SILICON VALLEY, Calif., Jan. 4, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Predicine, a global molecular insights company, announced today that it has appointed Dennis Merkle, PhD, MBA, as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) for Predicine Europe as well as its Global Head of Biopharma Business. Dr. Merkle moves into the role after leading the oncology development strategy, alliance management and biorepository teams at Invitae, which he joined as part of the acquisition of ArcherDx, where he was Senior Vice President of corporate development.

Dr. Dennis Merkle

Known for his strategic leadership across commercial and R&D organizations, Dr. Merkle has extensive experience building high performing teams and novel functions in both the biopharma and in vitro diagnostic (IVD) industries. Based in Germany, Dr. Merkle's primary role will be to build, scale and manage Predicine's European business strategy, operations, and organization, while growing, synergizing and strengthening its partnerships with biopharma clients globally.

Dr. Merkle has over 20 years' experience in cancer biology, molecular and companion diagnostics and drug development. Prior to joining ArcherDx and Invitae, Dr. Merkle built and lead the global companion diagnostics group at Merck KGaA, leading to that organization's first ever drug-companion diagnostic co-approvals. Dr. Merkle has also held senior positions in marketing and R&D at Merck KGaA, Abbott Laboratories and Philips building extensive experience in the development and launch of novel drug and diagnostic products, as well as the lifecycle management and marketing of mature products.

"Predicine Europe is one step closer to our grand mission - to empower the global healthcare ecosystem through innovation. Dr. Merkle is an accomplished industrial leader with a proven track record of product development and launch in the diagnostics and biopharma space. In the last six years, Predicine has made significant progress in precision medicine in both the biopharma and patient testing businesses. We welcome strong leaders, such as Dr. Merkle, to drive our next-phase business growth in global oncology and infectious diseases." said Dr. Shidong Jia, Predicine's Founder and Global CEO.

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Dennis Merkle, new CEO of Predicine Europe, said:

"Predicine offers a best-in-class genomic platform that enables minimally-invasive diagnostics and molecular analysis for patients, healthcare providers and the biopharmaceutical industry. Through its unique portfolio of blood-, urine- and tissue-based diagnostic solutions, I am confident Predicine will be a market leader in precision medicine for years to come.

I am excited to be joining Predicine's world-class global team and establishing its European business operations, while also continuing to strengthen collaborations with our very important pharmaceutical partners. Complementing our presence in Silicon Valley, Tustin, Shanghai, Singapore, Houston and Boston, the European affiliate will make Predicine a truly global player in personalized healthcare. So, stay tuned for more announcements from this very important region!"

About Predicine

Predicine is a global molecular insights company that is committed to advancing precision medicine in oncology and infectious diseases. Predicine has developed a breakthrough cell-free DNA- and cell-free RNA-based liquid biopsy technology enabling minimally invasive molecular diagnosis for treatment selection, therapy monitoring, and minimal residual disease and early cancer detection. The company has launched a portfolio of blood-, urine- and tissue-based diagnostic assays for oncology and infectious diseases, including COVID-19. Through its business operations in Silicon Valley, Tustin, Houston, Shanghai, Singapore, Berlin and Boston, Predicine partners with leading biopharma companies, institutions and governments to support personalized healthcare on a global scale. Further information is available on the company's website, http://www.predicine.com. Stay in touch on LinkedIn or @Predicine on Twitter.

Contact Information:

Sushmasri TakkilapatiPredicine Inc.(857) 756-3469 326820@email4pr.com

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Predicine Appoints Dr. Dennis Merkle as Chief Executive Officer of Predicine Europe and Global Head of Biopharma Business - Yahoo Finance

Our Phase 1a trial has been open 12 months and Im pleased with both the pace of development and the early responses seen. Its particularly gratifying to have followed a patient in the trial for over 12 months where their tumour burden has been reduced to zero.

Imugene Ltd (ASX:IMU, OTC:IUGNF)has successfully completed Phase 1a monotherapy dose escalation of PD1-Vaxx and will now proceed to combination dose escalation.

The clinical-stage immuno-oncology company is developing a range of new and novel immunotherapies that seek to activate the immune system of cancer patients to treat and eradicate tumours.

