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Researchers seek answers to viruss mysteries, clues to possible treatments

Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is one of more than 30 genome sequencing hubs worldwide participating in a study to sequence the DNA of young, healthy adults and children who develop severe COVID-19 despite having no underlying medical problems. The researchers also will study people who never become infected despite repeated exposures to coronavirus. Knowledge gained from understanding COVID-19s extremes could lead to new therapeutic strategies for the illness.

To help unravel the mysteries of COVID-19, scientists are sequencing the DNA of young, healthy adults and children who develop severe illness despite having no underlying medical problems. The researchers are looking for genetic defects that could put certain individuals at high risk of becoming severely ill from the novel coronavirus.

The McDonnell Genome Institute at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis is one of more than 30 genome sequencing hubs worldwide participating in the study. Rheumatologist Megan A. Cooper, MD, PhD, an associate professor of pediatrics, is leading the research at Washington University. Called the COVID Human Genetic Effort, the international project is co-led by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Rockefeller University.

The researchers also plan to study people who never become infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, despite repeated exposures. Such individuals may have genetic variations that protect against infection. For example, certain rare genetic variants are known to thwart some types of viral infections, including HIV and norovirus. Knowledge gained from understanding COVID-19s extremes unusual susceptibility and resistance could lead to new therapeutic strategies for the illness.

The first focus of our study will be patients with severe responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection severe enough to require intensive care who appear otherwise healthy and are younger than 50, said Cooper, who also leads the clinical immunology program and the Jeffrey Modell Diagnostic and Research Center for Primary Immunodeficiencies at St. Louis Childrens Hospital.

These patients dont have uncontrolled diabetes, heart disease, chronic lung disease or any other condition that we know increases the risk of severe complications from COVID-19, she said. For example, we sometimes see stories about, say, a marathon runner or a generally fit, healthy person who nevertheless got very sick from this virus, or the few healthy children who are getting very sick with COVID-19. These are the kinds of patients were interested in for this study. A small proportion of hospitalized patients will fit this category, likely less than 10%.

Cooper studies primary immunodeficiencies in children. Primary immunodeficiencies are a group of more than 450 genetic disorders of the immune system. They often are caused by mutations in single genes that affect different aspects of immunity.

With this pandemic, we can use our skills in gene hunting to search for genes that might be associated with severe COVID-19 in children and younger adults, she said. We can foresee a future ability to do a genetic sequencing test for individual patients hospitalized with SARS-CoV-2 and get an idea of whether they are likely to need more intensive care. In the meantime, we will be able to learn a great deal about how the immune system responds to this virus and what it needs to be able to respond effectively and in an appropriate manner.

These patients genetics could reveal the important immune pathways that the body needs to fight the virus. That knowledge could lead to therapies that also could help other patients who dont have a genetic susceptibility to the virus but perhaps have high-risk conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease.

Our immune systems have never seen this virus before, Cooper said. Were seeing severe COVID-19 complications play out across the world right now. It is going to take a global effort to investigate the genetic factors and the immune system factors that really control this infection.

Research related to COVID-19, including collecting and distributing of patient samples, is managed through Washington Universitys Institute of Clinical and Translational Sciences (ICTS), led by William G. Powderly, MD, who is also the Larry J. Shapiro Director of the Institute for Public Health, the J. William Campbell Professor of Medicine and co-director of the Division of Infectious Diseases.

This research is supported by funding from the St. Louis Childrens Hospital Foundation and the Jeffrey Modell Foundation.

Washington University School of Medicines 1,500 faculty physicians also are the medical staff of Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Childrens hospitals. The School of Medicine is a leader in medical research, teaching and patient care, ranking among the top 10 medical schools in the nation by U.S. News & World Report. Through its affiliations with Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Childrens hospitals, the School of Medicine is linked to BJC HealthCare.

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COVID-19 study looks at genetics of healthy people who develop severe illness - Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

Part of a special feature celebrating and recognizing the Class of 2020 at Memorial.

Daniel Evans is one of only three people to complete the MD-PhD program in the Faculty of Medicine.

For the spring graduate, this means he can be a physician and a scientist, something he always knew would be his path.

He says he always knew he wanted to help people. His grandmother, Mary Evans, was one of the biggest influences on his life and his decision to pursue medicine.

