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Monthly Archives: June 2022
Monkeypox Q&A: 10 key questions on the virus answered by health experts – NationalWorld
Posted: June 4, 2022 at 1:46 am
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Heres what Dr Mike Skinner, reader in virology at Imperial College London, and Martin Michaelis, professor of molecular medicine at the University of Kent, had to say.
1. What is monkeypox?
Prof Michaelis: Monkeypox is an infectious disease, which is caused by the monkeypox virus. The monkeypox virus is closely related to the smallpox virus but less contagious and less deadly. It is not related to the Varicella zoster virus that causes chickenpox.
Dr Skinner: Monkeypox is a large and complex virus. It is closely related to the smallpox virus, which was eradicated in 1980 by vaccination with the vaccinia virus - which also protects against monkeypox.
Monkeypox was first seen in monkeys in a medical facility in Copenhagen in 1958, with the first human cases seen in 1970.
2. How is it spread and how do you catch it?
Prof Michaelis: Monkeypox virus is endemic in parts of central and west Africa. Rodents are thought to be the main reservoir species, such as Gambian pouched rats, dormice, and African squirrels. Most human infections are caused by direct contact with infected animals.
You are unlikely to become infected when you are in the same room with an infected person, if there is no direct contact.
Dr Skinner: It is spread by close, even intimate, contact, for example when caring for children, bed-sharing or during sexual contact.
It can be caught and spread through broken skin or via the mouth or eyes after contact with pus from open spots (directly or from surfaces), by inhaling dust from dried scabs after they are shed into bedding and clothing, and by inhalation of droplets spread from the mouth or nose but only over very short distances, unlike Covid.
3. Does it come from animals?
Dr Skinner: Yes, though not from monkeys but from small mammals - such as rodents, dormice, squirrels - in Africa.
Prof Michaelis: The main reservoir are rodents such as Gambian pouched rats, dormice, and African squirrels in central and west Africa. These rodents can then infect other animals and humans. Despite the name monkeypox, the monkeypox virus is not typically found in monkeys. The virus only received its name, because it was discovered in a cynomolgus monkey in 1958.
4. What are the symptoms of monkeypox?
Dr Skinner: A few days after infection, the first signs can be fever, headache, malaise, muscle pain, which precede appearance of a rash the spots follow a course that passes through blisters - initially closed but later open - through to scabs which eventually fall off.
Prof Michaelis: Monkeypox patients have been described to be unwell for up to four weeks.
5. Is it deadly?
Dr Skinner: Only rarely, and it depends on the strain. The Central African (Congo) strain has a mortality rate in Africa of up to 10%. The West African (Nigerian) strain is milder, with a mortality rate in Africa of 1 to 2%.
No deaths were observed in the 2003 US outbreak of the West African strain, which passed to native prairie dog pets from imported African animals, despite 73 cases.
Prof Michaelis: As far as we know, the current British cases have been caused by monkeypox viruses from the less deadly West African strain.
The death rates have been determined in African countries with limited health care capacities. It is not clear how deadly monkeypox is in a high-income country like the UK with a developed health care system and modern intensive care facilities.
6. What is the treatment?
Dr Skinner: Normally supportive (fluids) but a modern version of the smallpox vaccine has been licenced for post-exposure as well as pre-exposure use. Antivirals are also available for post-exposure therapy.
Prof Michaelis: Smallpox vaccines provide a reasonable level of protection (about 85%) from monkeypox. Even if a smallpox vaccine is administered up to four days after infection, it is still expected to prevent disease. If the smallpox vaccine is administered later than this but before the onset of symptoms, it is still anticipated to reduce disease severity.
There is also an antiviral drug called tecovirimat that is approved for the treatment of smallpox in the US and that is expected to be also effective against monkeypox. Other antiviral drugs that have been shown to inhibit monkeypox in animal models include cidofovir and brincidofovir. However, clinical studies will be needed to find out how effective these drugs actually are against monkeypox in humans.
7. How can you avoid getting it?
Dr Skinner: Medical staff will use PPE. The vast majority of us will not come into close contact with infected individuals.
Prof Michaelis: Monkeypox is not as contagious as airborne diseases like the measles or Covid-19.
Close body contact or contact with body fluids or the lesions is normally required to become infected.
Transmission via aerosols has not been described, but people may become infected by larger droplets if a monkeypox patient directly coughs or sneezes at them.
Contact with clothes or bedding of monkeypox patients can result in the transmission of the disease.
Generally, the risk of infection via contaminated surfaces, for example doorknobs, seems to be higher for monkeypox than, for example, for Covid-19. Hence, thorough hygiene measures and hand washing as well as avoiding close contact with potential monkeypox patients should normally be sufficient to prevent infection.
8. Is it worse in children?
Dr Skinner: Experience in Africa suggests it can be more severe in children. It also poses increased risk to those who are immunosuppressed.
Prof Michaelis: Yes, children and pregnant women are at a higher risk from monkeypox than adults.
9. How did the current outbreak start and spread?
Dr Skinner: We have had sporadic, international, travel-related cases since an apparent increase in numbers in West Africa in 2017.
The first cases this year seem to be similar, but the latest cases, here and abroad, are in clusters - a couple linked epidemiologically in the UK - with no travel history to West Africa.
They seem to be linked in having extensive, close and intimate network contacts, in this case by being members of the men who have sex with men community.
Public health officials are looking for links between the clusters, nationally and internationally, as well as for earlier and hopefully index cases, although it is assumed their origin is West Africa, they may represent multiple introductions.
Prof Michaelis: This is not entirely clear. The monkeypox strain that causes the current outbreak is derived from West Africa, and it seems likely that all cases are linked back to a single case. It is not clear how the virus then spread around the world.
10. How can an outbreak be stopped?
Dr Skinner: Contact tracing by public health authorities after prompt recognition, isolation and confirmation of possible and probable cases, vigilance of those who are possible contacts and by willingness of cases to contact authorities if symptoms arise.
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Monkeypox Q&A: 10 key questions on the virus answered by health experts - NationalWorld
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Scorpion Therapeutics Announces Discovery Scientific Advisory Board – Yahoo Finance
Posted: June 4, 2022 at 1:46 am
-- Members include pioneers of cancer biology and computational biology who have discovered key drivers of the disease and advanced the discovery of new therapies --
BOSTON, June 02, 2022--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Scorpion Therapeutics, Inc. ("Scorpion" or the "Company"), a pioneering oncology company redefining the frontier of precision medicine through its Precision Oncology 2.0 strategy, today announced the composition of its Discovery Scientific Advisory Board ("SAB").
