Alliances and Partnerships, Business, Free News Articles, Sports and Activities

Kalyagen Announces Supporting Partnership of Two South Florida PGA Events and PGA Associate Jerrel Gill

AUSTIN, Texas -- Kalyagen® is pleased to announce that it is a supporting partner of two upcoming South Florida PGA Section events and golf professional Jerrel Gill. The two events are the South Florida PGA Foundation PGA HOPE Classic on May 12, 2022 and the South Florida Open on June 21-23, 2022.

"I'm extremely excited to introduce Kalyagen to the South Florida PGA and the PGA Hope program benefiting veterans like myself and some of my team members," said Desmond Dogan, Director of Sales at Kalyagen®. "Being a former golf professional and club pro, I understand the grind that is associated with practicing, playing, teaching, running the pro shop and more. That's why I'm pleased that Kalyagen is sponsoring Jerrel Gill, presently a Class B-13 PGA Associate who played on the HBCU Hampton University golf team. Jerrel will be attempting to qualify to play in the South Florida Open."

STEMREGEN® is a unique and patent-pending blend of proprietary plant-based extracts documented to increase the number of circulating stem cells by stimulating Endogenous Stem Cell Mobilization (ESCM). Ingredients in STEMREGEN® have been investigated in more than eight studies for their effect on stem cell function, of which five were randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled human clinical trials. STEMREGEN® has wide application in antiaging and overall health maintenance.

"Despite my local success, I am determined to improve my game and consistently compete against the best P.G.A. Professionals," said Jerrel Gil, PGA professional golfer. "I have been noticing a deficiency in strength and recovery compared to my competitors. As a result, I have been fortunate enough to partner with Kalyagen and use its stem cell enhancement supplement STEMREGEN to assist in my 2022 journey to contend in the South Florida PGA Section and hopefully on the PGA Tour!"

"We are delighted to partner with Jerrel and the South Florida PGA Section," said Kalyagen® founder and CEO Christian Drapeau. "The link between a lower number of circulating stem cells and the development of age-related diseases and lack of recovery has been well studied. From a therapeutic standpoint, increasing the number of circulating stem cells has been documented to enhance tissue repair and improve the course of disease formation in many degenerative conditions and overall health and well-being that should benefit Jerrel's training and recovery efforts. We can't wait to see his journey in golf rollout this season with the benefits of STEMREGEN on his team."

About Kalyagen

Austin-based Kalyagen® was founded by Christian Drapeau, author of the bestseller Cracking the Stem Cell Code. Kalyagen® is a leader in the research and development of natural products aimed at supporting stem cell function of the body. Stem cells constitute the natural repair system of the body, and stem cell enhancers have been documented to strongly contribute to improving health and quality of life. STEMREGEN® is the first stem cell enhancer product developed by Kalyagen®. STEMREGEN® is a unique blend of proprietary plant-based extracts documented to support Endogenous Stem Cell Mobilization and provide other health benefits. For more information, please visit our Website: https://www.kalyagen.com/.

About South Florida PGA

The South Florida Section of the PGA of America is an association of golf professionals whose mission is to promote interest, participation and enjoyment of the game of golf; establish and maintain professional standards or practice; and enhance the well-being of golf professionals. With over 460 facilities in the region employing over 1,850 members and Associates, the South Florida Section of the PGA is the second largest Section of PGA Professionals amongst all 41 PGA Sections in the U.S. The South Florida PGA Foundation has had the ability to reach more than 15,00 individuals since its inception, and PGA HOPE has impacted more than 860 veterans since 2015. For more information, please visit: https://www.sfpgagolf.com/.

About Jerrel Gill

Jerrel Gill has excelled in various management fields since graduating with honors from Hampton University with a Bachelor's of Science in Business Management. Hampton University is a historic Black college and university in Hampton, Virginia. Mr. Gill reentered the golf industry as a registered PGA Associate in April of 2019 and was quickly promoted to Assistant Golf Professional at Plantation Preserve Golf Course and Club in Plantation, Florida. In March 2020, he was promoted to General Manager of The Bridges at Springtree Golf Club in Sunrise, FL. During the last three years as a PGA Associate, Mr. Gill has quickly made himself known as a competitive golfer in the South Florida PGA Section. His best finish was a tie for 2nd place at the 2021 DEK Classic with an additional five top-15 finishes in the Southern Section in 2021.

