Category Archives: Human Genetics

Angelika Amon, professor of biology and a member of the Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, died on Oct. 29 at age 53, following a two-and-a-half-year battle with ovarian cancer.

"Known for her piercing scientific insight and infectious enthusiasm for the deepest questions of science, Professor Amon built an extraordinary career and in the process, a devoted community of colleagues, students and friends," MIT President L. Rafael Reif wrote in a letter to the MIT community.

Angelika was a force of nature and a highly valued member of our community, reflects Tyler Jacks, the David H. Koch Professor of Biology at MIT and director of the Koch Institute. Her intellect and wit were equally sharp, and she brought unmatched passion to everything she did. Through her groundbreaking research, her mentorship of so many, her teaching, and a host of other contributions, Angelika has made an incredible impact on the world one that will last long into the future.

A pioneer in cell biology

From the earliest stages of her career, Amon made profound contributions to our understanding of the fundamental biology of the cell, deciphering the regulatory networks that govern cell division and proliferation in yeast, mice, and mammalian organoids, and shedding light on the causes of chromosome mis-segregation and its consequences for human diseases.

Human cells have 23 pairs of chromosomes, but as they divide they can make errors that lead to too many or too few chromosomes, resulting in aneuploidy. Amons meticulous and rigorous experiments, first in yeast and then in mammalian cells, helped to uncover the biological consequences of having too many chromosomes. Her studies determined that extra chromosomes significantly impact the composition of the cell, causing stress in important processes such as protein folding and metabolism, and leading to additional mistakes that could drive cancer. Although stress resulting from aneuploidy affects cells ability to survive and proliferate, cancer cells which are nearly universally aneuploid can grow uncontrollably. Amon showed that aneuploidy disrupts cells usual error-repair systems, allowing genetic mutations to quickly accumulate.

Aneuploidy is usually fatal, but in some instances extra copies of specific chromosomes can lead to conditions such as Down syndrome and developmental disorders including those known as Patau and Edwards syndromes. This led Amon to work to understand how these negative effects result in some of the health problems associated specifically with Down syndrome, such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Her expertise in this area led her to be named co-director of the recently established Alana Down Syndrome Center at MIT.

Angelikas intellect and research were as astonishing as her bravery and her spirit. Her labs fundamental work on aneuploidy was integral to our establishment of the center, say Li-Huei Tsai, the Picower Professor of Neuroscience and co-director of the Alana Down Syndrome Center. Her exploration of the myriad consequences of aneuploidy for human health was vitally important and will continue to guide scientific and medical research.

Another major focus of research in the Amon lab has been on the relationship between how cells grow, divide, and age. Among other insights, this work has revealed that once cells reach a certain large size, they lose the ability to proliferate and are unable to reenter the cell cycle. Further, this growth contributes to senescence, an irreversible cell cycle arrest, and tissue aging. In related work, Amon has investigated the relationships between stem cell size, stem cell function, and tissue age. Her labs studies have found that in hematopoetic stem cells, small size is important to cells ability to function and proliferate in fact, she posted recent findings on bioRxiv earlier this week and have been examining the same questions in epithelial cells as well.

Amon lab experiments delved deep into the mechanics of the biology, trying to understand the mechanisms behind their observations. To support this work, she established research collaborations to leverage approaches and technologies developed by her colleagues at the Koch Institute, including sophisticated intestinal organoid and mouse models developed by the Yilmaz Laboratory, and a microfluidic device developed by the Manalis Laboratory for measuring physical characteristics of single cells.

The thrill of discovery

Born in 1967, Amon grew up in Vienna, Austria, in a family of six. Playing outside all day with her three younger siblings, she developed an early love of biology and animals. She could not remember a time when she was not interested in biology, initially wanting to become a zoologist. But in high school, she saw an old black-and-white film from the 1950s about chromosome segregation, and found the moment that the sister chromatids split apart breathtaking. She knew then that she wanted to study the inner workings of the cell and decided to focus on genetics at the University of Vienna in Austria.

After receiving her BS, Amon continued her doctoral work there under Professor Kim Nasmyth at the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology, earning her PhD in 1993. From the outset, she made important contributions to the field of cell cycle dynamics. Her work on yeast genetics in the Nasmyth laboratory led to major discoveries about how one stage of the cell cycle sets up for the next, revealing that cyclins, proteins that accumulate within cells as they enter mitosis, must be broken down before cells pass from mitosis to G1, a period of cell growth.

Towards the end of her doctorate, Amon became interested in fruitfly genetics and read the work of Ruth Lehmann, then a faculty member at MIT and a member of the Whitehead Institute. Impressed by the elegance of Lehmanns genetic approach, she applied and was accepted to her lab. In 1994, Amon arrived in the United States, not knowing that it would become her permanent home or that she would eventually become a professor.

While Amons love affair with fruitfly genetics would prove short, her promise was immediately apparent to Lehmann, now director of the Whitehead Institute. I will never forget picking Angelika up from the airport when she was flying in from Vienna to join my lab. Despite the long trip, she was just so full of energy, ready to talk science, says Lehmann. She had read all the papers in the new field and cut through the results to hit equally on the main points.

But as Amon frequently was fond of saying, yeast will spoil you. Lehmann explains that because they grow so fast and there are so many tools, your brain is the only limitation. I tried to convince her of the beauty and advantages of my slower-growing favorite organism. But in the end, yeast won and Angelika went on to establish a remarkable body of work, starting with her many contributions to how cells divide and more recently to discover a cellular aneuploidy program.

In 1996, after Lehmann had left for New York Universitys Skirball Institute, Amon was invited to become a Whitehead Fellow, a prestigious program that offers recent PhDs resources and mentorship to undertake their own investigations. Her work on the question of how yeast cells progress through the cell cycle and partition their chromosomes would be instrumental in establishing her as one of the worlds leading geneticists. While at Whitehead, her lab made key findings centered around the role of an enzyme called Cdc14 in prompting cells to exit mitosis, including that the enzyme is sequestered in a cellular compartment called the nucleolus and must be released before the cell can exit.

I was one of those blessed to share with her a eureka moment, as she would call it, says Rosella Visintin, a postdoc in Amons lab at the time of the discovery and now an assistant professor at the European School of Molecular Medicine in Milan. She had so many. Most of us are lucky to get just one, and I was one of the lucky ones. Ill never forget her smile and scream neither will the entire Whitehead Institute when she saw for the first time Cdc14 localization: You did it, you did it, you figured it out! Passion, excitement, joy everything was in that scream.

