Category Archives: Immunology

Two new practice parameters offer recommendations for treating anaphylaxis and atopic dermatitis – News-Medical.Net

Two new practice parameters from the Joint Task Force for Practice Parameters (JTFPP) offer evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis and management of anaphylaxis and atopic dermatitis (AD) in pediatric and adult patients. The Joint Task Force is a partnership between the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) and the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

Both anaphylaxis and atopic dermatitis are allergic conditions that affect millions of people in the United States and around the world. We regularly update our practice parameters to make sure allergists and other healthcare practitioners are aware of best practices when diagnosing and managing these disorders. When physicians and their staffs are aware of updated guidance, it means patients are getting the best, most appropriate care."

Jay Lieberman, MD, allergist, co-chair of the JTFPP Task Force

"The 2023 JTFPP anaphylaxis practice parameter provides evidence-based recommendations to support optimal contextual care across contemporary practice settings," says allergist David B.K. Golden, MDCM, lead author of the practice parameter. "With important new guidance related to diagnostic evaluation, anaphylaxis in infants and in community settings, epinephrine treatment, mast cell conditions, beta-blockers and ACE inhibitors, and peri-operative anaphylaxis, these guidelines translate recent advances in the understanding of severe allergic reactions to help all healthcare professionals provide individualized care to each patient at the right time, in the right place, every time."

The practice parameter on anaphylaxis focuses on areas where new evidence has emerged, and recommendations have evolved.

Key anaphylaxis guideline highlights include:

"The 2023 JTFPP atopic dermatitis guideline represents an advancement in trustworthy allergy guidelines," says allergist Derek Chu, M.D., Ph.D. "It is distinguished from other guidelines through systematic reviews of the evidence with multidisciplinary panelist engagement, adherence to GRADE a rigorous guideline development process, as well as the involvement of the patient and caregiver voice from start to finish. Clear translation of evidence to clinically actionable and contextual recommendations, and novel approaches to facilitate knowledge translation were paramount. The guidelines emphasize, in addition to standards of trustworthiness, the third principle of evidence-based medicine: that evidence alone is never enough; that patient values and preferences are crucial to arriving at optimal recommendations. The new recommendations also reflect the evolution of diversity, equity and inclusion in approaching diagnosis and management of this condition."

Key atopic dermatitis guideline highlights include:

The practice parameters are published in Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

Source:

Journal reference:

Sacta, M. A., et al. (2023). Anaphylaxis: A 2023 practice parameter update. Annals of Allergy Asthma & Immunology. doi.org/10.1016/j.anai.2023.10.027.

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Two new practice parameters offer recommendations for treating anaphylaxis and atopic dermatitis - News-Medical.Net

Physician and Patient (Un)Wellness in Allergy and Immunology During COVID-19 and Beyond: Lessons for the Future – Physician’s Weekly

The following is a summary of Allergy and Immunology Physician and Patient (Un)Wellness During COVID-19 and Beyond: Lessons for the Future, published in the November 2023 issue of Allergy and Clinical Immunology by Bingemann, et al.

The COVID-19 outbreak made both patients and doctors more stressed and less healthy. Uncertainty, regular changes, fear of getting sick or dying, and problems with the supply chain put extra stress on a healthcare system that was already broken. Control, regularity, and confidence make for a good workplace. The outbreak took away these things. During this time, the number of depressed, suicidal, and anxious doctors and people in the general population went up. These problems got worse because people had different ideas about masks and vaccines.

These things, along with how much people felt appreciated or not, also made stress worse. Some changes, like switching to video, were stressful initially, but they made patients happy and kept clinical care going. Some changes could have been better, like teaching or watching young children while working. Both patients and doctors did their best to deal with loneliness, fear, worry, and the many changes in society. During the pandemic, burnout changed depending on the number of infections, the number of vaccinations, problems with the supply chain, and the amount of support given to each person.

The pandemic brought to light problems in their healthcare system, such as structural racism, differences in healthcare, and how quickly the system can become overloaded. Doctors may have been put in positions they didnt want to be in or may need more staff to practice how they wanted. Patients and doctors both got angry because of these things. In its National Plan for Health Workforce Well-Being, the government says that health care needs to be reformed so that patients can get good, safe care and doctors dont get burned out.

