antigen in autoimmune disease (AID). Much has been learned about the mechanisms of peripheral tolerance in recent years. We now appreciate that antigen presenting cells (APC) may be either immunogenic or tolerogenic, depending on their location, environmental cues and activation state

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Track: 13DiagnosticImmunology

Diagnostic Immunology. Immunoassays are laboratory techniques based on the detection of antibody production in response to foreign antigens. Antibodies, part of the humoral immune response, are involved in pathogen detection and neutralization.

Diagnostic immunology has considerably advanced due to the development of automated methods.New technology takes into account saving samples, reagents, and reducing cost.The future of diagnosticimmunologyfaces challenges in the vaccination field for protection against HIV and asanti-cancer therapy. Modern immunology relies heavily on the use of antibodies as highly specific laboratory reagents. The diagnosis of infectious diseases, the successful outcome of transfusions and transplantations, and the availability of biochemical and hematologic assays with extraordinary specificity and sensitivity capabilities all attest to the value of antibody detection.Immunologic methods are used in the treatment and prevention ofinfectious diseasesand in the large number of immune-mediated diseases. Advances in diagnostic immunology are largely driven by instrumentation, automation, and the implementation of less complex and more standardized procedures.

Examples of such processes are as follows:

miniaturization (use of microtiter plates to save samples and reagents),

amplified immunoassays (chemiluminesent ELISA),

flow cytometry with monoclonal antibodies,

Immunoglobulins,

Molecular methods (polymerase chain reactions).

These methods have facilitated the performance of tests and have greatly expanded the information that can be developed by a clinical laboratory. The tests are now used for clinical diagnosis and the monitoring of therapies and patient responses. Immunology is a relatively young science and there is still so much to discover. Immunologists work in many different disease areas today that include allergy, autoimmunity, immunodeficiency, transplantation, and cancer.

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Immunology Conference | Immunology Meeting 2017 | Malaysia | Asia

Immunology

How Decline in Remicade Is Affecting Merck’s Immunology Revenues – Market Realist

March 24, 2017 student

What's Driving Merck's Valuation in 2017? PART 6 OF 9

Remicade, one of the top-selling drugs for the treatment of inflammatory disorders, is losing its market share after the loss of exclusivity in European markets in 2015. Merck (MRK) has reported a constant decline in Remicade revenues. Apart from Merck, Johnson and Johnson (JNJ) also has marketing rights of Remicadein certain countries outside Europe.

Remicade revenues fell ~29% to $1.3 billion in 2016 as compared to $1.8 billion for 2015. The fall was mainly due to the entry of generic competitors and biosimilars following the loss of exclusivity in European markets. Merck expects Remicade revenues to fall further in the future as new patients prefer biosimilars over Remicade.

Simponi is another drug in the immunology franchise. Simponi revenues rose 11% to $766 million in 2016 as compared to $690 million for 2015.

Zetia and Vytorin are blockbuster drugs from Mercks cardiovascular portfolio. Both of these drugs are used to lower the LDL cholesterol levels in the blood. The combined revenues for these drugs fell to $3.70 billion in 2016. Global sales were affected due to the loss of exclusivity of Vytorin in the US, while Zetia sales improved 1% for 2016 as compared to 2015.

The competitors for Zetia include Niaspan from AbbVie (ABBV) and Lipitor from Pfizer (PFE). To divest the risk, investors can consider ETFs like the Health Care Select Sector SPDR ETF (XLV), which holds 6.3% of its total assets in Merck.

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How Decline in Remicade Is Affecting Merck's Immunology Revenues - Market Realist

Immunology

Trinitys New Immunology Research Centre Seeks Funding from SFI – The University Times

March 20, 2017 medical

Sinad Baker for The University Times

Trinitys newest research centre will find out in early May whether they will receive funding from Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), after a round of interviews and applications that will determine the future of the ambitious immunology institution.

Trinity is currently seeking funding from the Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), to establish the INNATE Inflammation and Immunology Research Centre in the Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute (TBSI).

In an email to The University Times, Prof Andrew Bowie, the Head of Immunology in Trinity, confirmed that the centre has a final interview on March 1st, and should receive SFIs final decision in early May.

Bowie declined to comment further, due to the sensitive information involved in the application, which is still being considered by SFI.

SFI funding would not only see the creation of the centre but also the refurbishment of a space in TBSI in which it will be housed.

The new centre will follow a similar model to that of other Trinity research institutes, collaborating with industry and integrating researchers from other Irish universities, including University College Dublin (UCD) and Maynooth University. The centre will specialise in research on the immune system and inflammation, a bodily reaction at the centre of many diseases, including arthritis, diabetes, cancer and bowel disease.