In 1999, Amons work as a Whitehead Fellow earned her a faculty position in the MIT Department of Biology and the MIT Center for Cancer Research, the predecessor to the Koch Institute. A full professor since 2007, she also became the Kathleen and Curtis Marble Professor in Cancer Research, associate director of the Paul F. Glenn Center for Biology of Aging Research at MIT, a member of the Ludwig Center for Molecular Oncology at MIT, and an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Her pathbreaking research was recognized by several awards and honors, including the 2003 National Science Foundation Alan T. Waterman Award, the 2007 Paul Marks Prize for Cancer Research, the 2008 National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Award in Molecular Biology, and the 2013 Ernst Jung Prize for Medicine. In 2019, she won the Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences and the Vilcek Prize in Biomedical Science, and was named to the Carnegie Corporation of New Yorks annual list of Great Immigrants, Great Americans. This year, she was given the Human Frontier Science Program Nakasone Award. She was also a member of the NAS and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Lighting the way forward

Amons perseverance, deep curiosity, and enthusiasm for discovery served her well in her roles as teacher, mentor, and colleague. She has worked with many labs across the world and developed a deep network of scientific collaboration and friendships. She was a sought-after speaker for seminars and the many conferences she attended. In over 20 years as a professor at MIT, she has mentored more than 80 postdocs, graduate students, and undergraduates, and received the School of Sciences undergraduate teaching prize.

Angelika was an amazing, energetic, passionate, and creative scientist, an outstanding mentor to many, and an excellent teacher, says Alan Grossman, the Praecis Professor of Biology and head of MITs Department of Biology. Her impact and legacy will live on and be perpetuated by all those she touched.

Angelika existed in a league of her own, explains Kristin Knouse, one of Amons former graduate students and a current Whitehead Fellow. She had the energy and excitement of someone who picked up a pipette for the first time, but the brilliance and wisdom of someone who had been doing it for decades. Her infectious energy and brilliant mind were matched by a boundless heart and tenacious grit. She could glance at any data and immediately deliver a sharp insight that would never have crossed any other mind. Her positive attributes were infectious, and any interaction with her, no matter how transient, assuredly left you feeling better about yourself and your science.

Taking great delight in helping young scientists find their own eureka moments, Amon was a fearless advocate for science and the rights of women and minorities and inspired others to fight as well. She was not afraid to speak out in support of the research and causes she believed strongly in. She was a role model for young female scientists and spent countless hours mentoring and guiding them in a male-dominated field. While she graciously accepted awards for women in science, including the Vanderbilt Prize and the Women in Cell Biology Senior Award, she questioned the value of prizes focused on women as women, rather than on their scientific contributions.

Angelika Amon was an inspiring leader, notes Lehmann, not only by her trailblazing science but also by her fearlessness to call out sexism and other -isms in our community. Her captivating laugh and unwavering mentorship and guidance will be missed by students and faculty alike. MIT and the science community have lost an exemplary leader, mentor, friend, and mensch.

Amons wide-ranging curiosity led her to consider new ideas beyond her own field. In recent years, she has developed a love for dinosaurs and fossils, and often mentioned that she would like to study terraforming, which she considered essential for a human success to life on other planets.

It was always amazing to talk with Angelika about science, because her interests were so deep and so broad, her intellect so sharp, and her enthusiasm so infectious, remembers Vivian Siegel, a lecturer in the Department of Biology and friend since Amons postdoctoral days. Beyond her own work in the lab, she was fascinated by so many things, including dinosaurs dreaming of taking her daughters on a dig lichen, and even life on Mars.

Angelika was brilliant; she illuminated science and scientists, says Frank Solomon, professor of biology and member of the Koch Institute. And she was intense; she warmed the people around her, and expanded what it means to be a friend.

Amon is survived by her husband Johannes Weis, and her daughters Theresa and Clara Weis, and her three siblings and their families.

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Angelika Amon, cell biologist who pioneered research on chromosome imbalance, dies at 53 - MIT News

The Alexander Grass Humanities Institute (AGHI), in conjunction with Great Talk, Inc., hosted a panel of scientists to speak about the ethical considerations and implications of stem cell research on Oct. 21.

The event was moderated by Director of AGHI William Egginton. The four panelists included two experts in genomics research, a journalist who specializes in the role of technology in biomedical research and an expert in medical law.

Dr. Anthony Wynshaw-Boris, chair of the Department of Genetics and Genome Sciences at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, discussed how cell lines were cultivated as tools in the past for scientists to use to grow cell cultures to study diseases or develop vaccines. However, there wasnt as much debate about the development of these tools in the past as there is now.

These are scientific tools that we use. The political and social aspects... are arising today because of our polarization, Wynshaw-Boris said.

The panel had an in-depth conversation regarding the ethics of the use of scientific tools such as stem cell lines derived from fetal tissue, embryonic cells, abortion-derived cell lines and cells acquired without consent.

Dr. Eric Green, director of the National Human Genome Research Institute at the National Institutes of Health, argued that the investment that has been made in these cell lines to calibrate them for use in biomedical research cannot be ignored.

Should there be a halt on the use of that mature tool because of its origins that were created in a time when there was a different view? Green asked.

Antonio Regalado, senior editor for biomedicine at MIT Technology Review who writes about the impact of technology on medicine and biomedical research, responded to Greens query.

Regalado brought up the fact that makeup companies have been facing a lot of backlash recently for testing their products on animals. Regalado pointed out that makeup companies could then use a similar argument by saying that since they have already invested money in animal testing procedures, they should not have to find new, less harmful methods of testing.

I don't know that we should rule out the possibility of alternatives if the scientific community decides to put their minds to it. Perhaps an equivalent cell line could be developed, Regalado said.

Diane Hoffman, director of the Law and Health Care Program at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law, described various perspectives in debate over the ethical concerns of stem cell research.

The challenge, according to Hoffman, is striking a balance between implementing a blanket policy through the government and informing consumers to allow them to make ethical decisions.

Industry wanting innovation, and government wanting safety and efficacy, and consumers wanting access. Those three things are... how we consider these ethical issues, Hoffmann said.

The conversation then shifted to eugenics, the practice of editing human DNA to achieve specific, desirable characteristics, such as eliminating diseases, changing eye color or editing IQ.

Green described an initiative funded by the Human Genome Project, the Ethical, Legal and Social Implications Research Program (ELSI), which focuses on the ethical, legal and social implications of biomedical research.

We can meld together what is scientifically possible to what is the body of evidence of what has come out when we have looked at these ELSI issues and then have conversations... and try to come to consensus on what the guardrails should look like, Green said.

Hoffmann echoed Green, describing the need of the scientific community to also consider allocation of these resources.

Weve got a ways to go in terms of thinking about... how we can be more just in our allocation of medical resources and the benefits of the research were doing, Hoffmann said.