About Desmond Dogan

Following high school and a once-in-a lifetime experience with the USA Jr. National Olympic Hockey Team, Mr. Dogan served as a Navy Corpsman. After a successful five-year stint with the Navy, Mr. Dogan spent the next twelve years as an Operating Room Technician at LA-based Cedar Sinai Medical Center. After graduating from the Orlando Chapter of the Golf Academy of America and passing the PGA playing ability test on his first attempt, Mr. Dogan was offered the Head Professional position at the famed Inverrary Country Club. This led to a Head Professional/ Director of Golf position with the Billy Casper Golf Management group in Chicago. In addition to his current role with Kalyagen®, Mr. Dogan continues to be heavily involved in the not-for-profit world.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Biomics, LLC (dba Kalyagen®)

Herbert Dogan, Chief Marketing Officer (310-433-8072)

hgd@kalyagen.com

Social media: @kalyagen @southfloridapga #kalyagen #stemregen #stemcells #stemregeneffect #stemthetideoftime #stemthetide #pga #southfloridapga #jerrelgill

Disclaimer: None of the statements contained in this press release have been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The products and information in the release are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Related link: https://www.kalyagen.com/

This news story was published by the Neotrope® News Network - all rights reserved.

Alliances and Partnerships, Business, Free News Articles

Pure Transplant Solutions, LLC and Vall d’Hebron University Hospital Announce Research Collaboration

AUSTIN, Texas -- Pure Transplant Solutions, LLC (PTS), a collaboration driven biotechnology company focused on the development of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-based diagnostics and therapeutics within the field of transplantation, is proud to announce that it has entered into a research collaboration with Vall d'Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus to develop new technologies for B-cell monitoring in transplant rejection.

The research is being led by Drs. Oriol Bestard and Rico Buchli and focuses on the detection of alloreactive memory B cells for pre-transplant risk stratification and post-transplant monitoring. Recognition of non-self HLA gives rise to the formation of HLA-specific memory B cells which precede circulating HLA antibodies. Importantly, such HLA-specific memory B cells can be present even in the absence of detectable serum antibodies, being an additional rejection risk factor in transplantation. Memory B cells are responsible for immunological recall responses by differentiating into antigen-specific antibody-producing cells upon re-encounter with a miss-matched antigen.

"This collaboration with PTS validates the tremendous need for appropriate and routinely applicable assays to detect and visualize the presence and HLA specificity of alloreactive memory B cells in solid organ transplant patients, which may ultimately help improve current alloimmune-risk stratification," Dr. Bestard stated.

"Today, the immunological risk of an individual transplant patient is mainly assessed by detection of HLA antibodies in the serum, which are produced by long lived bone marrow-residing plasma cells. At PTS, we envision that in addition to serum HLA antibody detection, HLA-specific memory B cell assays will serve as supplemental tools to determine risk factors and help improve individual patient management," said Dr. Buchli.

Steve Mayer MD, Chief Medical Officer at PTS stated, "We're very excited about the potential of this technology because it allows a very early diagnostic view of an individual's risk of rejection before any graft damage has occurred. Also, the technology is likely to have a significant impact on clinical utility with high predictive values."

About Pure Transplant Solutions, LLC

Pure Transplant Solutions, LLC was founded in 1999 in order to leverage the leading research in HLA protein of parent company, Pure Protein, LLC, into solutions to address a growing list of needs in organ transplantation. Visit: https://www.puretransplant.com/.

About Pure Protein, LLC

Pure Protein, L.L.C. is a biotechnology company funded and managed by Emergent Technologies, Inc. that is focused on the development and commercialization of proprietary technologies related to the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system, formed and exclusively licensed from the University of Oklahoma. Pure Protein, in conjunction with its affiliates and subsidiaries, aims to bring novel therapies and diagnostic tools to patients across a wide range of application areas spanning from therapeutic development in the fields of oncology, autoimmunity, and infectious disease, to antibody mediated rejection in transplantation.

Through its ecommerce website, https://www.hlaprotein.com/, Pure Protein offers academic and commercial researchers the ability to purchase individual HLA reagents to detect, profile, and monitor allele-specific immune responses, as well as HLA peptide epitope binding services to aide in improving the design of vaccination and therapeutic targeting strategies.

About Vall d'Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus

We are a leading healthcare campus encompassing all fields of health: from healthcare and research to teaching and management. The Vall d'Hebron Barcelona Hospital Campus is the combination of our five entities: the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), the Vall d'Hebron Oncology Institute (VHIO), the Multiple Sclerosis Center of Catalonia (CEMCAT) and the Autonomous University of Barcelona.

We are constantly in touch with patients; our starting point is the challenges they present in our day-to-day work to continue to innovate and find new diagnostic methods and treatments. The talented team that has made us a leading institution allows us to work towards attracting excellence and training the best professionals in clinical practice.

Related link: https://www.puretransplant.com/

This news story was published by the Neotrope® News Network - all rights reserved.

Alliances and Partnerships, Business, Free News Articles

Pure Transplant Solutions, LLC and Oxford Immunotec, Ltd. Announce Exclusive Sublicense Agreement to Support Commercialization of Novel B Cell Measurement Assay for Early Detection of Tissue Injury and Prevention of Organ Rejection

AUSTIN, Texas -- Pure Transplant Solutions, LLC (PTS), a developer of novel HLA based transplant diagnostics, and Oxford Immunotec, Ltd. (OI), a global diagnostics company part of PerkinElmer Inc., today announce an exclusive sublicense agreement in which PTS will obtain exclusive commercial rights to issued patents protecting a novel assay originally developed by Dr. Oriol Bestard, M.D., Ph.D., that measures antibody-secreting B cells. Oxford Immunotec exclusively licensed the patented technology in 2015 from the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) in Barcelona, Spain, where Dr. Bestard performed his research.