The members of the Companys Discovery SAB include:
Rameen Beroukhim, M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Medicine, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School. Associate member of the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT
Lewis C. Cantley, Ph.D., Faculty Member, Department of Cancer Biology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Andy Futreal, Ph.D., Department Chair, Department of Genomic Medicine, Division of Cancer Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Robert Gentleman, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Center for Computational Biomedicine, Harvard Medical School
Ross Levine, M.D., Deputy Physician-in-Chief, Translational Research, Laurence Joseph Dineen Chair in Leukemia Research, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
Elaine Mardis, Ph.D., Co-Executive Director, The Institute for Genomic Medicine at Nationwide Childrens Hospital Professor of Pediatrics, The Ohio State University College of Medicine
Kornelia Polyak, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Medicine, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School; Co-Leader, Dana-Farber Harvard Cancer Center Cancer Cell Biology Program
David Solit, M.D., Geoffrey Beene Chair for Cancer Research; Director of the Marie-Jose & Henry R. Kravis Center for Molecular Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
"We are pleased to announce this prestigious group of advisors and look forward to their input to our discovery strategy as we grow the company into a leader in precision oncology," said Axel Hoos, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Scorpion. "Working closely with our academic founders Keith Flaherty, M.D., Gaddy Getz, Ph.D., and Liron Bar-Peled, Ph.D., and in partnership with our Chief Scientific Officer, Darrin Stuart, Ph.D., who will serve as chairman of the advisory board, this world-class group will provide key scientific insights that will help us realize our vision."
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"Together, these appointees have discovered some of the most prevalent drivers of cancer and advanced the fields of cancer biology, cancer genetics, computational biology and precision medicine," said Darrin Stuart, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Scorpion. "We look forward to their many contributions as we continue to advance our drug hunting platform and expand our pipeline with small molecules designed to address untapped cancer drug targets, each with the potential to treat precise, genetically defined patient populations."
Rameen Beroukhim, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Beroukhim is an associate professor of medicine at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, and an associate member of the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT. In addition to directing a genomics-focused lab, he sees patients in an adult neuro-oncology clinic. Dr. Beroukhim studied physics and philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley. He obtained an M.Phil and Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge for work done at the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Medical Biology on electron crystallographic studies of ion channels. He then completed his M.D. and internal medicine residency at the University of California, San Francisco, before completing a medical oncology fellowship at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Massachusetts General Hospital. Dr. Beroukhims research focuses on the development and use of genomic and computational technologies to understand tumor evolution and vulnerabilities, with particular emphases on brain cancers and on alterations in chromosome structure across cancers. Dr. Beroukhim has published over 300 papers, including the first comprehensive analyses of cancer-specific dependencies due to genomic losses.
Lewis C. Cantley, Ph.D.
Dr. Cantley is a faculty member in the Department of Cancer Biology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Over the course of his career, he has made significant advances in cancer research, stemming from his discovery of the signaling pathway PI3K in 1984. His pioneering research has resulted in revolutionary treatments for cancer, diabetes and autoimmune diseases. The author of over 400 original papers and more than 50 book chapters and review articles, Dr. Cantley is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the National Academy of Sciences. He previously served as Professor of Cell Biology at Harvard Medical School, where he became chief of Harvards new Division of Signal Transduction and a founding member of its Department of Systems Biology in 2002. In 2007, he was appointed director of the Beth Israel Deaconess Cancer Center. In 2013 he was appointed Director of the Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine and in 2022 he returned to Harvard Medical School to assume his current position at Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
Andy Futreal, Ph.D.
Dr. Futreal is currently a Professor in the Department of Genomic Medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, where he applies his knowledge of cancer genomics to improve both short-term and long-term patient outcomes extending to cancer survivorship, and also serves as a platform leader for genomics and informatics for the Cancer Moonshot initiative. Before joining MD Anderson in July 2012, he was the co-director of the Cancer Genome Project at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, where he continues to be an honorary faculty member. His chief scientific accomplishments include the identification of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 breast/ovarian cancer susceptibility genes, leading a pioneering effort in large-scale systematic cancer genomics leading to the identification of the BRAF mutations in melanoma, ERBB2 mutations in non-small cell lung cancer and multiple new cancer genes in renal cell carcinoma. He has published over 300 papers in peer-reviewed journals. He received the NIH Public Service Award in 1995 for discovering the BRCA1 gene involved in subsets of breast and ovarian cancer.
Robert Gentleman, Ph.D.
Dr. Gentleman is the founding executive director of Harvard Medical Schools Center for Computational Biomedicine. An accomplished statistician and bioinformatician, Dr. Gentleman is one of the creators of the R programming language and a founder of the Bioconductor project, an open-source collaborative software tool to promote statistical analysis of biological data. He has served as vice president of 23andMe, where he helped launch their therapeutic division, and he was senior director for bioinformatics and computational biology at Genentech. He was head of computational biology at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and held academic positions at Harvard University, University of Auckland and the University of Waterloo. Dr. Gentlemans research interests are related to genomics, machine learning, data visualization, and the application of statistical and computational methods to study human disease.
Ross Levine, M.D.
Dr. Levine is the Deputy Physician-in-Chief for Translational Research, Laurence Joseph Dineen Chair in Leukemia Research, Member of the Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, and Attending Physician at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where he cares for patients with blood and bone marrow cancers. Dr. Levines pioneering research has illuminated the genetic basis of myeloid malignancies, including studies that delineated the role of the JAK-STAT pathway and other oncogenic drivers in the pathogenesis of myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). His current efforts focus on the role of mutations in epigenetic modifiers in MPN and AML pathogenesis and therapeutic response, investigation of the role of different signaling pathways in hematopoietic transformation, and mechanisms of resistance to targeted therapies in MPN/AML. He has been honored with the Dameshek Prize from the American Society of Hematology, a Scholar Award from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, the Boyer Award for Clinical Investigation from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and an NCI Outstanding Investigator R35 Award. In 2011 he was elected to the American Society of Clinical Investigation and in 2018 to the Association of American Physicians.
Elaine Mardis, Ph.D.
