Category Archives: Molecular Genetics

Researchers at the Wayne State University School of Medicine and the National Institutes of Healths Perinatology Research Branch in Detroit have found that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, may cause fetal inflammation even in the absence of placental infection.

Pregnant women have a higher risk of severe illness if infected with COVID-19. Infection increases the risk of preterm birth, stillbirth and preeclampsia.

Maternal-fetal immune responses in pregnant women infected with SARS-CoV-2, published today in the journal Nature Communications, reports that COVID-19 infection during pregnancy may cause inflammatory immune responses in the fetus, even if the virus does not infect the placenta.

The study, conducted by Nardhy Gomez-Lopez, Ph.D., associate professor of the WSU Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and section head of the Maternal-Fetal Immunobiology Unit, and Roberto Romero, M.D., D.Med.Sci., chief of the NIHs Perinatology Research Branch, based at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, and professor of Molecular Obstetrics and Genetics at the WSU School of Medicine, details changes in antibodies, immune cell types and inflammatory markers in maternal blood, umbilical cord blood and placental tissues.

We found that in pregnant mothers who contract the virus, SARS-CoV-2 induces a fetal immune response even in the absence of placental infection or symptoms in the newborn. The potential long-term effects of this inflammatory process on infants requires further study, Dr. Gomez-Lopez said.

The researchers evaluated 23 pregnant women. Twelve tested positive for SARS-CoV-2, and of those, eight were asymptomatic, one had mild symptoms and three had severe COVID-19. After delivery, the researchers compared immune responses between mothers and their newborns by comparing maternal blood and umbilical cord blood. Inflammatory immune responses triggered by the virus were observed in women, their newborns and placental tissues regardless of whether the mothers displayed symptoms.

The study team described the following observations:

This study provides insight into the maternal-fetal immune responses triggered by SARSCoV-2 and emphasizes the rarity of placental infection, Dr. Romero said. Most pregnant women with SARS-CoV-2 infection are asymptomatic or only experience mild symptoms. Regardless, in the first six months of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was documented that infected pregnant women are at an increased risk for hospitalization, mechanical ventilation, intensive care unit admission and preterm birth, but rates of maternal mortality were reported to be similar between pregnant and non-pregnant women. More recently, it has been clearly shown that pregnant women are at high risk for severe disease and death, as well as preterm birth. Investigating host immune responses in pregnant women who are infected, even if they are asymptomatic, is timely.

These latest findings will help researchers better understand COVID-19 during pregnancy. The authors noted that the potential long-term effects of this inflammatory process on infants requires further study.

This research was supported by the Perinatology Research Branch, Division of Obstetrics and Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Division of Intramural Research, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (NICHD/NIH/DHHS) under Contract No. HHSN275201300006C. This research was also supported by the Wayne State University Perinatal Initiative in Maternal, Perinatal and Child Health.

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COVID-19 may cause fetal inflammation even in absence of placental infection, researchers report Sc... - newsconcerns

Jack Heinemann is a Professor of Molecular Biology and Genetics at the University of Canterbury.

OPINION: In less than 24 hours the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists will update the Doomsday Clock. Its currently at 100 seconds from midnight the metaphorical time when the human race could destroy the world with technologies of its own making.

The hands have never before been this close to midnight. There is scant hope of it winding back on what will be its 75th anniversary.

The clock was originally devised as a way to draw attention to nuclear conflagration. But the scientists who founded the Bulletin in 1945 were less focused on the initial use of the bomb than on the irrationality of stockpiling weapons for the sake of nuclear hegemony.

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They realised more bombs did not increase the chances of winning a war or make anyone safe when just one bomb would be enough to destroy New York City.

While nuclear annihilation remains the most probable and acute existential threat to humanity, it is now only one of the potential catastrophes the Doomsday Clock measures. As the Bulletin puts it: The Clock has become a universally recognised indicator of the worlds vulnerability to catastrophe from nuclear weapons, climate change, and disruptive technologies in other domains.

At a personal level, I feel some sense of academic kinship with the clockmakers. Mentors of mine, notably Aaron Novick, and others who profoundly influenced how I see my own scientific discipline and approach to science, were among those who formed and joined the early Bulletin.

In 2022, their warning extends beyond weapons of mass destruction to include other technologies that concentrate potentially existential hazards including climate change and its root causes in over-consumption and extreme affluence.

Many of these threats are well known already. For example, commercial chemical use is all pervasive, as is the toxic waste it creates. There are tens of thousands of large scale waste sites in the US alone, with 1700 hazardous superfund sites prioritised for clean-up.

As Hurricane Harvey showed when it hit the Houston area in 2017, these sites are extremely vulnerable. An estimated two million kilograms of airborne contaminants above regulatory limits were released, 14 toxic waste sites were flooded or damaged, and dioxins were found in a major river at levels over 200 times higher than recommended maximum concentrations.

That was just one major metropolitan area. With increasing storm severity due to climate change, the risks to toxic waste sites grow.

At the same time, the Bulletin has increasingly turned its attention to the rise of artificial intelligence, autonomous weaponry, and mechanical and biological robotics.

The movie clichs of cyborgs and killer robots tend to disguise the true risks. For example, gene drives are an early example of biological robotics already in development. Genome editing tools are used to create gene drive systems that spread through normal pathways of reproduction but are designed to destroy other genes or offspring of a particular sex.

