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COVID-19: What’s RNA research got to do with it? – University of Rochester

Posted: May 1, 2020 at 3:52 pm

April 28, 2020

Rochester research into RNA structure and function provides key information for developing coronavirus treatments.

Viruses like the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 are able to unleash their fury because of a devious weapon: ribonucleic acid, also known as RNA.

A contingent of researchers at the University of Rochester study the RNA of viruses to better understand how RNAs work and how they are involved in diseases. As COVID-19 continues to spread around the globe, RNA research provides an important foundation for developing antiviral drugs, vaccines, and other therapeutics to disrupt the virus and stop infections.

The Universitys website is a way to find guidance and critical information during a rapidly changing situation.

Find out what to do if you or a close contact have symptoms or think you may have been exposed.

Understanding RNA structure and function helps us understand how to throw a therapeutic wrench into what the COVID-19 RNA doesmake new virus that can infect more of our cells and also the cells of other human beings, says Lynne Maquat, professor of biochemistry and biophysics at the University of Rochester Medical Center and the director of Rochesters Center for RNA Biology.

In the past few decades, as scientists came to realize that genetic material is largely regulated by the RNA it encodes, that most of our DNA produces RNA, and that RNA is not only a target but also a tool for disease therapies, the RNA research world has exploded, Maquat says. The University of Rochester understood this.

In 2007, Maquat founded the Center for RNA Biology as a means of conducting interdisciplinary research in the function, structure, and processing of RNAs. The center involves researchers from both the River Campus and the Medical Center, combining expertise in biology, chemistry, engineering, neurology, and pharmacology.

While much of the research across the University has been put on pause, labs that are involved in coronavirus research remain active.

Our strength as a university is our diversity of research expertise, combined with our highly collaborative nature, says Dragony Fu, an assistant professor of biology on the River Campus and a member of the Center for RNA Biology. We are surrounded by outstanding researchers who enhance our understanding of RNA biology, and a medical center that provides a translational aspect where the knowledge gained from RNA biology can be applied for therapeutics.

In mammals, such as humans, DNA contains genetic instructions that are transcribedor copiedinto RNA. While DNA remains in the cells nucleus, RNA carries the copies of genetic information to the rest of the cell by way of various combinations of amino acids, which it delivers to ribosomes. The ribosomes link the amino acids together to form proteins that then carry out functions within the human body.

Many diseases occur when these gene expressions go awry.

COVID-19, short for coronavirus disease 2019, is caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. Like many other viruses, SARS-CoV-2 is an RNA virus. This means that, unlike in humans and other mammals, the genetic material for SARS-CoV-2 is encoded in RNA. The viral RNA is sneaky: its features cause the protein synthesis machinery of our cells to mistake it for RNA produced by our own DNA.

While SARS-CoV-2 is a new coronavirus, it likely replicates and functions similar to related coronaviruses that infect animals and humans, says Douglas Anderson, an assistant professor of medicine in the Aab Cardiovascular Research Institute and a member of the Center for RNA Biology, who studies how RNA mutations can give rise to human disease.

A graphic created by the New York Times illustrates how the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 enters the body through the nose, mouth, or eyes and attaches to our cells. Once the virus is inside our cells, it releases its RNA. Our hijacked cells serve as virus factories, reading the viruss RNA and making long viral proteins to compromise the immune system. The virus assembles new copies of itself and spreads to more parts of the body andby way of saliva, sweat, and other bodily fluidsto other humans.

Once the virus is in our cells, the entire process of infection and re-infection depends on the viral RNA, Maquat says.

Researchers Douglas Anderson, Dragony Fu, and Lynne Maquat are among the scientists at the University of Rochester who study the RNA of viruses to better understand how RNAs work and how they are involved in diseases. (University of Rochester photos / Matt Wittmeyer / J. Adam Fenster)

Maquat has been studying RNA since 1972 and was part of the earliest wave of scientists to realize the important role RNA plays in human health and disease.

Our cells have a number of ways to combat viruses in what can be viewed as an arms race between host and virus. One of the weapons in our cells arsenal is an RNA surveillance mechanism Maquat discovered called nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD).

Nonsense-mediated mRNA decay protects us from many genetic mutations that could cause disease if NMD was not active to destroy the RNA harboring the mutation, she says.

Maquats discovery has contributed to the development of drug therapies for genetic disorders such as cystic fibrosis, and may be useful in developing treatments for coronavirus.

NMD also helps us combat viral infections, which is why many viruses either inhibit or evade NMD, she adds. The genome of the virus COVID-19 is a positive-sense, single-stranded RNA. It is well known that other positive-sense, single-stranded RNA viruses evade NMD by having RNA structures that prevent NMD from degrading viral RNAs.

Maquats lab is currently collaborating with a lab at Harvard University to test how viral proteins can inhibit the NMD machinery.

