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The great beauty reset: how to reboot your skin – Financial Times

Posted: September 8, 2020 at 4:56 am

Im not saying my skin has aged significantly this year but my six-year-old recently asked me why I had asix-pack on my forehead. After six months of stressful days, sleepless nights and home-school nightmares, its become apparent that matters need taking in hand. And theres something about the early autumn, with its nip in the air, and its new-found appreciation for proper, non-negotiable routines that feels right for a skincare overhaul.

Fortunately, the seasons big skincare launches abound with new ways to reset your skin, from serious, sleeves-rolled-up jump-starting regimens, which last up to a month and deliver a rapid burst of intense reconditioning, to new strategies that claim todetoxify your daily regime without your having to somuch as cut down on caffeine.

Sorting out most modern-day skincare complaints from sluggish cell turnover caused by tiredness and stress to overstimulated skin (a result of using products not suited to one another), to undeserved lacklustre complexions caused by outdated products requires a bit of areboot. It could be a facial; it could be a peel. But inthedays when weve all become beauty hobbyists, performing DIY facials like pros, it could also be a pleasurable at-home experience for the price of a couple ofdecent salon treatments.

Dr Anita Sturnham, a London-based GP specialising in dermatology who launched her own excellent skincare line,Decree, last year, became so aware of how many of herpatients especially those suffering with breakouts, pigmentation and dehydration needed a thorough overhaul that she recently launched her own two-week Skin Reset Kit. Sturnham believes 90 per cent of the skin issues she sees are self-inflicted simply by using the wrong products and that stripping your skincare right back is an essential step for getting the best from your skin.

Another recent reset kit is Budapest brand Omoroviczas The Cure programme, which in nine days cycles through anacid phase (to resurface), a remineralise phase (tostimulate microcirculation) and a reconstruct phase (forrenewed elasticity). You can repeat it every three months, ideally to coincide with the change of seasons.

One of the best known brands for an intensive treatment is that of anthropologist-turned-dermatologist Dr Phillip Levy. A Geneva-based wound-healing specialist,he believes that only via resetting can you achieve some of the most visible anti-ageing results andhis Ultimate Stem Cell Spring Homecure (the springmeans spring clean but it can bestarted any time)is legendary. Manyofthe cures we have studied over the years seem to be everyday products nicely repackaged, he says.But to have something truly transformational, theyneed go deep enough to stimulate your own collagen, elastin and hyaluronic acid production, and last four weeks or even eight or more.

Its true that these regimes work best when they feel elevated from the everyday. And when it comes to products with a built-in sense of occasion, no one does it better than Sisley. Even before you get to the science and the scents, and the textures it has a particular French earnestness that makes every product feel like an event. Which must make LIntgral Anti-Age La Cure, its new skin-resetting regimen, at 775 for a four-week supply, a veritable tapis rouge.

For each of the four week-long phases Impulse, Reset, Consolidate, Renaissance theres a phial of creamy serum, about the size of an eye cream. You use each one for seven days, applying eight pumps of product morning and night (this feels a lot, and it takes a few minutes to properly sink in). You can follow with eye cream or moisturiser if you want to, but I didnt feel the need. The bottles have been slightly overfilled so as to ensure you dont run out, but when you get to the end of the seventh day, you must start the next one nonetheless. (This feels wasteful, but I was assured by Sisleys training manager Lorna Green that I could save up these last drops and use them a couple of weeks after the course, as a further boost).

The formulation works on the skins mitochondria the batteries where cellular energy is stored. Theylose the ability to restore themselves over time, particularly during intense periods of stress and hormonal changes, so following either one of those would be an ideal time to try it. The breakthrough wasthe discovery of the mechanisms of a process called autophagy (for which Japanese biologist Yoshinori Ohsumi won the Nobel Prize for medicine in2016), whereby damaged cell components such as mitochondria destroy themselves to protect the rest ofthe cell. La Cure boosts the elimination of these wasteelements, allowing the healthy cells left behind tosoak up energy and regenerate promoting the appearanceof healthier, more youthful skin. In skincare terms, this is no mean feat.

Where the real technology is happening, it wont be long before they eclipse the big jars of moisturiser completely

It sounds intense and its certainly super-active: by the end of the first week I had a small, yet determined, spot on my chin (which I cannot believe was a coincidence) and a little more redness than usual, too. The following week, cell detoxification week, my skin was starting to feel unusually smooth. By the end of the fourth week, my skin was smoother and clearer than I can ever remember. Its also, though, a real example of skincare as self-care: as much as the thought of a radically rejuvenated complexion, the daily reminder that youve sidelined your usual clutter of products in favour of something exceptional is almost enough to bring on a glow.

With any reset complete, the focus should then be on keeping your skin detoxified and renewed. One update worth looking at is a serum. Whereas the luxurious facecream at the end of your regime used to be the jewel in any skincare crown, these dayslightweight serums are where the real technology ishappening, and it wont be long before they eclipse thebig jars of moisturiser completely.

While serums used to be a targeted addition to your face cream specifically for age spots, say, or wrinkles the best new ones are genuinely impressive all-rounders. Este Lauder has just revamped Advanced Night Repair, one of the first ever mainstream skin serums and a product so ubiquitous that among beauty editors it has acronym status. (See also: Cliniques DDML, aka Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion). And in October, Suqqu, which hails from Japan where serums have been the mainstay of skincare much longer than here will launch Vialume, its most advanced line yet, containing glucosamine and amino-acid derivatives designed to targetall five key characteristics of great skin: moisture, firmness, smoothness, translucency and brightness.

Another product gaining increasingly scientific status is face oil, which should no longer be dismissed as the preserve of the militantly natural beauty brigade. Augustinus Bader, the world-leading wound-healing specialist whose Rich Cream was the runaway skincare success of 2018, has just launched The Face Oil, which contains a slew of delicious-sounding oils argan, babassu, hazelnut, karanja as wellas a healthy dose of TFC8, the complex of vitamins, amino acids and synthesised molecules that has made Baders products famous. Meanwhile, RVive Glow Elixir Hydrating Radiance Oil is bronze in colour and slightly shimmering although unusually, it leaves no evidence of glittery particles. Alongside a cocktail of seed oils, it contains the brands signature Bio-Renewal Protein, rendering it a real skincare/make-up hybrid and a great transitional product for this time of year.

Another need-to-know and a great option particularly for younger skin is Rihannas new Fenty Skin line. Theres Total Cleansr, which would work especially well as the first step of a double-cleanse, and Fat Water, which Ri-Ri calls a toner-serum hybrid but its the Hydra Vizor daily moisturiser that triumphs. This so-called Invisible Moisturizer has an SPF30 that leaves no white cast to the skin whatsoever, primarily because the product has a gorgeous pinkish hue and a blurring effect. The ghostly pallor left behind by so many SPF products is a particular challenge to people of colour and this range was designed to work seamlessly with make-up on all skin tones. It also smells great juicy with just the slightest medicinal tinge and comes in a refillable tube.