AP

Scientists Robert Rosner (right) and Lawrence Krauss (left), unveil the Doomsday Clock during a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington in 2018. The clock is currently set at 100 seconds to midnight.

As well as being an existential threat in its own right, climate change is connected to the risks posed by these other technologies.

Both genetically engineered viruses and gene drives, for example, are being developed to stop the spread of infectious diseases carried by mosquitoes, whose habitats spread on a warming planet.

Once released, however, such biological robots may evolve capabilities beyond our ability to control them. Even a few misadventures that reduce biodiversity could provoke social collapse and conflict.

Similarly, its possible to imagine the effects of climate change causing concentrated chemical waste to escape confinement. Meanwhile, highly dispersed toxic chemicals can be concentrated by storms, picked up by floodwaters and distributed into rivers and estuaries.

The result could be the despoiling of agricultural land and freshwater sources, displacing populations and creating chemical refugees.

Given that the Doomsday Clock has been ticking for 75 years, with myriad other environmental warnings from scientists in that time, what of humanitys ability to imagine and strive for a different future?

Part of the problem lies in the role of science itself. While it helps us understand the risks of technological progress, it also drives that process in the first place. And scientists are people, too part of the same cultural and political processes that influence everyone.

J Robert Oppenheimer the father of the atomic bomb described this vulnerability of scientists to manipulation, and to their own naivete, ambition and greed, in 1947: In some sort of crude sense which no vulgarity, no humour, no overstatement can quite extinguish, the physicists have known sin; and this is a knowledge which they cannot lose.

If the bomb was how physicists came to know sin, then perhaps those other existential threats that are the product of our addiction to technology and consumption are how others come to know it, too.

Ultimately, the interrelated nature of these threats is what the Doomsday Clock exists to remind us of.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

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The Doomsday Clock measures more than nuclear risk and it's about to be reset again - Stuff.co.nz

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SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 18, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Fountain Therapeutics (Fountain), a biopharmaceutical company leveraging a unique artificial intelligence platform driven by expertise in aging biology to build a pipeline of disease-modifying therapeutics for chronic degenerative diseases, today announced the appointment of Anupama Hoey as chief business officer (CBO) effective January 17th, 2022.

We are pleased to welcome Ms. Hoey to our executive management team to support our next phase of growth, said William Greene, M.D., chief executive officer of Fountain Therapeutics. Her considerable expertise in business development, corporate strategy, drug discovery, and research and development will be very valuable as we continue to generate insights from our artificial intelligence platform and grow our pipeline of therapeutics aimed at extending the healthspan of people living with chronic degenerative diseases.

Ms. Hoey, added, I am delighted to join Fountain at this exciting time as the company continues to translate the potential of its screening and discovery platform into relevant biomarkers of disease and potential therapeutic leads. I am impressed by its innovative artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies which, combined with the teams deep expertise in aging research, is identifying novel biology and insights for risk factors of disease. Importantly, we are also using this platform to discover compounds that work to restore resilience of cells and tissues to treat chronic diseases of aging.

Ms. Hoey has over 20 years of financing and business development expertise with private life sciences companies leading corporate development, strategic collaborations, and licensing and spin-out ventures with large economic value to companies. Prior to joining Fountain, Ms. Hoey was CBO at Sensei Biotherapeutics, where she played a key role in Senseis successful $152M IPO. Prior to Sensei, Ms. Hoey served as the CBO of Second Genome Inc., where she executed a multi-program drug discovery and biomarker deal with Gilead Sciences worth up to $1.5B. Previously, Ms. Hoey held positions of increasing responsibility at multiple biotech companies including Invenra, Inc., Arcus Biosciences and Sutro Biopharma, where she executed multiple strategic transactions with major pharmaceutical companies, including Celgene, EMD Serono and Exelixis. Ms. Hoey holds a bachelors degree in molecular genetics from The Ohio State University,a masters degree in molecular biology from Case Western Reserve University and a M.B.A. from the University of San Francisco.

About Fountain TherapeuticsFountain Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company building a pipeline of disease-modifying therapeutics for chronic degenerative diseases. The companys cell-based AI-driven technology platform leverages recent developments in machine learning and computer vision, along with deep insight into the biology of aging, to enable precise mapping of cellular biologic age, a marker of resilience and health. The platform enables extraction of cellular features that provide extensive insight into the aging process of cells, which may lead to identification of novel targets and disease biomarkers. Fueled by the expertise of leaders in aging research and computation, Fountain has turned these insights and technology into an unbiased drug discovery and development engine that introduces a new avenue for the discovery and advancement of therapies for chronic degenerative diseases.

For more information, please visit fountaintx.com and follow the company on Twitter: FountainTx.

Media Contact:Patrick Bursey LifeSci Communications(646) 970-4688 pbursey@lifescicomms.com

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Fountain Therapeutics Announces Appointment of Anupama Hoey as Chief Business Officer - StreetInsider.com

A first-in-kind immune-modulating drug that arose from decades of basic research at UTSouthwestern Medical Center has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration as a new treatment for adults with a form of myasthenia gravis. This rare and chronic autoimmune disease is characterized by debilitating and potentially life-threatening muscle weakness.