She brought up the idea of giving priority in receiving benefits to vulnerable populations that have been previously harmed by the health-care system.

Wynshaw-Boris added that each study that is conducted needs to address the ELSI considerations mentioned by Green.

Studies have to be done... in partnership with diverse populations, and we have to be committed to that, Wynshaw-Boris said. We have to make progress on it all the time, and that's what we have to be committed to.

The discussion concluded with a consensus among the panelists that the scientific community needs to address social and health inequities as advancements in genetics and genomic techniques continue to occur.

We have to bring more trust to science than exists now, Green said.

See the article here:
Panelists debate the implications and ethics of stem cell research - Johns Hopkins News-Letter

Newswise The inflammasomea protein signaling network that is activated to rid the body of virus or bacteria-infected cellsmay play an important role in triggering an immune response to cancer and causing an existing class of drugs to work better against cancers.

A collaborative research study led by experts at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center, supported by Stand Up To Cancer and the Adelson Medical Research Foundation, found that the inflammasome imparts a DNA repair defect-like state in cancer cells. In laboratory and animal models of ovarian and breast cancer cells, it induced an immune activating signal that directly made the cells susceptible to treatment with drugs called PARP inhibitors, drugs that disable the cancer cells ability to repair DNA damage caused by anticancer therapies. As a result, the cancer cell dies.

The findings published online May 26 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, appear to apply across multiple tumor types and create the potential for a wider use of PARP inhibitors.

Newswise In laboratory models, the researchers used the epigenetic drug 5-azacytidine to induce transcriptional BRCAness in two-thirds and one-third of ovarian and triple negative breast cancer cell lines tested. These BRCAness data were correlated with inflammasome activation in two cell lines, which demonstrated the most marked induction of BRCAness, explains Michael Topper, Ph.D., co-corresponding author on the study, Evelyn Grollman Glick Scholar and instructor in oncology at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center. Epigenetics refers to chemical alterations to the DNA of cells that can change gene behavior without mutating the DNA. The drug 5-azacityidine is classified as a demethylating agent because it blocks a chemical process known as DNA methylation and can restore function to some cancer suppressor genes. Ongoing research also studies the ability of this drug, and other epigenetic drugs, to prime cancer cells for a better response to immunotherapies.

We believe we have uncovered a novel relationship in which the drug not only primes the immune response but also causes the breast and ovarian cancer cells to act as if they have a BRCA mutation. We think this reveals a new mechanism that has not previously been linked to immune therapy response, says Topper.

Turning the inflammasome on with epigenetic therapy, makes cancer cells targets of the immune system and responsive to drugs known as PARP inhibitors, the researchers say. Specifically, it makes tumor cells that do not have BRCA mutations act like they do, says Feyruz Rassool, Ph.D., the senior corresponding author, professor of radiation oncology and co-director of Experimental Therapeutics Program at the University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Cancer Center.

BRCA mutations alter the bodys ability to repair DNA, putting those affected at higher risk of developing breast, ovarian, pancreas and other cancers. However, cancersparticularly breast and ovarian cancersthat contain BRCA mutations often respond to treatment with PARP inhibitors, which disable the cancer cells ability to repair damage caused by anticancer drugs and radiation therapy.

This mutation is present in only a small percentage of patients with breast and ovarian cancers, and this is the only setting where PARP inhibitors have demonstrable clinical efficacy, says co-author Stephen Baylin, M.D., Virginia and D.K. Ludwig Professor for Cancer Research.

Using 5-azacytidine to make cancer cells, which do not have BRCA mutations act like they have the mutationsa situation the researchers refer to as BRCAnesssensitizes cancer cells to treatment with PARP inhibitors and may expand the benefit of the drug to more patients.

The relationships between the inflammasome in the tumor cells and diminished ability of the cells to repair DNA damage may apply to multiple common tumor types, says Baylin. In data obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas, Topper showed the possibility that activating the inflammasome with 5-azacytidine could produce BRCAness in many common tumor types. Treating with drugs like 5-azacytidine could extend treatment to patients with a broad range of cancers. A clinical trial combining an inhibitor of DNA methylation and a PARP inhibitor in patients with breast cancers, which do not have BRCA mutations, has begun through Stand up to Cancer.

The researchers also explain that a pathway called STING (stimulator of interferon genes) is a key regulator of the inflammasome. STING, shown to convert cold tumors, or tumors that do not attract the attention of the immune system, into hot tumors, ones that are most likely to respond to immunotherapies. STING causes CD8+ T cells to traffic to tumors and, in animal models, made breast cancer cells more responsive to immune checkpoint inhibitors.

In a surprising twist, the work of the investigators could potentially shed light on a severe and deadly inflammatory process, called cytokine storm syndrome (CSS), occurring in SARS-CoV-2 infection, the researchers say. They hypothesize that overactivation of the inflammasome may be a key regulator of CSS, the most severe complication of COVID-19 infection. Topper, Rassool and Baylin are collaborating with an international consortium called COV-IRT (COVID-19 International Research Team), aimed at using an open science model to rapidly advance COVID-19 research and therapies. They hope to use their inflammasome discovery to study and develop a serum test to predict early which patients will develop the most severe COVID-19 infections and to look for existing drugs that could inhibit the inflammasome and stop CSS.

In addition to Topper, Rassool and Baylin, other investigators participating in the research included Lena McLaughlin, Lora Stojanovic, Aksinija Kogan, Julia Rutherford, Eun Yong Choi, Ying Zou and Rena Lapidus, from University of Maryland, and Ray-Whay Chiu Yen, and Limin Xia from the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.

The research was funded by the Van Andel InstituteStand up to Cancer, the Adelson Medical Research Foundation, Evelyn Grollman Glick Scholar, The Hodson Trust, the Leukemia Lymphoma Society, the Maryland Cigarette Restitution Fund Program, the National Cancer InstituteCancer Center Support Grant P30 CA134274 University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Molecular Medicine Graduate Program, University of Maryland, the Biochemistry Graduate Program, University of Maryland and the Human Genetics Graduate Program, University of Maryland, the Commonwealth Foundation, the Defense Health Program through the Department of Defense Ovarian Cancer Research Program, and Teal Innovator Award OC130454/ W81XWH-14-1-0385.

Excerpt from:
Activating Inflammasome May Improve Cancer's Response To Immunotherapy And Parp Inhibitors - Newswise

More than a century ago, in 1910, President William Howard Taft made what then seemed a bold but reasonable prediction: Within five years, he said, cancer will have been removed from the list of fatal maladies.

So, what happened?

Despite what seem like endless decades of hope, exhaustive research and unyielding effort by the worlds smartest scientists, we still have yet to find a cure or long-term treatments for cancer. But finally, we appear to be edging closer to the finish line, and immunotherapy might prove key.