The recently launched skincare brand U Beauty wants to reset not just your skin, but the way you think about your whole regime. Were all doing too much, says founder Tina Craig, who until two years ago was working as an influencer/ambassador for the worlds biggest skincare brands but admits being as confused as anyone about what to use; she had ended up with a 13-step skincare routine. I started noticing that everyone Iknew had skin that looked translucent, which is not how it should look, she says. Then I looked at my grandma and relatives in Korea, and their skin was not like that. It was thick. Dense. Firm.

U Beauty is her answer to what she calls the cosmeticconfusion. Its first product, the Resurfacing Compound (which sold out three times on UK stockist Net-aPorter), was designed to replace toner, vitamin C, hyaluronicacid, AHAs, physical exfoliants, antioxidant serums and retinol products. From this month, theres alsoSuper Smart Hydrator, a moisturising serum that seeks out damaged cells and only treats the skin where itneeds it. Bookend these two with cleanser and SPF, saysCraig, and youre good to go.

Finally, could we reset the way we use products altogether? New US brand Noble Panacea is overseenby ascientific heavyweight: Sir Fraser Stoddart, who was awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in chemistry. A microscopic delivery system releases its active ingredients into the skinin a programmed sequence, and it comes in individualdoses packed in mini sachets to ensure the optimal amount of these ingredients stays potent until theminute it reaches your skin.

On the one hand, they feel counter to the idea of luxury face creams more like a free sample from a beauty hall but on the other, the boxes made from renewable materials and ultra-hygienic 0.5ml doses feel modern and Covid-safe. (You can send them for recyling in a complimentary envelope to TerraCycle, with which the brand has partnered). And if nothing else, as its global ambassador ithas snapped up the actress Jodie Comer, who must havebeen pursued by every beauty company under the sun and as far as I can tell, theres no sign of a six-pack on her forehead.

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The great beauty reset: how to reboot your skin - Financial Times

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Biotechnology could change the cattle industry. Will it succeed? – Salon

Posted: September 8, 2020 at 4:54 am

When Ralph Fisher, a Texas cattle rancher, set eyes on one of the world's first cloned calves in August 1999, he didn't care what the scientists said: He knew it was his old Brahman bull, Chance, born again. About a year earlier, veterinarians at Texas A&M extracted DNA from one of Chance's moles and used the sample to create a genetic double. Chance didn't live to meet his second self, but when the calf was born, Fisher christened him Second Chance, convinced he was the same animal.

Scientists cautioned Fisher that clones are more like twins than carbon copies: The two may act or even look different from one another. But as far as Fisher was concerned, Second Chance was Chance. Not only did they look identical from a certain distance, they behaved the same way as well. They ate with the same odd mannerisms; laid in the same spot in the yard. But in 2003, Second Chance attacked Fisher and tried to gore him with his horns. About 18 months later, the bull tossed Fisher into the air like an inconvenience and rammed him into the fence. Despite 80 stitches and a torn scrotum, Fisher resisted the idea that Second Chance was unlike his tame namesake, telling the radio program "This American Life" that "I forgive him, you know?"

In the two decades since Second Chance marked a genetic engineering milestone, cattle have secured a place on the front lines of biotechnology research. Today, scientists around the world are using cutting-edge technologies, from subcutaneous biosensors to specialized food supplements, in an effort to improve safety and efficiency within the $385 billion global cattle meat industry. Beyond boosting profits, their efforts are driven by an imminent climate crisis, in which cattle play a significant role, and growing concern for livestock welfare among consumers.

Gene editing stands out as the most revolutionary of these technologies. Although gene-edited cattle have yet to be granted approval for human consumption, researchers say tools like Crispr-Cas9 could let them improve on conventional breeding practices and create cows that are healthier, meatier, and less detrimental to the environment. Cows are also being given genes from the human immune system to create antibodies in the fight against Covid-19. (The genes of non-bovine livestock such as pigs and goats, meanwhile, have been hacked to grow transplantable human organs and produce cancer drugs in their milk.)

But some experts worry biotech cattle may never make it out of the barn. For one thing, there's the optics issue: Gene editing tends to grab headlines for its role in controversial research and biotech blunders. Crispr-Cas9 is often celebrated for its potential to alter the blueprint of life, but that enormous promise can become a liability in the hands of rogue and unscrupulous researchers, tempting regulatory agencies to toughen restrictions on the technology's use. And it's unclear how eager the public will be to buy beef from gene-edited animals. So the question isn't just if the technology will work in developing supercharged cattle, but whether consumers and regulators will support it.

* * *

Cattle are catalysts for climate change. Livestock account for an estimated 14.5 percent of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities, of which cattle are responsible for about two thirds, according to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). One simple way to address the issue is to eat less meat. But meat consumption is expected to increase along with global population and average income. A 2012 report by the FAO projected that meat production will increase by 76 percent by 2050, as beef consumption increases by 1.2 percent annually. And the United States is projected to set a record for beef production in 2021, according to the Department of Agriculture.

For Alison Van Eenennaam, an animal geneticist at the University of California, Davis, part of the answer is creating more efficient cattle that rely on fewer resources. According to Van Eenennaam, the number of dairy cows in the United States decreased from around 25 million in the 1940s to around 9 million in 2007, while milk production has increased by nearly 60 percent. Van Eenennaam credits this boost in productivity to conventional selective breeding.

"You don't need to be a rocket scientist or even a mathematician to figure out that the environmental footprint or the greenhouse gases associated with a glass of milk today is about one-third of that associated with a glass of milk in the 1940s," she says. "Anything you can do to accelerate the rate of conventional breeding is going to reduce the environmental footprint of a glass of milk or a pound of meat."

Modern gene-editing tools may fuel that acceleration. By making precise cuts to DNA, geneticists insert or remove naturally occurring genes associated with specific traits. Some experts insist that gene editing has the potential to spark a new food revolution.

Jon Oatley, a reproductive biologist at Washington State University, wants to use Crispr-Cas9 to fine tune the genetic code of rugged, disease-resistant, and heat-tolerant bulls that have been bred to thrive on the open range. By disabling a gene called NANOS2, he says he aims to "eliminate the capacity for a bull to make his own sperm," turning the recipient into a surrogate for sperm-producing stem cells from more productive prized stock. These surrogate sires, equipped with sperm from prize bulls, would then be released into range herds that are often genetically isolated and difficult to access, and the premium genes would then be transmitted to their offspring.

Furthermore, surrogate sires would enable ranchers to introduce desired traits without having to wrangle their herd into one place for artificial insemination, says Oatley. He envisions the gene-edited bulls serving herds in tropical regions like Brazil, the world's largest beef exporter and home to around 200 million of the approximately 1.5 billion head of cattle on Earth.

Brazil's herds are dominated by Nelore, a hardy breed that lacks the carcass and meat quality of breeds like Angus but can withstand high heat and humidity. Put an Angus bull on a tropical pasture and "he's probably going to last maybe a month before he succumbs to the environment," says Oatley, while a Nelore bull carrying Angus sperm would have no problem with the climate.

The goal, according to Oatley, is to introduce genes from beefier bulls into these less efficient herds, increasing their productivity and decreasing their overall impact on the environment. "We have shrinking resources," he says, and need new, innovative strategies for making those limited resources last.