The new drug, efgartigimod alfa-fcab, is an engineered fragment of a human antibody that binds to a cell surface receptor known as the neonatal Fc receptor, or FcRn. Between 1990 and 2015, former UTSW Professor ofImmunologyE. Sally Ward, Ph.D., led work that characterized this receptors role in regulating the levels and persistence of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies. In 2005, her laboratory described an approach to lower antibody levels by blocking FcRn activity, and subsequently demonstrated preclinical proof-of-concept to treat antibody-mediated autoimmune disease. The global immunology company argenx has licensed exclusive patent rights related to this drug from UTSW.

The development of this FcRn inhibitor came out of the fundamental work on FcRn biology that my group had worked on during the decades that I was on the UTSW faculty, said Dr. Ward, now a Professor of Molecular Immunology and Director of Translational Immunology at the University of Southampton in England. Working out the molecular and cell biological processes involved in FcRn biology and its regulation and transport of antibody molecules was a major focus of our work at UTSW over more than two decades, starting when I was an assistant professor there.

Clinical trials that led to the recent FDA approval found that 68% percent of patients with anti-acetylcholine receptor antibody positive myasthenia gravis responded to efgartigimod, compared to 30% of those taking a placebo. The company is exploring possible uses for the agent in other conditions mediated by IgG.

Efgartigimod represents Dr. Wards second commercial success based on fundamental research conducted at UTSW. That work also led to technology that can extend the half-life of therapeutic antibodies and currently is used in the FDA-approved drug ravulizumab and two antibody therapies against COVID-19, as well as another antibody in development to treat respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

It is also the second first-in-kind drug developed from basic research at UTSW to be approved by the FDA in the past year. Less than six months ago, belzutifan, aHIF-2 inhibitor, received approval as a treatment for familial kidney cancer.

Considered together, these approvals mark UTSW as one of the major sources of breakthrough medicines for previously untreatable diseases. We are indeed a center for biotechnology, saidMichael Brown, M.D., Professor of Molecular Genetics and Internal Medicine and joint recipient of the 1985 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with research partner UTSW colleagueJoseph Goldstein, M.D.Dr. Brown helped recruit Dr. Ward to UTSW in 1990.

This article has been republished from the following materials. Note: material may have been edited for length and content. For further information, please contact the cited source.

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Immune-Modulating Drug Approved To Treat Myasthenia Gravis - Technology Networks

From TPR:

Some survivors of severe COVID-19 have hoped their grueling battle might give them some natural protection against getting severe COVID a second time. However, research out of UT Health San Antonio has found that these people may be at higher risk than others of getting sick with COVID again.

Evelien Bunnik, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of microbiology, immunology and molecular genetics at UT Health San Antonio Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences. She also runs the Bunnik Lab, where she and her team are studying COVID immunity.

When a person is infected with COVID, Bunnik said, the immune system has a couple of important jobs. The first and most important job is to isolate and eliminate the viral invader, and the second is to learn from that fight.

The immune system remembers all the viruses and all the bacteria, all the pathogens that weve encountered in our lives, so that the next time you see the same virus, you develop a better and faster immune response, Bunnik explained.

However, in some people, the COVID virus confuses their immune system.

The immune system goes haywire and becomes over activated, Bunnik said, And we were wondering what the effect of that was on the formation of immunological memory.

Bunnicks lab decided to look specifically at B cells, which make antibodies to fight a given pathogen the next time it comes around. They have published a paper on what they found.

There are certain markers that we look at to see which are the cells that really give you the best type of memory response, she said, And so we saw more of those good memory B cells in people who had mild disease, and not so much in people had severe disease.

All of the people Bunnik studied had been hospitalized, but some only needed supportive care. Those are the ones she categorized as having mild disease. Others were quite ill, and needed help breathing with mechanical ventilators. That was the severe disease group.

The B cells in people in the severe disease group just didnt seem to learn as well.

What we think this means is that people who have mild disease, their immune system, in general, probably works better, which may in part be the reason they have milder disease in the first place. Bunnik concluded. As a result of that, they also produce a better memory response. We predict that means these people are better protected against the next infection than people who had more severe disease.

So, according to Bunniks research, it doesnt look like severe COVID survivors should rely on natural immunity to protect them from a second bout with COVID.

No, absolutely not, she said. I think it is really important, especially for these people to get vaccinated.

Bunnik stressed, however, that all of the patients in her labs study were infected with earlier variants of the COVID virus and before vaccines were available. Because the virus has evolved, it is essential, she said, for everyone to get vaccinated, not just those are at high risk for or who have had severe COVID-19.

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Natural immunity from COVID-19 may be weaker in people who've had severe disease - Texas Standard

The Omicron variant of the coronavirus is rapidly replacing the Delta variant as 11 members of a family in Karachi's District East have been found infected with it, as per a report in The News.

Experts at the Provincial Public Health Laboratory (PPHL) have detected 11 cases of Omicron variant from the samples of a family from Lahore. These samples had been collected by the Sindh Health Department, which sent them to DUHS, where our experts confirmed the presence of Omicron variant through Next Generation Sequencing (NGS), Prof Saeed Quraishy, Vice Chancellor, DUHS, told The News on Thursday.

The Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS), Karachi, has acquired the capability of conducting the Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) with the help of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the varsitys Provincial Public Health Laboratory (PPHL) is now the designated lab of the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, Prof Quraishy added.

He said they would continue to carry out surveillance for the Omicron variant cases at their lab, adding that they were using the molecular genetics technique for the detection of new variants, which is not available at many other facilities in the country.

Officials of the Sindh Health Department said they had sent the samples of 20 people infected with COVID-19 to the Dow University for confirmation of the Omicron Variant and after analysis, the Dow University confirmed that 11 people of the family, who came in contact with a female member of their family from Lahore, were infected with the Omicron variant.

We are now tracing other contacts of these people and will take their samples for analysis but community transmission of this variant has started in the country and we have started seeing a slight surge in the cases of COVID-19 during the last two days, an official of the Sindh Health Department told The News.

Prof Dr Saeed Khan, an expert of the molecular genetics and pathology at DUHS, also confirmed that they had detected 11 cases of the Omicron variant while a 12th person was also infected but due to less viral load in the sample, they could not declare it a case of the variant with certainty.

Community transmission of Omicron has started in Pakistan and it is now replacing the Delta variant very rapidly. As it is several times more transmissible, it would soon replace the Delta and other variants in our population, Prof. Saeed Khan said and warned that people who were not vaccinated or those who had not received the booster dose were vulnerable to the Omicron variant infection.

Cases of COVID-19 are expected to start rising within a few weeks in Karachi and rest of the country. We may see the peak of fifth wave of COVID-19 by the end of January or first week of February 2022, he warned and urged people to take precautionary measures, wear masks and get vaccinated with booster dose, if required.

Originally published inThe News

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Omicron on the rise in Karachi as 11 new cases detected - Geo News

Asuragen to Host Advances in Practical, Broad Coverage CFTR Testing with the AmplideX PCR/CE CFTR Kit*, January 20, 2022

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Asuragen to hold Advances in Practical, Broad Coverage CFTR Testing with the AmplideX PCR/CE CFTR Kit* on January 20th 2022, via the Labroots platform.

Here is what to expect at Asuragens Advances in Practical, Broad Coverage CFTR Testing with the AmplideX PCR/CE CFTR Kit* virtual event:

To register for the event, and view the agenda, click here.

About Asuragen, a Bio-Techne BrandAsuragen provides best-in-class molecular diagnostic products to improve the way patients are treated in genetics and oncology. Our diagnostic systems, which include proprietary chemistry and software, are designed for use with widely available instruments to ease adoption and quickly expand lab test menus. Our diagnostic tests and companion diagnostic partnerships address current and emerging clinical needs in reproductive health, cancer diagnosis and monitoring and inherited disease. Asuragen also offers a suite of unique, target-specific molecular controls that have been used in IVD assays for more than 20 years to ensure optimal performance. For more information, visit http://www.asuragen.com.

About LabrootsLabroots is the leading scientific social networking website, and primary source for scientific trending news and premier educational virtual events and webinars and more. Contributing to the advancement of science through content sharing capabilities, Labroots is a powerful advocate in amplifying global networks and communities. Founded in 2008, Labroots emphasizes digital innovation in scientific collaboration and learning. Offering more than articles and webcasts that go beyond the mundane and explore the latest discoveries in the world of science, Labroots users can stay atop their field by gaining continuing education credits from a wide range of topics through their participation in the webinars and virtual events.

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Asuragen to Host Advances in Practical, Broad Coverage CFTR Testing with the AmplideX PCR/CE CFTR Kit*, January 20, 2022 - PR Web

An international team of researchers has successfully extracted human DNA from the cement that headlice use to stick their eggs to human hairs. The DNA was recovered from mummies from Argentina that date back about 1,500 to 2,000 years.

Headlice have accompanied humans throughout their entire existence, so this new method could open the door to a goldmine of information about our ancestors, Dr Alejandra Perotti, one of the authors of the study said in a press statement Perotti is affiliated with the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Section at the School of Biological Sciences, University of Reading, UK.

Like the fictional story of mosquitos encased in amber in the film Jurassic Park, carrying the DNA of the dinosaur host, we have shown that our genetic information can be preserved by the sticky substance produced by headlice on our hair. In addition to genetics, lice biology can provide valuable clues about how people lived and died thousands of years ago, she explained.

The paper published last week in Molecular Biology and Evolution notes that such lice sheaths can be a new source of high-quality ancient DNA not just from humans but also from a variety of other animals where bones and teeth are not available. The team writes that DNA extracted from nit cement contained the same concentration of DNA as from a tooth and double that from bone remains.

Dr Mikkel Winther Pedersen from the GLOBE institute at the University of Copenhagen, and first author, said: it was striking to me that such small amounts could still give us all this information about who these people were, and how the lice related to other lice species but also giving us hints to possible viral diseases. There is a hunt out for alternative sources of ancient human DNA and nit cement might be one of those alternatives. I believe that future studies are needed before we really unravel this potential.

The analysis of the DNA from nit-cement helped confirm the sex of the human hosts and the genetic link between the mummies and humans in Amazonia. The study also found the earliest direct evidence of Merkel cell Polyomavirus.