She had Parkinsons disease and watching her grow old, she taught me a lot about having grace in the face of adversity, said Mr. Evans, who comes from a family of six. I think she would have been proud of me this year.

Mr. Evans completed a bachelor of science (hons.) degree at Memorial in 2012 before starting the graduate program in human genetics at the Faculty of Medicine.

The same year he wrote his PhD comprehensive exam, Mr. Evans was accepted into the doctor of medicine (MD) program and, later, the joint MD-PhD program.

He completed both simultaneously, winning several awards in both and publishing some significant research while still in medical school.

Genetics is a great field because the technology is always advancing and integrating new discoveries with patient care is something I find rewarding, he said.

When he started his graduate work, geneticists were just gaining access to a new technology called next-generation DNA sequencing.

Mr. Evans PhD research focused on working with families from Newfoundland and Labrador who have rare disorders with mutations that could not be discovered with conventional DNA sequencing, but could by using the new method of whole exome sequencing.

His research led to the successful discovery of two new mutations, one in a disease called retinitis pigmentosaand the other in Weill-Marchesani syndrome.

He also worked with Dr. Michael Woods on the genetics of hereditary colorectal cancer in the province.

The St. Johns native completed clerkship rotations in rural N.L., including family medicine in Twillingate, internal medicine in Gander and general surgery in St. Anthony.

There are some really great mentors who teach in these communities, he said. I think training in smaller, more close-knit, health-care teams has taught me the value of collaboration and professionalism. I think it influences you to think more holistically about health care, be broader in your learning and it encourages you to go the extra mile for your patients.

The story of genetics is something that impacts everyone. Daniel Evans

It was some of those families he met who participated in Evans genetics research, for which hes grateful.

For me, its about listening to peoples stories, their family histories and their personal struggles, he said. The story of genetics is something that impacts everyone, from our eye colour, our medical history, even the way our bodies metabolize certain medications. It explains evolution and our ancestral heritage and is something that links us all together.

Mr. Evans defended his PhD thesis during his clinical rotation in internal medicine this spring and passed with distinction. On the medical school side, hell be starting as a family medicine resident in Victoria, B.C., in July.

He wants to use his research experience to help bring new discoveries into medical practice.

I like the idea of being a family doctor with genetics training specifically because I think its an important skill set for any physician to have. Im hoping to join a small group of family doctors who are working to bring modern genetics into routine clinical practice.

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Evolution of practice - Gazette

Throughout history 6 000 -- 7 000 plant species have been cultivated for food. Yet today 40 percent of our daily calories come from just three crops: rice, wheat and maize. Humans depend on little more than 30 plant species, many of which are struggling in the face of today's environmental changes. With biodiversity and entire ecosystems in serious decline, the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture plays an increasingly important role in promoting farmers and their essential contribution to diversifying the crops that feed the world. The Treaty was negotiated by FAO and the Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA) and adopted in 2001 to create a global system that provides farmers, plant breeders and scientists with access to plant genetic materials.

The genetic material in each variety of species is unique and precious. Derived from human and natural selection for many decades, these genetics are fundamental to our future of food. Genetic material ensures agricultural biodiversity and gives different species the ability to cope with changes, whether it be climate change, new pests and diseases, drought and even flooding. The Treaty's Benefit-sharing Fund invests in projects that conserve and develop crop genetic resources to improve food security in cooperation with farmers.

Here are three examples of how this Treaty has helped farming communities in developing countries cope with climate change and other environmental threats.

1. Exchanging and developing biodiverse potato varieties in Peru, Nepal and Bhutan

There are over 4 000 native varieties of potato growing in the Andean highlands. These varieties are well-adapted to harsh conditions and a changing climate. In contrast, Nepal and Bhutan have only two locally adapted potato varieties but face similar conditions and environmental threats as the Andes. With this in mind, the project sought to reduce the vulnerability of these mountain communities by introducing potatoes that are more resilient to extreme temperatures and offer better nutritional quality. Working closely with the International Potato Centre in Peru, farmers in Nepal and Bhutan became directly involved in selecting new, high-yielding, resilient and biodiverse varieties of potato. The genetic material from these potatoes has since been conserved, multiplied and used by national agricultural research systems in all three countries.