Oatley has demonstrated his technique in mice but faces challenges with livestock. For starters, disabling NANOS2 does not definitively prevent the surrogate bull from producing some of its own sperm. And while Oatley has shown he can transplant sperm-producing cells into surrogate livestock, researchers have not yet published evidence showing that the surrogates produce enough quality sperm to support natural fertilization. "How many cells will you need to make this bull actually fertile?" asks Ina Dobrinski, a reproductive biologist at the University of Calgary who helped pioneer germ cell transplantation in large animals.

But Oatley's greatest challenge may be one shared with others in the bioengineered cattle industry: overcoming regulatory restrictions and societal suspicion. Surrogate sires would be classified as gene-edited animals by the Food and Drug Administration, meaning they'd face a rigorous approval process before their offspring could be sold for human consumption. But Oatley maintains that if his method is successful, the sperm itself would not be gene-edited, nor would the resulting offspring. The only gene-edited specimens would be the surrogate sires, which act like vessels in which the elite sperm travel.

Even so, says Dobrinski, "That's a very detailed difference and I'm not sure how that will work with regulatory and consumer acceptance."

In fact, American attitudes towards gene editing have been generally positive when the modification is in the interest of animal welfare. Many dairy farmers prefer hornless cows horns can inflict damage when wielded by 1,500-pound animals so they often burn them off in a painful process using corrosive chemicals and scalding irons. In a study published last year in the journal PLOS One, researchers found that "most Americans are willing to consume food products from cows genetically modified to be hornless."

Still, experts say several high-profile gene-editing failures in livestock and humans in recent years may lead consumers to consider new biotechnologies to be dangerous and unwieldy.

In 2014, a Minnesota startup called Recombinetics, a company with which Van Eenennaam's lab has collaborated, created a pair of cross-bred Holstein bulls using the gene-editing tool TALENs, a precursor to Crispr-Cas9, making cuts to the bovine DNA and altering the genes to prevent the bulls from growing horns. Holstein cattle, which almost always carry horned genes, are highly productive dairy cows, so using conventional breeding to introduce hornless genes from less productive breeds can compromise the Holstein's productivity. Gene editing offered a chance to introduce only the genes Recombinetics wanted. Their hope was to use this experiment to prove that milk from the bulls' female progeny was nutritionally equivalent to milk from non-edited stock. Such results could inform future efforts to make Holsteins hornless but no less productive.

The experiment seemed to work. In 2015, Buri and Spotigy were born. Over the next few years, the breakthrough received widespread media coverage, and when Buri's hornless descendant graced the cover of Wired magazine in April 2019, it did so as the ostensible face of the livestock industry's future.

But early last year, a bioinformatician at the FDA ran a test on Buri's genome and discovered an unexpected sliver of genetic code that didn't belong. Traces of bacterial DNA called a plasmid, which Recombinetics used to edit the bull's genome, had stayed behind in the editing process, carrying genes linked to antibiotic resistance in bacteria. After the agency published its findings, the media reaction was swift and fierce: "FDA finds a surprise in gene-edited cattle: antibiotic-resistant, non-bovine DNA," read one headline. "Part cow, part bacterium?" read another.

Recombinetics has since insisted that the leftover plasmid DNA was likely harmless and stressed that this sort of genetic slipup is not uncommon.

"Is there any risk with the plasmid? I would say there's none,'' says Tad Sonstegard, president and CEO of Acceligen, a Recombinetics subsidiary. "We eat plasmids all the time, and we're filled with microorganisms in our body that have plasmids." In hindsight, Sonstegard says his team's only mistake was not properly screening for the plasmid to begin with.

While the presence of antibiotic-resistant plasmid genes in beef probably does not pose a direct threat to consumers, according to Jennifer Kuzma, a professor of science and technology policy and co-director of the Genetic Engineering and Society Center at North Carolina State University, it does raise the possible risk of introducing antibiotic-resistant genes into the microflora of people's digestive systems. Although unlikely, organisms in the gut could integrate those genes into their own DNA and, as a result, proliferate antibiotic resistance, making it more difficult to fight off bacterial diseases.

"The lesson that I think is learned there is that science is never 100 percent certain, and that when you're doing a risk assessment, having some humility in your technology product is important, because you never know what you're going to discover further down the road," she says. In the case of Recombinetics. "I don't think there was any ill intent on the part of the researchers, but sometimes being very optimistic about your technology and enthusiastic about it causes you to have blinders on when it comes to risk assessment."

The FDA eventually clarified its results, insisting that the study was meant only to publicize the presence of the plasmid, not to suggest the bacterial DNA was necessarily dangerous. Nonetheless, the damage was done. As a result of the blunder,a plan was quashed forRecombinetics to raise an experimental herd in Brazil.

Backlash to the FDA study exposed a fundamental disagreement between the agency and livestock biotechnologists. Scientists like Van Eenennaam, who in 2017 received a $500,000 grant from the Department of Agriculture to study Buri's progeny, disagree with the FDA's strict regulatory approach to gene-edited animals. Typical GMOs are transgenic, meaning they have genes from multiple different species, but modern gene-editing techniques allow scientists to stay roughly within the confines of conventional breeding, adding and removing traits that naturally occur within the species. That said, gene editing is not yet free from errors and sometimes intended changes result in unintended alterations, notes Heather Lombardi, division director of animal bioengineering and cellular therapies at the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine. For that reason, the FDA remains cautious.

"There's a lot out there that I think is still unknown in terms of unintended consequences associated with using genome-editing technology," says Lombardi. "We're just trying to get an understanding of what the potential impact is, if any, on safety."

Bhanu Telugu, an animal scientist at the University of Maryland and president and chief science officer at the agriculture technology startup RenOVAte Biosciences, worries that biotech companies will migrate their experiments to countries with looser regulatory environments. Perhaps more pressingly, he says strict regulation requiring long and expensive approval processes may incentivize these companies to work only on traits that are most profitable, rather than those that may have the greatest benefit for livestock and society, such as animal well-being and the environment.

"What company would be willing to spend $20 million on potentially alleviating heat stress at this point?" he asks.

* * *

On a windy winter afternoon, Raluca Mateescu leaned against a fence post at the University of Florida's Beef Teaching Unit while a Brahman heifer sniffed inquisitively at the air and reached out its tongue in search of unseen food. Since 2017, Mateescu, an animal geneticist at the university, has been part of a team studying heat and humidity tolerance in breeds like Brahman and Brangus (a mix between Brahman and Angus cattle). Her aim is to identify the genetic markers that contribute to a breed's climate resilience, markers that might lead to more precise breeding and gene-editing practices.

"In the South,'' Mateescu says, heat and humidity are a major problem. "That poses a stress to the animals because they're selected for intense production to produce milk or grow fast and produce a lot of muscle and fat."

Like Nelore cattle in South America, Brahman are well-suited for tropical and subtropical climates, but their high tolerance for heat and humidity comes at the cost of lower meat quality than other breeds. Mateescu and her team have examined skin biopsies and found that relatively large sweat glands allow Brahman to better regulate their internal body temperature. With funding from the USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, the researchers now plan to identify specific genetic markers that correlate with tolerance to tropical conditions.