"We are thrilled to add this assay to our portfolio of diagnostic solutions," said Blake Harlan, President of Pure Transplant Solutions. "This assay, when combined with our proprietary HLA tetramer technology, offers a powerful new diagnostic tool for transplant physicians that we expect will improve patient care and extend graft life."

"We are excited about the potential for Pure Transplant Solutions to apply our B-Cell assay technology to new diagnostic solutions in transplant medicine," commented Dr. Peter Wrighton-Smith, CEO of Oxford Immunotec.

The enabling results of the B cell measuring technology were originally published in The Kidney International in a study co-authored by Dr. Bestard and showed the efficacy of the B cell technology in identifying patients at high risk for rejection that were not identified by other serological tests. The 70-patient study included patients on a waiting list for kidney transplantation as well as kidney transplant recipients undergoing antibody-mediated rejection.

Independently, PTS has continued to expand its portfolio of soluble HLA reagents including monomers and tetramers. Today, PTS has one of the largest selections of Class I and Class II proteins which are offered to researchers for Research Use Only through the company's website http://www.hlaprotein.com/.

When used with original assay technology, the combined assay offers a powerful and enhanced diagnostic tool that is complementary to existing assays such as the Panel of Reactive Antibodies (PRA) test and the Donor Specific Antibody (DSA) test, which represent the standard of care for the assessment of the likelihood of an antibody-driven rejection event in transplant patients. The PRA and DSA tests depend on the identification of antibody levels to foreign Human Leucocyte Antigens (HLA) in the blood. Because these levels fluctuate or the antibodies disappear entirely for various reasons, patients at-risk for rejection are often missed.

The enhanced B cell addresses this problem by directly measuring the underlying B cells themselves, which have the potential to rapidly react to a donor organ and produce antibodies that contribute to acute rejection. By measuring these specific foreign HLA antibody-secreting B cells, the test is able to identify such sensitized patients regardless of the presence of circulating antibodies, potentially identifying at-risk patients missed by the PRA and DSA tests.

NOTES:

[1]Lúcia M et al. Preformed circulating HLA-specific memory B cells predict high risk of humoral rejection in kidney transplantation. Kidney International advance online publication, July 15, 2015; doi:10.1038/ki.2015.205

Definitions

HLA - Human Leucocyte Antigens - Proteins on the surface of cells that are responsible for regulation of the immune system and particularly responsible for the ability of the immune system to recognize self from non-self.

PRA Test - Panel of Reactive Antibody test - An immunological laboratory blood test that assesses the extent to which the patient on the transplant waiting list will react, via pre-existing antibodies, to non-self. Any PRA score indicates that the patient has a higher risk of antibody mediated graft rejection.

DSA Test - Donor Specific Antibody test - An immunological laboratory blood test that assesses the presence of antibodies in the transplant patient that are generated specifically against the donor's HLA type. The presence of DSA indicates that the patient has a higher risk of antibody-mediated allograft rejection. Pre-transplant, the DSA test indicates which donor HLA types may not be tolerated or would carry a higher risk of antibody-mediated graft rejection. Post-transplant, persistence or appearance of DSA may indicate a high risk of ongoing or future antibody mediated graft rejection.

About Pure Transplant Solutions, LLC

Pure Transplant Solutions, LLC was founded in 1999 in order to leverage the leading research in HLA protein of parent company, Pure Protein, LLC, into solutions to address a growing list of needs in organ transplantation. Learn more: https://www.puretransplant.com/.

About Pure Protein, LLC

Pure Protein, LLC is a biotechnology company funded and managed by Emergent Technologies, Inc. that is focused on the development and commercialization of proprietary technologies related to the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system, formed and exclusively licensed from the University of Oklahoma. Pure Protein, in conjunction with its affiliates and subsidiaries, aims to bring novel therapies and diagnostic tools to patients across a wide range of application areas spanning from therapeutic development in the fields of oncology, autoimmunity, and infectious disease, to antibody mediated rejection in transplantation.

Through its new ecommerce website, www.hlaprotein.com, Pure Protein now offers academic and commercial researchers the ability to purchase individual HLA reagents to detect, profile, and monitor allele-specific immune responses, as well as HLA peptide epitope binding services to aide in improving the design of vaccination and therapeutic targeting strategies.

About Oxford Immunotec, Ltd.