Source: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2213219823009273

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Physician and Patient (Un)Wellness in Allergy and Immunology During COVID-19 and Beyond: Lessons for the Future - Physician's Weekly

Researchers Identify Why Some Cancers Do Not Respond to Immunotherapy – NYU Langone Health

Over the last decade, immune checkpoint blockade has transformed cancer care by offering new hope and improved outcomes for people with certain types of cancer. However, immune checkpoint blockade, a type of cancer immunotherapy that enhances the bodys natural immune response against tumor cells, is only effective in 20 to 30 percent of patients with cancer. And people with some cancers, such as acute myeloid leukemia (AML), do not respond or develop resistance to the immunotherapy.

A recent study by researchers at NYU Langone Healths Perlmutter Cancer Center could lead to new strategies for improving the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitors. The researchers identified an axis or pathway that tumor cells use to shut down the function of a key molecule called major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I. Under normal conditions, MHC class I enables the immune system to detect and eliminate cells that have been transformed or infected.

Study senior co-author Jun Wang, PhD, a cancer immunologist, has a background in viral immunology. Through his earlier studies of viruses and the immune system, he knew that viruses are able to shut down MHC class I to evade T cell response. What if, he asked, cancer cells can do the same?

We know that viruses can very efficiently shut down MHC class I and evade the immune system, said Dr. Wang, who is an assistant professor in the Department of Pathology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. How tumors can shut down MHC class I has not been clear at all.

The immune system recognizes and eliminates infected or mutated cells through a process called antigen presentation. During antigen presentation, intracellular pathogens, such as viruses and certain bacteria, or abnormal cellular proteins, such as those from cancer cells, are transported by MHC class I molecules and presented to killer T cells, which are activated and mount an immune response.

With study senior co-author Iannis Aifantis, PhD, and co-first authors Xufeng Chen, PhD (Aifantis Lab), and Qiao Lu, PhD (Wang Lab), Dr. Wang used a gene editing technology called CRISPR to screen for new cellular activators and inhibitors of antigen presentation in AML. Among the top hits in the CRISPR screen were three proteins: sushi domain containing 6 (SUSD6), transmembrane protein 127 (TMEM127), and an E3 ubiquitin ligase WWP2. The researchers found that SUSD6 forms a trimolecular complex with TMEM127 and MHC class I, which recruits WWP2 to initiate the degradation of MHC class I and ultimately leads to suppression of MHC class I expression.

When the researchers deactivated SUSD6, which is abundantly expressed in AML and several other solid cancers, antigen presentation by MHC class I was improved and tumor growth was reduced in cell cultures.

We were able to show that if we genetically target this particular complex, we boost the expression of MHC class I with more antigen on the surface and have better recognition by T cells, said Dr. Aifantis, who is the Hermann M. Biggs Professor of Pathology in and chair of the Department of Pathology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have been particularly ineffective against cold tumors, which do not attract large numbers of immune cells. The trimolecular complex Dr. Wang and his colleagues identified is highly expressed on cold tumors, which suggests that the complex, in addition to being a new target for developing antibodies or small molecules that block its function, could act as a biomarker to help predict which patients will benefit from immunotherapy.

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Researchers Identify Why Some Cancers Do Not Respond to Immunotherapy - NYU Langone Health

MU’s Haval Shirwan recognized for achievements in immunology – Columbia Daily Tribune

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Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI) Welcomes Weill Cornell Medicine to Cancer Research Consortium – Weill Cornell Medicine Newsroom

San Francisco and New York Dec. 13, 2023 The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI), the largest concentration of immuno-oncology (IO) expertise in the world, announced it has added Weill Cornell Medicine to its network of preeminent academic and medical research institutions at the forefront of the fight against cancer. Under the agreement, Weill Cornell Medicine, with new PICI Network researchers, will establish a PICI immuno-oncology research center in New York City.

Since its inception, PICI has distributed $260 million to member researchers to support scientific research at its member research institutions, with Weill Cornell Medicine as the latest addition to its PICI Network. Dr. Jedd Wolchok, the Meyer Director of the Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine, and Dr. Taha Merghoub, Meyer Cancer Center deputy director, will co-direct the new PICI immuno-oncology research center.

Funding for PICIs centers supports bold, scientific research while bridging academia and biotech. PICI funds groundbreaking research and incubates, launches, and invests in new biotech companies. Its key focus is developing breakthroughs and technologies that can be translated quickly into curative treatments for patients. The expansion of PICI on the East Coast represents a new phase for the institute, enabling the development of more therapeutic approaches and technologies for cancer patients.