"If we're selecting for animals that produce more without having a way to cool off, we're going to run into trouble," she says.

There are other avenues in biotechnology beyond gene editing that may help reduce the cattle industry's footprint. Although still early in their development, lab-cultured meats may someday undermine today's beef producers by offering consumers an affordable alternative to the conventionally grown product, without the animal welfare and environmental concerns that arise from eating beef harvested from a carcass.

Other biotech techniques hope to improve the beef industry without displacing it. In Switzerland, scientists at a startup called Mootral are experimenting with a garlic-based food supplement designed to alter the bovine digestive makeup to reduce the amount of methane they emit. Studies have shown the product to reduce methane emissions by about 20 percent in meat cattle, according to The New York Times.

In order to adhere to the Paris climate agreement, Mootral's owner, Thomas Hafner, believes demand will grow as governments require methane reductions from their livestock producers. "We are working from the assumption that down the line every cow will be regulated to be on a methane reducer," he told The New York Times.

Meanwhile, a farm science research institute in New Zealand, AgResearch, hopes to target methane production at its source by eliminating methanogens, the microbes thought to be responsible for producing the greenhouse gas in ruminants. The AgResearch team is attempting to develop a vaccine to alter the cattle gut's microbial composition, according to the BBC.

Genomic testing may also allow cattle producers to see what genes calves carry before they're born, according to Mateescu, enabling producers to make smarter breeding decisions and select for the most desirable traits, whether it be heat tolerance, disease resistance, or carcass weight.

Despite all these efforts, questions remain as to whether biotech can ever dramatically reduce the industry's emissions or afford humane treatment to captive animals in resource-intensive operations. To many of the industry's critics, including environmental and animal rights activists, the very nature of the practice of rearing livestock for human consumption erodes the noble goal of sustainable food production. Rather than revamp the industry, these critics suggest alternatives such as meat-free diets to fulfill our need for protein. Indeed, data suggests many young consumers are already incorporating plant-based meats into their meals.

Ultimately, though, climate change may be the most pressing issue facing the cattle industry, according to Telugu of the University of Maryland, which received a grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to improve productivity and adaptability in African cattle. "We cannot breed our way out of this," he says.

* * *

Dyllan Furness is a Florida-based science and technology journalist. His work has appeared in Quartz, OneZero, and PBS, among other outlets.

This article was originally published on Undark. Read the original article.

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Why The FDA’s Recent Approval Of New Vaccine Is A Gigantic Win In The War On Cancer – Innovation & Tech Today

Posted: September 7, 2020 at 12:49 am

The global war against the coronavirus pandemic continues to wage on while researchers and medical experts seek to find a cure for COVID-19 symptoms. While many believe this is here to stay for an indefinite period, others feel that this too, shall pass.

The number of confirmed cases and death rates only seem to darken our world with over 400,000 confirmed cases in New York, the death toll is now over 31,000, with over 233,000 confirmed cases in Florida, the death toll is now over 4,000, and with over 250,000 confirmed cases in Texas, the death toll is now over 3,000.

And here we are in July 2020 where you can simply add those statistics and drive to find a cure for COVID-19 to our to-do list in the war on cancer and other diseases that still have not seen a cure.

With Florida continuing to make headlines by the day, most recently with one family facing federal charges after allegedly marketing a toxic bleach solution as a cure for multiple ailments, including COVID-19, the timing for our society to come together to help find a cure is essential.

And no, were not kidding. The Florida family (Mark Grennon and his three sons) were charged Wednesday with conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to violate the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, and criminal contempt, according to the Department of Justice.

As for the Florida community, one Tampa business has been conducting the first-in-human clinical study for cutaneous melanoma. Morphogenesis, a clinical-stage company developing novel cell and gene therapies has been making headlines after receiving FDA approval to expand its human clinical trials into two more types of cancer: Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC).

Using its ImmuneFx (IFx) cancer vaccine technology that initiates the power of the immune system on the destruction of tumor cells, Morphogenesis of Tampa will focus its newly FDA approved trials on understanding these two new cancers, which follows in the footsteps of successful human trials on cutaneous melanoma, conducted in cooperation with Moffitt Cancer Center in 2019.

Other MCC and cSCC clinical trial sites across the country include the University of Southern California, the University of Utah, the University of Colorado, and the Dana Farber / Harvard Cancer Center. So why so many trial sites?

Well, according to Morphogenesis CEO Dr. Patricia Lawman, clinical trials need patients, which to qualify, requires an individual having been diagnosed with advanced Merkel or cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, and having failed or refused other therapies.

As a cell and gene company, the mission from the beginning was to learn from the body and use the bodys building blocks and communication systems to treat chronic disease. Morphogenesis, according to Lawman, was built to identify, isolate and proliferate stem cells and progenitor cells to treat diseases such as diabetes.

With the world united to change the way in which chronic diseases are treated by engaging the innate intelligence of the body, how do companies (on a local level) push for national change?

The ability to genetically modify stem cells to enhance functionality is one aspect of this, but in order to perform a biological function, the stem cells must differentiate into mature cells, e.g. hematopoietic stem cells differentiate into macrophages that perform phagocytic and antigen presentation functions and T cells that kill cancer cells or virally infected cells. Morphogenesis means the evolution of form, which connotes the change for stem cells to these functional cells capable of mitigating chronic disease.

And what this means for our bodies, according to Lawman, is that regardless of the species, our bodies have developed systems that maintain structure and function over a long period of time. When we need to control blood sugar, beta islet cells produce just enough insulin as needed.

Indeed with modern technology, you would think that this is a relatively easy process to control.

There is an exquisite feedback system that regulates this. When things go awry, our best solution has been to provide insulin through pumps that are controlled in part by constant glucose monitors. This one example of where modern technology has tried to solve a problem mimicking how the body works.

However, even providing insulin through a pump cant do what a pancreas can. When it comes to dealing with foreign invaders, the immune system is unequaled. No drug, small molecule or compound can eliminate an invader as well as a fully functional immune system. We can kill cancer cells (while not foreign, they are still invaders) with chemo and radiation, but given the proper assurance, the immune system can eliminate the invader and do it with fewer adverse effects. Almost always, the body performs healing functions better than a synthetic drug or compound.

The companys recent FDA approval to move forward with stage 2 of its clinical trials is a gigantic win for the companys mission. The ability to expand our proof of concept studies from a single skin cancer into other, quite different skin cancers under the same Investigational New Drug (IND) is the next step in the execution of our clinical development plan.

And that starts with Morphogenesis focus on easily accessible tumors.

Since our therapy can be used to treat virtually any type of cancer, we wanted to start out with easily accessible tumors that could be directly injected with our plasmid DNA. The safety data collected from the cutaneous melanoma, Merkel cell carcinoma and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma Phase 1 trials is a Segway into a Phase 2 skin cancer basket trial testing IFx-Hu2.0 as a monotherapy and in combination with a checkpoint inhibitor.