** 2. Conserving plant genetic resources to improve food and nutrition in Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia

Being heavily reliant on the success of the maize crop, communities in Zimbabwe, Malawi and Zambia have in recent years faced a severe food shortage because maize crops have been unable to withstand the effects of climate change, such as higher temperatures and torrential rains. "Because of the changing climate, our farm was producing less food, and most crops have not been doing so well apart from millet and sorghum," explained Lovemore Tachokere, a smallholder farmer from Malawi. Through the Benefit-sharing fund and the introduction of 159 Farmer Field Schools across the three countries, farmers were given support and a voice. They started introducinglost varieties of different crops, creating diversity in their fields that also ensured more varied and nutritious diets. As part of the project a total of 300 lost or forgotten small grain crop varieties were retrieved from national, regional and international gene banks as part of the Treaty's Multilateral System. These seeds are now available to farmers and scientists for further study and the development of new climate-smart varieties.

3. Ensuring a resilient cassava crop in Tanzania and Kenya

Cassava is the third largest source of carbohydrates in the world, playing a particularly important role in agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa because it does well in poor soils and with low rainfall. Additionally, because it is a perennial, cassava acts as a famine reserve. In recent years, however, extreme temperatures, drought, flooding and a new virus, provoking 'brown streak disease', have affected cassava cultivation in the region. In Tanzaniaand Kenya, a project implemented through the Benefit-sharing Fund has led to new, more resistant and tolerant cassava breeding lines, including 30 that are heat and disease tolerant. While the farmers are now experimenting with planting new cassava varieties and using improved agricultural practices, breeders and scientists have access to improved plant material from which to select essential genetic material for future use. Community seed banks have been established through the Benefit-sharing Fund in conjunction with Farmer Field Schools and are an important initiative to collect and conserve local crop varieties. They function as a platform for farmers to control and make informed decisions on the conservation of agrobiodiversity and the cultivation of a variety of crops with nutritional value.

In the 15 years since it came into force, the International Treaty hosted by FAO has created the largest global gene pool for sharing plant material for food and agriculture, the Multilateral System of Access and Benefit-sharing (MLS). The Benefit-sharing Fund has supported over one million people through 80 agricultural development projects in 67 developing countries. These projects are clear examples of how effective the sharing of skills and knowledge across continents can be and they are crucial in the race to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular SDG 15 (Life on Land) and SDG2 (Zero Hunger). Projects under the Benefit-sharing Fund are an indication that FAO's Strategy on mainstreaming biodiversity across agricultural sectors is already taking shape and showing positive results, demonstrating that the greater the diversification of crops, the more food secure a community can become and the more resilient they find themselves in the face of current threats like climate change, pests and disease.

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Enhancing food diversity in the midst of a climate crisis: How plant genetic material ensures future food security - Kenya - ReliefWeb

FRIDAY, May 22, 2020. 1:00 1:30 p.m.

Like A Boss Now is a series of live webinar interviews where you can hear insightful, first-hand accounts of the realities of running a business. Portland Press Herald CEO and Publisher Lisa DeSisto will interview Maine CEOs for insights on how they are managing, adapting, and problem solving in these ever-changing times.

JAX President & CEO Dr. Edison Liu will speak about how institutions can proactively and safely deal with pandemic challenges and move back to work, the importance of robust viral testing programs and collaborations, and his understanding of the complex dynamics that incorporates medicine, science, government, culture, and business for response and recovery at many levels the nation, the state, and the workplace. He will share his experience leading the successful scientific response to the SARS crisis in Singapore in 2003 as the executive director of the Genome Institute of Singapore, for which he earned the Presidents Public Service Medal, and how he has propelled The Jackson Laboratory as an innovator in how a workplace should respond to keeping employees safe while maintaining essential services and productivity.

Previously, Dr. Liu was the founding executive director of the Genome Institute of Singapore (2001-2011), and was the president of the Human Genome Organization (HUGO) from 2007-2013. Between 1997 and 2001, he was the scientific director of the National Cancer Institutes Division of Clinical Sciences in Bethesda, Md., where he was in charge of the intramural clinical translational science programs.

From 1987 to 1996, Dr. Liu was a faculty member at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he was the director of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Centers Specialized Program of Research Excellence in Breast Cancer; the director of the Laboratory of Molecular Epidemiology at UNCs School of Public Health; chief of Medical Genetics; and the chair of the Correlative Science Committee of the national cooperative clinical trials group, CALGB. Dr. Liu is an international expert in cancer biology, genomics, human genetics, molecular epidemiology and translational medicine.