For decades, the cancer treatment of choice has been chemotherapy. But, while chemotherapy can be incredibly effective at treating cancer, it takes a steep toll on human body. The side-effects of most chemotherapy treatments can be quite severe, and while the end result does often get rid of malignant cells, it also destroys plenty of healthy cells in the process.

Cancer is immensely complicated. Its not just one disease it can actually take over a hundred forms, and attack different parts of our body. Whats worse, what starts as one disease can mutate into something entirely different. Many tumors also contain more than one type of cancer cell.

Another challenge of treating cancer lies in the fact that there are great differences in patients physiologies, lifestyles, attitudes towards treatment, responses to treatment, genetic makeup and even epigenetic factors.

Cancer is as individual as the person who has it, explainsJoyce Ohm, PhD, at the Department of Cancer Genetics and Genomics at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York.

Lets say there are identical twin sisters, both with breast cancer. They may have been born with exactly the same genetic mutations, but one responds to therapy and one doesnt. One may live and one may die.

Its exceptionally difficult to find something that will work on everyone. Immunotherapy seeks to resolve this issue by personalizing treatments for each patient.

Immunotherapy isnt a new treatment by any means; scientists have been researching it for many years, and theyve invested a lot of time creating the right procedures and improving chances for all cancer patients.

The talk of immunotherapy started way back in 1890s, when William Coley, a physician, started researching how our immune system responds to viral infections. He hypothesized that scientists could jumpstart our natural immune response to cancer by provoking it with a controlled virus infection. But for years, little practical progress was made, and immunotherapy was viewed as having limited potential.

As crude as this method sounds, its basics eventually led scientists to explore how our own immune system responds to cancer and what can be done to target it without damaging other somatic cells. It also works on many types of cancers, even some that do not respond to chemotherapy or radiation.

Although immunotherapy is not yet as widely used assurgery,chemotherapy, orradiation therapy, immunotherapy drugs have been approved to treat many types of cancer. The one the doctor decides to use depends on the type of cancer they are tackling.

The main aim of immunotherapy today is to help activate dormant T-cells and help the immune system better recognize cancerous cells and get rid of them safely. T-cell transfer therapy basically attempts to re-engineer our immune response. Its a complicated process but so far it has shown great success. Other cancer immunotherapy treatments include immune checkpoint inhibitors that block certain chemicals in our body from stopping immune response to cancer cells; the use of cytokines, laboratory-made versions of a type of natural protein that boosts our immune response; lab-made monoclonal antibodies that bind to specific targets on cancer cells; and treatment vaccines.

The key in developing immunotherapies is finding the right cancer targets. Chow Kwan Ting, a researcher from City University of Hong Kong (CityU), who has won the famous Croucher Innovation Award in recognition of her scientific achievements, focuses on the role of plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) in cancer treatment.

These cells havent been researched thoroughly before, but theyre known to play an important part of immune systems response to viral infections. Dr. Chows studies have shown that pDCs play a role in other types of infections as well, and that they could potentially do more than simply fight off an infection: they might actually play a role in cancer immunity.

Other scientists are advancing a range of promising immunotherapies that researchers hope will lead to breakthrough cures. A team of researchers at the German Cancer Research Center and the Berlin Institute of Health are targeting the metabolic enzyme IL4I1 (Interleukin-4-Induced-1). The survival probability of patients with gliomas, a type of malignant brain tumor, decreased when the enzyme was present in higher concentrations in these tumors.

In 2004, Sophie Lucas, a researcher at the University of Louvain de Duve Institute, began studying the blocking of immune defenses in tumors in order to understand the functioning of cells that are said to be immunosuppressive (they block the bodys immune responses). The goal was to identify and remove them, thus stimulating antibodies to act against the tumor.Last August, Nature Communications published the results of the first tests carried out by Dr. Lucas and her team on a tool using what are called anti-GARP antibodies that prevent the bodys natural immune response from being blocked. It worked on mice; human studies are next.

Of course, more research is needed to turn immunotherapy research into potential cures, but the very fact that scientists keep learning new things about cancer treatment is encouraging. Scientists are looking into liver and breast cancer as they are more prevalent in Hong Kong than other types of cancer.

Immunotherapy can sometimes have similar side-effects as chemotherapy, such as nausea, vomiting and hair loss, but they are usually less severe. It can also be used in combination with radiation therapy or surgery.

Along with gene therapy and tumor DNA sequencing, immunotherapy is providing new options and helping us edge closer to promises made more than a century ago.

Claire Adams is a content creator and external associate of the City University of Hong Kong. Her goal is to promote CityU young scholars research papers that are closely related to the healthcare industry. She wishes to emphasise the importance of the research paper on rare cells and the innovative immunotherapeutic strategy, which truly brings hope to new cancer immunotherapy and vaccine. By promoting this work among the scientific and healthcare community, Claire is hoping to raise awareness of the City University of Hong Kongs contribution to society. Follow her on Twitter@adamsnclaire

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How immunotherapy is revolutionizing cancer care - Genetic Literacy Project

Combined Company Positioned to Offer Best-in-Class and Innovative Drug Discovery Solutions

RUTHERFORD, NJ and MAPLE GROVE, MN, Aug. 24, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cancer Genetics, Inc. (the Company) (Nasdaq: CGIX), and StemoniX, Inc., today announced the entry into a definitive merger agreement. Cancer Genetics is a leader in drug discovery and preclinical oncology and immuno-oncology services. StemoniX, a privatecompany, isa leader in developing high-throughput disease-specifichuman organoid platforms integrated withleading-edge data science technologies. Under the terms of the merger agreement, StemoniX will merge with a newly formed subsidiary of Cancer Genetics in an all-equity transaction. Upon shareholder approval, the combined company expects to remain listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market. StemoniX will retain its name and become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cancer Genetics.

The transaction will position the combined company to harness the synergies between two critical modalities of drug discovery and development - advanced animal models and relevant human high-throughput organoid platforms. The resulting integration of scientific and technology-based expertise, skilled management teams, and ability to offer customers an end-to-end platform will de-risk and accelerate development of preclinical and clinical pipelines for biopharma partners as well as for the proprietary pipeline of the combined company. In combination, Cancer Genetics and StemoniX currently enjoy partnerships and R&D relationships with dozens of global pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

"The process of discovering and developing a new drug candidate takes years and comes with a price tag of hundreds of millions - or even billions - of dollars. However, we are at unique time in the drug discovery industry as the convergence of technological innovations in both biology and software will transform conventional workflows in time and accuracy. To convert the time-consuming and labor-intensive process of developing a drug for market, we now look to supplement traditional discovery and drug approval mechanisms to include humanized cell-based assays with artificial intelligence (AI) along with our core vivoPharm business. Given that our strategy and approach are strongly aligned with those of StemoniX, we are pleased to have moved forward with this proposed transaction," stated Jay Roberts, Chief Executive Officer of Cancer Genetics.