But anytime there is discussion over stem cell research or breakthroughs in the war on cancer, of course comes naysayers and disbelievers.

One thing that Dr. Lawman has noticed is the bias within scientific circles.

In scientific circles, there has been a bias against simple solutions, including the assumption that to get efficient transfer of genetic material you need viral vectors for all applications. These vectors are complicated to manufacture and use and pose a certain amount of risk to the patients. Plasmid DNA or mRNA, on the other hand, are much safer and are a viable alternative to viruses.

As an example, we inject our plasmid DNA directly into a patients tumor. We get sufficient uptake and expression of our protein to initiate an immune cascade with the effect spreading to multiple tumor antigens. The use of a viral vector in this case would be an unnecessary complication and risk.

Now in todays landscape with COVID-19 putting more pressure on experts to find a cure, Morphogenesis, like any company, is similarly faced with logistical challenges and supply issues.

COVID-19 has certainly affected patient recruitment to our trials. Hopefully, ways will be developed for patients to receive treatment for their terminal diseases even if restrictions continue. Otherwise, the death rate for these patients will be much higher than COVIDs. The biggest challenge for us is the continual process of raising funds that all small biotechs face.

As for ImmuneFx, the companys newest vaccine, we got the exclusive.

Beyond the Phase 2 skin cancer trial, we will be opening trials for head and neck cancer, gastric cancers, cervical cancer and colorectal cancer. The value add here is that successful trial results in multiple types of cancer will substantiate the efficacy and expand our label claims.

But with new products and solutions, come criticism. Lawman added that the one thing that is not usually discussed in such conversations is the importance of the safety profile of a new product.

Some of the new cellular immunotherapies not only come with a hefty price tag, the cost of treating the adverse side effects caused by the therapies can be as much as double the cost of the therapy itself (up to $1.5M total). Some of the newer gene therapies can have a price tag of up to $2M per treatment.

Not only can our plasmid DNA be cost effectively manufactured, it is causing minimal side effects, i.e. what we saw in hundreds of companion animals with naturally occurring cancers is being born out in human patients. Both of these cost saving factors means that ultimately, millions of people will have access to cancer treatment who otherwise would have none.

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Why The FDA's Recent Approval Of New Vaccine Is A Gigantic Win In The War On Cancer - Innovation & Tech Today

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Moral advice straight from the computer: is it time for a virtual Socrates? – Innovation Origins

Posted: September 5, 2020 at 11:55 pm

It is thanks to science and technology that we are living longer and healthier lives. Technology has greatly improved our quality of life. We even have bionic limbs, such as bionic arms, and exoskeletons for patients with full spinal cord injuries. Yet in spite of all this, we are still contending with serious shortcomings. Transhumanist Max More, who was born as Max T. OConnor, wrote a letter to Mother Nature:

Mother Nature, truly we are grateful for what you have made us. No doubt you did the best you could. However, with all due respect, we must say that you have in many ways done a poor job with the human constitution. You have made us vulnerable to disease and damage. You compel us to age and diejust as were beginning to attain wisdom. [] You gave us limited memory, poor impulse control, and tribalistic, xenophobic urges. And, you forgot to give us the operating manual for ourselves!

Transhumanists hope to use genetic modification, synthetic organs, biotechnology, and AI techniques to enhance the human condition. What intrigues me here is the moral enhancement aspect. This deliberately sets out to improve peoples character or behavior. Scientists are seeking ways to improve levels of morality through the use of medication and technology, such as moral neuroenhancement. These so-called neurotechnologies directly change specific cerebral states or neural functions in order to induce beneficial moral improvements. Academics, for example, are exploring the feasibility of increasing empathy with medication. This leads to interesting questions.

We all harbor prejudices as well as a tendency to feel more empathy for people we know or who we can identify with, but what is the right amount of empathy if you want to increase it? If you felt responsible for every other person on the planet, life would most likely become unbearable, as you would be overwhelmed by all this misery. Moral enhancement by means of biotechnology is controversial ethically speaking. A great deal of criticism has been leveled at this, among other things, concerning the limitations of autonomy.

Studies in the medical world indicate that AI systems are at least as good, and sometimes even better, than doctors in diagnosing cancer. For example, researchers have trained deep neural networks with the help of a dataset of around 130,000 clinical images of skin cancer. The results demonstrate that algorithms are on the same level as experienced dermatologists when it comes to predicting skin cancer. While Deep Minds AI even beat doctors in screenings for breast cancer.

Consequently, AI systems are capable of supporting doctors in making diagnoses. But what about AI that would help us make moral decisions? An AI system is conceivably more consistent, impartial, and objective. Although this does depend a lot on the quality of the data that is used to train it. Unlike people, AI can process massive datasets, which may perhaps result in better-informed decisions being made.

We often fail to adequately consider all the information that is needed to make a moral decision, in part due to stress, lack of time, limited scope for information processing, and so on. So, might we eventually turn to a moral AI adviser? A kind of virtual Socrates that asks pertinent questions, points out flaws in our thinking, and ultimately issues moral advice based on input from various databases.

In order to be able to engage in an in-depth, meaningful philosophical dialogue with an AI system, the technical challenges are undoubtedly enormous, not least in the field of Natural Language Processing. The complexity of morality also presents immense challenges, given that it is so context-sensitive and anything but binary. Numerous ethical rules even the ban on homicide depend on the context. Killing in self-defense is evaluated differently in moral and legal terms. Ethics is the grey area, the weighing up process.

And that brings me back to one of the most wonderful quotes on morality. From Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn in The Gulag Archipelago: If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?

Computer says no.

About this column:

In a weekly column, written alternately by Tessie Hartjes, Floris Beemster,Bert Overlack, Mary Fiers, Peter de Kock, Eveline van Zeeland, Lucien Engelen, Jan Wouters, Katleen Gabriels, and Auke Hoekstra, Innovation Origins tries to figure out what the future will look like. These columnists, occasionally joined by guest bloggers, are all working in their own way on solutions to the problems of our time. So that tomorrow is good. Here are all theprevious articles in this series.

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Masks Against the Coronavirus: How the Rejection of Mask Use, Unites the Extreme Right and the Extreme Left The Costa Rica News – The Costa Rica News

Posted: September 5, 2020 at 11:55 pm

Shouting freedom and without social distance, more than 2,500 people gathered this Sunday in the center of Madrid to protest against the mandatory use of masks and against what they describe as a false Pandemic of Coronavirus. The protesters held banners that read: The Virus does not exist, Masks kill and We are not afraid. The rally drew a variety of attendees, including conspiracy theorists, libertarians, and anti-vaccines.

The anti-mask militants have one point in common: they believe that the authorities are violating their rights. For the experts, in addition, they have a greater presence among voters on the extreme right or extreme left, due to their distrust of the State or authority in general.

Pilar Martn, a 58-year-old housewife, said that she had come to Madrid from Zaragoza for the demonstration because she believed that governments around the world were exaggerating the number of infections to curb peoples freedoms.