We are proud to welcome Weill Cornell Medicine to the PICI Network under the leadership of Drs. Wolchok and Merghoub, who serve as center director and co-director, said Sean Parker, PICI founder and chairman, whose previous philanthropy includes a 2013 gift that established the Sean Parker Institute for the Voice at Weill Cornell Medicine. Dr. Wolchok is one of the most distinguished researchers in the world, and his impact on the field of immunology has been immeasurable. His deep understanding of PICIs uniquely ambitious and collaborative approach and true passion for innovative scientific research form an incredible foundation upon which to build transformative patient impact at Weill Cornell Medicine.

Weill Cornell Medicine scientists target some of the most formidable health challenges of the 21st century, including cancer. PICI funding at Weill Cornell Medicine will facilitate the recruitment of world-class cancer immunology researchers; enable high-risk, high-reward cancer research studies to be conducted; support the training and development of the next generation of elite cancer clinician-researchers; and contribute to health equity and community outreach programs in the New York area.

The collaborative nature of the PICI Network and flexible nature of funding is critical for rapid progress, Dr. Wolchok said. The PICI collaborative network has in the past decade helped facilitate advances in cancer research that I could not have imagined before. I am excited to continue my collaboration with PICI in my new role at Weill Cornell Medicine.

Dr. Wolchok has been involved with PICI since its early days, having formerly served as Center Director for the PICI Center at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where he leveraged PICI funding to build out a top immunology research facility, was the primary investigator on PICIs MAHLER clinical trial, and mentored nine PICI Early Career Researcher Awardees. His leadership philosophy of promoting deep collaboration and driving innovation fully aligns with PICIs mission and vision.

A geneticist by training with expertise in immuno-oncology, Dr. Merghoub has been a Parker member researcher since its inception. Together, Drs. Wolchok and Merghoub lead a laboratory that is dedicated to improving and developing new approaches to cancer treatment, especially those that target the immune system.

Listen to Dr. Wolchok elaborate on the mission of the newly formed PICI Center at Weill Cornell Medicine, on PICIs Podcast, From Bench to Fireside.

The Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI) is radically changing how cancer research is done. Founded in 2016 through a $250 million gift from Silicon Valley entrepreneur and philanthropist Sean Parker, the San Francisco-based nonprofit is an unprecedented collaboration between the countrys leading immunotherapy researchers and cancer centers. PICI Network research institutions include Stanford Medicine; the University of California, Los Angeles; the University of California, San Francisco; the University of Pennsylvania; Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; Gladstone Institutes; and Weill Cornell Medicine. PICI also supports top researchers at other institutions, including The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, City of Hope, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, Institute for Systems Biology and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. By forging alliances with academic, industry and nonprofit partners, PICI makes big bets on bold research to fulfill its mission: to accelerate the development of breakthrough immunotherapies to turn all cancers into curable diseases. Find out more at parkerici.org and follow us on LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter) @parkerici, and on Spotify.

Weill Cornell Medicine is committed to excellence in patient care, scientific discovery and the education of future physicians in New York City and around the world. The doctors and scientists of Weill Cornell Medicinefaculty from Weill Cornell Medical College, Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences, and Weill Cornell Physician Organizationare engaged in world-class clinical care and cutting-edge research that connect patients to the latest treatment innovations and prevention strategies. Located in the heart of the Upper East Sides scientific corridor, Weill Cornell Medicines powerful network of collaborators extends to its parent university Cornell University; to Qatar, where Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar offers a Cornell University medical degree; and to programs in Tanzania, Haiti, Brazil, Austria and Turkey. Weill Cornell Medicine faculty provide exemplary patient care at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Westchester Behavioral Health Center, NewYork-Presbyterian Lower Manhattan Hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian Queens and NewYork-Presbyterian Brooklyn Methodist Hospital. Weill Cornell Medicine is also affiliated with Houston Methodist. For more information, visitweill.cornell.edu.

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Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy (PICI) Welcomes Weill Cornell Medicine to Cancer Research Consortium - Weill Cornell Medicine Newsroom

Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Examines Effects of Climate Change on Allergic Conditions – Newswise

Newswise ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill. (December 13, 2023) As we head into the new year, some issues may be coming into sharper focus for those involved in allergy-immunology issues. The current issue of Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, focuses its attention on a key problem affecting those with allergic conditions and the world today: climate change.