The pharma industry and society are at a critical pivot point. Viral pandemics and diseases lacking treatments require a new way of innovation. The proposed merger expects to expand our ability to engage with a larger audience of potential partners and expand our internal capabilities as we deliver on our mission to rapidly discover the safest and most effective therapeutics on behalf of our partners and our shareholders. The mission will stay consistent - allow scientists to quickly and economically conduct high-throughput toxicity and drug development studies in ready-to-assay plates containing functional microOrgans, stated Ping Yeh, Chief Executive Officer of StemoniX.

ABOUT THE TRANSACTION

Pursuant to the merger agreement, Cancer Genetics will acquire all of the outstanding capital stock of StemoniX in exchange for a number of shares of its common stock which will represent approximately 78% of the outstanding common stock of Cancer Genetics, subject to certain adjustments and prior to the effects of the financing referred to below, with the current equity holders of Cancer Genetics retaining 22% of the common stock immediately following the consummation of the merger.

The Boards of Directors of both companies have approved the proposed merger, which is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2020, subject to the approval of the shareholders of both Cancer Genetics and StemoniX, financing and other customary closing conditions.

H.C. Wainwright & Co. is acting as financial advisors to the Board of Directors of Cancer Genetics, and Lowenstein Sandler is acting as its legal counsel. Northland Securities, Inc. is acting as financial advisor to the Board of Directors of StemoniX and Taft, Stettinius & Hollister is acting as its legal counsel.

ABOUT CANCER GENETICS

Through its vivoPharm subsidiary, Cancer Genetics offers proprietary preclinical test systems supporting clinical diagnostic offerings at early stages, valued by the pharmaceutical industry, biotechnology companies and academic research centers. The Company is focused on precision and translational medicine to drive drug discovery and novel therapies. vivoPharm specializes in conducting studies tailored to guide drug development, starting from compound libraries and ending with a comprehensive set of in vitro and in vivo data and reports, as needed for Investigational New Drug filings. vivoPharm operates in The Association for Assessment and Accreditation of Laboratory Animal Care International (AAALAC) accredited and GLP compliant audited facilities. For more information, please visit http://www.cancergenetics.com.

ABOUT STEMONIX, INC.

StemoniX is empowering the discovery of new medicines through the convergence of novel human biology and software technologies. StemoniX develops and manufactures high-density, at-scale human induced pluripotent stem (iPSC) cell-derived neural and cardiac screening platforms for drug discovery and development. Predictive, accurate, and consistent, these human models enable scientists to quickly and economically conduct research with improved outcomes in a simplified workflow. Through collaborations with drug discovery organizations, StemoniX tests compounds in-house, creates new cell-based disease models, and operationalizes custom human iPSC disease models at large scale for high-throughput screening. With leading-edge iPSC technologies and data science, StemoniX is helping global institutions bring the most promising medicines to patients. To learn more about how StemoniX products and services are accelerating discoveries, please visit http://www.StemoniX.com.

For more information, please visit or follow CGI at:

http://www.cancergenetics.com

Twitter: @Cancer_Genetics

And StemoniX at:

http://www.StemoniX.com

Forward Looking Statements:

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements pertaining to Cancer Genetics Inc.s expectations regarding satisfaction of closing conditions, consummation of the merger, future financial and/or operating results, and potential for our services, future revenues or growth in this press release constitute forward-looking statements.

Any statements that are not historical fact (including, but not limited to, statements that contain words such as will, believes, plans, anticipates, expects, estimates) should also be considered to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, including, without limitation, risks inherent in our ability to satisfy all closing conditions to the merger, our attempts to adapt to the global coronavirus pandemic, achieve profitability by increasing sales of our pre-clinical services, maintain our existing customer base and avoid cancellation of customer contracts or discontinuance of trials, raise capital to meet our liquidity needs and conditions to the merger, properly evaluate strategic options, and other risks discussed in the Cancer Genetics, Inc. Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019 and Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2020, along with other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date hereof. Cancer Genetics, Inc. disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

Investor Contacts:Jennifer K. Zimmons. Ph.D.Investor RelationsZimmons International Communications, Inc.Email: jzimmons@zimmonsic.comPhone: +1.917.214.3514

Excerpt from:
Cancer Genetics and StemoniX Sign Definitive Agreement to Merge - GlobeNewswire

Thirty-eight McGill research projects have received federal grants through the CFI's John R. Evans Leaders Fund, which will provide them with state-of-the art research infrastructure needed to foster innovation.

The Government of Canada through the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) recently announced their funding investment of more than $96 million to support 377 new research infrastructure projects at 55 institutions from coast to coast. The CFI also announced the funding of projects through the John R. Evans Leaders Fund (JELF) in partnership with the Canada Research Chairs (CRC) Program, investing $4.6 million in 21 Chairs at 16 institutions to provide them with the innovative tools they need to pursue their valuable work.

Thirty-eight McGill research projects have received a combined total of $9.3M in federal grants through this round of JELF. The fund helps universities attract top talent in diverse fields of research by providing them with the highly specialized research infrastructure they need to be leaders in their field. The recipients will also receive matching funds from the Quebec government for their research endeavours.

ProfessorsJrg Hermann FritzandCorinne Mauriceof the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, andBastien Castagnerof the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, received $352,778 in JELF funding for their project on harnessing microbiota metabolism for human health benefits. The project will focus on the ill-defined relationship between bacteria in the human gut, metabolism and the immune system. The research will help design new, more effective drugs to treat inflammatory bowel diseases, obesity, asthma and other chronic diseases.

One McGill project received $520,000 in JELF funding, in partnership with the Canada Research Chairs (CRC) program. ProfessorStephen Lomberof the Department of Physiology and Canada Research Chair in Brain Plasticity and Development, received $520,000 from the JELF and CRC partnership to establish an internationally recognized laboratory with state-of-the-art facilities for the study of brain plasticity and auditory neuroscience. The laboratory will help researchers understand how the brain processes sound, and how to best design therapeutic strategies for the 300,000 Canadians burdened with profound hearing loss.

McGill CRC-JELF recipient:

Hearing Loss and Restoration LaboratoryProfessorStephen Lomberof the Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, is the principal investigator.$520,000 from the CRC-JELF partnership; $520,000 matching provincial funds.