Dr. Mardis is co-Executive Director of the Institute for Genomic Medicine at Nationwide Childrens Hospital and the Steve and Cindy Rasmussen Endowed Chair in Genomic Medicine. She also is Professor of Pediatrics at The Ohio State University College of Medicine. Her research focuses on cancer genomics from a discovery and translational perspective, with the goal of identifying the best therapeutic approach to fighting an individuals cancer by determining common driver mutations/genes and pathways that can cause cancer to develop and progress. Dr. Mardis has authored over 350 articles in prestigious peer-reviewed journals and has written book chapters for several medical textbooks. She serves as Deputy Editor for Disease Models and Mechanisms, Editor-in-Chief of Molecular Cancer Research, and Co-Editor in Chief of Cancer Research Communications. Dr. Mardis has given lectures at scientific meetings worldwide, and was awarded the Morton K Schwartz award from the American Association for Clinical Chemistry in 2016, and the Heath Memorial Award from MD Anderson Cancer Center in 2019. She has been listed since 2013 as one of the most highly cited researchers in the world by Clarivate/Thompson Reuters. Dr. Mardis has been a member of the AACR since 2007, was the program committee chair for the 2018 AACR Annual Meeting, and served as the AACR President from 2019-2020. She was elected to membership in the National Academy of Medicine in 2019.
Kornelia Polyak, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Polyak is Professor of Medicine at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, and a co-leader of the Dana-Farber Harvard Cancer Center Cancer Cell Biology Program. Dr. Polyak is an internationally-recognized leader of breast cancer research. Her laboratory is dedicated to improving the clinical management of breast cancer patients by understanding of breast tumor evolution. Dr. Polyak has devoted much effort to develop new ways to study tumors as a whole and to apply interdisciplinary approaches. Dr. Polyak have received numerous awards including the Paul Marks Prize for Cancer Research, the AACR Outstanding Investigator Award for Breast Cancer Research, and the 14th Rosalind E. Franklin Award for Women in Science. She is a recipient of the NCI Outstanding Investigator award and received a Distinguished Alumna Award from Weill Cornell. Dr. Polyak is a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the American Association for Cancer Research Academy, and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.
David Solit, M.D.
Dr. Solit is the Geoffrey Beene Chair for Cancer Research and the Director of the Marie-Jose & Henry R. Kravis Center for Molecular Oncology ("CMO") at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. A member of the Genitourinary Oncology Service, he is a medical oncologist specializing in the treatment of prostate, bladder, kidney, testis and other related cancers. Dr. Solit was formerly the Chief of the MSKCC Developmental Therapeutics Service during which time he initiated a program to promote pan-cancer Basket trials. His laboratory research focuses on the identification of molecular predictors of drug response and mechanisms of drug resistance, with a focus on BRAF, MEK and other kinases inhibitors. As Director of the CMO, he leads a multidisciplinary team of clinicians, geneticists, bioinformaticians, and laboratory scientists, which seek to integrate molecular and clinical information to develop therapies that are individualized to each patients cancer. He is a member of the American Society of Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians.
About Scorpion Therapeutics
Scorpion Therapeutics is a pioneering oncology company redefining the frontier of precision medicine to deliver optimized and transformational therapies for larger populations of patients with cancer, a strategy Scorpion Therapeutics refers to as Precision Oncology 2.0. Scorpion Therapeutics has built a proprietary and fully integrated platform of the most advanced technologies across cancer biology, medicinal chemistry, and data sciences, with the goal of consistently and rapidly creating exquisitely selective small molecule compounds against an unprecedented spectrum of targets. Scorpion Therapeutics aims to leverage its platform to advance a broad pipeline of wholly owned, optimized compounds across three target categories: best-in-class molecules targeting validated oncogene targets; first-in-class molecules for previously undruggable targets; and first-in-class molecules for novel cancer targets. For more information, visit http://www.scorpiontx.com.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220602005314/en/
Contacts
Media Contact: Ravi MoorthyScorpion Therapeuticsravi@scorpiontx.com
Investor Contact: Hannah DeresiewiczStern Investor Relations, Inc.Hannah.deresiewicz@sternir.com
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Phase separation found in immune response within cells – UT Southwestern
Posted: June 4, 2022 at 1:46 am
Mingjian Du, Ph.D., (left) and Zhijian James Chen, Ph.D.
DALLAS June 02, 2022 Protein complexes that play a critical role in launching an immune response assemble in droplets that form within the liquid environment in cells much like oil droplets in water, UTSouthwestern scientists report in a new study. The findings, published in Molecular Cell, could lead to new interventions to regulate immunity in individuals with overactive or underactive immune responses.
These droplets basically function as microreactors that concentrate proteins and their substrates within. Its like forming compartments without needing membranes to surround them, said study leader Zhijian James Chen, Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Biology and Director of the Center for Inflammation Research at UTSW, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, and winner of the 2019 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences.
More than two decades ago, the Chen lab discovered that a protein called ubiquitin assembles into chains inside cells when the cells are exposed to inflammatory molecules, such as interleukin-1 (IL-1) or tumor necrosis factor (TNF). Dr. Chen and his colleagues showed that the chains are key for promoting an immune response and can activate a group of proteins known as the IB complex (IKK), which includes a component known as NEMO. This complex in turn triggers a protein called NF-B to move to the nucleus and turn on hundreds of immune-related genes. But how the polyubiquitin chains, NEMO, and IKK come together has been unclear.
NEMO proteins are condensed in liquid droplets (red puncta) in the cytoplasm of a human cell in response to stimulation by a cytokine (interleukin-1). Blue shows the nucleus of the cell.
To answer this question, Dr. Chens team mixed ubiquitin and NEMO in test tubes with a protein called TRAF6, which promotes ubiquitin to assemble into chains. They saw that NEMO and the polyubiquitin chains assembled into liquid droplets that stayed separate from the liquid medium in the test tubes. Experiments in human cells showed that NEMO and the polyubiquitin chains displayed the same phase separation behavior after the cells were exposed to IL-1 or TNF. When IKK entered these droplets, it became activated and triggered NF-B to move to the nucleus. The longer the polyubiquitin chains, the larger the droplets they formed with NEMO and the stronger the immune response they triggered, Dr. Chen explained.
The team further studied this process using NEMO that was altered by mutations associated with a rare disease known as NEMO deficiency syndrome, which severely blunts immune response to bacterial infections. NEMO that carried these mutations could not effectively condense into droplets with polyubiquitin chains, preventing the cascade of events that triggers an immune response.
Dr. Chen noted that better understanding of this liquid phase separation phenomenon could eventually lead to treatments for NEMO deficiency syndrome and interventions to counteract overactive or underactive immunity, the root cause of autoimmune disorders and increased susceptibility to infection, respectively.
Dr. Chen is a George L. MacGregor Distinguished Chair in Biomedical Science and a member of the National Academy of Sciences.
Mingjian Du, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in the Chen lab, is lead author of this study. Other UTSW researchers who contributed to this study include Chee-Kwee Ea and Yan Fang.
