Editor-in-Chief: Professor Nicola Curtin Editorial Board Expert Reviews in Molecular Medicine is an online journal featuring authoritative and timely reviews on all aspects of molecular medicine. Review articles cover current and emerging understanding of the molecular mechanisms underpinning human health and disease, and molecular aspects of the approaches used to diagnose and treat them. They may critically evaluate laboratory or in silico studies, studies on patient samples and molecular aspects of clinical diagnostics or therapy. The journal's focus is on translation from molecular science to clinical studies and is not constrained to any single system or disease. We particularly welcome articles spanning more than one of the themes below. Overarching Themes: 1. Molecular mechanisms of disease, including hereditary disorders 2. Molecular aspects of infection, immunity and inflammation 3. Diagnostic, prognostic and predictive molecular biomarkers 4. Molecular mechanisms of all classes of therapeutic agents, including novel and repurposed drugs, biologics, immunotherapeutics 5. Novel molecular technologies 6. Bioinformatics. Within these themes topics may be disease-specific. While we welcome papers covering all traditional specialist disease areas, we are also extremely interested in general cross cutting areas, including life-course diseases (in utero to ageing).

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Expert Reviews in Molecular Medicine | Cambridge Core

DALLAS Oct. 12, 2022 For the third year in a row, UTSouthwestern is ranked as the top health care institution globally by Nature Index for publishing high-quality research inall subjects and in the life sciences.

Joan Conaway, Ph.D.

We are incredibly proud of the outstanding work by our scientists and clinical researchers that is reflected in these Nature Index 2022 rankings, said Joan Conaway, Ph.D., Vice Provost and Dean of Basic Research at UTSW. Our discoveries impact multiple fields in basic science and are making a real difference in developing diagnostic and therapeutic applications for patients at our institution and beyond.

The Nature Index compiles affiliation information from research articles published in 82 premier science journals, providing perspective on high-quality scientific discoveries around the globe.

UTSW also ranked second globally this year among health care institutions in chemistry; among the top 10 in biochemistry and cell biology, earth and environmental, and physical sciences; and among the top 25 in neurosciences. Other peer institutions on the global listings include Massachusetts General Hospital, Mount Sinai Health System, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Brigham and Womens Hospital System in the United States; along with the Scientific Institute for Research, Hospitalization, and Healthcare in Italy, the West China School of Medicine/West China Hospital of Sichuan University in China, and Renji Hospital in China.

UTSW's ranking is a testament to the consistent strength and impact of our research community. Our scientists are currently leading about 5,800 research projects with nearly $610 million in support from the National Institutes of Health, the state of Texas, foundations, individuals, and corporations, said W. P. Andrew Lee, M.D., Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, Provost, and Dean of UTSouthwestern Medical School, who holds the Atticus James Gill, M.D. Chair in Medical Science.

UTSW faculty members have received six Nobel Prizes, and its faculty includes 26 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 17 members of the National Academy of Medicine, 16 members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 14 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators, and three recipients of the prestigious Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences. The Medical Center houses one of HHMIs 12 principal laboratories nationwide, has four HHMI Faculty Scholars on campus, and has more than 100 early-career researchers, who have come to UTSW through the Medical Centers acclaimed Endowed Scholars Program in Medical Science, subsequently establishing themselves as leaders in their fields.

The UTSW Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, with more than 1,000 predoctoral and postdoctoral students, educates biomedical students, engineers, clinical researchers, and psychologists. The Graduate School has two Divisions: Basic Science and Clinical Science, which together offer 11 programs leading to the Ph.D. degree Biological Chemistry; Biomedical Engineering; Cancer Biology; Cell and Molecular Biology; Clinical Psychology; Genetics, Development, and Disease; Immunology; Molecular Biophysics; Molecular Microbiology; Neuroscience; and Organic Chemistry. In addition, an M.S. degree and graduate certificate are offered in Clinical Science.

Dr. Conaway holds the Cecil H. Green Distinguished Chair in Cellular and Molecular Biology.