Finalisation of the dose escalation of PD1-Vaxx was confirmed by the Cohort Review Committee (CRC), following the Phase 1a monotherapy dose escalation performed with 10, 50 and 100g of PD1-Vaxx in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients who progressed on one or more immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs).

The primary objective of the phase 1 trial is to determine safety and optimal biological dose as monotherapy and in combination with ICIs. Plans are now being finalised to combine PD1-Vaxx with Roche/Genentechs PD-L1 targeting blockbuster ICI atezolizumab (Tecentriq) as first-line in ICI treatment nave NSCLC patients.

CRC reviewed monotherapy safety, tolerability and biomarker data. It then advised IMU to proceed to the combination phase of clinical development of PD1-Vaxx.

Phase 1 trials are generally designed to look for safety, tolerability and early response signals to determine the optimal dose for further development, Imugene MD & CEO Leslie Chong said.

I am encouraged that we are seeing positive signals at such an early stage of our PD1-Vaxx Phase I trial and we are now progressing to the Phase 1b combination studies in treatment nave patients.

Our Phase 1a trial has been open 12 months and Im pleased with both the pace of development and the early responses seen. Its particularly gratifying to have followed a patient in the trial for over 12 months where their tumour burden has been reduced to zero.

Dual targeting of the PD-1/PD-L1 axis is an area of considerable interest with ongoing clinical results creating strong interest inside the pharma industry.

Combination with PD1-Vaxx may overcome treatment resistance to ICIs with dual inhibition of the PD-1/PD-L1 axis extending the treatment benefit of atezolizumab.

In contrast to combination of two monoclonal antibodies, PD1-Vaxx has the advantage that it induces a unique polyclonal immune response which may increase response rates for the combination therapy.

Imugenes PD1-Vaxx is a B-cell activating immunotherapy designed to treat tumours such as lung cancer by interfering with PD-1/PD-L1 binding and interaction and produce an anti-cancer effect similar to Tecentiq, Keytruda, Opdivo and the other immune checkpoint inhibitor monoclonal antibodies that are transforming the treatment of a range of cancers.

Full study details can also be found on clinical trials.gov under study ID: NCT04432207.

While it has been conducting these promising trials, IMU has also been strengthening its management team.

Today, it not only announced the successful completion of Phase 1a monotherapy dose escalation of PD1-Vaxx, IMU also informed the market that it has appointed industry leaders Ursula McCurry and Dr Nimali Withana to its senior management team.

The former Roche/Genentech employees and experts in oncology clinical development started with IMU at the beginning of January 2022, with McCurry appointed as the senior vice president of Clinical Operations and Dr Nimali Withana appointed senior director of Clinical Science.

Ursula and Nimali add critical and considerable clinical development capability to our senior management team, and I am delighted to welcome them to Imugene, Chong said.

About Ursula McCurry

McCurry is a well-regarded clinical operations leader with more than 20 years of global clinical development experience across a number of established and emerging biotech and pharmaceutical companies including Genentech, Exelixis (NASDAQ:EXEL), Astex, QLT Inc and Amunix.

She has led global clinical operations programs spanning a variety of therapeutic areas and all phases of clinical development, contributing to in excess of20 programs and subsequent multiple regulatory approvals at both small and large biotech companies.

McCurrys significant partnership and alliance management experience are expected to be invaluable to IMU as it progresses its therapies.

Prior to joining Imugene, Ursula served as the VP of Clinical Operations at Amunix Pharmaceuticals and was a Clinical Program director at Genentech, leading multiple programs from entry into the clinic to phase three development, including taselisib and GDC-9545.

She has also led the Drug Safety teams, ensuring quality, compliance, pharmacovigilanceand safety reporting.

About Dr Nimali Withana

Dr Withana has more than18 years of drug development experience spanning both academia and industry and most recently was the Lead Country medical manager for the Breast Cancer and Cancer Immunotherapy portfolios including bevacizumab, trastuzumab emtansine, ipatasertib and atezolizumab at Hoffman-La Roche New Zealand.