Dr. Lius own scientific research has focused on the functional genomics of human cancers, particularly breast cancer, uncovering new oncogenes, and deciphering on a genomic scale the dynamics of gene regulation that modulate cancer biology. He has authored over 300 scientific papers and reviews, and co-authored two books. He obtained his B.S. in chemistry and psychology, as well as his M.D., at Stanford University. He served his internship and residency at Washington Universitys Barnes Hospital in St. Louis, followed by an oncology fellowship at Stanford. From 1982 to 1987 he was at the University of California, San Francisco, at the G.W. Hooper Foundation.

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Like a Boss Now: One-on-one with Dr. Edison Liu, President and CEO of The Jackson Laboratory - Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel

In 1994, researchers found two chimpanzees dead in Cte dIvoires Ta National Park, which holds West Africas largest rainforest. Autopsies of the chimpanzees revealed signs of hemorrhage resembling those found in humans during outbreaks of ebolavirus that occurred decades earlier in Zaire and Sudan. Indeed, further studies led to the designation of Ta Forest ebolavirus, one of five known strains of the virus that can lead to the ebolavirus disease. One researcher in the park contracted the disease during this time.

This is one of many stories of a zoonotic disease, also referred to as a zoonosis, which is a disease transmitted to humans by animals. Zoonoses are transmitted via direct or indirect contact with an infected individual, consuming contaminated food or water, or through vectors for example, being bitten by a mosquito carrying the disease.

The focus on transmission to humans dominates the global narrative of zoonoses, which include West Nile, rabies, Lyme and others. But certain pockets of the zoological research community focus on the reverse: humans transmitting zoonoses to wildlife, known as zooanthroponosis or anthroponosis.

In the current case of COVID-19, researchers of non-human primates have sounded alarm bells for the risks humans pose for transmitting SARS-CoV-2, the viral pathogen that causes the COVID-19 or coronavirus disease, to species of primates, including monkeys and apes. Being among some of the worlds most endangered species, of particular concern are wild great apes, including bonobos, eastern and western gorillas, orangutans and chimpanzees.

These types of outbreaks can have really devastating effects on primate populations, says says Amanda Melin, a biological anthropologist who runs the Primate Genomics and Ecology lab at the University of Calgary. This is a great example of the risks that we pose to other animals in the earth.

So far, there have been no positive tests of COVID-19 in wild great apes but the deadliness of the disease, should transmission occur, is likely high.

Its the quickest study Ive ever been involved in, says Melin of a study she co-led with Mareike Janiak, a postdoctoral scholar in molecular anthropology, and James Higham, a primate evolutionary biologist at New York University, that helps dispel the guesswork of which non-human primate species are at greatest risk. The study was conducted within about seven days in early April and posted to a preprint server shortly thereafter because of the urgency of its findings, which examine the genetics behind how the SARS-CoV-2 pathogen triggers the COVID-19 disease itself.

In order for a viral pathogen to take hold in a host, the proteins on its surface must bind with certain proteins on the surfaces of a hosts cells. Once the pathogens protein has found its cellular protein match, known as a receptor, the pathogen can enter the cell and trigger the disease. Coronavirus pathogens not just of COVID-19, but of other coronaviruses as well express spike proteins on their surfaces.

If the viruss protein cant find anywhere to bind, then its not going to become infectious, Melin puts simply.

Genes determine which proteins are formed on which cells. Melins study examines the coding sequence of the ACE2gene, which codes the cellular protein (the ACE2 receptor) for the SARS-CoV-2 pathogen. These receptors are found in endothelial tissues throughout the body, including in the lungs, hence the diseases respiratory effects.

As is the case concerning most forms of life, less diversity means less resilience to threat, and so too does it go for genetic predisposition to COVID-19.

Proteins are made of amino acids. Genes can vary in the sequences of their comprising DNA, and the variants of a gene will code protein receptors with different structures of their amino acids. Receptors with a range of structures make it more difficult for a pathogen to find its match.

With that context, consider this statement from Melins study: Here, we show that all apes, including chimpanzees, bonobos, gorillas, and orangutans, and all African and Asian monkeys, exhibit the same set of twelve key amino acid residues as human ACE2.

In other words, we and many of our primate cousins are in the same boat of being highly susceptible because we have highly similar ACE2 genes and receptors, making it easier for the SARS-CoV-2 pathogen to find its binding match on our cells.