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 specialtiesto 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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UT Southwestern ranked top health care institution globally for published research by Nature Index - UT Southwestern

Ever taste something awful and instinctively spit it out? The deadly bacterium Staphylococcus aureus relies on a similar instinct, using a pumping mechanism to expel antibiotics that could kill it. Its just one clever way that S. aureus has evolved over the years to outsmart more than 60 common antibiotics, intensifying a global crisis of antibiotic-resistant infections that claim some 700,000 lives each year.

Now, researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and NYU Langones Perlmutter Cancer Center have unlocked the mysteries of a bacterial mechanism that science has long sought to solve, and discovered a potential way to disarm this so-called efflux pump. In a paper published in Nature Chemical Biology, the researchers developed a clever strategy to visualize the infinitesimally small parts of the pump and, in the process, engineered an antibody that could jam it. In cell cultures, a protein fragment of the antibody reduced the growth of antibiotic-resistant S. aureus by more than 95 percent at high concentrations when combined with the antibiotic norfloxacin.

Instead of trying to find a new antibiotic, we aimed to make commonly used antibiotics that have been rendered ineffective by bacterial resistance highly effective again, says study author Douglas Brawley, PhD, who completed his doctoral thesis in the laboratories of fellow study authors Nathaniel J. Traaseth, PhD, professor in NYUs Department of Chemistry, and Da-Neng Wang, PhD, professor in the Department of Cell Biology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

This work is particularly striking for its collaborative effort, drawing upon experts in structural biology, antibody engineering, microbiology, and peptide chemistry. The discovery of this new way to inhibit resistant strains of S. aureus demonstrates that five labs from four departments can collaborate to accomplish what none could alone, says study author Shohei Koide, PhD, professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.

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Common Antibiotics Are Losing Their Potency. Researchers Pinpoint Mechanism to Restore It. - NYU Langone Health

October 12, 2022

A study published in Nature follows the maturation and circuit integration of transplanted human cortical organoids.

Dr Andrs Lakatos, Neuroscientist and Neurologist at the University of Cambridge, (Group Leader in Neurobiology, Centre for Brain Repair, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge & Wellcome Trust-MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute), said:

This work has increased our confidence in that human organoids, complex tissues grown in a laboratory dish from stem cells, have the potential to revolutionise brain research. Although it has been pretty clear that organoids can provide a great advantage for studying how the human brain works and what might go wrong in disease, the extent of their maturity required for such analyses has been questionable. One way to prove that cells in brain organoids are mature enough is to show that they do whatever they are supposed to be doing in the brain, and that is to form the right connections that can control behaviour. Sergiu Pascas team did just that and did it quite convincingly.

The choice of implanting human organoids into rat brains to allow such observations is, of course, not without ethical considerations. There are ongoing discussions on the topic to address the arising concerns and, equally, to avoid obstacles to discovery. Nevertheless, this paper in Nature is a significant leap and a great example of why such research should be continued.

Prof Tara Spires-Jones, UK Dementia Research Institute at The University of Edinburgh & Deputy Director, Centre for Discovery Brain Sciences, University of Edinburgh, said:

This paper from Pasca and team from Stanford University shows that clumps of human brain cells derived from stem cells (called organoids) implanted into newborn rat brains can mature in the rat brain and integrate into the rats neuronal circuits. Implanting the organoids in rat brain provided a blood supply and brain environment that let the human neurons mature better than they do in culture dishes. These neurons also made connections with other neurons in the rat brain and when activated, they could influence the behaviour of the rats. Researchers implanted organoids from stem cells of people with Timothy syndrome, a rare genetic disease that causes autism spectrum disorders as well as heart defects. The neurons from Timothy syndrome organoids had abnormal development, illustrating that this new type of experiment may be useful for finding treatments for human neurodevelopmental disorders. However, these human grafts did not replicate all of the important features of human developing brain and some of the experiments analysed only a handful of neurons from 3-4 rats per group so more work will need to be done to be sure this system is a robust model for brain development and neurodevelopmental disorders.

This research has the potential to advance what we know about human brain development and neurodevelopmental disorders, but there is more work to be done to be sure this type of graft is a robust method. I also agree with the experts Drs Camp and Treutlein who wrote a commentary accompanying the paper who point out that these experiments pose several ethical questions that should be considered moving forward including whether these rats will have more human-like thinking and consciousness due to the implants.