This research was supported by grants from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (RP180725, RP210041) and The Welch Foundation (I-1389).
About UTSouthwestern Medical Center
UTSouthwestern, one of the nations premier academic medical centers, integrates pioneering biomedical research with exceptional clinical care and education. The institutions faculty has received six Nobel Prizes, and includes 26 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 17 members of the National Academy of Medicine, and 14 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators. The full-time faculty of more than 2,900 is responsible for groundbreaking medical advances and is committed to translating science-driven research quickly to new clinical treatments. UTSouthwestern physicians provide care in more than 80 specialties to more than 100,000 hospitalized patients, more than 360,000 emergency room cases, and oversee nearly 4 million outpatient visits a year.
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Phase separation found in immune response within cells - UT Southwestern
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Genomics Market Size Is Expected To Reach $62.9 Billion By 2028, Based on High Demand For Advanced Gene-Editing Tools From Biotechnology Companies |…
Posted: June 4, 2022 at 1:46 am
According to a new report published by Grand View Research, the future market potential of genomics in newborn screening programs, emerging companies like Counsyl and Natera have launched various genetic tests to maintain their competitive edge in the market.
Genomics Industry Overview
The global genomics market size was valued at USD 20.1 billion in 2020 andis expected to reach USD 62.9 billion by 2028, expecting to expand at a CAGR of 15.35%during forecast period.
The scientific community has tried to address genetic susceptibility and severity to SARS-CoV-2 infection by combining research efforts using existing genetic databases. Multiomic-based approaches and genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have been employed to uncover biological networks and common variants underlying host-pathogen interactions. Similarly, data derived from genomes, such as polygenic risk scores (PRS), ABO blood groups, and HLA haplotypes, can be potentially used to decipher COVID-19 complications, resistance, and susceptibility. Moreover, biobanks that link electronic health records (EHRs) to genomic data can be leveraged to study the impact of genomic factors on the clinical course of patients infected with SARS-CoV-2.
Gather more insights about the market drivers, restrains and growth of the Global Genomics Market
The COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative launched by researchers from the Finnish Institute for Molecular Medicine (FIMM) aims to inspire the human genetics community to analyze, share, and generate data to interpret determinants of COVID-19 outcomes, severity, and susceptibility. deCODE genetics, a genomics solutions provider in Iceland, has used SARS-CoV-2 genomic analysis to monitor the viral spread.
In addition, the company has partnered with the Government of Iceland to conduct genome sequencing of viral hosts. Similarly, the government of Greece funded the COVID-19-GR initiative to genotype 3,500 COVID-19 patients, conduct WGS on the SARS-CoV-2 genome obtained from these patients, and conduct immunogenomic analyses. The complete set of this data along with detailed clinical information is available and can be retrieved from the Greek COVID-19 registry.
In the near future, prenatal genetic screening programs are likely to grow at a significant pace. This is because these programs help expectant mothers identify chromosomal anomalies in their offspring. Moreover, it is anticipated that in the next 10 years, every newborns genome would be sequenced and stored in the electronic medical record. Gauging the future market potential of genomics in newborn screening programs, emerging companies like Counsyl and Natera have launched various genetic tests to maintain their competitive edge in the market.
Genomics Market Segmentation
Based on the Deliverable Insights, the market is segmented into product ad services
Based on the Application and Technology Insights, the market is segmented into functional genomics, pathway analysis, biomarker discovery, epigenetics and others
Based on End-use Insights, the market is segmented into pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, hospitals and clinics, academic and government institutes, clinical research and other end users
Based on the Regional Insights, the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa
Market Share Insights:
Key Companies Profile:
Companies are increasingly focusing on the development and launch of new products and collaboration with other entities to increase their market share.
Some prominent players in the global genomics market include:
Order a free sample PDF of the GenomicsMarket Intelligence Study, published by Grand View Research.
About Grand View Research
Grand View Research is a full-time market research and consulting company registered in San Francisco, California. The company fully offers market reports, both customized and syndicates, based on intense data analysis. It also offers consulting services to business communities and academic institutions and helps them understand the global and business scenario to a significant extent. The company operates across multitude of domains such as Chemicals, Materials, Food and Beverages, Consumer Goods, Healthcare, and Information Technology to offer consulting services.
Web: https://www.grandviewresearch.com
Media ContactCompany Name: Grand View Research, Inc.Contact Person: Sherry James, Corporate Sales Specialist U.S.A.Email: Send EmailPhone: 1888202951Address:Grand View Research, Inc. 201 Spear Street 1100 San Francisco, CA 94105, United StatesCity: San FranciscoState: CaliforniaCountry: United StatesWebsite: https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/genomics-market
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Genomics Market Size Is Expected To Reach $62.9 Billion By 2028, Based on High Demand For Advanced Gene-Editing Tools From Biotechnology Companies |...
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Modelling NZ’s Next Omicron Wave Expert Reaction | Scoop News – Scoop
Posted: June 4, 2022 at 1:46 am
How might waning immunity and reinfection affect our nextwave of COVID-19? Researchers have modelled differentscenarios to predict what the coming months might looklike.
The researchers found that a second COVID wavearose in the latter half of 2022 in all their scenarios,smaller than our first wave and set to peak in August toNovember depending on how fast immunity drops. However, ahigher peak of hospitalisations may occur if more olderpeople get infected. Under a faster-waning immunity scenariowith older ages more infected, this modelling estimates thatas many as 46% of cases could be reinfections.
The SMCasked experts to comment.
Dr Dianne Sika-Paotonu,Immunologist, Associate Dean (Pacific), Head of Universityof Otago Wellington Pacific Office, and Senior Lecturer,Pathology & Molecular Medicine, University of OtagoWellington, comments:
Waning immunity andreinfection
Many whove recovered from Covid-19will have developed immunity at least for the initial monthsfollowing infection, however reinfection risk with theSARS-CoV-2 virus remains. Although previous infection withthe virus does offer some immune protection, this does waneover time. More people have now been exposed to theSARS-CoV-2 virus, and with the emergence of the Omicronvariant, reinfections have been increasing in a way not seenwith earlier variants. Omicrons higher transmissibilityand ability to evade immune protection are likelycontributing factors.
Whats known from overseasstudies on reinfection risk
Towards the end of 2021as Omicron was spreading, data from South Africa was showinghigher reinfection rates when compared with previousinfection waves this pattern was also seen in othercountries. In the UK, the reinfection risk was found to be16 times greater when Omicron was the dominant variant,compared to when Delta dominated about seven months prior.This survey work was undertaken using random sampling ofhouseholds by the UK Office for NationalStatistics.