List of McGill JELF recipients:Creation of a Multidisciplinary Sleep Laboratory at the NeuroProfessorsJulien DoyonandBirgit Frauscherof the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, are the principal investigators.$254, 296 from JELF; $254, 296 matching provincial funds.

Harnessing Microbiota Metabolism for Human Health BenefitsProfessorsJrg Hermann FritzandCorinne Mauriceof the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, andBastien Castagnerof the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, are the principal investigators.$352,778 from JELF; $352,778 matching provincial funds.

Multi-scale in Vivo Imaging of Biological SystemsProfessorAbigail Gerholdof the Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, is the principal investigator.$271,990 from JELF; $271,990 matching provincial funds.

MAP-PRO: An Electronic Database and Learning Hub for Canadian Early Psychosis ServicesProfessorsSrividya IyerandManuela Ferrariof the Department of Psychiatry, Medicine and Health Sciences, are the principal investigators.$80,000 from JELF; $80,000 matching provincial funds.

McGill Soil Biogeochemistry and Ecology LaboratoryProfessorCynthia Kallenbachof the Department of Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, is the principal investigator.$150,000 from JELF; $150,000 matching provincial funds.

Subsurface Hydrogeochemistry and Fluid FlowProfessorMary Kangof the Department of Civil Engineering and Applied Mechanics, Faculty of Engineering, is the principal investigator.$475,360 from JELF; $475,360 matching provincial funds.

Combined Microreactor Mass Spectrometry Infrastructure for Catalyst CharacterizationProfessorJan Kopyscinskiof the Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, is the principal investigator.$120,000 from JELF; $120,000 matching provincial funds.

Fast Scalable Deep Learning for Sensitive Big Data in Healthcare and Social ContextsProfessorsYue Li,William HamiltonandReihaneh Rabbanyof the School of Computer Science, Faculty of Science, are the principal investigators.$120,000 from JELF; $120,000 matching provincial funds.

Click Chemistry for Precision MedicineProfessorNathan Luedtkeof the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, is the principal investigator.$285,000 from JELF; $285,000 matching provincial funds.

Conformational Dynamics of Complex Proteins in Health and DiseasesProfessorGergely Lukacsof the Department of Physiology, ProfessorKalle Gehringof the Department of Biochemistry, andJean-Francois Trempeof the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, are the principal investigators.$592,636 from JELF; $592,636 matching provincial funds.

Antagonistic Inter-bacterial InteractionsProfessorJennifer Ronholmof the Department of Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, is the principal investigator.$143,180 from JELF; $143,180 matching provincial funds.

Blood-based Biomarkers for Ageing-related Brain DiseasesProfessorsPedro Rosa-Netoof the Department of Psychiatry,Gerhard Multhaupof the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, andAngela Gengeof the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, are the principal investigators.$417,175 from JELF; $417,175 matching provincial funds.

Infrastructure for Advanced Arctic and Urban Climate Modelling in Support of Climate-resilient Engineering SystemsProfessorLaxmi Sushamaof the Department of Civil Engineering and Applied Mechanics, Faculty of Engineering, is the principal investigator.$135,180 from JELF; $135,180 matching provincial funds.

CoDEx: Computational Design ExploratoryProfessorTheodora Vardouliof the Peter Guo-hua Fu School of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering, is the principal investigator.$78,807 from JELF; $78,807 matching provincial funds.

Metabolism of Stress-regulated Genes in Health and Disease using Single Molecule ImagingProfessorMaria Vera Ugaldeof the Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, is the principal investigator.$200,000 from JELF; $200,000 matching provincial funds.

Drivers of Breast Cancer Progression Identified within Arm-level Somatic Copy Number AlterationsProfessorLogan Walshof the Department of Human Genetics, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, is the principal investigator.$109,179 from JELF; $109,179 matching provincial funds.

Development of Biodegradable Functional Materials from Low-value Biomass for Food and Agricultural ApplicationsProfessorYixiang Wangof the Department of Food Science and Agricultural Chemistry, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, is the principal investigator.$121,500 from JELF; $121,500 matching provincial funds.

The Role of Lipoma Preferred Partner (LPP) in Regulating Breast Cancer ProgressionProfessorsClaire Brownof the Department of Physiology andPeter Siegelof the Departments of Medicine, Biochemistry, and Anatomy and Cell Biology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, are the principal investigators.$744,304 from JELF; $744,304 matching provincial funds.

Muscle Stem Cell Biology in Health and DiseaseProfessorNatasha Changof the Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, is the principal investigator.$149,582 from JELF; $149,582 matching provincial funds.

NIR Imaging Platform for Biophotonic Technologies Relying on New Dormant Sensors/SensitizersProfessorGonzalo Cosaof the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, is the principal investigator.$172,875 from JELF; $172,875 matching provincial funds.

A Path to Anti-aging DrugsProfessorSiegfried Hekimiof the Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, is the principal investigator.$179,196 from JELF; $179,196 matching provincial funds.

Markers to Market: A Platform to Translate Quantitative Genomics Data into Field-ready, Value-added Commodity CultivarsProfessorValerio Hoyos-Villegasof the Department of Plant Science, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, is the principal investigator.$152,062 from JELF; $152,062 matching provincial funds.

Mechanism and Therapy for Autism Spectrum Disorders Associated with Copy Number VariantsProfessorWei-Hsiang Huangof the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, is the principal investigator.$169,634 from JELF; $169,634 matching provincial funds.

Development of Strategies to Better Understand and Control the Long-term Side Effects of RadiotherapyProfessorJohn Kildeaof the Department of Oncology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, is the principal investigator.$87,579 from JELF; $87,579 matching provincial funds.

4D Immersive Scene Capture and ProcessingProfessorDerek Nowrouzezahraiof the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, is the principal investigator.$78,020 from JELF; $78,020 matching provincial funds.

Mapping Dopamine Circuits in the Healthy and Diseased BrainProfessorJean-Francois Poulinof the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, is the principal investigator.$294,592 from JELF; $294,592 matching provincial funds.

UHPLC-MS to Develop Technologies to Control the Presence and Fate of Contaminants in Natural & Engineered Water SystemsProfessorViviane Yargeauof the Department of Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, is the principal investigator.$406,300 from JELF; $406,300 matching provincial funds.

Integrated Facility for Research on Large Animals SpeciesProfessorsVilceu Bordignonof the Department of Animal Science andLuis B Agellon, of the Department of School of Human Nutrition, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, are the principal investigators.$800,000 from JELF; $800,000 matching provincial funds.

Exercise and Nutrition to Support Skeletal Muscle Heath Across the LifespanProfessorTyler Churchward-Venneof the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education, Faculty of Education, is the principal investigators.$344,957 from JELF; $344,957 matching provincial funds.