We recognize that climate change affects the global population, and that many people feel they as individuals dont have much control, says allergist Donald Leung, MD, PhD, Senior Executive Editor of Annals. But we also wanted to highlight the role of allergists in working with patients whose allergic diseases might be affected by global warming and climate change. There is evidence that the environment affects those living with asthma, seasonal allergic rhinoconjunctivitis, atopic dermatitis, and other allergic conditions. Our goal was to address the effects of climate change on those conditions through a series of well-researched articles by highly respected allergists.

The articles on this topic in the December issue are as follows:

These five articles highlight how climate change has affected diseases such as atopic dermatitis, asthma, allergic rhinitis and allergies in general. One example of the effect of climate change is that pollen seasons are lasting longer and starting earlier due to environmental warming. The CME review by Seastedt and Nadeau discusses how global fires and dust storms have increased atopic disease and worsened allergies. Global warming also has been shown to lead to disruption of the epithelial barrier, and as a result, alarmins can be induced, which leads to increasing T2 inflammation in allergy. An editorial by Dr. David Stukus stresses the important role that allergists can play in helping patients who are being affected by the effects of global warming and climate change.

About ACAAI

ACAAI is a professional medical organization of more than 6,000 allergists-immunologists and allied health professionals, headquartered in Arlington Heights, Ill. The College fosters a culture of collaboration and congeniality in which its members work together and with others toward the common goals of patient care, education, advocacy, and research. ACAAI allergists are board-certified physicians trained to diagnose allergies and asthma, administer immunotherapy, and provide patients with the best treatment outcomes. For more information and to find relief, visit AllergyandAsthmaRelief.org.Join us on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Twitter/X.

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Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology Examines Effects of Climate Change on Allergic Conditions - Newswise

British Society for Immunology response to the NHS vaccination strategy – British Society for Immunology |

Today, NHS England has published the NHS vaccination strategy.

In response, the British Society for Immunology has released the following statement.

Dr Doug Brown, Chief Executive of the British Society for Immunology, said:

We are very pleased to see the release of the long-awaited NHS vaccination strategy today, which provides a much-needed opportunity to strengthen the impact of life-saving immunisation services to better protect our communities from preventable diseases. The British Society for Immunology has been calling for urgent action from the Government as England has continued to miss key targets on vaccination uptake, in particular following a 10-year decline in coverage of routine vaccinations for children. The new NHS vaccination strategy highlights key areas of work that we believe are crucial to ensure vaccination rates improve and can offer the best possible protection against serious preventable diseases, including increasing accessibility, boosting the outreach and partnerships with underserved communities, and creating a stronger more integrated system that uplifts the vaccination workforce. Vaccines are the safest and most effective method to protect our communities against disease. We must use the publication of this comprehensive strategy as the springboard to build on the lessons learnt from the COVID-19 vaccine rollout to facilitate better engagement with the public, particularly with those from underserved communities, about the importance of vaccination, both through widening community outreach and public health campaigns. While the ambitions laid out in this strategy are strong, their successful delivery will rely on the implementation of a strong leadership system and commissioning framework that are fit for function, alongside appropriate financing. We look forward to working with the NHS England and all partners involved to support the delivery of this strategy and further enable vaccines to play their vital role in improving the public health within our country.

---------ENDS---------- Notes for editors

You can read the full NHS vaccination strategy at: http://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/nhs-vaccination-strategy.

You can download copies of the British Society for Immunologys guides to vaccinations, including for childhood vaccinations, vaccines for adults over 65 and COVID-19 vaccines here: http://www.immunology.org/public-information/vaccine-resources. The BSI guides are designed to answer common questions around how vaccinations work and why they are important.

For more information, please contact: Teresa Prados, Senior Communications Manager Tel: +44(0) 7464 621 014 Email: t.prados@immunology.org

Jennie Evans, Director of External Affairs Tel: +44(0) 7703 807 444 Email: j.evans@immunology.org

The British Society for Immunology is the UK organisation representing scientists and clinicians who study the immune system.