Data from England has also demonstrateda reinfection increase, where the rate of reinfections ofreported cases in February 2022 was about 10%, jumping fromjust 1% prior to mid-November 2021. One study from Qatar,which looked at the reinfection severity after initialinfection with the Alpha and Beta variants, indicated thatoverall, SARS-CoV-2 re-infections where anotherinfection occurred at least 90 days after the firstinfection tended to be less severe when compared withthe first infection.
Ongoing work will be needed tounderstand more about whether reinfections for Omicron andall its sub-variants are more or less severe, when comparedto the primary infection. It is still important that thosewho may have already had a Covid-19 infection furtherstrengthen their immunity withvaccination.
Overall, current evidence isindicating that reinfections have been increasing with theOmicron variant, and the risk of reinfection with theSARS-CoV-2 virus remains, especially for vulnerablecommunities.
Reinfection risk in NewZealand
Right now the daily reported COVID-19figures are still very high, and continue to place addedstrain and pressure on our health and other support systemsin Aotearoa New Zealand. The actual COVID-19 community casefigures are likely higher than those being reportedcurrently resulting from asymptomatic infection, and themajority of new community cases being detected by rapidantigen testing (RAT) with reliance on self-reporting ofresults. Reinfections in Aotearoa New Zealand will need tobe monitored carefully.
Impact of healthinequities
The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbatedpre-existing inequities in health for vulnerablecommunities, and this includes for Mori and Pacificpeoples. It was known from the outset that Mori andPacific peoples were vulnerable to being disproportionatelyimpacted and affected by COVID-19 and therefore requiredprioritisation with respect to COVID-19 vaccination,prevention, and testing efforts. Inequities remain evidentwith vaccination and booster levels, and need to beaddressed with equity approaches that build trust and reducebarriers for people. Pacific peoples currently make up 11%of Covid-19 cases and more than double that 27% ofall hospitalisations.
Significant immunity gaps inAotearoa New Zealand exist right now as we move into winter.Children, tamariki and tamaiki aged 5-11 years still need tobe vaccinated against COVID-19 and many people are still toget COVID-19 boosters, with booster doses for the COVID-19vaccine now readily available for 16-17 year olds inAotearoa New Zealand.
Vaccination against otherillnesses
During the COVD-19 pandemic, there hasbeen limited exposure to other viruses such as the influenzavirus here in Aotearoa New Zealand, and there is potentialrisk of upcoming influenza outbreaks moving into winter. Wenow have more of the Influenza vaccines here being madeavailable for people these areimportant.
Lastly, although COVID-19 has been a keyfocus over the past two years, it is important to rememberthat all childhood vaccinations remain important. Regularchildhood vaccine schedules (non-COVID-19) for children,tamariki and tamaiki in Aotearoa New Zealand have beensignificantly affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. As aresult, there is potential risk of outbreaks for whoopingcough, measles and other illnesses that could be prevented.A resurgence of influenza and the respiratory syncytialvirus (RSV) could also possibly occur.
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Applied Therapeutics Receives Orphan Medicinal Product Designation from the EMA for AT-007 for Treatment of Galactosemia – GlobeNewswire
Posted: June 4, 2022 at 1:46 am
NEW YORK, June 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Applied Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: APLT), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a pipeline of novel drug candidates against validated molecular targets in indications of high unmet medical need, today announced designation of AT-007 (gavorestat) as an orphan medicinal product by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for treatment of Galactosemia (Galactosaemia).
We are pleased that the EMA has recognized the high unmet medical need in Galactosemia, the role of galactitol as the toxic metabolite responsible for long-term complications in Galactosemia, and the potential benefit of AT-007 treatment in reducing toxic galactitol levels, said Shoshana Shendelman, PhD, Founder and CEO of Applied Therapeutics. Orphan designation for AT-007 marks an important step towards advancing our regulatory initiatives in Europe. We plan to meet with the EMA in the third quarter to discuss a potential MAA submission in Europe for conditional approval based on available biomarker data or for full approval based on expected clinical outcomes data.
Orphan medicinal product designation provides certain benefits and incentives in the EU, including protocol assistance, fee reductions, and ten years of market exclusivity once the medicine is on the market.
About Galactosemia
Galactosemia is a rare genetic metabolic disease resulting in an inability to metabolize the simple sugar galactose. Galactose is found in foods but is also produced endogenously by the body. When not metabolized properly, galactose is converted to the toxic metabolite, galactitol, which causes neurological complications, including deficiencies in speech, cognition, behavior, and motor skills, and also results in juvenile cataracts and ovarian insufficiency (in women). There are approximately 4,000 patients with Galactosemia in the EU and 120 new births per year.
About AT-007
AT-007 is a central nervous system (CNS) penetrant Aldose Reductase inhibitor (ARI) in development for the treatment of several rare neurological diseases, including Galactosemia, SORD Deficiency, and PMM2-CDG. In clinical trials, AT-007 significantly reduced plasma galactitol levels vs. placebo in adults and children with Galactosemia. AT-007 is currently being studied in a Phase 3 clinical outcomes trial (ACTION-Galactosemia Kids) in children ages 2-17 with Galactosemia, as well as a long-term open-label study in adults with Galactosemia. In a pilot study, AT-007 significantly reduced blood sorbitol levels in adults with SORD Deficiency. AT-007 is currently being studied in a Phase 3 trial (INSPIRE) investigating biomarker efficacy, clinical outcomes, and significantly reduced blood sorbitol levels in adults with SORD Deficiency. AT-007 has received both Orphan Drug and Pediatric Rare Disease designations from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of Galactosemia and PMM2-CDG, and Fast Track designation for Galactosemia.
About Applied Therapeutics
Applied Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing a pipeline of novel drug candidates against validated molecular targets in indications of high unmet medical need. The Companys lead drug candidate, AT-007, is a novel central nervous system penetrant Aldose Reductase Inhibitor (ARI) for the treatment of CNS rare metabolic diseases, including Galactosemia, SORD Deficiency, and PMM2-CDG. The Company is also developing AT-001, a novel potent ARI, for the treatment of Diabetic Cardiomyopathy, or DbCM, a fatal fibrosis of the heart. The preclinical pipeline also includes AT-003, an ARI designed to cross through the back of the eye when dosed orally, for the treatment of Diabetic retinopathy, as well as novel dual PI3k inhibitors in preclinical development for orphan oncology indications.