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Prof Dr Jrgen Knoblich, Scientific Director and Senior Scientist at the Institute for Molecular Biotechnology, Vienna, Austria, said:

The work is characterised by its methodological progress, as the organoids were implanted in rat brains. These are larger compared to mouse brains and one can transplant larger amounts of tissue. In addition, the organoids were transplanted very early, that is, when the rats were only a few days old. The advantage here is thatthe brain is still developing, and the transplant can therefore co-evolve.

In addition, the researchers show that the human neurons, when activated, interfere with the rats behaviour. The human cells functionally connect to the rat brain. This is the reason why the work is so outstanding.

The human brain is home to some of the most horrific diseases and so far, we dont understand it very well. A lot of brain experiments are done on animals like mice or rats, but really, they should be done on primates (as primate brains are more similar to human brains; editors note). This is very controversial. Organoid models from human stem cells are promising and resolve this conflict.

Using brain organoids, you can gain some insights because the neurons form connections. The problem with the organoids so far, though, is that they dont have blood vessels. When they are transplanted, they become vascularised, that is, they have blood vessels growing through them. The transplanted organoids now make it possible to study network properties of human nerve cells in a different way. This could have an impact on research into neurological diseases such as epilepsy or autism.

Until now, experiments on the brain have only been carried out on animals, but their brain functions are often different from those of humans. Animal experiments are necessary, but they only provide part of a mosaic. For the complete picture, you have to study humans. For that, organoids from human stem cells are needed because they are less ethically controversial than animal experiments.

Dr Agnieszka Rybak-Wolf, Head of the Organoids Technology Platform, Max Delbrck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC), Berlin, said:

The authors transplanted human cortical organoids into newborn rat brains in order to stimulate neuronal maturation and to promote the integration of human neurons into rat sensory and motivation-related circuits. Such cortical neurons showed more complex anatomical and functional properties, extended axons through the rat brain and what is important and novel transplanted organoids receive sensory-related inputs and their optogenetic activation (activated by light; editors note) could drive rat behaviour during reward-seeking.

Human-rodent chimeras (an organism consisting of cells of different genetic origins; editors note) although raising some ethical debate about mixing human and animal brain tissue are well accepted experiments to demonstrate functionality of human in vitro brain cells within in vivo circuits. The authors idea is not completely novel. There have been already several studies published in the last years using a similar approach. Just to mention a few examples: Wang et al. demonstrated that transplanted cerebral organoids improves neurological motor function after brain injury [1]. A study by Bao et al. suggested that cerebral organoid transplanted in lesion sites can serve as potential therapeutic approach for traumatic brain injury by reversing deficits in spatial learning and memory [2]. Kitahara et al. optimized the time point and the conditions for organoids transplantation into mouse and monkey brain [3] and Daviaud et al. grafted cerebral organoids into mouse brains to achieve organoids vascularization [4]. The ethical concerns of such models have been also previously discussed [5] [6].

Although brain organoids form a relatively complex brain tissue like structure, they still lack brain immune cells, vasculature and the circuit connectivity found in vivo. Therefore, they often fail when it comes to model complex human brain diseases related to circuits formation such as autism or schizophrenia. Engrafting of human brain organoids into highly vascularized immunodeficient rodents brains (the immune system of the animals used in the study is not fully developed as they lack the thymus and thus functional T cells, thus preventing rejection of the transplanted organoids; editors note) gives a unique opportunity to incorporate missing components into the model and to fully form neural circuit in human in vitro brain models. The area of chimeric research models is quickly evolving, motivated by the potential application of such models to for example grow human compatible organs for transplantation. However, when it comes to the brain, it always raises several ethical concerns, such as: Can we create human-like cognition in animals by such transplantations?

As we cannot conduct research on human adult or fetal brains for obvious reasons, human brain organoids are a major advance in the study of the human brain. Developing physiological conditions that reflect the real human brain is one of the main aims in the field. Therefore, we need to carefully find a compromise between the gains and the risks when it comes to such chimeric models.

[1] Wang SN et al. (2020):Cerebral Organoids Repair Ischemic Stroke Brain Injury.Translational Stroke Research. DOI: 10.1007/s12975-019-00773-0.