The team notes that the cause of death was extreme cold temperatures as there was a very small gap between the nits and the mummys scalp. Lice generally rely on the host body heat to keep the eggs warm and lay them close to the scalp in very cold environments.

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Human DNA from 2000-year-old headlice opens a new window into the past - The Indian Express

Looking for the top IPOs of 2021? Weve compiled a list of the top five IPOs for each month. It provides the ticker symbols, information about the companies, and financial data. Youll also find links to each companys preliminary prospectus.

Sidus Space is a provider of satellite and space services and defense manufacturing. It focuses on commercial satellite design, manufacture, launch and data collection. As part of its vision, the company plans to demonstrate space operations for new technologies and provide data and predictive analytics.

For the nine months ended September 2020, Sidus Space reported $1.4 million in cash. The companys revenue declined more than 70% to $413,000 for the same period in 2021. Sidus Spaces net losses increased from $1.2 million in September 2020 to $1.3 million in September 2021. The companys operating expenses were $1.2 for the nine months ended September 2020. For the same period in 2021, operating expenses rose to $1.7 million.

The company filed November 23 and priced on December 13. It issued 3 million shares under the ticker symbol SIDU. The company priced at the midpoint of its $4 to $6 range at $5 per share. A $15 million profit came from the offering. The companys market cap is $170.1 million.

You can look at Sidus Spaces prospectus here.

First Day Return: 143.8%

Bionomics is an Australian clinical-stage biotech company. Its developing allosteric ion channel modulators for central nervous system disorders. Bionomics lead product candidate, BNC210, is an oral proprietary selective NAM of the 7 receptor. The drug candidate is for acute treatment of Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) and chronic treatment of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

Bionomics recorded cash is $21.4 million as of June 2021. For the 2020 fiscal year, Bionomics recorded $5.1 million in losses. For the same period in 2021, the companys recorded losses rose to $6.3 million. Bionomics net assets rose from $9.1 million in fiscal 2020 to $34.3 million in fiscal 2021.

Bionomics filed on November 22 and priced on December 15. Shares listed under the ticker BNOX on the Nasdaq exchange. The company priced at $12.35 per share. The company offered 1.6 million shares of common stock for a $20 million offering. Bionomics has a $91.2 million market cap.

You can look at Bionomics prospectus here.

First Day Return: 19.3%

Nu Holdings is a digital banking service. Its the largest fintech bank in Latin America. It has over 48 million customers across Brazil, Mexico and Colombia as of September 30, 2021. The company offers a variety of banking services. This includes a free digital bank account, credit and debit cards and personal loans. It also offers peer-to-peer money transfers, life insurance and business banking.

As of September 2021, Nu Holdings recorded nearly $2 billion in cash. The company recorded $10.2 billion in total assets as of December 2020. In nine months, the companys total assets skyrocketed to $15 billion. Total liabilities were reported at $9.7 billion as of December 2020 and rose to $13 billion by September 2021.

Nu Holdings filed on November 1 and priced on December 8. Shares listed under the ticker NU on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The offering consisted of 289 million shares. The company priced at the top end of its expected $8 to $9 range for a $2.6 billion deal. The Nu Holdings IPO gave the company a market cap of almost $46 billion.

You can look at Nu Holdings prospectus here. Check out more information about the Nu Holdings IPO.

First Day Return: 14.8%

Samsara is a developer of end-to-end Internet of Things solutions for businesses. The company provides fleet monitoring and management software to vehicle operators. The company provides a cloud-based platform to provide software solutions that improve safety and efficiency. Samsara offers sensors and cameras to generate data into actionable insights on operational assets like delivery vehicles, fleets of construction trucks and physical locations.

Samaras revenue for the nine months ended October 2020 and October 2021 was $174.0 million and $302.6 million representing year-over-year growth of 74%. Net losses were $174 million and $102.3 million for the nine months ended October 2020 and October 2021. The company recorded $201.1 million in cash in February 2020. A year later, cash grew to $400 million.

Samsara filed on November 19 and set its terms on December 6. Shares listed under the ticker IOT on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The offering consisted of 35 million shares priced at $23 per share of common stock. This was at the top end of the companys proposed $20 to $23 price range. The company raised $805 million in its initial public offering. Samsara has a market cap of $13.7 billion.

You can look at Samsaras prospectus here. Check out more information about the Samsara IPO.

First Day Return: 7.4%

HashiCorp develops cloud infrastructure management software. The company offers solutions that provide a consistent cloud operating model that can build, secure, connect and deploy any infrastructure for any application. The company is a leading provider of multi-cloud infrastructure automation. It helps developers manage their cloud infrastructure across major public clouds. This includes Amazon, Microsoft and Google.

For the 2019 fiscal year, HashiCorp recorded $121.3 million in total revenue. In 2020, total revenue grew to $211.9 million. The company recorded $53.4 million and $83.5 million for the 2019 and 2020 fiscal years. HashiCorp recorded $270.8 million in cash in January 2021. However, as of October 2021, cash decreased to $218.2 million.

HashiCorp filed on November 4 and priced on December 8. Shares listed under the ticker HCP on the Nasdaq exchange. Shares priced above the expected $68 to $72 range at $80 per share of common stock. The company offered $15.3 million shares for a $1.2 billion offering. HashiCorp has a market cap of $15.1 billion.