They are forcing us to wear a mask, they want us to stay at home practically locked up. It is obvious that they are continuously deceiving us by talking about outbreaks. It is all a lie, she said during the protest.

Anti-mask groups began to appear in demonstrations against the confinement measures in the United States, and later spread to Germany where a demonstration with far-right parties and far-left movements brought together 15,000 people Canada, the United Kingdom and France.

For the sociologist David Le Breton, the refusal of some to wear the mask is a new sign of growing individualism. The paradox is that the freedom defended by the masks is, in reality, the freedom to contaminate others, Le Breton told journalists. It is the product of civic disengagement, one of the hallmarks of contemporary individualism, he added.

For Tristan Mends France, a specialist in digital cultures, the anti-mask movement is heterogeneous, made up of people who do not have the same concerns or the same discourse against the use of masks. There are supporters of conspiracy theories, regardless of their ideological tone, and people who have an ideological agenda, more linked to the extreme right.

For her part, Jocelyn Raude, professor of social psychology at the School of Higher Studies in Public Health in France, considers that anti-masks are more present among voters on the extreme right and extreme left. There is in this attitude a way of disobeying a government that they do not approve or of expressing a broader relationship of distrust in relation to the State and authority in general.

Among the advocacy groups of Professor Didier Raoult, a French infectologist who has conducted controversial studies on hydroxychloroquine, a drug that according to Raoult would be effective in treating COVID-19, there are countless people against the mandatory use of masks and also against vaccines.

Although hydroxychloroquine has undergone some studies in the context of the Coronavirus outbreak, so far there is no good-quality evidence to show that it is effective against COVID-19, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) warned.

The virologist attracted many followers of conspiracy theories. A survey by the Jean-Jaurs Institute on the profile of Raoults followers revealed that 20% of them voted in the last presidential elections of 2017 for Franois Fillon, the candidate of the traditional right (party that ruled the country several times); 18% voted for Jean-Luc Mlnchon, from France Insoumise, the most voted on the extreme left, and 17% opted for Marine Le Pen, candidate from the extreme right.

Several members of the anti-mask groups also reject the effectiveness of the same to contain the spread of the new Coronavirus, and question that they are useless or even supposedly dangerous. Various false information about masks circulates in these groups.

The mask deprives us of most of our oxygen. Therefore, it can kill us, says Maxime Nicolle, a well-known figure in the yellow vest movement, protests that erupted in late 2018 in France, some of them violent , with social demands. Reports that masks can cause death is false, vehemently denied by doctors and researchers.

A part of the anti-mask militants, the most radical, is adept at conspiracy theories, which are most widespread in the far-right media and among those who consider themselves anti-system and anti-vaccines. Many of those theories falsely link Microsoft founder Bill Gates to the Coronavirus. Some accuse him of leading a class of global elites. Others are supposedly leading efforts to depopulate the planet or even trying to implant microchips in people.

When you put on a mask, you become intellectually vulnerable, lose your identity and become an ideal prey for occult and transhumanist powers (movement to transform the human condition through the use of science and technology) who want to destroy you in the name of the new world order, affirms an Internet user of these groups in France. First there are the masks and then the vaccines that will have a nanochip controlled by 5G, says another French activist.

At the Sunday demonstration in Madrid, attendees shouted freedom to demand that the use of masks be voluntary and that they be allowed the right to choose whether or not to receive the possible vaccine for COVID-19. Many of the protesters denied the existence of the Coronavirus and chanted that there are no new outbreaks at a precise moment in which Spain is experiencing a rebound in cases of the worst in Europe.

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Masks Against the Coronavirus: How the Rejection of Mask Use, Unites the Extreme Right and the Extreme Left The Costa Rica News - The Costa Rica News

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How to use precision medicine to personalise COVID-19 treatment according to the patient’s genes – Down To Earth Magazine

Posted: September 5, 2020 at 11:51 pm

What should a precision medicine approach be in a pandemic? The gene-centric vision of precision medicine encourages people to expect individualised gene-targeted fixes

Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, were among the earliest celebrities to catch the novel coronavirus. In an interview at the beginning of July, Hanks described how differently COVID-19 had affected each of them in March.

My wife lost her sense of taste and smell, she had severe nausea, she had a much higher fever than I did. I just had crippling body aches, he said. I was very fatigued all the time and I couldnt concentrate on anything for more than about 12 minutes.

Why does COVID-19 present such different symptoms or none at all in different people?

Preexisting conditions can only be part of the story. Hanks is over 60 and is a Type 2 diabetic, putting him in a high-risk group. Nevertheless, he survived his brush with the virus with no pneumonia and apparently without any long-lasting effects. Knowing what causes variation in different patients could help physicians tailor their treatments to individual patients an approach known as precision medicine.

In recent years, a gene-centric approach to precision medicine has been promoted as the future of medicine. It underlies the massive effort funded by the US National Institutes of Health to collect over a million DNA samples under the All of Us initiative that began in 2015.

But the imagined future did not include COVID-19. In the rush to find a COVID-19 vaccine and effective therapies, precision medicine has been insignificant. Why is this? And what are its potential contributions?

We are a physician geneticist and a philosopher of science who began a discussion about the promise and potential pitfalls of precision medicine before the arrival of COVID-19. If precision medicine is the future of medicine, then its application to pandemics generally, and COVID-19 in particular, may yet prove to be highly significant. But its role so far has been limited. Precision medicine must consider more than just genetics. It requires an integrative omic approach that must collect information from multiple sources beyond just genes and at scales ranging from molecules to society.

From genetics to microbes

Inherited diseases such as sickle cell anemia and Tay-Sachs disease follow a predictable pattern. But such direct genetic causes are perhaps the exception rather than the rule when it comes to health outcomes. Some heritable conditions for instance, psoriasis or the many forms of cancer depend on complex combinations of genes, environmental and social factors whose individual contributions to the disease are difficult to isolate. At best, the presence of certain genes constitutes a risk factor in a population but does not fully determine the outcome for an individual person carrying those genes.

The situation becomes yet more complicated for infectious diseases.

Viruses and bacteria have their own genomes that interact in complex ways with the cells in the people they infect. The genome of SARS-CoV-2 underlying COVID-19 has been extensively sequenced. Its mutations are identified and traced worldwide, helping epidemiologists understand the spread of the virus. However, the interactions between SARS-CoV-2 RNA and human DNA, and the effect on people of the viruss mutations, remain unknown.

The importance of multi-scale data

Tom Hanks and his wife caught the virus and recovered in a matter of weeks. Presumably each was infected over the course of a few minutes of exposure to another infected person, involving cellular mechanisms that operate on a timescale of milliseconds.

But the drama of their illness, and that of the many victims with far worse outcomes, is taking place in the context of a global pandemic that has already lasted months and may continue for years. People will need to adopt changes in their behavior for weeks or months at a time.

What should a precision medicine approach be in a pandemic? The gene-centric vision of precision medicine encourages people to expect individualised gene-targeted fixes. But, genes, behavior and social groups interact over multiple timescales.