[2] Bao Z et al. (2021):Human Cerebral Organoid Implantation Alleviated the Neurological Deficits of Traumatic Brain Injury in Mice.Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity. DOI: 10.1155/2021/6338722.

[3] Kitahara T et al. (2020):Axonal extensions along corticospinal tracts from transplanted human cerebral organoids.Stem Cell Reports. DOI: 10.1016/j.stemcr.2020.06.016.

[4] Daviaud N et al. (2018):Vascularization and Engraftment of Transplanted Human Cerebral Organoids in Mouse Cortex.ENeuro. DOI: 10.1523/ENEURO.0219-18.2018.

[5] Powell K (03.08.2022):Hybrid brains: the ethics of transplanting human neurons into animals.Nature. DOI: 10.1038/d41586-022-02073-4.

[6] Chen HI et al. (2019):Transplantation of Human Brain Organoids: Revisiting the Science and Ethics of Brain Chimeras.Cell Stem Cell. DOI: 10.1016/j.stem.2019.09.002.

Maturation and circuit integration of transplanted human cortical organoids by Omer Revah et al. will be published in Nature at 16:00 UK time on Wednesday 12 October 2022, which is also when the embargo will lift.

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05277-w

Declared interests

Dr Andrs Lakatos: Ihave no conflicts with this study.

Prof Tara Spires-Jones: I have no conflicts with this study.

Prof Dr. Jrgen Knoblich: I have no conflicts of interest that have a direct impact on the issues discussed in the paper.

For all other experts, no reply to our request for DOIs was received.

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expert reaction to study looking at integrating human stem cell-derived brain-like tissue in the brains of newborn rats - Science Media Centre

HTG Molecular Diagnostics, Inc.

TUCSON, Ariz., Oct. 12, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- HTG Molecular Diagnostics, Inc. (Nasdaq: HTGM) (HTG), a life science company advancing precision medicine through its innovative transcriptome-wide profiling technology, completed its planned milestones for the third quarter of 2022, further advancing its transcriptome-informed approach to drug design and discovery utilizing the companys proprietary HTG EdgeSeq technology.

Significant milestone progress made during the period included the advancement of machine-learning components of the transcriptome-informed drug discovery and design platform and the continued generation of internal, proprietary data supporting the training set. Capital investments made during the period established internal cell culture capabilities allowing for flexibility and expansion of HTGs cell-based test system models. For the companys first therapeutic target, a series of chemical libraries were designed, with the most advanced library for this target having entered preclinical characterization, along with a series of data generated including measures of early efficacy in two different disease states.

We have made significant strides during the third quarter, further advancing our transcriptome-informed drug discovery platform and solidifying our first planned targets utilizing HTGs novel approach, said Dr. Stephen Barat, Senior Vice President of Therapeutics at HTG. We have made steady progress on this very important initiative throughout 2022 and expect to continue to advance and refine our most promising potential molecular candidates for measures of efficacy, safety and pharmaceutical considerations. We are optimistic that this continued advancement will result in the selection by the end of the year of at least one candidate molecule to enter preclinical development through potential licensing or partnering opportunities.

A cornerstone of the Therapeutics business, the HTG Transcriptome Panel (HTP) was launched with commercial availability in August 2021. The HTP was designed to enable the assessment of approximately 20,000 mRNA targets using HTGs EdgeSeq technology, a targeted RNA sequencing technology that couples a nuclease protection assay with next-generation sequencing for rapid and accurate RNA quantification. HTG EdgeSeqs many advantages that make it attractive technology for applying transcriptomic profiling to drug discovery include a 96-well plate format, low sample input requirement, no RNA extraction, and rapid assay and analysis time. Further information regarding HTGs transcriptome-informed drug design and discovery platform is included in the White Papers published by HTG earlier in the year, which can be found here.

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About HTG:

HTG is accelerating precision medicine from diagnosis to treatment by harnessing the power of transcriptome-wide profiling to drive translational research, novel therapeutics and clinical diagnostics across a variety of disease areas.

Building on more than a decade of pioneering innovation and partnerships with biopharma leaders and major academic institutes, HTGs proprietary RNA platform technologies are designed to make the development of life science tools and diagnostics more effective and efficient and to unlock a differentiated and disruptive approach to transformative drug discovery. For more information visit http://www.htgmolecular.com.