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British Society for Immunology response to the NHS vaccination strategy - British Society for Immunology |

NYU Langone Health in the NewsFriday, December 8, 2023 – NYU Langone Health

News from NYU Langone Health

NYS Health Department Says Flu Is Now Widespread in New York FOX 5 New York December 7 -Purvi S. Parikh, MD, clinical assistant professor, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Allergy & Immunology, and Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Allergy and Immunology

A Guide to Flu Season, the Shot, Your Symptoms and How Long it Lasts Wall Street Journal December 7 -Purvi S. Parikh, MD, clinical assistant professor, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Allergy & Immunology, and Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Allergy and Immunology

Your Health Information Was Hacked. What Now? (Subscription required or access is ProQuest.) The New York Times December 7 -Eduardo Iturrate, MD, associate professor, Department of Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine

Podcast: Is Xenotransplantation Ready for Prime Time? New England Journal of Medicine December 7 -Robert Montgomery, MD, DPhil, the H. Leon Pachter, MD, Professor of Surgery, chair, Department of Surgery, Division of Transplant Surgery, NYU Langone Transplant Institute

Compelling Case for Skipping RT in Some Early Breast Cancers (Free log-in required.) Medscape December 7 -Naamit K. Gerber, MD, associate professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, Perlmutter Cancer Center

Rheumatoid Arthritis Drug Shows Promise as Type 1 Diabetes Treatment Medical News Today December 7 -Eliud Sifonte, MD, clinical assistant professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology

Women With Late-Stage Estrogen-Fueled Breast Cancer on the Cusp of More Treatment Options Possibly Enhancing Quality of Life SurvivorNet December 7 -Sylvia Adams, MD, professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology, director, Breast Cancer Center, Perlmutter Cancer Center

Old Disease, New Tricks: A Novel Approach to Understanding Gout The Rheumatologist December 7 -Michael H. Pillinger, MD, professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, and Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology

Allergist, Dermatologist, or Immunologist? Meet Your CSU Care Team HealthCentral December 7 -Purvi S. Parikh, MD, clinical assistant professor, Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Allergy & Immunology, and Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, Allergy and Immunology

How to Cope When Psoriatic Arthritis Affects Your Feet HealthCentral December 7 -NYU Langone Health

What Are the Symptoms of MS in Women? HealthCentral December 7 -Tyler E. Smith, MD, clinical assistant professor, Department of Neurology

This Is How Fast You Should Walk to Lower Your Diabetes Risk, According to a New Study Verywell Health December 7 -Priya Jaisinghani, MD, clinical assistant professor, Department of Medicine, Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism

COVID Vaccination Rates Alarmingly Low Among Nursing Home Staff, CDC Says: A Real Danger FOX News December 7 -Marc K. Siegel, MD, clinical professor, Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine

Art Caplan Discusses 23AndMe Data Breach and Purdue Pharma Settlement Boston Public Radio December 6 -Arthur L. Caplan, PhD, the Drs. William F. and Virginia Connolly Mitty Professor, Department of Population Health, Division of Medical Ethics

NYU Langone to Contribute to Village Sewer Upgrade Garden City News December 7 -NYU Langone Health

Health Departments Warn Schools Not to Accept Vaccination Cards from Julie DeVuono, Wild Child Pediatrics (Subscription required.) Newsday December 7 -Leonard R. Krilov, MD, professor, Department of Pediatrics, chair of pediatrics, NYU Langone HospitalLong Island

NYU Langones Family Support Center Is Awarded $50K for Food Distribution Program Brooklyn Eagle December 7 -Larry K. Mcreynolds, clinical associate professor, Department of Population Health, Family Health Centers, executive director

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NYU Langone Health in the NewsFriday, December 8, 2023 - NYU Langone Health

Arturo Casadevall Named Distinguished Fellow by the American Association of Immunologists – Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

Arturo Casadevall, MD, PhD,Bloomberg Distinguished Professor, and Alfred and Jill Sommer Professor and Chair of the Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Bloomberg School, has been named a 2024 Distinguished Fellow by the American Association of Immunologists (AAI). Congratulations, Arturo!

The Fellows program recognizes members for distinguished careers and outstanding scientific contributions, as well as their service to AAI and the immunology community. It honors active, long-term members (25 years or more) who have demonstrated one or more of the following: significant research accomplishment in the field of immunology; exceptional leadership to the immunology community in academia, foundations, nonprofits, industry, or government, at a national or international level; and/or distinction in education and teaching.

Election as a Distinguished Fellow by the AAI Council is among the highest honors bestowed by AAI.

The American Association of Immunologists is an association of professionally trained scientists from all over the world dedicated to advancing the knowledge of immunology and its related disciplines, fostering the interchange of ideas and information among investigators, and addressing the potential integration of immunologic principles into clinical practice. AAI owns and publishesThe Journal of Immunology, the largest and most highly cited journal in the field.