Interestingly, the study found that monkeys in the Americas, and some tarsiers, lemurs and lorisoids, had more ACE2 genetic variation, indicating that many species are likely less susceptible. However, Melin warns, some lemur species are also likely to be highly susceptible, which is worrying as they are also among the most endangered primates.

(Bats, notorious for being hosts and spreaders of coronaviruses, have exceptionally high ACE2 genetic variation. Within just the handful of bat species that we looked at, we saw genetic variation equivalent to the variation we saw across the entire range of other mammals we included, says Melin.)

Its easy to imagine that were closely related to other non-human primates, and so we should be careful with diseases. But knowing that they have the exact same sites and should be equally susceptible to us, and seeing what its doing to humans around the world its really concerning.

At the end of 2016 and into early 2017, chimpanzees in the Ta forest were seen with cold-like symptoms. While it did not prove deadly, the illness was found by researchers to have been a coronavirus passed to the chimpanzees from humans, likely poachers.

Similar to Gombe, disease is the leading challenge for conservation of chimpanzees at Ta, says Thomas Gillespie, whose work with wild great apes in Africa includes directing theGombe Ecosystem Health Project, in addition to running the Gillespie Lab at Emory University. Because of that, were always alert to the risk of disease exposure from people. The Ta team, 10 years ago or so, had a major respiratory outbreak that killed all the young chimpanzees

The tell-tale signs of COVID-19 are likely also the same for human and non-human primates, namely dry cough and fever.

We expect to see human-like symptoms, or more extreme versions of those. Laboratory-based infection of macaques resulted in similar disease progression to what were seeing in humans, says Gillespie.

Because best practices of wildlife conservation, and especially with wild great apes, demand limited human interaction, researchers rely on technology to check animals for symptoms from a safe and hidden distance. Laser thermometers are used to check fecal masses immediately after defecation to determine body temperatures. Blood meals from mosquitos are tested to keep track of pathogens circulating between them and animals. Carrion flies, which feast on dead animals, can give insights on mortality.

The Cross River gorillas, for example we never see them because theyre very cryptic, says Gillespie of the critically endangered species. Only an estimated 200 or 300 remain, residing at the border of Nigeria and Cameroon. But the flies are still going to find them. Flies are going to let us know if theres a spike in mortality. And then that can alert us to potential issues.

Should COVID-19 begin to be found in wild great apes, there is good and bad news. The bad is that quarantining isnt an option. Because of group dynamics, individual animals within most groups cannot be removed They dont respond well it tends to go quite badly, says Gillespie making the likelihood of virus spreading to the entire group of a single infected animal quite high.

And, once a wild animal has left the wild, he adds, there are tremendous threats involved with putting them back in the wild because we might have exposed them to additional pathogens in the sanctuary setting.

So we cant think about things like darting individuals, removing them from the group, quarantining them. We have to really focus on them not becoming infected. And thats the most important thing.

Gillespie nonetheless expects the virus to make its way into at least some populations of wild apes populations. The key now is to understand how it is likely to spread among species, based on exposure as well as the apes behavior and ecology. For example, in some places, habituated apes those accustomed to proximity to humans might be exposed to SARS-CoV-2, but will likely never come into contact with non-habituated apes. In other areas, this might not be the case.

And in yet other areas, monkeys that share habitats with apes baboons and vervet monkeys in Africa; macaques in Asia might spread the virus among great ape groups, or act as intermediaries, carrying the virus from humans to great apes.

This is something were actively working on, says Gillespie, who is leading a team focused on creating a model of sites across Africa and Asia to guide location-based best practices for ape conservation during the pandemic. Were modeling the different ape species, including variables like demographics, behavioral ecology, and proximity to humans and other susceptible species. This can all influence the dynamics of transmission to wild great apes.

Many protected areas inhabited by wild great apes have quickly developed lockdown measures of their own, such as shutting down tourism, logging and mining operations and extensively testing staff and researchers.

One of the major efforts currently addressing this is led by the Primate Specialist Group and the Wildlife Health Specialist Group, both of the International Union for Conservation of Nature. The two groups released a joint statement in early March, listing ways that humans can minimize risks to wild great apes, including disinfecting their footwear, wearing surgical masks, quarantining when coming from abroad, and immediately leaving an area when feeling the need to cough or sneeze and not returning.