Forward-Looking Statements:

Statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding HTGs expectations that its continued advance of its molecule candidates will result in the selection by the end of the year of at least one molecular candidate to enter preclinical development through potential licensing or partnering opportunities; the design, capabilities and benefits of the HTP and its potential impact on the drug discovery process, future business development, licensing and partnering opportunities, and other potential benefits of HTGs RNA platform and technologies. Words such as can, designed to, goal, intends to, believe, optimistic, will, potential and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements necessarily contain these identifying words. These forward-looking statements are based upon managements current expectations, are subject to known and unknown risks, and involve assumptions that may never materialize or may prove to be incorrect. Actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of various risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks associated with drug discovery and development; the risk that HTP and our RNA platform and medicinal chemistry technologies may not provide the benefits that we expect; risks associated with our ability to develop and commercialize our products and our Therapeutics business, including by entering into licensing or partnering agreements for any candidates we develop; the risk that our products and services may not be adopted by biopharmaceutical companies or other customers as anticipated, or at all; our ability to manufacture our products to meet demand; competition in our industry; additional capital and credit availability; our ability to attract and retain qualified personnel; risks associated with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on us and our customers; and product liability claims. These and other factors are described in greater detail in our filings with theSecurities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including under the Risk Factors heading of our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter endedJune 30, 2022, as filed with theSEConAugust 12, 2022. Allforward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made, and we undertake no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date on which they were made.

Investor Contact:

Ashley RobinsonLifeSci AdvisorsPhone: (617) 430-7577Email:arr@lifesciadvisors.com

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HTG Provides Update on Third Quarter Progress Toward Its Transcriptome-Informed Approach to Drug Discovery - Yahoo Finance

The discovery from UVAs Swapnil Sonkusare, PhD, and colleagues breaks new ground in our understanding of how the body regulates blood pressure.

School of Medicine researchers have identified a key contributor to high blood pressure that could lead to new treatments for a condition which affects almost half of American adults.

The discovery from UVAs Swapnil Sonkusare, PhD, and colleagues breaks new ground in our understanding of how the body regulates blood pressure. It also shows how problems with this critical biological process drive high blood pressure, also known as hypertension.

UVAs research, published in the scientific journal Circulation, identifies a new paradigm in hypertension, according to an accompanying editorial. The editorial says UVAs innovative discoveries fill major gaps in our understanding of the fundamental molecular causes of high blood pressure.

Our work identifies a new mechanism that helps maintain healthy blood pressure and shows how abnormalities in this mechanism can lead to hypertension, said Sonkusare, of UVAs Department of Molecular Physiology and Biological Physics and UVAs Robert M. Berne Cardiovascular Research Center. The discovery of a new mechanism for elevation of blood pressure could provide therapeutic targets for treating hypertension.

High blood pressure is estimated to affect more than 116 million American adults. In 2020, it contributed to or caused more than 670,000 deaths in the United States, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. Left unchecked, the condition can damage the heart and increase the risk for stroke and other health problems.

Our blood pressure is controlled, in part, by calcium levels in smooth muscle cells that line blood vessel walls. Smooth muscle cells transport calcium in and use it to regulate the contraction of blood vessels as needed. High blood pressure is commonly treated with calcium blockers that reduce the movement of calcium, but these medications have many side effects because they block a mechanism that is used by multiple organs in the body for carrying out normal functions. So a treatment option that targets the harmful effects of calcium but not its beneficial effects could be very helpful for patients with hypertension.

Sonkusare and his team discovered two critical and previously unknown -- signaling centers in smooth muscle cells that bring in calcium and regulate blood pressure. These nanodomains, the researchers found, act like symphony conductors for blood vessels, directing them to contract or relax as needed. These signaling centers, the researchers determined, are a key regulator of healthy blood pressure.

Further, the UVA scientists found that disruptions in this process contribute to high blood pressure. In both mouse models of the disease and hypertensive patients, the fine balance between constrictor and dilator signaling centers is lost. This caused the blood vessels to become too constricted, driving up blood pressure.

The new findings help us better understand how our bodies maintain proper blood pressure and provide enticing targets for scientists seeking to develop treatments targeting underlying causes of hypertension. Developing treatments that do not affect the beneficial effects of calcium will require additional research and a deeper understanding of the calcium-use process, but Sonkusares team is already working toward that goal.