To learn more, please visit http://www.appliedtherapeutics.com and follow the company on Twitter @Applied_Tx.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties for purposes of the safe harbor provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any statements, other than statements of historical fact, included in this press release regarding strategy, future operations, prospects, plans and objectives of management, including words such as may, will, expect, anticipate, plan, intend, and similar expressions (as well as other words or expressions referencing future events, conditions or circumstances) are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements in this release involve substantial risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, and we, therefore cannot assure you that our plans, intentions, expectations, or strategies will be attained or achieved.
Such risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, factors that may cause actual results to differ from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements in this press release are discussed in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Risk Factors contained therein. Except as otherwise required by law, we disclaim any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date they were made, whether as a result of new information, future events or circumstances or otherwise.
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Maghan Meyers(212) 600-1902 appliedtherapeutics@argotpartners.com
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Study Empowers Long COVID Patients as They Struggle to Find Relief – Yale School of Medicine
Posted: June 4, 2022 at 1:46 am
Before coming down with COVID-19, Marjorie Roberts was known by friends and family as someone who always smiled.
On the morning of March 26, 2020, she was walking to her mailbox when she suddenly lost her balance and stumbled. At the moment, she didnt think much of it, but later that day, she describes feeling as though someone had [taken] a vacuum cleaner and sucked the life out of [her]. At 61 years old, she had never felt more sick in her lifeshe couldnt eat or sleep, suffered severe diarrhea and nightmares, and struggled to breathe. From that point on, she says, her life has not been the same.
Now, in 2022, her situation is only grimmer. She has developed spots on her liver, sarcoidosis in her lungs, and swollen lymph nodes. She also developed dry mouth so intense that it felt like someone was stuffing cotton in my mouth, as well as horrible bad breath. By the time she got to the dentist, seven teeth needed to come out. I always was the person who smiled, but now when I smile, the whole bottom of my mouth is gone, she says. Even if I wanted to take my mask off, I wont take it off, because COVID took my smile.
Pamela Bishop was a healthy, active, career-oriented professor at the University of Tennessee who had just launched her own research center before coming down with COVID-19 in December 2020. For the next three weeks, she says, she thought [she] was going to die every day. She suffered hallucinations, severe insomnia, and debilitating pain.
Bishop eventually recovered and returned to work in January 2021, but soon, she began having episodes of fatigue, brain fog, and nausea that forced her to lie down between meetings. The episodes increased in frequency until she realized she was horizontal more than she was up. I was sitting down to dinner with my husband [in March 2021] when I told him I didnt think I was getting better. I was damagedsomething was wrong with me, she says. This started the quest for figuring out what to do next.
Frank Ziegler used to go on long walks several times per week before January 14, 2021, when he thought he had developed a sinus infection. With a long history of these, he recognized the familiar pressure, stuffed ears, and drainage. But when he lost his sense of smell and received a positive result on his COVID-19 PCR test, he realized this wasnt a typical infection. Two months later, he began noticing hand tremors, cognitive issues, shortness of breath, and weight loss. Pre-COVID, I was very active and in good shape, he says. Now, just walking up the stairs puts me out of breath.
Millions of those who have recovered from COVID-19 are now experiencing a long string of often debilitating symptoms that persist weeks, months, or even two years or more following the original infection. As these long-haulers, most of whom are women, seek answers for their devastating and mysterious condition, many are also facing dismissal by their health care providers. Yale researchers Akiko Iwasaki, PhD, Sterling Professor of Immunobiology and Molecular, Cellular, Developmental Biology, professor of epidemiology (microbial diseases) and of dermatology, and investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI); and Harlan Krumholz, MD, Harold H. Hines, Jr. Professor of Medicine (Cardiology) and professor in the Institute for Social and Policy Studies, of investigative medicine, and of public health (health policy), are striving to solve the mysteries of long COVID, and to provide a compassionate voice for those feeling isolated and ignored by the medical community.
There are many people who have been infected with COVID who are suffering with an extraordinary set of symptoms, and yet, weve been unable to identify an approach which reflects their altered physiology, says Krumholz. However, their stories and experiences can help unlock what this is, and if we work together, we can make progress towards alleviating their suffering.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines long COVID as having symptoms prolonging over four weeks after initial exposure to the virus, though according to Iwasaki, there is still no universal definition among scientists. The symptoms are highly variablelong-haulers have reported over 200 different symptoms. Common complaints include brain fog, shortness of breath, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, insomnia, tremors, gastrointestinal problems, palpitations, and both high and low blood pressure.
COVID-19 symptoms linger in approximately half to 75% of patients who suffered severe cases requiring hospitalization. But even among those who experienced mild or asymptomatic infections, many report developing persistent symptoms within the first two to three months after first being exposed. While there is not yet solid epidemiologic evidence on long COVID, Iwasaki estimates that between 10 and 30 percent of acute COVID-19 survivors develop the condition. Some people have mild cases of long COVID, but a significant number of people are disabled by this, says Iwasaki. Theyre suffering from financial difficulties because they cant work anymore, as well as the social and emotional impact of not being able to function in society.
One thing that is clear when I hear patients stories is that many people who were formerly extremely active and healthy have been relegated to a life where theyre able to do very little, says Krumholz. Someone just wrote to me today, saying that many of us [long-haulers] wish COVID had killed us because their lives have been so devastatingly affected.
Causes of long COVID are still unknown, but Iwasaki has several hypotheses. First, lingering viral remnants could be stimulating chronic inflammation. SARS-CoV-2 infection may also be triggering an autoimmune response within the body that leads to persistent symptoms. Long COVID could be the result of a latent virus like the Epstein-Barr virusthe pathogen that causes mononucleosisbecoming reactivated after COVID-19 infection. Tissue damage induced by infection that the body fails to repair properly could also be the culprit. These hypotheses, says Iwasaki, are not mutually exclusive, and many long-haulers may be suffering from a combination of these outcomes.
When Frank Ziegler began experiencing mysterious symptoms two months after coming down with COVID-19, he called his primary care provider (PCP). At the time, long COVID was just becoming a term, and he didnt yet know what it was. He wondered if he was the only person in the world to whom this was happening. My PCP basically patted me on my head and told me to go on my way, he says. I had only seen him for sinus infections through the yearshe knew Im not a hypochondriac.
Many long COVID patients, says Krumholz, are finding themselves in a similar position to Zieglers. There are no textbooks, no experts, no testing, and no treatments, says Krumholz. It makes it very difficult for patients, and they are often dismissed.