You can look at HashiCorps prospectus here. Check out more information about the HashiCorp IPO.

First Day Return: 6.5%

AeroClean provides air purification technology for interior spaces. The company is focused on commercializing its sterilization and disinfection products to eliminate harmful airborne pathogens, including COVID-19. The company treats hospital and non-hospital healthcare facilities. This includes outpatient chemotherapy centers, senior living centers and nursing homes, schools and universities, commercial properties and other indoor spaces.

AeroClean recorded $153,000 in losses for the year 2019. The companys losses skyrocketed to $3.3 million for 2020. In 2019, AeroClean recorded just $796 in total assets. In 2020, total assets rose to $3.2 million. AeroClean reported $231,400 in total liabilities in 2019. In 2020, the companys recorded liabilities rose to $655,300.

The company filed September 21 and priced on November 23. It issued 2.5 million shares under the ticker symbol AERC. The company priced at the bottom of its $10 to $12 range at $10 per share. A $25 million profit came from the offering. The companys market cap is $255 million.

You can look at AeroClean Technologies prospectus here.

First Day Return: 689.4%

Society Pass acquires and operates e-commerce platforms in South Asia. Society Pass is headquartered in Singapore. The company markets to both consumers and merchants in Vietnam. The company operates in two segments: a consumer facing segment and a merchant facing segment. The consumer-facing segment includes SoPa food & beverage Loyalty App, SoPa.asia Loyalty Marketplace, Leflair App and the Leflair Lifestyle Marketplace website. The merchant facing segment includes #HOTTAB Biz App, #HOTTAB POS App and Hottab.net.

Society Pass recorded revenue was $10,400 in 2019. In 2020, revenue skyrocketed to $52,500. The company narrowed its losses in 2020. Net losses stood at $7.3 million for 2019 and lowered to $3.8 million in 2020. Society Pass recorded $8.7 million in total assets in 2019 and $7.9 million in 2020. Total liabilities increased from $2.3 million in 2019 to $3 million in 2020.

Society Pass filed on July 20 and priced on November 8. Shares listed under the ticker SOPA on the Nasdaq exchange. The company priced at the midpoint of its $8 to $10 price range at $9 per share. The company offered 2.9 million shares of common stock for a $26 million offering. Society Pass has a $149.9 million market cap.

You can look at Society Pass prospectus here.

First Day Return: 436.7%

Sono Group is a German-based developer of solar powered vehicles. It is on a mission to provide a net-zero-emission vehicle solution for the mass market. The company specializes in solar electric vehicles (SEVs) that use solar energy to generate an extra charge. Sono Group is currently developing the Sion, the worlds first solar electric vehicle.

Sono Group has not recorded any revenue and reported consistent losses. The company reported losses of 56 million ($63.4 million) in the year 2020. Sono Group recorded 5.7 million ($6.4 million) in total assets as of 2019. Total assets stand at 38.6 million ($43.7 million) as of June 30, 2021. In 2019, The company recorded 24.3 million ($27.5 million) in total liabilities. Liabilities grew to 66.8 million ($75.6 million) as of June 30.

Sono Group filed on October 22 and priced on November 16. Shares listed under the ticker SEV on the Nasdaq exchange. The offering consisted of 10 million shares. The company priced at the midpoint of its expected $14 to $16 range for a $150 million deal. The IPO gave the company a post valuation of $963.7 million.

You can look at Sono Groups prospectus here.

First Day Return: 154.7%

Mainz Biomed is a molecular genetics cancer diagnostic company. The companys portfolio consists of

Mainz Biomed recorded $281,400 in revenue in 2019 and $493,600 in 2020. For the year ended 2019, the company reported $1 million in losses. By 2020, the company net losses narrowed to $600,000. As of June 2021, Mainz Biomed has $730,000 in total assets and $3.1 million in total liabilities. The company has $2.1 million in long-term debt as of June 2021.

Mainz Biomed filed on October 12 and priced on November 4. Shares listed under the ticker MYNZ on the Nasdaq exchange. The offering consisted of 2 million shares priced at $5 per share of common stock. This was at the midpoint of the companys proposed $4 to $6 price range. The company raised $10 million in its initial public offering. It has a market cap of $103.6 million.

You can look at Mainz Biomeds prospectus here.

First Day Return: 99.8%

Allbirds is a global lifestyle brand that makes footwear using naturally derived materials. The company uses resources like wool, trees, crab shells, eucalyptus and sugarcane. Allbirds footwear has a 30% lower carbon footprint than a regular pair of trainers. The global lifestyle brands supply chain has been carbon neutral since 2019.

Allbirds has faced losses since inception. The company recorded $193.7 million in net revenue for the 2019 fiscal year. In 2020, Allbirds reported over $219.3 million for the year. It recorded a gross profit of $98.8 million for 2019 and $112.7 million in 2020. As of December 2020, Allbirds has over $244 million in total assets and $65.5 million in total liabilities.

Allbirds filed on August 31 and priced on November 2. Shares listed under the ticker BIRD on the Nasdaq exchange. Shares priced above the expected $12 to $14 range at $15 per share of common stock. The company offered $20.2 million shares for a $303 million offering. Allbirds has a market cap of $2.3 billion.