Weve shown that smooth muscle cells use spatial separation of signaling centers to achieve constriction or dilation of arteries. We are now investigating the individual components of these signaling centers, Sonkusare said. Understanding these components will help us target them to lower or raise the blood pressure in disease conditions that show high or low blood pressure, respectively.

The researchers have published their findings in the scientific journal Circulation. The team consisted of Yen-Lin Chen, Zdravka Daneva, Maniselvan Kuppusamy, Matteo Ottolini, Thomas M. Baker, Eliska Klimentova, Soham A. Shah, Jennifer D. Sokolowski, Min S. Park and Sonkusare.

The work was supported by the American Heart Association, grant POST833691; theAmerican Physiological Society; the National Institutes of Health, grants HL146914, HL142808 and HL147555; and the Neurosurgery Research and Education Foundation.

The editorial accompanying the article was written by Rhian Touyz,MD, PhD, of the Research Institute of McGill University Health Centre at Canadas McGill University.

Sonkusare previously discovered why obesity causes high blood pressure.

To keep up with the latest medical research news from UVA, subscribe to the Making of Medicine blog.

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UVA Discovers Key Driver of High Blood Pressure - UVA Health Newsroom

The Cancer Institute at The University of Tennessee Medical Center joins Caris' extensive network of leading cancer institutions committed to utilizing clinical data to advance patient care and outcomes

IRVING, Texas, Oct. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --Caris Life Sciences(Caris), the leading molecular science and technology company actively developing and delivering innovative solutions to revolutionize health care, announced today that The University of Tennessee Medical Center's (UTMC) Cancer Institute has joined Caris' Precision Oncology Alliance (POA). The POA is a growing network of leading cancer centers across the globe that collaborate to advance precision oncology and biomarker-driven research. POA members work together to establish and optimize standards of care for molecular testing through innovative research focused on predictive and prognostic markers that improve the clinical outcomes for cancer patients.

UTMC, a Magnet recognized hospital, Level I Trauma Center and regional academic medical center, serves as a major referral center for East Tennessee, Southeast Kentucky and Western North Carolina. As the largest provider of cancer care in the region, the Cancer Institute offers the broadest spectrum of cancer specialists and services to care for the local adult population, with research as its cornerstone of knowledge.

"We are proud to join the Caris Precision Oncology Alliance," said John L. Bell, M.D., Director of the Cancer Institute at The University of Tennessee Medical Center."As cancer treatments become more sophisticated and personalized, having access to the most recent, ever-changing molecular testing helps our providers choose the best cancer treatment for each patient. It is truly an honor to join this prestigious group of institutions and make this testing available to patients in East Tennessee and beyond through cutting-edge precision oncology research."

"We're excited to welcome The University of Tennessee Medical Center's Cancer Institute into the growing Caris Precision Oncology Alliance network and look forward to collaborating with its clinicians and investigators to advance clinical and translational research," said Chadi Nabhan, M.D., MBA, FACP, Chairman of the Caris Precision Oncology Alliance. "The University of Tennessee Medical Center's addition to the POA advances our precision oncology research portfolio aiming to improve the outcomes of patients with cancer."

The Caris Precision Oncology Alliance includes 73 cancer centers and academic institutions. These institutions have early access to the extensive database and artificial intelligence platform within Caris to establish evidence-based standards for cancer profiling and advance research in cancer precision medicine. By leveraging the comprehensive genomic, transcriptomic and proteomic profiling available through Caris molecular profiling, Caris seeks to provide this network with the ability to prioritize therapeutic options and determine which clinical trial opportunities may benefit their patients. POA members are also able to integrate with a growing portfolio of biomarker directed trials sponsored by biopharma. Additionally, as a member of the POA, institutions have access to Caris CODEai, the most comprehensive data solution in the industry with cancer treatment information and clinical outcomes data for over 275,000 patients covering over 1 million data points per patient.