In her lab, Iwasaki is studying sex differences in the immune responses of people who develop long COVID. Of those who initially had a mild or asymptomatic infection that later developed into long COVID, she is finding, the majority are women between the ages of 20 and 60. Historically, medical conditions that predominantly impact women tend to be under-researched and ignored by the medical community, and this bias, she believes, may still affect attitudes when it comes to long COVID research and treatment.
It took a long time for medical researchers to recognize that this was a real disease, Iwasaki says. In the early days of the pandemic, womenas well as some menwere pretty much dismissed by their physicians, and some believed that it was all psychosomatic. And there are still physicians who believe this.
Marjorie Roberts and Pamela Bishop recall the frustration they felt when their health care providers wrote off their disabling symptoms as simply anxiety. My doctor told me that I was just mimicking what I saw on television, and that if I wanted to get better, I should watch Lifetime movies and do puzzles, says Roberts.
Bishop says she was also offered an antidepressant as the only option for treating the range of symptoms she was experiencing. When she later asked her provider for a referral to a specialist to treat her tinnitus, muscle cramps, fatigue, nausea, and other symptoms, she was again pushed to take the antidepressant. She was not offered any other options.
The fatigue you get from long COVID is not normal, and I knew this wasnt just anxiety, she says. She now attends a support group for long-haulers at Vanderbilt University, led by Vanderbilt professor and long Covid researcher James Jackson, PsyD, where 95 percent of the members are women. Bishop says many of the women also share similar stories of gaslighting or lack of awareness by medical professionals. When doctors tell you that nothing is wrong with you, you lose hope. Its dangerous.
Frank Ziegler first came across Krumholz after a friend had sent him an article from the Washington Post about long COVID. He was struck by the words of the Yale cardiologist, one of the doctors interviewed for the story, who called for providers to not dismiss the condition. I thought, 'there is a doctor that gets this! He understands, hes listening to his patients,' says Ziegler. Its a miracleI believe that. I dont believe in coincidences.
He decided to reach out via email on a Friday night, expressing his appreciation and sharing his own story. He didnt expect to get a reply, but to his surprise, Krumholz responded just two days later. Im not his patient, Im just someone from Nashville sending an email, says Ziegler. But he said he was really sorry for what I was going through, and he said that he would like to be able to talk to me more about this.
Ziegler told Krumholz about the Vanderbilt support group and expressed the groups desire to participate in research. Krumholz has teamed up with Iwasaki to launch the Yale LISTEN Study, or Listen to Immune, Symptom, and Treatment Experiences Now. More information can be found on Iwasaki and Krumholzs research on the Yale LISTEN study webpage.
The HHMI-funded project, part of the institutes broad support of COVID-related research at Yale, has two goals. First, its leaders plan to better understand the various patterns presented by long COVID by correlating specific biological signals with manifestations of the disease. They hope this will reveal underlying mechanisms that will help scientists develop appropriate, evidence-based therapeutics. Second, they hope the study will empower patients as they work together to find answers for their condition.
We want to do this study in a collaborative waythrough working in partnership with people and learning together, says Krumholz. We want to give patients agency over the data and enable them to make choices about the research they are a part of.
For many patients in the Vanderbilt support group, say Bishop and Ziegler, this is an exciting opportunity to take charge of their health. Many members of the group have been eager to enroll in medical studies, but finding a study to enroll in so far has been nearly impossible due to strict eligibility requirements of the limited number of trials available. Im looking forward to the LISTEN study. I am 100% on board, Bishop says. I have a lot to say, so a trial called LISTEN is perfect.
Indeed, both Iwasaki and Krumholz are dedicated to providing a compassionate ear to those in need. We see you, we recognize you, and we are doing everything we can to try and understand how this disease is mediated, says Iwasaki. We cant accept that this is going to be what it is and all these lives are going to unravel, says Krumholz. We have to do our best to move forward as teammates trying to push back the wave of ignorance and seeing if we can find things that work.
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Researchers link sugar-studded protein to Alzheimer’s – ASBMB Today
Posted: June 4, 2022 at 1:46 am
In a bit of reverse engineering research using brain tissues from five people who died with Alzheimers disease, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers say they discovered that a special sugar molecule could play a key role in the development of Alzheimers disease. If further research confirms the finding, the molecule, known as a glycan, could serve as a new target for early diagnostic tests, treatments and perhaps prevention of Alzheimers disease, say the researchers.
The study was published in theJournal of Biological Chemistry.
Alzheimers disease is the most common form of dementia in the United States. Affecting an estimated 5.8 million Americans, the progressive disorder occurs when nerve cells in the brain die due to the buildup of harmful forms of proteins called amyloid and tau.
Cleaning up the disease-causing forms of amyloid and tau is the job of the brains immune cells, called microglia. Earlier studies found that when cleanup is impaired, Alzheimers disease is more likely to occur. In some people, this is caused by an overabundance of a receptor on the microglia cells, called CD33.
Microglia cells function as macrophages in the central nervous system. They are the first immune cells to show up on the scene when something goes wrong in the brain and phagocytize various brain products, such as dying or dead cells.
Receptors are not active on their own. Something needs to connect with them to block microglia from cleaning up these toxic proteins in the brain, says Ronald Schnaar, Ph.D., the John Jacob Abel Professor of Pharmacology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and director of the laboratory that led the study.
Past studies by the researchers showed that for CD33, these connector molecules are special sugars. Known to scientists as glycans, these molecules are ferried around the cell by specialized proteins that help them find their appropriate receptors. The protein-glycan combination is called a glycoprotein.
In a bid to find out which specific glycoprotein connects with CD33, Schnaars research team obtained brain tissue from five people who died of Alzheimers disease and from five people who died from other causes from the Johns Hopkins Alzheimers Disease Research Center. Among the many thousands of glycoproteins they gathered from the brain tissues, only one connected to CD33.
To identify this mystery glycoprotein, the researchers first needed to separate it from the other brain glycoproteins. Since it was the only one in the brain that attached itself to CD33, they used this feature to catch it and separate it.
Glycans are made up of various sugar building blocks that influence the molecules interactions. Such sugars can be identified by their component parts. The researchers used chemical tools to deconstruct the glycan step by step, laying out the identity and order of its building blocks. The researchers identified the glycan portion of the glycoprotein as sialylated keratan sulfate.
Then, the researchers determined the protein components identity by taking its fingerprint using mass spectroscopy, which identifies protein building blocks. By comparing the molecular makeup of the protein with a database of known protein structures, the research team was able to conclude the protein portion of the glycoprotein was receptor tyrosine phosphatase (RPTP) zeta.
The researchers named the combined glycoprotein structure RPTP zeta S3L.