Neuroecology of Spatial Behaviour LabProfessorMlanie Guiguenoof the Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, is the principal investigator.$165,000 from JELF; $165,000 matching provincial funds.

Biotechnological Production of High-value CompoundsProfessorCodruta Igneaof the Department of Bioengineering, Faculty of Engineering, is the principal investigator.$140,000 from JELF; $140,000 matching provincial funds.

Atomic Layer Deposition of Electrochemical Energy Storage DevicesProfessorEmmeline Kaoof the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, is the principal investigator.$260,101 from JELF; $260,101 matching provincial funds.

High Throughput Monitoring of Cell Metabolism using a Modernized Tissue Culture FacilityProfessorRyan Maillouxof the School of Human Nutrition, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, is the principal investigator.$234,500 from JELF; $234,500 matching provincial funds.

Anishinaabe Stories DatabaseProfessorAaron Millsof the Faculty of Law, is the principal investigator.$46,961 from JELF; $46,961 matching provincial funds.

New Computational Techniques for Modeling of Disordered Molecular Systems for Applications in Nano- and Bio- engineeringProfessorYelena Simineof the Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, is the principal investigator.$80,000 from JELF; $80,000 matching provincial funds.

Circulating Immune Cells and Interactions in the Nervous SystemProfessorJo Anne Strattonof the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, is the principal investigator.$141,863 from JELF; $141,863 matching provincial funds.

Heat Transfer in Thermal Energy TechnologiesProfessorMlanie Ttreault-Friendof the Department of Mechanical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, is the principal investigator.$233,308 from JELF; $233,308 matching provincial funds.

Read CFIs official press release.

This article was first published on 25 August by McGill University.

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Canada Foundation for Innovation invests $9.3M in McGill highly-specialized research infrastructures - Science Business

SAN FRANCISCO, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 24, 2020 / Tribe Public announced today that Dietrich Stephan, Chief Executive Officer of NeuBase Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:NBSE), a biotechnology company developing next-generation antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) therapies using its scalable PATrOL platform to address genetic diseases, will present at Tribe Public's Presentation and Q&A Webinar Event at 8 am pacific/11 am eastern on Wednesday, August 26th, 2020. During this complimentary, 30-minute event, Dr. Stephan will introduce the NeuBase's next-generation gene silencing technology and discuss the company's progress with treatment candidates in Huntington's Disease (HD) and Myotonic Dystrophy (DM1). A question and answer session will follow the presentation. To register to join the complimentary event, please visit the Tribe Public LLC website: http://www.tribepublic.com, or send a message to Tribe's management at research@tribepublic.com to request your seat for this limited capacity Zoom-based event.

Dietrich A. Stephan, Ph.D. is an industry veteran who is considered one of the fathers of the field of precision medicine, having trained with the leadership of the Human Genome Project at the NIH and then going on to lead discovery research at the Translational Genomics Research Institute and serve as professor and chairman of the Department of Human Genetics at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Stephan has identified the molecular basis of dozens of genetic diseases and published extensively in journals such as Science, the New England Journal of Medicine, Nature Genetics, PNAS, and Cell. In parallel, Dr. Stephan has founded or co-founded more than ten biotechnology companies and has advised numerous other companies. These companies are backed by top-tier investors such as Sequoia Capital, KPCB, Thiel Capital, and Khosla Ventures as well as corporate partners such as Life Technologies, Pfizer, and Mayo Clinic. Notably, Dr. Stephan founded NeuBase Therapeutics in August 2018, took it public in 2019, and has since grown the company to market capitalization to the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars. Dr. Stephan received his Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh and his B.S. from Carnegie Mellon University.

ABOUT TRIBE PUBLIC LLC Tribe Public LLC is a San Francisco, CA-based organization that hosts complimentary worldwide webinar & meeting events in the U.S. Tribe's events focus on issues that the Tribe members care about with an emphasis on hosting management teams from publicly traded companies from all sectors & financial organizations that are seeking to increase awareness of their products, progress, and plans. Tribe members primarily include Institutions, Family Offices, Portfolio Managers, Registered Investment Advisors, & Accredited Investors. Website: http://www.tribepublic.com.

ABOUT NEUBASE THERAPEUTICS NeuBase Therapeutics, Inc. is developing the next generation of gene silencing therapies with its flexible, highly specific synthetic antisense oligonucleotides. The proprietary NeuBase peptide-nucleic acid (PNA) antisense oligonucleotide (PATrOL) platform allows for the rapid development of targeted drugs, increasing the treatment opportunities for the hundreds of millions of people affected by rare genetic diseases, including those that can only be treated through accessing of secondary RNA structures. Using PATrOL technology, NeuBase aims to first tackle rare, genetic neurological disorders. NeuBase is continuing its progress towards developing treatment candidates in Huntington's Disease (HD) and Myotonic Dystrophy (DM1.)

CONTACT:

Tribe Public, LLC. John F. Heerdink, Jr. Managing Partner john@tribepublic.com

SOURCE: NeuBase Therapeutics, Inc.

View source version on accesswire.com: https://www.accesswire.com/603092/NeuBase-Therapeutics-CEO-Dietrich-A-Stephan-PhD-to-Present-at-Tribe-Publics-Presentation-and-QA-Webinar-Event-on-August-26-2020

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NeuBase Therapeutic's CEO, Dietrich A. Stephan, Ph.D., to Present at Tribe Public's Presentation and Q&A Webinar Event on August 26, 2020 - Stockhouse

The Federal Circuit has issued a precedential decision in XY LLC v Trans Ova Genetics. Judge Stoll, joined by Judge Wallach and Senior Judge Plager, held that claims directed to a specific improvement to an otherwise-known process are patent eligible under 35 USC section 101. In reversing the district court, the court held that, although the invention applies mathematical equations to effect the claimed improvement, the claims were directed to a specific improvement that separates the invention from the prior art - not to an abstract idea.

The courts decision details several principles underlying the section 101 analysis and offers lessons for litigants addressing eligibility determinations.

XYs 559 patent involves flow cytometry technology for sorting non-human mammalian particles. This technology is particularly useful in animal breeding to guarantee the sex of offspring, allowing sperm cells to be sorted based on whether the cell carries an X or Y chromosome. While conventional flow cytometry technology made it difficult to discriminate between similar particles of different populations, the 559 patent claims an improvement that uses mathematical equations to reconfigure data corresponding to the particles, such as by rotating it, in order to increase spatial separation of data points and make it possible to discriminate between particles. XYs improved methods allow populations to be selected more accurately than in any other prior art system.