But for local communities who depend on the use of certain forests, current measures might mean theyre left without a livelihood. To this end, the IUCN has created a task force, which includes Gillespie, focused on COVID-19s impacts on areas where wildlife and communities share and depend on the same ecosystems. One component of this effort has been distributing funds to communities that might otherwise be forced to resort to actions that could threaten wildlife.

Melins and Gillespies studies and others like them are proving crucial tools for these conservationists to know where and how to allocate resources to protect species highly vulnerable to the disease, as well as provide scientific backing to policy- and decision-makers about the vulnerability of these species.

Even after the heightened phase of the pandemic has lessened, changes must continue to be made, she says: For primate observational research, we need to continue to be really careful about quarantining ourselves and about our proximities, always using best practices when were interacting with non-human primates. More generally, I hope we can slow and then stop the illegal trade of wildlife, which might help prevent future, different outbreaks.

And then she broadens her thoughts: How will it feel collectively, as humans, if were responsible for the rapid extermination of these species from the Earth?

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What the genetics of COVID-19 mean for the survival of wild great apes - Landscape News

Three Day Event Convenes Patient Advocates, Healthcare Providers, Scientists, Policymakers, Industry Leaders, Faith and Grassroots Organizations and Influencers for a National Conversation to eliminate the disparity gap and Improve the Health Outcomes of African American Women.

Reston, VA, May 21, 2020 --(PR.com)-- Tigerlily Foundation invites everyone to the table for the first-ever online conference dedicated to amplifying the voices of young metastatic breast cancer patients to end disparities on May 27, 29, and 30, 2020.

Three Day Event Convenes Patient Advocates, Healthcare Providers, Scientists, Policymakers, Industry Leaders, Faith and Grassroots Organizations and Influencers for a National Conversation to eliminate the disparity gap and Improve the Health Outcomes of African American Women.

Approximately 150,000 people in the U.S. have metastatic breast cancer (MBC) which is breast cancer that has spread beyond the breast to other organs in the body and is also known as stage 4 breast cancer. This terminal cancer has no known cure claiming nearly 40,000 lives a year for the last 20 years. Furthermore, African American women are diagnosed younger at later stages with more aggressive breast cancer types and have a 40% higher mortality rate. Yet, more than 60% of all women say they know little to nothing about MBC.

Tigerlily Foundations Young Womens MBC Advocate Now to Grow, Empower & Lead (ANGEL) program is at the forefront of the charge to transform the way women of color all over the nation interact with MBC patients, policymakers, providers and the scientific community. The MBC ANGEL program focuses on women of color who are disproportionately impacted by MBC yet often go underrepresented in clinical trials and the conversation on the unique needs of women living with MBC. MBC ANGELs education and advocacy program utilizes a three-pronged approach towards ending breast cancer disparities by engaging young women of color that are breast cancer survivors, living with metastatic breast cancer or community members that are committed to breast cancer advocacy, health care providers and policymakers in the 20 cities with the greatest breast cancer disparities.

This Womens Health Month, Tigerlily Foundation, is inviting everyone to the table for the first-ever #ListenUpMBC Confab on Young Women's Metastatic Breast Cancer Disparities on May 27, 29, and 30. Patients, caregivers, advocates, scientists, oncologists, industry leaders, policymakers, and social media influencers will gather online. This first of its kind three-day virtual event includes a Twitter 101 Lunch and Learn, #ListenUpMBC Confab, and Happy Hour which takes place during the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2020 Virtual Program. Due to COVID-19, this years ASCO program will now be online. Tigerlilys virtual Confab will amplify this years ASCO theme "Unite & Conquer: Accelerating Progress Together, by ensuring that patient advocates continue to have a place at the table at scientific, policy, healthcare and media forums related to MBC.

It is always a pleasure to connect with breast cancer advocates and thrivers. COVID-19 is bringing us together in solidarity. We have the tools now to improve patient outcomes. We now have lifesaving interventions. Everyone needs access to quality cancer risk assessment and genetic testing now and after this pandemic. We are using this crisis to gear up, to continue to support our patients, to find innovative ways to do our work, and to prepare the next generation for whatever is ahead, said, Dr. Olufunmilayo Olopade. Dr. Olopade is the 2017 ASCO Humanitarian Award recipient and is an internationally renowned breast cancer genetics expert with a specific focus on BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations in women of African descent. The May 29 #ListenUpMBC Confab We Are Greater Than COVID-19 Keynote Conversation and Townhall will feature Dr. Olopade and cross-sector experts.