One of the key members of the new centre is expert in immunology Prof Luke ONeill. ONeill was recently granted a lab by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in Stevenage, England where he will act as Trinity supervisor to two Trinity PhD students, whom GSK will fund to work with their scientists, researching immunology and inflammatory diseases. Elected as a Fellow in 2016 to the prestigious Royal Society, ONeill is one of Trinitys most successful researchers, and has attracted millions in researching funding over the years.

At a meeting of Trinitys Finance Committee in December, the committee noted that the INNATE proposal has the potential to generate a number of financial and strategic benefits for Trinity. The establishment of the centre will also include refurbishment costs for a space in TBSI, with the committee noting that the costs for the space should come from Trinitys funding contribution to the centre. Rental costs for any additional space will be met, however, by INNATE.

The committee also noted that the Faculty of Health Sciences should make a contribution to the refurbishment of the space. If the bid for funding from SFI is successful, the finance committee requested that INNATE would re-engage with the Faculty of Health Science in order to try and secure additional financial support. However if the application is unsuccessful it was was agreed that no refurbishment of TBSI would take place.

SFI currently provides funds for three research centres in Trinity: the Centre for Future Networks and Communications research (CONNECT), the Centre for Advanced Materials and Bio-Engineering Research (AMBER) and ADAPT, which specialises in digital technology. In February, Trinity received 2 million in funding from SFI for the development of the Colleges infrastructure, and numerous principal investigators and Trinity staff rely on funding from the organisation to complete their research. In 2015/16, 46 per cent of total research funding in Trinity came from SFI.

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Trinitys New Immunology Research Centre Seeks Funding from SFI - The University Times

Immunology

‘Bat Pack’ at Duke-NUS allows researchers to study immunology – Duke Chronicle

March 18, 2017 student

News By Sarah Haurin | Tuesday, March 14 courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

Researchers atDuke-National University of Singapore Medical School are studying why bats are able to carry diseases.

Bats can carry deadly diseases like Ebola without being infected by them, and scientists want to know how.

A group at the Duke-National University of Singapore Medical School is utilizing a colony of batsnicknamed the "Bat Pack"fortheir immunological research.Led by Linfa Wang, professor and director of the Emerging Infectious Diseases Programme at Duke-NUS, the group conducts research on the evolution and immunology of bats.

"For the past decade or so, bats are increasingly being recognized as one of the most important, if not the most important, natural reservoir hosts for different emerging zoonotic pathogens," research fellow JustinNg said, referring to a host of viruses.

The lab's interest in bats can be traced back to its 2013 paperpublished in "Science," which allowed Wang to secure a multi-million dollar grant through the Singapore National Research Foundation Competitive Research Programme to pursue his research. The paper connected a bat's ability to fly with its immune capabilities.

Bats are able to maintain high-powered flight, but this exerts metabolic and oxidative stress on their bodies that can be damaging to DNA. Despite this, bats display impressive longevity and low rates of cancer.

In ablog post, Bat Pack members noted thatthe evolutionary path of flight that favored mechanisms responsible forgene repair and tumor suppression may have also given bats the ability to carry deadly virusessuch as Ebola and Nipahwithout succumbing to symptoms.

Before tackling how exactly bats are immune to these diseases, the Bat Pack was tasked with creating a habitat that could support nectar-feeding bats, a type of bat that had never beforebeen artificially supported, Ng said. With the help of experts in zoology and bat-rearing, the group started a test colony of five bats to perfect their containment designs and diet formulas.

The colony has now expanded to 20 bats which have fullyacclimated to the habitat, and the group plans to expand their colony to60 bats by the middle of this year.

Since the bats were captured from the wild, the researchers facedpotentially confounding variables because they do not know the exact age or disease history of each bat. Still, Ng said the group is hopeful to piece together the various nuances of bat immune systems that can answer the question of how bats evade illness when infected with these deadly viruses.

Because bats are mammals and evidence exists that the genes contributing to their immunological abilities are similar to human genes, the researchers said they believe that their findings may translate to improvements in the field of human health and immunology.

Ng added that bats possess a unique combination of characteristics that are unlike typical model organisms such asrats or fruit flies.

"[Bats' characteristics]make them make them an ideal model for infectious disease, inflammation, cancer biology and anti-aging studies," he said.