To capture all the data needed for such an approach is beyond possibility in the current crisis. A nuanced approach to the COVID-19 pandemic will depend heavily on imprecise population level public health interventions: mask-wearing, social distancing and working from home. Nevertheless, there is an opportunity to begin gathering the kinds of data that would allow for a more comprehensive precision medicine approach one that is fully aware of the complex interactions between genomes and social behavior.

How to use precision medicine to understand COVID-19

With unlimited resources, a precision medicine approach would begin by analyzing the genomes of a large group of people already known to be exposed to SARS-CoV-2 yet asymptomatic, along with a similar-sized group with identified risk factors who are dying from the disease or are severely ill.

An early study of this kind by Precisionlife Ltd data mined genetic samples of 976 known COVID-19 cases. Of these, 68 high-risk genes were identified as risk factors for poor COVID-19 outcomes, with 17 of them deemed likely to be good targets for drug developments. But, as with all such statistical approaches, the full spectrum of causes underlying their association with the disease is not something the analysis provides. Other studies of this kind are appearing with increasing frequency, but there is no certainty in such fast-moving areas of science. Disentangling all the relevant factors is a process that will take months to years.

To date, precision medicine has proven better suited to inherited diseases and to diseases such as cancer, involving mutations acquired during a persons lifetime, than to infectious diseases. There are examples where susceptibility to infection can be caused by malfunction of unique genes such as the family of inherited immune disorders known as agammaglobulinemia, but these are few and far between.

Many physicians assume that most diseases involve multiple genes and are thus not amenable to a precision approach. In the absence of the kind of information needed for a multi-omic approach, there is a clear challenge and opportunity for precision medicine here: If it is to be the future of medicine, in order to complement and expand our existing knowledge and approaches, it needs to shift from its gene-centric origins toward a broader view that includes variables like proteins and metabolites. It must consider the relationships between genes and their physical manifestations on scales that range from days to decades, and from molecules to the global society.

Colin Allen, Distinguished Professor of History & Philosophy of Science, University of Pittsburgh and David Finegold, Professor, Department of Human Genetics, Pitt Public Health, University of Pittsburgh

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

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WCM-Q Research Reveals Underlying Mechanisms of Aggressive Breast Cancers – Al-Bawaba

Posted: September 5, 2020 at 11:51 pm

Researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar (WCM-Q) have unveiled the key role played by a specific protein in the growth of the most aggressive, treatment-resistant forms of breast cancer.

A multi-institutional international study led by WCM-Qs Dr. Lotfi Chouchane, Professor of Genetic Medicine, Microbiology and Immunology, found that the effects of a protein named STXBP6 are profoundly suppressed in triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs), which are known to relapse early and tend to spread to other organs despite intensive treatments with surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

TNBCs account for around 15-20 percent of all breast cancers and are associated with the poorest patient outcomes. While many other forms of breast cancer can now be treated relatively successfully, there is currently no effective therapy that specifically targets TNBCs.

The study showed that the STXBP6 protein helps regulate and promote a natural cellular process called autophagy in which old and damaged cells are metabolized or killed off in order to allow newer, healthier ones to grow. In cancer cells, autophagy suppresses tumor growth by inhibiting cancer cell survival and inducing cell death. When autophagy is suppressed in certain circumstances, cancer cells are more able to grow and proliferate.

Dr. Chouchane said: There is a real need to develop new therapies that specifically target triple-negative breast cancers because they do not respond well to existing treatments. In this study, we were able to significantly enhance our understanding of the mechanisms that make TNBCs so aggressive and treatment-resistant, which we hope will provide targets for the development of effective new therapies for TNBCs to significantly improve patient outcomes.

Triple-negative breast cancers are so called because the cancer cells do not have estrogen or progesterone receptors (which are targets for hormone-based therapies) and because they do not make a protein called HER2 (which is a target for antibody-based therapies) like some other forms of breast cancer.

The study, titled STXBP6, reciprocally regulated with autophagy, reduces triple negative breast cancer aggressiveness, also involved researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine in New York, Sidra Medicine and Hamad Medical Corporation in Doha, and the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. The research has been published inClinical and Translational Medicine, a prestigious medical journal.

Dr. Chouchane explained that laboratory analysis showed the STXBP6 protein interacting with another protein, named SNX27, which is known to play a key role in autophagy. Furthermore, the researchers found that increased function of the STXBP6 protein significantly reduced TNBC cells migratory ability in cell-based in vitro experiments and also reduced tumor metastasis in mouse model-based in vivo testing. However, while autophagy appears to be heavily involved in maintaining cellular health and preventing tumor initiation, the process has a paradoxical dual role and in other circumstances can actually facilitate tumor survival, depending on a variety of factors such as cancer type and stage.

Dr. Chouchane added: This multi-institutional study represents a new paradigm in our understanding of the role of autophagy in breast cancers, but it is an extremely complex and multifaceted process. We believe much more research is needed to understand in detail the role of autophagy throughout the many different development stages of cancer in order to create a new class of therapeutic strategies that are truly effective and safe.

The study was supported by funding from the Biomedical Research Program of WCM-Q and by a grant from the Qatar National Research Fund (NPRP9-459-3-090).

Dr. Khaled Machaca, WCM-Q Professor of Physiology and Biophysics/Senior Associate Dean for Research, Innovations, and Commercialization, said: This cutting-edge research paves the way for further investigations into the cellular processes that allow triple-negative breast cancers to resist current therapeutic strategies. Furthermore, the study provides extremely useful targets to aid the design of new, more effective cancer drugs in the future. These are very positive developments toward applying our research findings to improve healthcare delivery in Qatar in the long term.

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Novavax Announces Publication of Phase 1 Data for COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate in The New England Journal of Medicine – GlobeNewswire

Posted: September 5, 2020 at 11:51 pm

GAITHERSBURG, Md., Sept. 02, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq: NVAX), a late stage biotechnology company developing next-generation vaccines for serious infectious diseases, today announced the publication in The New England Journal of Medicine of Phase 1 data from its Phase 1/2 clinical trial of NVXCoV2373, its COVID19 vaccine candidate adjuvanted with MatrixM, in healthy adults 18-59 years of age. The publication offers further detail on the previously announced results, in which NVXCoV2373 demonstrated a reassuring safety and reactogenicity profile and induced robust antibody responses numerically superior to that seen in human convalescent sera. The manuscript is available at https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2026920?query=featured_coronavirus.

The rapid publication of Phase 1 results from our trial in a prestigious peer-reviewed journal reflects both the importance of the data and the urgent need for an effective vaccine to slow the COVID-19 pandemic, said Gregory M. Glenn, M.D., President of Research and Development at Novavax. Based on the positive Phase 1 results, we have begun multiple Phase 2 clinical trials, from which we expect to collect preliminary efficacy. Novavax is committed to generating the safety, immunogenicity and efficacy data that will support confident usage of the vaccine, both in the US and globally, and the data published today further bolsters our conviction that this is possible.

The Phase 1 portion of the Phase 1/2 clinical trial was randomized, observer-blinded, and placebo-controlled.