Like Maquat, Fu studies fundamental aspects of RNAand has found that his research on proteins may, too, be applicable to coronavirus research.

Fus lab analyzes enzymes and proteins that modify the chemical structure of RNA and how these chemical modifications impact the function of RNA. A research group at the University of California, San Francisco, recently identified an interaction between a protein made by the SARS-CoV-9 virus and a protein Fu studies.

This is an intriguing result, and we are currently thinking of ways this interaction could affect the host cell, Fu says. There is emerging evidence that RNA-based viruses undergo RNA modification, so we could use this knowledge to identify key links between the host and pathogen for development of a coronavirus vaccine or treatment.

One of the reasons viruses are such a challenge is that they change and mutate in response to drugs.

Targeting viral RNA, or the proteins it produces, is key for treating this disease.

That means novel virus treatments and vaccines have to be created each time a new strain of virus presents itself. Armed with innovative research on the fundamentals of RNA, scientists are better able to develop and test therapeutics that directly target the RNAs and processes critical to a viruss life cycle.

The University of Rochester Medical Center, for instance, is currently participating in a clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a potential coronavirus treatment called remdesivir, an antiviral drug particularly tailored to attack RNA viruses. The drug inhibits RNA polymerase, an enzyme responsible for copying a DNA sequence into an RNA sequence.

Anderson has found that alternative therapeutics, such as the gene-editing technology CRISPR, may additionally usher in a new approach to how we target and combat infectious diseases, he says.

For the past few years, Andersons lab has developed tools and delivery systems that use the RNA-targeting CRISPR-Cas13 to treat human genetic diseases that affect muscle function. CRISPR-Cas13 is like a molecular pair of scissors that can target specific RNAs for degradation, using small, programmable guide RNAs.

When the health crisis first became apparent in Wuhan, China, researchers in Andersons lab turned their focus toward developing a CRISPR-Cas13 therapeutic aimed at SARS-CoV-2. Applying the knowledge already available about coronavirus RNA replication, they designed single CRISPR guide RNAs capable of targeting every viral RNA that is made within a SARS-CoV-2 infected cell. Using a novel cloning method developed in Andersons lab, multiple CRISPR guide-RNAs could be packaged into a single therapeutic vector (a genetically engineered carrier) to target numerous viral RNA sites simultaneously. The multi-pronged targeting strategy could be used as a therapy to safeguard against virus-induced cell toxicity and prevent escape of viruses which may have undergone mutation.

Infectious viruses and pandemics seemingly come out of nowhere, which has made it hard to rapidly develop and screen traditional small molecule therapeutics or vaccines, Anderson says. There is a clear need to develop alternative targeted therapeutics, such as CRISPR-Cas13, which have the ability to be rapidly reprogrammed to target new emerging pandemics.

While many new treatments for the novel coronavirus are being considered, there is one thing that is certain, Maquat says: Targeting viral RNA, or the proteins it produces, is key for treating this disease.

Tags: Arts and Sciences, Center for RNA Biology, COVID-19, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Department of Biology, Douglas Anderson, Dragony Fu, featured-post, Lynne Maquat, medical center

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New Data For Teva AJOVY (fremanezumab-vfrm) Injection and AUSTEDO (deutetrabenazine) Tablets Included in Neurology – BioSpace

Posted: at 3:52 pm

TEL AVIV & PARSIPPANY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Teva Pharmaceuticals USA, Inc., an affiliate of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE and TASE: TEVA) today announced that new data for AJOVY (fremanezumab-vfrm) injection and AUSTEDO (deutetrabenazine) tablets have appeared in an online supplement to Neurology. The data includes 23 abstracts that highlight a diverse set of data evaluating the efficacy and safety of AJOVY and AUSTEDO.

The abstracts were originally planned for presentation at the recently cancelled 2020 American Academy of Neurology (AAN) annual meeting. In addition to the online supplement, the abstracts are also available through the AAN online abstracts website.

We are pleased to have an opportunity to share this important data with the neurology community which build upon our understanding of the efficacy and safety of AJOVY and AUSTEDO across various patient populations, and further demonstrate Tevas commitment to the CNS space, said Denisa Hurtukova, MD, VP, Head of North America Medical Affairs. Teva is committed to ongoing evaluation of these significant therapies to help physicians, healthcare providers and most importantly, patients, make informed decisions about their treatments.

The featured abstracts include new AJOVY and AUSTEDO data, including results from an open-label extension of the FOCUS study, a Phase IIIb study that evaluated the efficacy and safety of quarterly and monthly treatment with AJOVY compared to placebo in adult patients with migraine and documented inadequate response to 2-4 classes of prior preventive treatments. Another analysis using the FDA Adverse Events Reporting System (FAERS) provides patient and healthcare professional insight into the real-world experience with CGRP pathway-targeted therapies. In addition, new data is available from a long-term, open-label extension study which examined the safety of AUSTEDO at higher doses beyond the approved maximum dose to treat chorea associated with Huntingtons disease, as well as the long-term experience with AUSTEDO in both younger and older patients with tardive dyskinesia.