Oxford Immunotec is a global diagnostics company and part of PerkinElmer Inc. We bring energy and invention to a world in need of diagnostic truth. We are uniquely placed as the only company in the world offering regulated ELISPOT assays for T cell measurement, with approval around the globe. Our leading product, the T-SPOT.TB test, is used for diagnosing infection with Tuberculosis, the world's largest cause of death from infectious disease. Oxford Immunotec is an experienced manufacturer of IVD tests, operating under a fully audited Quality Management System, ensuring rigorous batch control. The company has manufactured in excess of 20 million clinical T cell tests for TB infection.

The T-SPOT.TB test has been approved for sale in over 50 countries, including the United States (where it has received pre-market approval from the Food and Drug Administration), Europe (where it has obtained a CE mark), as well as Japan and China. The recently released T-SPOT.COVID test is CE marked in Europe for clinical use to detect the T cell immune response to SARS-CoV-2 (www.tspotcovid.com). Oxford Immunotec is headquartered near Oxford, U.K. and in Marlborough, MA. Additional information can be found at www.oxfordimmunotec.com.

About PerkinElmer

PerkinElmer enables scientists, researchers and clinicians to address their most critical challenges across science and healthcare. With a mission focused on innovating for a healthier world, we deliver unique solutions to serve the diagnostics, life sciences, food and applied markets. We strategically partner with customers to enable earlier and more accurate insights supported by deep market knowledge and technical expertise. Our dedicated team of about 15,000 employees worldwide is passionate about helping customers work to create healthier families, improve the quality of life, and sustain the wellbeing and longevity of people globally. The Company reported revenue of approximately $3.8 billion in 2020, serves customers in 190 countries, and is a component of the S&P 500 index. Additional information is available at https://www.perkinelmer.com/.

Related link: https://www.puretransplant.com/

This news story was published by the Neotrope® News Network - all rights reserved.

Books and Publishing, Business, Free News Articles, Product Launches

Neurotech Reports Announces Launch of New Publication Serving Bioelectronic Medicine Industry

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- Neurotech Reports, the San Francisco, California publisher of market intelligence for the healthcare industry, announced the launch of a new monthly newsletter covering the bioelectronic medicine industry, one of the newest and fastest growing industry segments. The publication, BioElectRx Business Report, is the first industry newsletter devoted to bioelectronic medicine, which refers to the therapeutic use of electrical or other forms of stimulation, rather than drugs, to treat disorders.

The publication was introduced at the Neurotech Leaders Forum, which takes place November 8-9, 2021 in San Francisco.

James Cavuoto, editor and publisher at Neurotech Reports, said that bioelectronic medicine promises to alter fundamentally the nature of therapeutic interventions for treating a wide variety of conditions, ranging from inflammatory disorders to bowel and bladder disorders, and a host of other potential markets in which drug therapies have fallen short. "We plan to be the most up-to-date and authoritative source of information and analysis of the market, the major players, deal activity, and important clinical research in bioelectronic medicine," he said.

Cavuoto is the lead author of Neurotech Report's market research study, "The Market for Bioelectronic Medicine: 2022-2027." Neurotech Reports launched the Bioelectronic Medicine Forum in New York City in 2018, and plans to return to New York for the fifth annual event in April 2022.

Helping launch the new publication is consulting editor Susan Schaeffer, former editor of BioCentury, the leading industry newsletter for the pharmaceutical industry. In that role, she advanced new thinking in clinical trial development, regulation, pricing, and market access-factors that will be critical in bioelectronic medicine. She is also a member of the National Academies Forum on Drug Discovery, Development, and Translation and founder of a patient education nonprofit.

"Bioelectronic medicine is rapidly bringing a new modality forward for targeted and personalized medicine-a space that has been dominated by biopharmaceutical companies," said Schaeffer. "BioElectRx Business Report will have a particular focus on the potential for collaboration between these historically separate sectors, and will shed light on the potential of this new technology to treat serious diseases, either without, or in conjunction with drugs."

Contributing editor Jo Jo Platt, who has worked with many bioelectronic medicine pioneers during her career, will round out the editorial team for BioElectRx Business Report.

For more information on subscribing to BioElectRx Business Report, contact Neurotech Reports at 1-415-546-1259, or visit: https://www.neurotechreports.com/pages/BioElectRx-newsletter.html

For more information on Neurotech Reports, visit: https://neurotechreports.com/

Learn more about the Neurotech Leaders Forum at: https://neurotechreports.com/pages/leadersforum.html

Related link: http://www.neurotechreports.com/

This news story was published by the Neotrope® News Network - all rights reserved.

Business, Free News Articles

Kalyagen™ Announces Registration of STEMREGEN® in Spain, CEO at Madrid Stem Cell Symposium

AUSTIN, Texas -- Kalyagen is pleased to announce the successful product registration of STEMREGEN® in Spain. This announcement coincides with Christian Drapeau's, CEO and Chief Scientist of Kalyagen, trip to Madrid, Spain last week to speak at the IV Jornadas Internacionales Otto H. Warburg symposium at the NH Madrid Príncipe de Vergara.