The group had previously found the same glycan signature on a protein that controls allergic responses in the airway, and that disrupting the glycan dampened allergic responses in mice.
We suspect the glycan signature carried on RPTP zeta may have a similar role in deactivating microglia through CD33, says Anabel Gonzalez-Gil Alvarenga, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow in the Schnaar laboratory and first author of the study.
Further experiments showed that the brain tissue of the five people who died with Alzheimers disease had more than twice as much RPTP zeta S3L as the donors who did not have the disease. This implies that this glycoprotein may be connecting with more CD33 receptors than a healthy brain, limiting the brains ability to clean up harmful proteins.
Identifying this unique glycoprotein provides a step toward finding new drug targets and potentially early diagnostics for Alzheimers disease, says Gonzalez-Gil.
Next, the researchers plan to further study RPTP zeta S3Ls structure to determine how its attached glycans give the glycoprotein its unique ability to interact with CD33.
This article was republished with permission from Johns Hopkins Medicine. Read the original.
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Barry named vice provost for graduate and professional education WSU Insider – WSU News
Posted: June 4, 2022 at 1:46 am
Psychology Professor and Graduate School Associate Dean Tammy Barry has been named vice provost for graduate and professional education at Washington State University. She will assume the new position, which was formerly titled Graduate School dean, effective July1.
Barry, who holds a doctorate in clinical psychology, also has served as the director of WSUs clinical psychology doctoral program. As associate dean, she oversaw the Graduate School function of program assessment and review, represented the Graduate School on the Committee on Institutional Accreditation and Program Assessment, and worked with the Provosts Office to meet the needs of institutional accreditation processes.
I am am thrilled to welcome Dr.Barry to the academic leadership team, and I know that she will bring a renewed energy to graduate and professional education across the WSUsystem, said Elizabeth Chilton, WSUprovost and executive vicepresident. Dr.Barrys commitment to collaboration and strong leadership was apparent throughout the interview process. It is clear that she has a firm understanding of graduate education at WSU and is well respected by the Graduate Schools staff and members of the University community.
In her new role, Barry will be charged with creating a vision for dynamic growth and excellence in WSUs graduate and professional education programs. This will include collaborating with academic leadership system-wide to conduct a careful assessment of WSUs current support for graduate and professional education. This assessment will include engagement with faculty and graduate student stakeholders, research into national best practices in the administration of graduate and professional education, and recommendations for changes to WSUs administrative and supportive services.
Barry earned her PhD from the University of Alabama. She completed her pre-doctoral clinical internship in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine, followed by an NIH-funded post-doctoral research position in the Department of Psychology at the University of Alabama. She was licensed as a psychologist in 2001. Before joining the faculty at WSU, Barry was an adjunct professor at the University of Alabama and interim director of its autism clinic. She has held positions as a visiting assistant professor at the University of Louisville, a tenure-track assistant professor at Texas A&M University, and a tenured associate professor at the University of Southern Mississippi, where she also served as the director of the clinical psychology doctoral program.
Barry is assuming the new role as Lisa Gloss, who holds a PhD in biochemistry, steps down as the Dean of the Graduate School and returns to her associate professor faculty position in the School of Molecular Biosciences. Gloss has served as the dean for more than three years and has been a committed leader of graduate education for WSU.
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Maine health care workers to appeal order to disclose their names in vaccine mandate lawsuit – Press Herald
Posted: June 4, 2022 at 1:45 am
Nine plaintiffs who anonymously sued Gov. Janet Mills over a COVID-19 mandate for health care workers will appeal a U.S. District Court judges decision requiring them to disclose their names by June 7.
The group filed its complaint in federal court last August, before the vaccine mandate for employees of designated Maine health care facilities went into effect Oct. 29.
Using pseudonyms, the health care workers argued that it was their religious right to refuse the vaccine overtheir belief that fetal stem cells from abortions were used to develop it. The state mandate does not allow for religious exemptions.
The Portland Press Herald, Kennebec Journal, Morning Sentinel and Sun Journal filed a motion in November challenging the groups right to file the complaint anonymously.
In his 13-page ruling Tuesday, Chief U.S. District Court Judge Jon D. Levy said he at first allowed the group to withhold their names because they argued they were afraid of the public passions concerning mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations, and that they were at a heightened risk of severe social stigma and worse if their identities were revealed.
In the final analysis, however, there is a near total absence of proof that their expressed fears are objectively reasonable, Levy wrote Tuesday. The Plaintiffs privacy interests have not been shown to outweigh the public interest associated with the presumption of openness that applies to civil proceedings.
Attorneys for the unnamed health care workers did not respond to requests Wednesday afternoon to discuss their appeal. They are represented by Maine attorney Steve Whiting, and lawyers from Liberty Counsel, a conservative, religious law firm based in Florida that has participated in several lawsuits against Maine and other states over COVID-19 vaccine mandates and restrictions. Nationally, the firm also has opposed safe and legal access to abortions and same-sex marriage, and the Southern Poverty Law Center has identified the firm as a hate group.
Before filing the notice to appeal, a spokesperson for Liberty Counsel told the Portland Press Herald on Tuesday night that the firm would not speak with reporters about Levys ruling because of the papers involvement in the lawsuit.
In an emailed statement Wednesday, attorney Sigmund Schutz, who represents the newspapers, said he plans to vigorously defend Levys order.
Chief Judge Levys decision vindicates the bedrock principle of the American justice system that courts operate in secret only in exceptional circumstances, Schutz wrote.
Shannon Jankowski, staff attorney for the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, has joined Schutz as co-counsel. Jankowski said Wednesday that this is the only case the committee is involved in related to vaccine mandates, but that there are several court cases around the country in which people using pseudonyms have tried to challenge mandates. Jankowski said hundreds of other people around the country have filed complaints concerning vaccine mandates in their own names.
In Arizona in January, a judge denied a federal employees motion to anonymously sue President Biden over the U.S. governments vaccine mandate. At about the same time in Colorado, a judge agreed to let a group of university employees anonymously challenge their employers mandate.
These plaintiffs are attempting to invalidate a vaccine mandate that applies throughout the state of Maine, Jankowski said of the anonymous plaintiffs in the Maine lawsuit. This is something that has broad-ranging impacts on all citizens of Maine, and the public has the right to know who these plaintiffs are, what role they play in the health care system. Its important information for the public to be able to assess for themselves whats going on in this case.
Levy is still considering the lawsuit against the vaccine mandate. Meanwhile, federal judges have refused to block the mandate, which has been in effect since last Oct. 29. The states major health care providers reported at the time that most workers chose to get the shots and keep their jobs.
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