You can look at Allbirds prospectus here.

First Day Return: 92.6%

Volcon is an all-electric, off-road powersports vehicle company. It develops and builds electric motorcycles and utility terrain vehicles (UTVs). In October 2020, the company began building and testing prototypes for two off-road motorcycles the Grunt and the Runt. Volcon is accepting orders for motorcycles on its website.

Volcon was founded in 2020. From February to December 2020, the company reported $1.4 million in losses. The companys net losses rose more than 600% to $19.5 million for the six months ending in June 2021. Volcons cash is $6 million and total assets are $12.1 million as of June 30.

The company filed September 10 and priced on October 5. It issued 3 million shares under the ticker symbol VLCN. The company priced at the top of its $4.50 to $5.50 range at $5.50 per share. A $17 million profit came from the offering. The companys market cap is $152.5 million.

You can look at Volcons prospectus here.

First Day Return: 97.5%

Stronghold Digital Mining is a bitcoin mining company. The company owns and operates using environmentally-beneficial coal refuse power. It claims to be one of the first vertically integrated crypto asset mining companies with a focus on environmentally-beneficial operations.

Stronghold Digital Minings recorded operating revenue was $4.1 million for the year 2020. For the six months ended June 2021, Stronghold Digital Mining recorded $7.9 million in operating revenue. For the year 2020, the companys recorded long-term debt was $1.8 million. As of June 30, the companys long-term debt rose to $18.9 million.

Stronghold Digital Mining filed on July 27 and priced on October 19. Shares listed under the ticker SDIG on the Nasdaq exchange. The company priced above its $16 to $18 price range at $19 per share. The company offered 6.7 million shares of common stock for a $127 million offering. Stronghold Digital Mining has a $558.5 million market cap.

You can look at Stronghold Digital Minings prospectus here.

First Day Return: 52.1%

Portillos is a fast-food restaurant chain known for its Chicago-style hot dogs. The company started in 1963 and has grown to a nationwide following. It offers a diverse menu featuring all-American favorites. This includes Chicago-style hot dogs and sausages, Italian sandwiches, chopped salads, burgers, french fries, homemade chocolate cake and milkshakes.

Portillos recorded $479.4 million in revenue for the year 2019 and $455.5 million for 2020. In 2019, Portillos recorded $5.6 million in net income. In 2020, net income rose to $12.3 million. As of June 2021, Portillos has $54.2 million in cash. Portillos has $924 million in total assets and $568.3 million in total liabilities as of June.

Portillos filed on September 27 and priced on October 20. Shares listed under the ticker PTLO on the Nasdaq exchange. The offering consisted of 20.3 million shares. The company priced at the top end of its expected $17 to $20 range for a $405 million deal. The IPO gave the company a post valuation of about $1.6 billion.

You can look at Portillos prospectus here.

First Day Return: 45.5%

AirSculpt Technologies is a leading provider of body contouring procedures in the U.S. The company offers body contouring procedures in 16 centers across 13 states as of October 5, 2021. In 2020, it performed over 5,800 body contouring procedures in 2020. The company offers minimally invasive procedures that dont involve a needle, scalpel, stitches or general anesthesia.

AirSculpt Technologies recorded $41.2 million in revenue in 2019 and $62.8 million in 2020. For the year ended 2019, the company reported $2.2 million in losses. By 2020, the company reported $7.6 million in income. In 2020, AirSculpt Technologies had $179.6 million in total assets and $55.9 million in total liabilities.

AirSculpt Technologies filed on October 5 and priced on October 28. Shares listed under the ticker AIRS on the Nasdaq exchange. The offering consisted of seven million shares priced at $11 per share of common stock. This was at the low end of the companys proposed $11 to $12 price range. The company raised $77 million in its initial public offering. It has a market cap of $807.9 million.

You can look at AirSculpt Technologies prospectus here.

First Day Return: 44.5%

GitLab provides software development and collaboration tools for programmers. The company believes in an innovative world powered by software. To achieve its vision, GitLab pioneered The DevOps Platform. Its a single application that brings together development, operations, IT, security and business teams to deliver desired business outcomes. It consists of a single codebase and interface with a unified data model.

The company has increased its revenue since 2020. For that fiscal year, revenue was $81.2 million. GitLabs revenue rose in 2021 to $152.2 million. The company reported $71.9 million in gross profit for fiscal 2020 and $133.7 million in 2021. GitLab recorded $130.7 million in net losses for fiscal 2020 and $192.2 million for fiscal 2021.

GitLab filed on September 17 and priced on October 13. Shares listed under the ticker GTLB on the Nasdaq exchange. Shares priced above the expected $66 to $69 range at $77 per share of common stock. The company offered $10.4 million shares for an $801 million offering. GitLab has a market cap of $17 billion.

You can look at GitLabs prospectus here.

First Day Return: 34.9%

Dice Therapeutics is a biopharmaceutical company based in San Francisco, California. It works to develop innovative therapies in immunology for patients with chronic diseases. The company aims to develop convenient oral alternatives to medicines that are currently limited to injectable forms.