Mr. Drapeau also visited Miguel Garber, MD, Vice Chairman of the Spanish Society of Regenerative Medicine and Cell Therapy regarding the ongoing multicenter clinical trial, "The Effect of Stemregen and Adipose Stroma Vascular Fraction (SVF) Either Individually or in Combination in Patient With Heart Failure," to evaluate the use of stem cell therapies in patients suffering from heart failure. STEMREGEN® is a natural stem cell enhancer documented to increase the number of circulating stem cells by stimulating Endogenous Stem Cell Mobilization (ESCM). Dr. Garber will be the primary contact in Europe for STEMREGEN®.

"We are delighted that we will now be able to offer STEMREGEN to the people of Spain. The link between a lower number of circulating stem cells and the development of age-related diseases has been well studied with numerous degenerative conditions, including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, atherosclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, pulmonary diseases, erectile dysfunction, and kidney disease," said Christian Drapeau. "From a therapeutic standpoint, increasing the number of circulating stem cells has been documented to enhance tissue repair or improve the course of disease formation in cases of acute myocardial infarction and many other degenerative conditions."

The trial, whose first phase is expected to be completed in the spring of 2022, aims to evaluate the effect of ESCM in cases of heart failure. Study participants will be evaluated over several months, at which times their NYHA functional classification and echocardiographic parameters will be assessed.

STEMREGEN® is a unique and patent-pending blend of proprietary plant-based extracts documented to support ESCM. Ingredients in STEMREGEN® have been investigated in more than eight studies for their effect on stem cell function, of which five were randomized, double- blind, placebo-controlled human clinical trials. STEMREGEN® has wide application in antiaging and overall health maintenance.

More information about the clinical trial can be found at https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04515537.

About Kalyagen

Kalyagen™ was founded by Christian Drapeau, author of the bestseller Cracking the Stem Cell Code. Kalyagen is a leader in the research and development of natural products aimed at supporting stem cell function of the body. Stem cells constitute the natural repair system of the body, and stem cell enhancers have been documented to strongly contribute to improving health and quality of life. STEMREGEN® is the first stem cell enhancer product developed by Kalyagen™. STEMREGEN® is a unique blend of proprietary plant-based extracts documented to support Endogenous Stem Cell Mobilization and provide other health benefits. For more information, please visit our website: https://www.kalyagen.com/.

About Miguel Garber

Miguel Garber over 32 years experience in Internal medicine and cardiology, with expertise in regenerative medicine, training and education, research. He has more than 14 years working with Stem Cells, Therapeutics Department of American Medical Information Group and Clinica Quirurgica Quantum. Medical Director of Regenerative Medicine Madrid, Professor of Master in Regenerative Medicine and Scholarly Journals Editor. Vice-chairman - Sociedad Española de Medicina Regenerativa y Terapia Celular. Dr. Garber can be reached at mggarber@gmail.com.

CONTACT:

Biomics, LLC (dba Kalyagen™)

Herbert Dogan, Chief Marketing Officer (310-433-8072)

hgd@kalyagen.com

Social media: @kalyagen #stemthetideoftime #stemthetide

Disclaimer: None of the statements contained in this press release have been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The products and information in the release are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Related link: https://www.kalyagen.com/

This news story was published by the Neotrope® News Network - all rights reserved.

Business, Drugs and Pharmaceuticals, Free News Articles, Reports and Studies

iCell Gene Therapeutics Announces cCAR-T Clinical Publication in the Stem Cell Reviews and Reports Journal

STONY BROOK, N.Y. -- iCell Gene Therapeutics, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company focused on immunotherapies for hematologic malignancies, solid tumors, organ rejections and autoimmune disorders, today announced the publication of their clinical study utilizing cCAR T-cell immunotherapy to successfully treat a patient with lupus. Their CAR is directed against CD19 and BCMA surface proteins generating a cCAR with dual expression of CD19 and BCMA CAR molecules. Their cCAR is one of a kind in the family of engineered CAR T-cells researchers are studying.

Their report "Treatment of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Using BCMA-CD19 Compound CAR" published on August 30, 2021, shows the clinical success of cCAR in treating a patient with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE).

According to Dr. Yupo Ma, founder of iCell Gene Therapeutics, "After a single infusion of CD19-BCMA cCAR the patient achieved undetectable levels of autoantibodies that mediate SLE, successfully treating the patient's SLE for 2 years without the need for additional medications."

The publication is available online at https://doi.org/10.1007/s12015-021-10251-6.

About SLE

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an antibody-mediated autoimmune disease, in which autoantibodies attack its own tissues, resulting in widespread tissue damage in the affected organs including kidneys, lungs, joints, brain and blood vessels. According to the Lupus Foundation of America, it estimates that 1.5 million Americans, and at least five million people worldwide, have a form of lupus.