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Arturo Casadevall Named Distinguished Fellow by the American Association of Immunologists - Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

ImmunoScape Appoints Systems Immunology and Computational Biology Expert Dr. John Tsang to its Scien – PharmiWeb.com

Expertise from award-winning computational biologist, human immunologist and engineer with experience from Yale, NIH, and NIAID will help advance ImmunoScapes machine learning capabilities

SAN DIEGO & SINGAPORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ImmunoScape, a biotechnology company focused on next-generation immunotherapies, today announced the appointment of John Tsang, Ph.D. to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Dr. Tsang joins a distinguished group of leading scientists in immunology and oncology who help to guide ImmunoScapes scientific strategy.

Dr. Tsang is currently Professor of Immunobiology and Biomedical Engineering at Yale University. He is the founding Director of the Yale Center for Systems and Engineering Immunology (CSEI), which serves as a home and cross-departmental center of research for systems, quantitative, and synthetic immunology at Yale. He is also the Yale lead and Executive Committee member of the recently announced Chan Zuckerberg Biohub New York, a landmark collaboration between Columbia, Rockefeller, and Yale Universities with long-term support from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative to bioengineer immune cells for early disease detection and prevention. Prior to joining Yale, he was a tenured Senior Investigator in the National Institutes of Health's Intramural Research Program and led a laboratory focusing on systems and quantitative immunology at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) where he remains an Adjunct Investigator. Dr. Tsang was also the Co-Director of the Trans-NIH Center for Human Immunology (CHI) and led its research program in systems human immunology.

Our team is thrilled that he has joined our Scientific Advisory Board, as his deep expertise across immunology and computational and systems biology will be invaluable as we continue to push the machine learning capabilities of our platform forward, said Choon-Peng Ng, co-founder and CEO, ImmunoScape. Alongside the other distinguished advisory board members, Dr. Tsang will be able to directly advise our computational biology leaders, provide unique research perspectives, and guide our strategic scientific and technological direction.

Dr. Tsangs expertise directly aligns with ImmunoScapes goal to utilize its machine learning capabilities to build its TCR discovery pipeline as the company extends into the oncology field. ImmunoScapes discovery engine offers 360-degree views of lab-validated data from millions of T cells, which serves as the foundation for its machine learning platform. By identifying the characteristics of tumor-reactive TCRs across hundreds of solid tumor targets and multiple HLA alleles, ImmunoScape aims to leverage deep T-cell profiles, linking TCR sequence, phenotypes and antigen information to unlock the faster discovery of novel and efficacious TCR-based therapies across a variety of tumor indications. These capabilities were recently highlighted in new peer-reviewed research ImmunoScape published in Cell Reports.

Dr. Tsang has won multiple awards for his research, including several NIH/NIAID Merit Awards recognizing his scientific leadership in systems immunology, COVID-19, and human immunology research. His work on human immune variability, systems immunology, and prediction of vaccination responses was selected as a Top NIAID Research Advance of 2014. Tsang has served as an advisor on systems immunology and computational biology for numerous programs and organizations, including the Allen Institute, World Allergy Organization, National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. Dr. Tsang earned his Ph.D. in biophysics and systems biology from Harvard University and trained in computer engineering (BASc) and computer science (MMath) at the University of Waterloo, Canada.

I am inspired by ImmunoScapes mission to harness the power of machine learning and deep immune profiling to accelerate discovery and eventually expand access to more effective therapeutics for cancer, said Dr. John Tsang. I look forward to working closely with the team to further advance their powerful machine learning and discovery platform that could help transform the development of more effective, novel therapeutics for solid tumors.

The other members of the ImmunoScape SAB include Evan Newell, Ph.D., (chairman), Philip Greenberg, M.D., Paul Thomas, Ph.D., Patrick Reeves, Ph.D., Rachel Humphrey, M.D., and Adrian Woolfson, Ph.D.

To learn more about ImmunoScape, please visit https://immunoscape.com/.

About ImmunoScape ImmunoScape is a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of next-generation TCR cell therapies in the field of oncology. The company's proprietary Deep Immunomics technology and machine learning platforms enable highly sensitive, large-scale mining and immune profiling of T cells in cancer patient samples to identify novel, therapeutically relevant TCRs across multiple types of solid tumors. ImmunoScape has multiple discovery programs ongoing and will be progressing towards IND-enabling studies and entry into the clinic. For more information, please visit https://immunoscape.com/.

Kalyn Kolek for ImmunoScape kos@anzupartners.com

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ImmunoScape Appoints Systems Immunology and Computational Biology Expert Dr. John Tsang to its Scien - PharmiWeb.com