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'Bat Pack' at Duke-NUS allows researchers to study immunology - Duke Chronicle

Immunology

Clinical and Vaccine Immunology

March 16, 2017 medical

ASM Journal Press Releases

Clinical and Vaccine Immunology (CVI) enhances understanding of the immune response in health and disease and after vaccination by showcasing discoveries in clinical, laboratory, and vaccine immunology.

Areas of focus include cellular and humoral immunity in humans and animals, immunological and immune-mediated disorders, immunotherapy, microbial immunology and microbial immune pathogenesis, veterinary and One Health immunology, development and standardization of immunological assays, and immunoepidemiology.

CVI is also committed to advancing all aspects of vaccine research and immunization, including discovery of new vaccine antigens and vaccine design, development and evaluation of vaccines in animal models and in humans, characterization of immune responses and mechanisms of vaccine action, controlled challenge studies to assess vaccine efficacy, study of vaccine vectors, adjuvants, and immunomodulators, immune correlates of protection, and clinical trials.

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Clinical and Vaccine Immunology

Immunology

Immunology synergy drives Heat Bio’s acquisition play – WRAL Tech Wire

March 16, 2017 student

Posted Mar. 13, 2017 at 6:20 a.m.

Published: 2017-03-13 06:20:00 Updated: 2017-03-13 06:20:00

By ALLAN MAURER, NCBiotech Writer

Durham, N.C. Sometimes the Valley of Death can yawn wide and deep for pre-revenue life science companies, especially those trying to get a pharmaceutical to market.

And sometimes that requires some creative juggling to do expensive things with limited funds. Durham-based Heat Biologicsis a case in point.

When Heat licensed the immune system stimulating technology behind its ImPACT and ComPACT platforms from the University of Miami, it also licensed the tech behind Pelican Therapeutics Inc.

But we couldnt afford to develop both, so we spun off Pelican and funded that company independently, said Heat CEO Jeff Wolf in an exclusive interview with the North Carolina Biotechnology Center.

Early in March 2017, Heat acquired an 80 percent controlling interest in Pelican. The company said combining its technology with Pelicans and possibly other immunotherapies provides a synergistic treatment expected to be more effective than those used alone.

Pelicans T cell co-stimulator PTX-25 has the potential to boost the durability of T cell response when used with Heats other technologies, for instance.

Not only our technology, but any immunotherapy works best with other synergistic immunotherapies, Wolf said. Thats why we re-acquired Pelican. So its not going to be one treatment, but multiple ones. Were developing a portfolio of therapies that combine for a more lasting and sustained benefit against cancer.

Pelican funding from Texas cancer institute to help fund clinicals

Austin-based Pelicans funding includes a $15.2 million New Company Product Development Award from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas(CPRIT). The highly competitive CPRIT awards include rigorous vetting of a winning firms technology.

That should enable the company to advance multiple products through preclinical development and at least one program through a 70-patient Phase 1 clinical trial, Heat said.

NCBiotech provided early support

After Heat was founded in 2008, the North Carolina Biotechnology Center helped recruit the company to the state and provided Heat its first outside funding, a $225,000 Strategic Growth Loan. That opened doors to more investment opportunity for Wolf. Heat was able to repay the loan well ahead of schedule as other investment support came in. NCBiotech also supported the company with its first offices in North Carolina, plus an internship and early business connectivity.

The connections between Heat, Pelican, and Shattuck Labs, a firm developing technology licensed from Heat, include the chair of Heats scientific and clinical advisory board, Taylor Schreiber, M.D., Ph.D. Schreiber, formerly Heats chief scientific officer, now holds that position at Shattuck. And he is also chair of Pelicans scientific advisory board.

Schreiber an originator of Heat technology with Miami's Eckhard Podack

Schreiber, co-inventor of significant elements of Heats ImPACT andComPACT immunotherapy platforms, worked with the original inventor of Heats technologies, Eckhard Podack, M.D., Ph.D, at the University of Miamis immunology department, a leader in the field. We hired him (Schreiber) directly from the university, said Wolf. He knows the technologies well.

Wolf said that while Heat (Nasdq:HTBX) saw disappointing results from its Phase 2 bladder vaccine trials in November 2016, which slammed its stock price and led to a 22 percent staff reduction, the company is continuing to monitor patients for two years. He added that the trial did show an increase in patient T cells and in their activity at the cancer site.

He also said Heats small-cell lung cancer trials are generating positive results so far. Were looking at making an announcement and more results later this year.

Wolf said Heat believes its ImPACT and ComPACT technologies are platforms that can be applied to many forms of cancer and possibly infectious diseases.

In late 2016 Heat formed the wholly owned subsidiary Zolovax in Durham to apply its technology against infectious diseases, including the Zika virus.