About CD19-BCMA cCAR Therapy

iCell has developed a novel compound Chimeric Antigen Receptor (cCAR)approach. In this approach, the cCAR T cells express two distinct and fully functional CAR molecules, one that targets the molecule CD19 present on B cells and one that targets BCMA, which is present on plasma cells. In their recently published paper, researchers have shown that this cCAR led to rapid and dramatic decreases in B cell levels and levels of "autoantibodies" (antibodies that attack the body's own cells) in a patient with SLE.

As B cells are part of the normal immune system, it is preferable that the elimination of B cells be temporary. After 9 months of B cell depletion, the patient's B cells returned to normal. Importantly, the levels of autoantibodies remained undetectable. Based on these results, the researchers concluded that cCAR effectively "reset" the antibody-producing populations. In this "reset," the problematic cell populations were removed, leaving behind a fresh, clean slate. From this, new B cells and plasma cells were eventually formed, which did not have the same autoantibody-producing properties. Because of this, the patient has not had further lupus symptoms despite receiving no additional medications for over 2 years.

Given the prevalence of antibody-mediated disorders, this cCAR may prove useful for a variety of different medical conditions.

Sjögren's Syndrome, autoimmune hemolytic anemia, neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, celiac disease, type 1 diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and multiple sclerosis all incorporate autoantibody formation in disease pathogenesis. Additionally, organ rejection following transplantation may be mediated by antibodies. By "resetting" the immune system prior to organ transplantation, this antibody-mediated rejection may be avoided. More research is needed on the long-term efficacy and safety of this treatment, but future applications of cCAR has a large window of opportunity.

About iCell Gene Therapeutics

iCell Gene Therapeutics, located in Stony Brook, New York, is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class chimeric antigen receptor engineered cells. Their main focuses are on autoimmune disorders, AML, and T-cell malignancies. Their current clinical trials utilize their CARvac, T-cell targeted CARs, cCARs and non-gene edited universal CARs engineered as treatments for cancer, organ rejections and autoimmune diseases. These studies are ongoing in the US and China for their use.

For more information, please visit http://icellgene.com/

CONTACT:
Media and Investors
Kevin Pinz
Tel: (631) 538-6218
Kevin.pinz@icellgene.com

RELATED LINKS:

https://www.lupus.org/resources/how-many-people-have-lupus-in-the-united-states

https://www.lupus.org/resources/what-is-lupus

Related link: http://icellgene.com/

This news story was published by the Neotrope® News Network - all rights reserved.

Business, Free News Articles

Vyriad, Inc. Appoints Harry Hoffman to its Board of Directors

ROCHESTER, Minn. -- Vyriad, Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing oncolytic virus therapies to treat a wide range of cancers, today announced the appointment of leading life sciences investor Harry Hoffman to the Company's board of directors.

During Harry's 25 years of service as Mayo's Chief Investment Officer and Treasurer which ended December 2020, Mayo Clinic achieved top decile investment performance among a universe of major tax-exempt institutions and grew its investment assets by over ten-fold. Outside of Mayo, Harry has served on the boards of several large family offices and is a former trustee of the Endowment Board of the American Red Cross, The Investment Fund for Foundations (TIFF) and The Ronald McDonald House of Rochester. He is also a founding member and vice chair of the Southeast Minnesota Capital Fund.

"I am delighted to welcome Harry onto the Vyriad Board. He has a deep understanding of Vyriad and its history, and I am very much looking forward to working with him as we take this exciting Company to its next level," said Ed Kania, Vyriad's Chairman of the Board.

About Vyriad, Inc.

Vyriad is a clinical-stage company developing virus-based therapeutics, focusing initially on proprietary oncolytic virus therapies for the treatment of cancers with significant unmet needs. Founded by scientists at Mayo Clinic and the University of Miami, Vyriad programs viruses to selectively attack cancer cells, thereby igniting antitumor immune responses that can complete the process of tumor destruction and prevent disease recurrence. Our lead platforms, derived from either vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) or measles virus, are being evaluated in ongoing Phase 1-2 clinical trials addressing multiple cancer types.

Vyriad and Regeneron (NASDAQ: REGN) are engaged in a broad strategic agreement for the discovery and development of new oncolytic virus treatments for cancer leveraging Vyriad's VSV platform and Regeneron's PD-1 inhibitor Libtayo(r) (cemiplimab) as well as its unmatched antibody discovery capabilities. Vyriad is a privately held company based in Rochester, Minnesota.

For more information, visit hhttps://vyriad.com/.

CONTACTS:

Investor Relations:

Barb Duckett

bduckett@vyriad.com

(507) 289-0944

Media Relations:

mediarelations@vyriad.com

Related link: https://vyriad.com/

This news story was published by the Neotrope® News Network - all rights reserved.