Prior to that, Dr Withana was the clinical scientist lead across Phase I III global oncology trials at Genentech.

Dr Withana received her academic training at Stanford University and The Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, majoring in Immunology and Molecular Medicine.

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Imugene completes Phase 1a monotherapy dose escalation of PD1-Vaxx and adds industry leaders to management team - Proactive Investors USA

Researchers at the University of Oxford uncover the importance of iron for the development of complex life on Earth which also may hint at the likelihood of complex life on other planets.

Iron is an essential nutrient that almost all life requires to grow and thrive. Irons importance goes all the way back to the formation of the planet Earth, where the amount of iron in the Earths rocky mantle was set by the conditions under which the planet formed and went on to have major ramifications for how life developed. Now, scientists at the University of Oxford have uncovered the likely mechanisms by which iron influenced the development of complex life forms, which can also be used to understand how likely (or unlikely) advanced life forms might be on other planets. The work was published recently in PNAS.

The initial amount of iron in Earths rocks is set by the conditions of planetary accretion, during which the Earths metallic core segregated from its rocky mantle, says co-author Jon Wade, Associate Professor of Planetary Materials at the Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford. Too little iron in the rocky portion of the planet, like the planet Mercury, and life is unlikely. Too much, like Mars, and water may be difficult to keep on the surface for times relevant to the evolution of complex life.

Initially, iron conditions on Earth would have been optimal to ensure surface retention of water. Iron would have also been soluble in sea water, making it easily available to give simple life forms a jumpstart in development. However, oxygen levels on Earth began to rise approximately 2.4 billion years ago (referred to as the Great Oxygenation Event). An increase in oxygen created a reaction with iron, which led to it becoming insoluble. Gigatons of iron dropped out of sea water, where it was much less available to developing life forms.

Life had to find new ways to obtain the iron it needs, says co-author Hal Drakesmith, Professor of Iron Biology at the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford. For example, infection, symbiosis and multicellularity are behaviors that enable life to more efficiently capture and utilise this scarce but vital nutrient. Adopting such characteristics would have propelled early life forms to become ever more complex, on the way to evolving into what we see around us today.

The need for iron as a driver for evolution, and consequent development of a complex organism capable of acquiring poorly available iron, may be rare or random occurrences. This has implications for how likely complex life forms might be on other planets.

It is not known how common intelligent life is in the Universe, says Prof Drakesmith. Our concepts imply that the conditions to support the initiation of simple life-forms are not enough to also ensure subsequent evolution of complex life-forms. Further selection by severe environmental changes may be needed for example, how life on Earth needed to find a new way to access iron. Such temporal changes at planetary scale may be rare, or random, meaning that the likelihood of intelligent life may also be low.

However, knowing now about how important iron is in the development of life may aid in the search for suitable planets that could develop life forms. By assessing the amount of iron in the mantle of exo-planets, it may now be possible to narrow the search for exo-planets capable of supporting life.

Reference: Temporal variation of planetary iron as a driver of evolution by Jon Wade, David J. Byrne, Chris J. Ballentine and Hal Drakesmith, 6 December 2021, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2109865118

Link:
Iron Integral to the Development of Complex Life on Earth And the Possibility of Life on Other Planets - SciTechDaily

When it's that time of the month, we almost always know. Not only because we're likely keeping track of our menstrual cycles, but also because many of us experience symptoms and changes in our bodies, including bloating, cramping, fatigue, and more.

Most womenaround 90%experience minor symptoms leading up to their periods, according to the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, and this is normal. However, premenstrual symptoms can feel uncomfortable. One of the biggest culprits to discomfort is menstrual cramping, which occur when the uterus contracts while shedding the uterine lining.

The causes of menstrual cramping are not completely understood, but typically it's the inflammatory reaction from the uterine lining expulsion, says Mazen Abbas, D.O., M.P.H., Pediatric and Young Adult Gastroenterologist in Kailua, Hawaii. Other considerations include endometriosis, age, hormone levels, uterine fibroids, ovarian cysts, and more.

The good news is that there's a ton of ways to alleviate minor menstrual cramps at home. In addition to the classic heating pad, Abbas says that over-the-counter such as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication should help you find relief. You can also sip on some warm teas, which have been found to reduce menstrual cramps.