The Zika program emerged from the same laboratory that originally developed Heats current platform technologies, and will be developed at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.

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Immunology synergy drives Heat Bio's acquisition play - WRAL Tech Wire

Immunology

Immunology and Infectious Diseases Journal Club – Gazette

March 4, 2017 medical

Immunology and Infectious Diseases Journal Club

Thursday, March 2, 12-1:30 p.m.

Computer Lab B, Health Sciences Centre

Development of rapid and high throughput human 293T cell and yeast-based systems for expression and purification of AID/APOBECs, presented by Faezeh Borzooee, M.Sc. candidate.

Presented by Division of BioMedical Sciences

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Immunology and Infectious Diseases Journal Club - Gazette

Immunology

Cue Biopharma Strengthens Scientific and Clinical Advisory Board … – Yahoo Finance

February 26, 2017 medical

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Cue Biopharma, Inc. (Cue), an immunotherapy company developing biologics engineered to selectively modulate disease-relevant T cell subsets to treat cancer and autoimmune disease, announced the appointment of three new key opinion leaders to its scientific/clinical advisory board (SAB). The new members include Kenneth Pienta, M.D.; Jacques Banchereau, Ph.D.; and Karolina Palucka, M.D., Ph.D. These new members join Cues industry-leading SAB, which consists of three experts in immunology, immuno-oncology and protein design.

We are very pleased with the additional knowledge and expertise that these three leading researchers and clinicians bring to our SAB in the fields of immunology and immuno-oncology, as Cue continues to advance its programs towards the clinic, said Daniel Passeri, M.Sc., J.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Cue Biopharma.

These new scientific/clinical advisory board members bring invaluable experience that complements our existing members, and we have already begun integrating them into our advisory function, said Steven Almo, Ph.D., Chair of the Department of Biochemistry at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, scientific founder of Cue and Chairman of the Cue Scientific and Clinical Advisory Board.

Cues scientific and clinical advisory board now contains six leading oncology, immuno-oncology, immunology and protein design experts:

About Cue Biopharma

Immune Responses, On Cue. Cue Biopharma(Cue) is an immunotherapy company developing biologics engineered to selectively communicate with disease-relevant T cell subsets to treat cancer and autoimmune disease. Cue biologics have the potential to be highly effective as monotherapies as well as synergistic with existing checkpoint inhibitors, while reducing collateral toxicities often seen with less selective immunotherapies. Through this platform approach, Cue has developed a promising pipeline with its lead candidate currently approaching the clinic. Headquartered in Kendall Square, Cambridge, MA, Cue is led by a strong, experienced management team and scientific/clinical advisory board with deep expertise in the design and clinical development of protein biologics, immunology and immuno-oncology.

For more information, visitwww.cuebio.com.

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Cue Biopharma Strengthens Scientific and Clinical Advisory Board ... - Yahoo Finance

Immunology

Frontier Pharma: Versatile Innovation in Immunology Large … – Satellite PR News (press release)

February 25, 2017 medical

Albany, New York, February 25, 2017:Market Research Hub includes new market research report Frontier Pharma: Versatile Innovation in Immunology Large Therapy Area Pipeline with a High Degree of Repositioning Potential to its huge collection of research reports.Immunology is a large therapy area characterized by disorders of the immune system specifically an aberrant immune response against healthy tissues present in the body, leading to chronic or acute inflammation. Depending on the specific site affected, this can lead to various types of chronic pain and loss of mobility, and have a negative impact on quality of life.

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This disease area has a total of 2,145 products in active development, trailing only oncology, infectious diseases and central nervous system disorders in terms of pipeline size. There are a total of 529 immunology pipeline products that act on first-in-class molecular targets, representing approximately 40% of the total immunology pipeline for which the molecular target was disclosed.

Due to a degree of crossover between immunology indications in terms of their underlying pathophysiology, it is not uncommon for products being developed for this therapy area to have developmental programs testing them across multiple indications.

Approximately one-fifth of first-in-class pipeline products are in development for two or more indications within the therapy area. This presents an opportunity for companies to develop innovative products across multiple immune disorders, and therefore reach a larger pool of patients than products developed for single indications.

Scope

Browse Full Report with TOC http://www.marketresearchhub.com/report/frontier-pharma-versatile-innovation-in-immunology-large-therapy-area-pipeline-with-a-high-degree-of-repositioning-potential-report.html

Reasons to buy

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Frontier Pharma: Versatile Innovation in Immunology Large ... - Satellite PR News (press release)