The district court decided the 559 patent claims were invalid under section 101. Starting with Alice step one, the court found the claims were directed to the abstract idea of a mathematical equation that permits rotating multi-dimensional data. It reasoned that, although the equation helps to discriminate between particles of different populations, the invention reduces down to applying a mathematical concept. Then, at Alice Step Two, the court held the asserted claims lack an inventive concept because it believed the claims offer nothing beyond the prior art.

Reversing the district court, the Federal Circuit decided on 31st July that the 559 patent claims are directed to a specific improvement to a flow cytometry method, not an abstract idea. Specifically, the court held the claims are directed to an improved method for classifying and sorting particles based on the specific steps set forth in the claims, thereby facilitating classification and sorting of each individual particle more accurately than any prior art method. Although the patent used mathematical equations to implement the improvement, the court found the claims were directed to an improvement to the method itself that so happened to use math. Because the court held that the claims are not directed to an abstract idea at Alice step one, it did not move on to step two.

The courts decision and its section 101 analysis offers several valuable lessons for litigants:

This pattern underscores the need for both patentees and challengers to make their case at Step One. Is it an improvement to an existing technology that so happens to use an abstract idea to implement that improvement, or are the claims directed to an improvement to the abstract idea itself? In XY, the invention improved a known flow cytometry process by applying a mathematical formula. While the court held that claimed improvement passed the Alice test, a claim directed to improving the mathematical formula by itself would likely not be eligible. XY makes clear that it is critical for patentees and challengers alike to define what the claims are directed to, knowing that step one is likely going to make or break the section 101 decision.

It is therefore critical for litigants to articulate, at Step One, what solutions existed in the prior art and why (or why not) the claims represent an improvement to those solutions. XY confirms the courts holding in Thales Visionix v United States that improving the accuracy of a prior art solution can be enough to make the claims a patentable improvement. Moreover, if a party can tie the claimed improvement to a physical process or product, all the better. The XY court found important the fact that the claimed method resulted in separation of physical particles, like the claimed improvement in Diamond v Diehr produced a perfectly-cured synthetic rubber product.

The Federal Circuits decision in XY confirms that claimed improvements to the prior art can be patent-eligible, even if the claims use an abstract idea such as a mathematical formula to execute the improvement. Litigants addressing section 101 challenges should focus on articulating what the claimed invention is, how it relates to the prior art, and how the claims compare to others that courts have already held to be eligible, or ineligible, under section 101.

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Three lessons from the Federal Circuit's recent 101 reversal in XY v Trans Ova Genetics - IAM

Dairy cows could be genetically selected to produce "niche milk to improve human health, including a component that provides some benefits of human breast milk, according to an Agriculture Victoria scientist.

And this technology could deliver the dairy industry a step-change in terms of what it could produce with infant formula.

Agriculture Victoria principal research scientist Jennie Pryce said there was great science behind the opportunity to breed cows to produce human milk oligosaccharides.

They are the same as you would find in the milk of human breast milk and give children or babies protection against pathogenic infections, she said.

They also promote development of the intestine and help the gut microbiome to get going, obviously thats one of the reasons why breast milk is promoted.

Professor Pryce was speaking at a presentation about breeding the socially acceptable cow at the 2020 Genetics Australia online conference.

She said a genetic marker explained about 80 per cent of the genetic variation in the oligosaccharide, which meant it would be simple to aggressively select for these niche milks.

Breeding a socially acceptable cow should also consider the cows impact on the environment, its welfare and sustainability, she said.

Sharing preliminary research data, Prof Pryce showed how selecting for bulls with both a high Balanced Performance Index (BPI) and lower methane emissions was possible without too much compromise in profitability.

Prof Pryce plotted the BPI the dairy industry herd improvement organisation DataGenes economic index against a greenhouse gas index.

It showed if a dairy farmer only selected high BPI bulls with the most favourable greenhouse gas emissions, they would compromise their BPI by about 20 units.

This is down from a mean of 333 BPI if they selected the top 30 BPI bulls without a consideration of emissions.

It doesnt seem like a huge comprise to be able to get that advance in terms of reduced emissions, Prof Pryce said.

She also highlighted how Australia led the world with research on heat tolerance and feed saved both traits with contributed to a socially acceptable cow.

The former Australian Breeding Value enables cows to better handle warming temperatures, the latter ABV increasing their feed-to-milk efficiency.

Prof Pryce said a lot of what the dairy industry was already doing was hugely progressive.

Consumers need to know that we are already breeding for more environmentally friendly, resource efficient cows.

If we focus on profit, welfare and social acceptability we will be more successful in the long term.

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Gains for humans, cows and the environment in breeding a socially acceptable cow - Dairy News Australia

Published Aug 22, 2020 at 8:00 am(Updated Aug 22, 2020 at 6:51 am)

Coming back: Carika Weldon (File photograph by Blaire Simmons)

An expanded government laboratory will be set up at Bermuda College to help train scientists in an amazing achievement for the island, the Premier said.

David Burt revealed that Carika Weldon, a geneticist, will move back home from Britain to set up the enhanced site, which is expected to help tackle the increased number of Covid-19 tests. He said that he was elated that she decided to relocate.

Mr Burt said at the regular Covid-19 briefing on Thursday: We will be establishing and moving the government lab from its temporary facility, which is at an undisclosed location, to a new and expanded facility at the Bermuda College.

That facility at the Bermuda College will not only enable Dr Carika Weldon to establish the lab a government laboratory there but also to expand what is being done there because some of the capacity issues which we are having with the increase of testing is due to the temporary nature of the small space where Dr Weldon and the Molecular Diagnostic Lab is located.

He added: It will enable us to start teaching laboratory science in Bermuda and so this is an amazing accomplishment.

Mr Burt denied a suggestion that Dr Weldon had resigned her post at the MDL.

Dr Weldon was a researcher at the Oxford Genomics Centre, part of Oxford University Hospitals, before she returned to Bermuda to boost the islands coronavirus test capabilities in April.

Lieutenant-Colonel David Burch, the public works minister, said earlier that Dr Weldon spent her 14-day quarantine period co-ordinating the set-up of the MDL.

She led the work at the laboratory when it launched later that month.

The Premier added: We are moving the lab from its undisclosed location to the Bermuda College, expanding the service which we will offer and making sure that we can expand the training opportunities that are there at the Bermuda College.

I think that this is something that is amazing and Bermuda is very fortunate and Im myself pleased that a doctor who has taught overseas has decided to come back home and to assist us in the work which we are doing.

Dr Weldon told The Royal Gazette in March that she would like to be able to help with Covid-19 testing in Bermuda.

She added then: All the steps of how the test is conducted are what I teach in my science outreach.

This whole situation has really brought to light how urgently Bermuda needs human genetics research on island.

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Returning Weldon to head up full-time lab - Royal Gazette