Business, Free News Articles, Taxes and Accounting

KROST Acts as Exclusive Financial Advisor for Integrity Bio in Sale to Curia

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Integrity Bio, Inc., a privately held formulation and fill-finish organization headquartered in Camarillo, California, was sold to Curia (formerly Albany Molecular Research, Inc. (AMRI)), a Contract Development and Manufacturing Organization (CDMO) and leading global provider of advanced contract research, development, and manufacturing solutions. KROST, a Los Angeles-based firm, acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Integrity Bio in the transaction.

Integrity Bio is known in the biopharmaceutical industry as an expert in hard-to-formulate biologics and fill-finish of unique therapies for phase I and phase II clinical trials. Integrity Bio formulates more than 60 large molecules in a typical year, including proteins, antibodies, lipid nanoparticles, peptides, and vaccines in liquid and lyophilized form. Curia currently provides customers with integrated solutions from formulation development through fill-finish commercial manufacturing across three facilities. The acquisition adds West Coast operations to Curia's East Coast and overseas capabilities.

Integrity Bio has been a client of KROST for ten years, during which time KROST provided Tax, Accounting, Consulting, R&D Tax Credit, Cost Segregation, and now, Mergers and Acquisitions services. KROST's service model is designed to guide and support businesses throughout their lifecycle, from early-stage start-ups to succession and exit planning.

KROST's M&A practice is led by industry veteran, Paren Knadjian, who joined the firm in 2017. Knadjian has nearly 25 years of experience in mergers and acquisitions, equity and debt financing. He has closed over $1.5 billion in transaction value throughout his career. As the leader of the firm's technology industry niche, Paren also assists companies in the business of technology and life sciences innovation.

"We have been advising Integrity Bio, its owners and management team for over 10 years. So when they were considering a sale, they turned to us to help them with deal value, deal structure, due diligence, accounting and tax matters, and transactional support. This acquisition comes at a meaningful time for the country. The work that Integrity Bio is doing, and will continue to do as part of Curia, will contribute to life-changing cures for health issues, much like we experienced in the last year and a half. This acquisition is not just a transaction; it has a huge impact on people's lives across the globe. I am thrilled we were able to assist Integrity Bio with this transition into their next chapter and look forward to seeing what Curia will do with their added capabilities," remarked Paren Knadjian.

"We would like to thank the KROST team - they were invaluable in this transaction, and we relied on them enormously," said Michael Reilly, CEO of Integrity Bio. "As part of Curia, we can now offer our customers not only world-class formulation and fill-finish but also world-class commercial manufacturing."

For more information about KROST's mergers and acquisitions, as well as capital markets services, visit https://krostcpas.com/ or contact Paren Knadjian.

For information about this transaction, please contact:

Paren Knadjian

Practice Leader - M&A and Capital Markets

626.538.3167

paren.knadjian@krostcpas.com

ABOUT KROST CPAS & CONSULTANTS

KROST is a full-service Certified Public Accounting and Consulting firm headquartered in Pasadena, California. As trusted advisors and industry leaders, clients depend on KROST for timely information, innovative solutions, and results-driven teamwork in the areas of accounting, assurance, business management, consulting, tax, mergers and acquisitions, and wealth management.

Twitter: @KROSTCPAs

Related link: https://www.krostcpas.com/

This news story was published by the Neotrope® News Network - all rights reserved.

Alliances and Partnerships, Business, Free News Articles

Pure Transplant Solutions, LLC Announces Research Collaboration with the Department of Surgery at the University of Cambridge

AUSTIN, Texas -- Pure Transplant Solutions, LLC (PTS), a collaboration driven biotechnology company focused on the development of human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-based diagnostics and therapeutics within the field of transplantation, is proud to announce that it has entered into a research collaboration with The University of Cambridge Abdominal Transplant Centre at Addenbrooke's Hospital, to develop new diagnostic strategies for DSA monitoring and characterization in transplantation.

The research is being led by Dr. Vasilis Kosmoliaptsis, Honorary Consultant Abdominal Transplant and HPB Surgeon, and Dr. Rico Buchli, Vice President Products and Services and Director of Research at PTS and its parent company, Pure Protein, LLC. The research project aims to investigate the relationship between alloantibody-HLA binding strength and the capacity of alloantibodies to mediate graft injury in solid organ transplantation, with the goal to develop and validate new HLA-antibody assays that will define the future thinking of antibody affinity in transplant rejection.

Dr. Kosmoliaptsis's group and collaborators have recently developed a novel immunoassay (microfluidic antibody affinity profiling) that enables quantification of antibody affinity and concentration directly in patient sera thus allowing clinical translation of this research for patient benefit. If successful, such data will potentially facilitate a new diagnostic tool to quantify alloantibody-mediated immunological risk that may enable improved access to transplantation, reduce the risk of humoral rejection, and improve transplant outcomes.

"Antibody affinity matters, and we believe that this work has the potential to transform clinical practice in transplantation," Dr. Kosmoliaptsis stated. "The provision of purified and naturally folded HLA reagents by PTS for use in our kinetics experiments provides an exciting opportunity to increase our understanding of the pathogenic potential of HLA-specific antibodies in the context of transplantation and to improve long-term transplant outcomes."