NVX-CoV2373 is currently in multiple Phase 2 clinical trials. The Phase 2 portion of the Phase 1/2 clinical trial to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of NVX-CoV2373 began in August inthe United StatesandAustralia, and expands on the age range of the Phase 1 portion by including older adults 60-84 years of age as approximately 50 percent of the trial population. Secondary objectives include preliminary evaluation of efficacy. In addition, a Phase 2b clinical trial to assess efficacy began inSouth Africain August.

The trial was supported by funding from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and was conducted at two sites in Australia.

Phase 1 Results Summary

Further details may be found in Novavax August 4 announcement of Phase 1 results and may be accessed here.

About NVX-CoV2373

NVXCoV2373 is a vaccine candidate engineered from the genetic sequence of SARSCoV2, the virus that causes COVID-19 disease. NVXCoV2373 was created using Novavax recombinant nanoparticle technology to generate antigen derived from the coronavirus spike (S) protein and contains Novavax patented saponin-based Matrix-M adjuvant to enhance the immune response and stimulate high levels of neutralizing antibodies. In preclinical trials, NVXCoV2373 demonstrated indication of antibodies that block binding of spike protein to receptors targeted by the virus, a critical aspect for effective vaccine protection. In its Phase 1 portion of the Phase 1/2 clinical trial, NVXCoV2373 was generally well-tolerated and elicited robust antibody responses numerically superior to that seen in human convalescent sera. Phase 2 clinical trials began in August 2020. Novavax has secured $2 billion in funding for its global coronavirus vaccine program, including up to $388 million in funding from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).

About Matrix-M

Novavax patented saponin-based Matrix-M adjuvant has demonstrated a potent and well-tolerated effect by stimulating the entry of antigen-presenting cells into the injection site and enhancing antigen presentation in local lymph nodes, boosting immune response.

About Novavax

Novavax, Inc. (Nasdaq:NVAX) is a late-stage biotechnology company that promotes improved health globally through the discovery, development, and commercialization of innovative vaccines to prevent serious infectious diseases. Novavax is undergoing clinical trials for NVX-CoV2373, its vaccine candidate against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. NanoFlu, its quadrivalent influenza nanoparticle vaccine, met all primary objectives in its pivotal Phase 3 clinical trial in older adults. Both vaccine candidates incorporate Novavax proprietary saponin-based Matrix-M adjuvant in order to enhance the immune response and stimulate high levels of neutralizing antibodies. Novavax is a leading innovator of recombinant vaccines; its proprietary recombinant technology platform combines the power and speed of genetic engineering to efficiently produce highly immunogenic nanoparticles in order to address urgent global health needs.

For more information, visit http://www.novavax.com and connect with us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Novavax Forward-Looking Statements

Statements herein relating to the future of Novavax and the ongoing development of its vaccine and adjuvant products are forward-looking statements. Novavax cautions that these forward-looking statements are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such statements. These risks and uncertainties include those identified under the heading Risk Factors in the Novavax Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, and Quarterly Report on Form 8-K for the period ended June 30, 2020, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). We caution investors not to place considerable reliance on forward-looking statements contained in this press release. You are encouraged to read our filings with the SEC, available at sec.gov, for a discussion of these and other risks and uncertainties. The forward-looking statements in this press release speak only as of the date of this document, and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any of the statements. Our business is subject to substantial risks and uncertainties, including those referenced above. Investors, potential investors, and others should give careful consideration to these risks and uncertainties.

Contacts:

Novavax

InvestorsSilvia Taylor and Erika Trahanir@novavax.com240-268-2022

MediaBrandzone/KOGS CommunicationEdna Kaplankaplan@kogspr.com617-974-8659

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Association of recent stressful life events with mental and physical health in the context of genomic and exposomic liability for schizophrenia – 2…

Posted: September 5, 2020 at 11:51 pm

1. Environmental liability for schizophrenia moderated the association of stressful life events with mental and physical health.

Evidence Rating Level: 2 (Good)

Schizophrenia research has elucidated the roles of environmental and genetic liability as well as stressful life events (SLEs) in schizophrenia pathogenesis. However, few studies have illustrated the interactions of these risk factors and how they impact mental and physical health. This population-based prospective cohort study investigated the prevalence, incidence, course, and consequences of psychiatric disorders in the Netherlands. A total of 6,646 (M [SD] age = 44.26 [12.54] years, 55.25% female) participants were enrolled between November 5, 2007 and July 31, 2009, being followed up with by three assessments across nine years. Follow-ups included recent SLEs and aggregate scores of environmental and genetic liabilities (polygenic risk score for schizophrenia [PRS-SCZ]; exposome score for schizophrenia [ES-SCZ]). SLEs were significantly associated with reduced mental (B = -3.68, 95% CI -4.05 to -3.32) and physical health (B = -3.22, 95% CI -3.66 to -2.79). Genetic and environmental liabilities were associated with poorer mental health (PRS-SCZ: B = -0.93, 95% CI -1.31 to -0.54; ES-SCZ: B = -3.07, 95% CI -3.35 to -2.79), with environmental liability also being associated with reduced physical health (B = -3.19, 95% CI -3.56 to -2.82). The interaction model suggested that ES-SCZ moderated the association of SLEs with physical (B = -0.64, 95% CI -1.11 to -0.17) and mental health (B = -1.08, 95% CI -1.47 to -0.69). PRS-SCZ, however, did not moderate this relationship. Overall, both genetic and environmental liabilities for schizophrenia resulted in mental health outcomes across the population. Exposure to SLEs, specifically in the context of these liabilities, were further associated with poorer health outcomes. Thus, it is important to consider the environmental factors impacting schizophrenia, such that modifiable risk factors should be targets of prevention and ongoing treatment.

Click to read the study in JAMA Psychiatry

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2020 2 Minute Medicine, Inc. All rights reserved. No works may be reproduced without expressed written consent from 2 Minute Medicine, Inc. Inquire about licensing here. No article should be construed as medical advice and is not intended as such by the authors or by 2 Minute Medicine, Inc.

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Impact Of Outbreak Of Coronavirus (Covid-19) On Synthetic Stem Cells Market 2020 Growth Factors | Strategic Analysis | Increasing Demand With Top Key…

Posted: September 5, 2020 at 11:50 pm

Global Synthetic Stem Cells Market 2020: Business Growth Rate, Manufacturing Analysis, Size, Share, Cost Structure, and Forecast to 2026

The Market Data Analytics published a recent report on the globalSynthetic Stem Cells market, which was studied by the research analysts for months. The report includes information from trusted primary and secondary resources along with detailed examination from the research analysts. Based on the analysis, research analysts have concluded that the global demand for the global Synthetic Stem Cells market was USD XX Million in 2019 and is anticipated to reach USD XX Million by the end of 2026. The expected CAGR for the market is around XX%.

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The report offers a comprehensive understanding of market dynamics across key regions, namely North America (United States, Canada and Mexico), Europe (Germany, France, United Kingdom, Russia and Italy), Asia-Pacific (China, Japan, Korea, India, Southeast Asia and Australia), Latin America (Brazil, Argentina), and the Middle East & Africa (Saudi Arabia, UAE, Egypt and South Africa).

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