For 2019, DICE Therapeutics reported $8.5 million in cash. The companys cash rose more than 600% to 59.7 million for 2020. DICE Therapeutics total assets were $31.2 million in December 2019. By the end of 2020, the companys total assets more than doubled to $63.9 million. The firms total liabilities rose from $5.1 million in 2019 to $63.9 million in 2020.

The company filed August 25 and priced on September 14. It issued 12 million shares under the ticker symbol DICE. The company priced at the top of its $15 to $17 range at $17 per share. A $204 million profit came from the offering. The companys market cap is $1.2 billion.

You can look at DICE Therapeutics prospectus here.

First Day Return: 117%

PROCEPT BioRobotics is a surgical robotics company based in California. The company aims to enable better patient care by developing transformative urology solutions. Its initial focus on benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) enabled the company to develop the first FDA-cleared Aquablation therapy.

PROCEPT BioRobotics recorded cash is $159.2 million as of June 30. For the year ended December 2019, PROCEPT BioRobotics recorded $6.2 million in total revenue. For the same period in 2020, the companys recorded revenue rose to $7.7 million. As of June 30, the company has $190.6 in total assets.

PROCEPT BioRobotics filed on August 18 and priced on September 14. Shares listed under the ticker PRCT on the Nasdaq exchange. The company priced above its $22 to $24 price range at $25 per share. The company offered 6.6 million shares of common stock for a $164 million offering. PROCEPT BioRobotics has a $1.65 billion market cap.

You can look at PROCEPT BioRobotics prospectus here.

First Day Return: 67.8%

Tyra Biosciences is a precision oncology company that develops therapies to overcome tumor resistance and improve outcomes for cancer patients. The company aims to develop solutions to overcome acquired drug resistance. It uses its SNP platform to generate next-generation product candidates that are designed to address acquired drug resistance and provide alternative treatments.

As of June 30, Tyra Biosciences recorded $135.2 million in cash. Tyra Biosciences recorded $528 thousand in total assets for the 2019 year. In a year, the companys total assets skyrocketed to $16 million. Total liabilities were reported at $5.3 million for 2019 and lowered to $2 million for 2020.

Tyra Biosciences filed on August 20 and priced on September 14. Shares listed under the ticker TYRA on the Nasdaq exchange.The offering consisted of 10.8 million shares. The company priced at the top end of its expected $14 to $16 range for a $173 million deal. The Tyra Biosciences IPO gave the company a post valuation of about $627.4 million.

You can look at Tyra Biosciences prospectus here.

First Day Return: 62.5%

Definitive Healthcare is a leading provider of healthcare commercial intelligence. The company uses SaaS solutions to reduce complexity and streamline insights that help clients grow their business. The companys vision is to create new paths to commercial success in the healthcare market.

Definitive Healthcare recorded $38.4 million in cash as of June 30. For the year ended December 2020, the company reported $118.3 in revenue and $87.8 million in gross profit. For the six months ended June 30, 2020, the company recorded $76.8 million in revenue and $57.5 million in gross profit.

Definitive Healthcare filed on August 20 and priced on September 14. Shares listed under the ticker DH on the Nasdaq exchange. The offering consisted of 115.6 million shares priced at $27 per share of common stock. This was above the companys proposed $24 to $26 price range. The company raised $420 million in its initial public offering.

You can look at Definitive Healthcares prospectus here.

First Day Return: 60.3%

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Top IPOs of 2021 - Investment U

National Institutes of Health: Holly Garriock

Holly Garriock has been appointed as chief cohort development officer of the National Institutes of Health's All of Us research program. Since 2016, she has held several roles at All of Us, including deputy director for the division of scientific programs and program officer for the effort's healthcare provider organizations. Before that, she was a program officer at the National Institute of Mental Health. Garriock holds an undergraduate degree from Bishop's University in Canada and a PhD in genetics from the University of Arizona.

Predicine: Linh Le

Linh Le has been appointed as CFO of Predicine. He comes to the molecular diagnostics company from Ambry Genetics, where he was chief operating officer. Previously, he spent more than 14 years overseeing financial operations and global expansion at Medtronic's Diabetes Group.

Mainz Biomed: Karen Richards

Mainz Biomed has appointed Karen Richards as VP of regulatory affairs. She will also serve as SVP of in vitro diagnostics and quality at Precision for Medicine. According to Mainz Biomed, Richards was responsible for the approval of laboratory tests in all 50 states in the US requiring a license and has implemented quality systems for diagnostic products to meet various regulatory and certification requirements, including those of the US Food and Drug Administration, CLIA, and the College of American Pathologists.

Bio-Techne: William Geist, David Eansor

Bio-Techne has appointed William Geist as president of its protein sciences segment, effective Jan. 3, 2022. Geist was most recently chief operating officer at Quanterix, where he was responsible for enterprise-wide operations and strategy deployment. Previously, he was VP and general manager for Thermo Fisher Scientific's protein and cell analysis and qPCR business units, and VP of Qiagen's QuantaBiosciences.

Geist succeeds David Eansor, who is retiring and will remain with Bio-Techne through the end of February 2022 to ensure a smooth transition.

For additional recent items on executive appointments and promotions in omics and molecular diagnostics, please see the People in the News page on our website.

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People in the News: New Appointments at NIH, Predicine, Mainz Biomed, Bio-Techne, More - GenomeWeb