"This research will provide compelling new evidence supporting the role of DSA affinity assessment in risk stratification of donor-specific humoral responses. We foresee that this new insight into HLA antibody kinetics will provide new strategies and diagnostics that could help improve individual patient care and ultimately increase the lifespan of transplants," said Dr. Buchli.

About Pure Transplant Solutions, LLC

Pure Transplant Solutions, LLC was founded in 1999 in order to leverage the leading research in HLA protein of parent company, Pure Protein, LLC, into solutions to address a growing list of needs in organ transplantation.

About Pure Protein, LLC

Pure Protein, LLC is a biotechnology company funded and managed by Emergent Technologies, Inc. that is focused on the development and commercialization of proprietary technologies related to the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system, formed and exclusively licensed from the University of Oklahoma. Pure Protein, in conjunction with its affiliates and subsidiaries, aims to bring novel therapies and diagnostic tools to patients across a wide range of application areas spanning from therapeutic development in the fields of oncology, autoimmunity, and infectious disease, to antibody mediated rejection in transplantation.

Through its new ecommerce website, http://www.hlaprotein.com/, Pure Protein now offers academic and commercial researchers the ability to purchase individual HLA reagents to detect, profile, and monitor allele-specific immune responses, as well as HLA peptide epitope binding services to aid in improving the design of vaccination and therapeutic targeting strategies.

Related link: https://www.puretransplant.com/

This news story was published by the Neotrope® News Network - all rights reserved.

Business, Free News Articles, NonProfit and Charities

BioAustin Appoints New Leadership and Unveils An Expanded Strategic Focus In Central Texas As BioAustinCTX

AUSTIN, Texas -- Life Science industry organization BioAustin today announced changes to its leadership team, brand positioning, and long-term strategy focused on facilitating the continued growth of the life science industry in Central Texas. Over the past several years, Austin and the Central Texas region have developed into one of the fastest-growing life science hubs in the U.S. With more than 240 companies and a variety of nonprofit community ecosystem organizations involved in the life science sector, the Central Texas Region has emerged as a significant life science innovation center and is attracting investment for early-stage startups and relocations for established companies.

BioAustinCTX℠ is undertaking new initiatives to identify and facilitate programs to support the continued growth of the life science industry in the Central Texas region. This evolving strategy will encompass new programs to build collaboration, communication, and growth across companies, community partners, and academic institutions focused on the life science sector. Steps taken in the first six months include changes in Board leadership, repositioning the organization as BioAustinCTX with a broader focus across the Central Texas region, restructuring internal operations to improve efficiency, and the launch of a redesigned monthly newsletter and new website (https://www.bioaustinctx.com). Over the next year, BioAustinCTX will be rolling out new programs including the relaunch of its vaunted "BioBash" life sciences networking event.

John Burns Ph.D. and Mary Costello have stepped down from the BioAustin Board as of the end of 2020. Their time, commitment, and contributions over the past several years are greatly appreciated. Elisa Maldonado-Holmertz has served on the BioAustin Board of Directors since 2017 and will continue to serve on the BioAustinCTX Board. Elisa also serves on the Board of Directors of the Texas Medical Device Alliance.

Scott Collins PhD, CEO of Austin Innovation Group, was appointed as President of BioAustinCTX. Scott stated, "I will lead the organization with the expertise and guidance of the Board of Directors and through collaborations with our community partners, including THBI, TEXGHS, ACC, UT-Dell Medical School, Austin Chamber of Commerce, Austin Health Council, THBD, Texas Health CoLab, ACC Bioscience Incubator, Texas State Star Park, the Austin Technology Incubator and our members."

Newly appointed to BioAustinCTX Board of Directors as of January 2021 is Timothy Sullivan. Timothy is CEO of Zeteo Biomedical LLC, a Pflugerville, TX-based medical device company. Timothy has a long history of supporting the development of the life science industry in Central Texas over the past two decades. Timothy currently serves as an Advisor to the UT Dell Medical School Catalyst program, the ACC Bioscience Incubator, and is a founding member of the TEXGHS Global Health Security Consortium. Further expansion of the BioAustinCTX board is likely in the coming year.

Additionally, Cathy Diehl and Melissa Hartman joined the BioAustinCTX operations staff. Cathy took the lead position managing the new BioAustinCTX website and monthly newsletter production, and Melissa manages the back office accounting and bookkeeping tasks.

About BioAustinCTX

BioAustinCTX is a nonprofit organization based in Austin, Texas focused on advancing the life science industry in the Central Texas Region. Visit BioAustinCTX for more information https://bioaustinctx.com, email: operations@bioaustinctx.com

Related link: https://bioaustinctx.com/

This news story was published by the Neotrope® News Network - all rights reserved.