Ginger, green tea, chamomile, fennel, cinnamon, and French maritime pine bark extract have been studied and found helpful to alleviating menstrual cramps, Abbas says. Avoiding certain foods like processed foods, sugar, and caffeine may help, too. If you're looking for some natural relief, read on for the teas you can count on to help reduce painful period cramps, according to doctors and research.

Ginger tea seems to be the best option for reducing menstrual cramps, Abbas says, because it's rich in anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties like gingerols and shogaols. A review published in Phytotherapy Research examined the use of ginger for pain relief in randomized controlled trials and found that ginger significantly reduced pain and inflammation when taken orally.

Around menstruation specifically, a review published in Pain Medications examined the pain levels in women who consumed 7502,000 mg of ginger powder during the first 34 days of their period and found that ginger helped relieve their pain. So, sipping on some ginger tea may help you find relief from painful cramping.

Not only can chamomile help soothe you to sleep, but it also has anti-inflammatory and anti-spasmodic properties that can help alleviate painful cramps associated with menstrual cramps, a review published in the Journal of Pharmacupuncture shows. Specifically, a study published in the Internal Journal of Molecular Medicine found that chamomile inhibits the production of nitric oxide, which is a signaling molecule that plays a key role in the pathophysiology of inflammation. As Abbas previously mentioned, inflammation has been associated with menstrual cramps.

Another study published in the Iranian Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility had women drink two cups of chamomile a day one week leading up to menstruation and during the first five days of their cycle for three months, which resulted in a reduction in their pain from cramps.

According to Abbas, fennel tea is another great option for alleviating pain from menstrual cramps. Fennel is full of powerful antioxidants such as vitamin C and quercetin, which can help reduce inflammation. A small study published in Ayu examined pain levels in 60 girls who experienced dysmenorrhoea, or painful periods, after they took 30 mg of fennel extract four times a day for three days at the start of their menstrual cycles compared to a placebo. Results showed that those who consumed the fennel saw a significant reduction in their pain.

Not only is cinnamon a delicious way to spice up your favorite winter dishes, but it has also been used for centuries as a natural healing agent. Cinnamon has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-fungal properties that help aid in digestion, improve blood sugar levels, and reduce menstrual pain in the body.

A review published in Complementary Therapies in Medicine found that cinnamon may help reduce inflammation and bloating associated with menstruation. Another small study published in the Iranian Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility had 76 girls with dysmenorrhea take three capsules of 420 mg of cinnamon a day and found that menstrual pain and bleeding was significantly reduced.

As energy levels begin to drop during menstruation thanks to reduced oestrogen levels, you may be wanting to reach for some caffeine. Go for green tea, which will not only give you energy, but it may also help alleviate your cramps. A study published in BMJ found that girls who drank green tea regularly had way less cramping and bloating than in those who did not drink the tea. This may be because green tea is full of flavonoid, antioxidant, and anti-inflammatory compounds. Green tea also has a ton of L-theanine, an amino acid that boosts dopamine and reduces anxiety, which can be helpful for those period-induced mood swings.

Fennel Seed Tea

$6.99

Green Tea

$7.40

Chamomile Herbal Tea

$13.10

Many species of pine trees have been used for their healing properties, and one that may help with painful period cramping is French maritime pink bark extract tea. French maritime pink bark extract contains many plant compounds like vitamins, polyphenols, and other phytonutrients, which may be beneficial to our health.

The tea may also soothe menstrual pain in women with dysmenorrhea, a small study published in the Journal of Reproductive Medicine found. In the study, 116 women were given either a French maritime pink bark extract pill or a placebo throughout two full menstrual cycles, and results showed that the women who tool the pine bark experienced less pain.

Overall, research shows you can rely on tea for natural remedies to reducing period cramps. However, if your cramps persist for more than two days and the pain begins to interfere with your daily life, then Abbas suggests consulting with your doctor.

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6 Teas That Reduce Menstrual Cramps and Pain, According to Experts - Tea for Period Pain and Bloating - Prevention.com