About Caris Life SciencesCaris Life Sciences (Caris) is the leading molecular science and technology company actively developing and delivering innovative solutions to revolutionize healthcare and improve patient outcomes. Through comprehensive molecular profiling (Whole Exome and Whole Transcriptome Sequencing) and the application of advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning algorithms, Caris has created the large-scale clinico-genomic database and cognitive computing needed to analyze and unravel the molecular complexity of disease. This information provides an unmatched resource and the ideal path forward to conduct the basic, fundamental research to accelerate discovery for detection, diagnosis, monitoring, therapy selection and drug development to improve the human condition.

With a primary focus on cancer, Caris' suite of market-leading molecular profiling offerings assesses DNA, RNA and proteins to reveal a molecular blueprint that helps patients, physicians and researchers better detect, diagnose and treat patients. Caris' latest advancement is a blood-based, circulating nucleic acids sequencing (cNAS) assay that combines comprehensive molecular analysis (Whole Exome and Whole Transcriptome Sequencing from blood) and serial monitoring making it the most powerful liquid biopsy assay ever developed.

Headquartered in Irving, Texas, Caris has offices in Phoenix, New York, Denver, Tokyo, Japan and Basel, Switzerland. Caris provides services throughout the U.S., Europe, Asia and other international markets. To learn more, please visitCarisLifeSciences.comor follow us on Twitter (@CarisLS).

About The University of Tennessee Medical Center:The mission of The University of Tennessee Medical Center (UTMC), a Magnet recognized hospital also certified by The Joint Commission as a Comprehensive Stroke Center, is to serve through healing, education and discovery. UTMC is a 710-bed, not-for-profit academic medical center, with a regional network of primary care and specialty care physicians and practices as well as outpatient regional health centers and urgent care locations throughout its 21-county primary service area. The medical center, the region's ACS-verified Level I Trauma Center and state designated regional perinatal referral center with a Level III private room NICU, is one of the largest employers in Knoxville. UTMC features nine Centers of Excellence, including the Brain & Spine Institute, Cancer Institute, Emergency & Trauma Center, Heart Lung Vascular Institute, Orthopaedic Institute, Center for Complex Medicine, Center for Perioperative Medicine, Primary Care Collaborative and Center for Women & Infants. VisitUTMedicalCenter.orgfor more information.

Caris Life Sciences Media Contact: Lisa Burgner[emailprotected]214.294.5606

The University of Tennessee Medical CenterMedia Contact:Laura Dean[emailprotected]865.305.6082

SOURCE Caris Life Sciences

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Caris' Precision Oncology Alliance Welcomes The Cancer Institute at The University of Tennessee Medical Center - PR Newswire

Aside from catching Covid itself, many other factors could increase the risk of someone developing long Covid a chronic condition that develops after acute Covid infections and is characterized by a variety of symptoms, such as fatigue, breathing problems, or brain fog. Some of these risk factors include having asthma, type 2 diabetes, autoimmune conditions, or being female.

Now, a team of scientists led by Harvard University has found that patients with arthritis who developed long Covid showed evidence of an underwhelming antibody response to SARS-CoV-2, but a massive antibody response to OC43 one of the several endemic coronaviruses that cause common colds.

The researchers tested the blood of 43 patients who had arthritis or a similar condition before the pandemic, and discovered that, when their immune systems were exposed to SARS-CoV-2, they responded with OC43 antibodies which, although similar, were less than ideal in fighting the novel coronavirus, leading to chronic inflammation and other long Covid symptoms.

According to Eric Topol, a professor of Molecular Medicine at Scripps Research, these new findings come in a very interesting report that adds to the possible underpinnings of long Covid. While previous research investigated the relationship between prior infections with the Epstein-Barr virus and other pathogens and long Covid risk factors, this is the first study to assess the role common cold may play in the development of this debilitating conditions.

However, the researchers warned that that are multiple categories of long Covid with, perhaps, different triggers for each type (aside from Covid itself). Thus, although prior infection with this common cold may play a role in arthritis patients with long Covid, it may or may not play a similar role in other categories of patients. Nonetheless, this discovery could serve as a way of identifying long Covid risk levels in arthritis patients and possibly find new ways of treating it.

A pre-print version of the study is published in medRxiv.

Check us out on EarthSnap, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

By Andrei Ionescu, Earth.com Staff Writer

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Common cold may increase the risk of long Covid - Earth.com