Tigerlily has also enlisted the support of celebrity chef and Food Network Star Chef Chris Kyler and celebrity DJ Brian Henry to close out the online activities by empowering people right from their living rooms with a virtual Happy Hour complete with sessions on breast cancer and beauty, stress management, a cooking and mixologist demonstration, and a dance party. Im honored to help patients who are at even greater risk right now, come together in a safe way were looking forward to having a great time with everyone, said Food Network Star Chef Chris Kyler.

Our 'MBC ANGELs' are a group of young women of color from across the U.S. who have committed to educating, empowering, and mobilizing their community against MBC. Today, living with MBC during this global pandemic, means they face compounded disparities even more, to overcome. Tigerlily is committed to ensuring that right now, more than ever, we gather online and raise our voices together. We will not be stopped by cancer or COVID-19 and are grateful for the outpouring of support weve received to make this initiative possible, said Maimah Karmo, President and Founder of Tigerlily Foundation.

"We are thankful to our partners, including Lilly Oncology, Daiichi-Sankyo, Pfizer, Seattle Genetics, Amgen, Merck, Immunomedics, Genentech, Bristol Myers Squibb, Q Mixers, Blue Henry, Drink Builder and The IRIS Collaborative for working with us on this critical initiative," Karmo added.

Speakers over this three-day event include: (in order of appearance)- Maimah Karmo, President & CEO, Tigerlily Foundation- Mia Keeys, MPH, Director of Health Equity Policy and Advocacy, American Medical Association- Shonta Chambers, M.S.W., Executive Vice President, Patient Advocate Foundation- Ricki Fairley, SVP, Sisters Network- Jamil Rivers, MBC ANGEL, Tigerlily Foundation; Board of Directors, Living Beyond Breast Cancer- Christine Hodgdon & Julia Maues, GRASP- Jasmine Souers & Marissa Thomas, Co-Founders, For the Breast of Us- Funmi Olopade, MD, FACP, Walter L. Palmer Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine and Human Genetics Director, Center for Clinical Cancer Genetics & Global Health, The University of Chicago Medicine- Lori Wilson, MD, FACS, Division Chief of Surgical Oncology, Howard University, MBC ANGEL Advisor- Shonte Drakeford, RN, CRNP MBC ANGEL Advisor, Tigerlily Foundation- Rev. Dr. Sheron Patterson, M.T.S., D.Min, Senior Pastor, The Park- Craig Lipset, MPH, Advisor & Founder, Clinical Innovation Partners- Conrad Tucker, Ph.D., Arthur Hamerschlag Career Development Professor, Mechanical Engineering Courtesy Appointment, Machine Learning, Carnegie Mellon University- Zora Asberry, TV Personality- Regina Hampton, MD, FACS, Medical Director, Doctors Community Hospital; Co-Founder & CMO, Cherry Blossom Intimates- Jasmine Jones, Founder & COO, Cherry Blossom Intimates- Natalie Lewis, Destinae Wellness- Nikkia Blakey, President, Champion Promise Foundation- Chef Chris Kyler, Food Network Star- Shyrea Thompson, Founder & Principal, The IRIS Collaborative- Gerard Bonner, Founder, Bonnerfide Radio- Kevin Reid, Mixologist & Founder, Drink Builder- Falasha Zuend, Public Health Goals- DJ Brian Henry, Beats to Beat Breast Cancer

About Tigerlily FoundationTigerlily Foundation is a leading national breast cancer organization whose mission is to educate, empower, support, and advocate for young women ages 15 to 45 before, during, and after breast cancer. Tigerlily Foundation is dedicated to ending disparities of age, stage and color. The organization works with hundreds of volunteers nationwide, providing breast health, wellness, and transformational programs to young women nationally. To learn more, visit http://tigerlilyfoundation.org. Follow @TigerlilyCares and share #ListenUpMBC

Contact Information:Tigerlily FoundationMamah Karmo888-580-6253Contact via Emailwww.tigerlilyfoundation.org

Read the full story here: https://www.pr.com/press-release/813207

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Tigerlily Foundation Will Host Virtual #ListenUpMBC Confab on Young Women's Metastatic Breast Cancer Disparities During Women's Health Month -...