The full list of Teva abstracts in the Neurology supplement includes:

AUSTEDO (deutetrabenazine) Tablets:

De Novo:

Encore:

AJOVY (fremanezumab-vfrm) Injection:

De Novo:

Encore:

About AJOVY (fremanezumab-vfrm) injection

AJOVY is available as a 225 mg/1.5 mL single dose injection in a prefilled syringe with two dosing options 225 mg monthly administered as one subcutaneous injection, or 675 mg every three months (quarterly), which is administered as three subcutaneous injections. AJOVY can be administered in office by a healthcare professional or at home by a patient or caregiver. No starting dose is required to begin treatment. The AJOVY autoinjector has been approved by the FDA and is available in the U.S. In addition to the U.S., the AJOVY autoinjector is currently available in Germany and should soon be available in other select European markets.

U.S. Important Safety Information about AJOVY (fremanezumab-vfrm) injection

Contraindications: AJOVY is contraindicated in patients with serious hypersensitivity to fremanezumab-vfrm or to any of the excipients.

Hypersensitivity Reactions: Hypersensitivity reactions, including rash, pruritus, drug hypersensitivity, and urticaria were reported with AJOVY in clinical trials. Most reactions were mild to moderate, but some led to discontinuation or required corticosteroid treatment. Most reactions were reported from within hours to one month after administration. If a hypersensitivity reaction occurs, consider discontinuing AJOVY and institute appropriate therapy.

Adverse Reactions: The most common adverse reactions (5% and greater than placebo) were injection site reactions.

Please click here for full U.S. Prescribing Information for AJOVY (fremanezumab-vfrm) injection.

About AUSTEDO (deutetrabenazine)

AUSTEDO is a vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) inhibitor approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of tardive dyskinesia in adults and for the treatment of chorea associated with Huntingtons disease. Safety and effectiveness in pediatric patients have not been established.

AUSTEDO Indications and Usage

AUSTEDO is indicated for the treatment of chorea associated with Huntingtons disease and for the treatment of tardive dyskinesia in adults.

Important Safety Information About AUSTEDO

Depression and Suicidality in Patients with Huntingtons Disease: AUSTEDO can increase the risk of depression and suicidal thoughts and behavior (suicidality) in patients with Huntingtons disease. Balance the risks of depression and suicidality with the clinical need for treatment of chorea. Closely monitor patients for the emergence or worsening of depression, suicidality, or unusual changes in behavior. Inform patients, their caregivers, and families of the risk of depression and suicidality and instruct them to report behaviors of concern promptly to the treating physician. Exercise caution when treating patients with a history of depression or prior suicide attempts or ideation. AUSTEDO is contraindicated in patients who are suicidal, and in patients with untreated or inadequately treated depression.

Contraindications: AUSTEDO is contraindicated in patients with Huntingtons disease who are suicidal, or have untreated or inadequately treated depression. AUSTEDO is also contraindicated in: patients with hepatic impairment; patients taking reserpine or within 20 days of discontinuing reserpine; patients taking monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), or within 14 days of discontinuing MAOI therapy; and patients taking tetrabenazine (Xenazine) or valbenazine (Ingrezza).

Clinical Worsening and Adverse Events in Patients with Huntingtons Disease: AUSTEDO may cause a worsening in mood, cognition, rigidity, and functional capacity. Prescribers should periodically re-evaluate the need for AUSTEDO in their patients by assessing the effect on chorea and possible adverse effects.

QTc Prolongation: Tetrabenazine, a closely related VMAT2 inhibitor, causes an increase in the corrected QT (QTc) interval. A clinically relevant QT prolongation may occur in some patients treated with AUSTEDO who are CYP2D6 poor metabolizers or are co-administered a strong CYP2D6 inhibitor. Dose reduction may be necessary. The use of AUSTEDO in combination with other drugs known to prolong QTc may result in clinically significant QT prolongations. For patients requiring AUSTEDO doses greater than 24 mg per day who are using AUSTEDO with other drugs known to prolong QTc, assess the QTc interval before and after increasing the dose of AUSTEDO or the other drugs. AUSTEDO should be avoided in patients with congenital long QT syndrome and in patients with a history of cardiac arrhythmias.

Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome (NMS), a potentially fatal symptom complex reported in association with drugs that reduce dopaminergic transmission, has been observed in patients receiving tetrabenazine. The risk may be increased by concomitant use of dopamine antagonists or antipsychotics. The management of NMS should include immediate discontinuation of AUSTEDO; intensive symptomatic treatment and medical monitoring; and treatment of any concomitant serious medical problems.

Akathisia, Agitation, and Restlessness: AUSTEDO may increase the risk of akathisia, agitation, and restlessness. The risk of akathisia may be increased by concomitant use of dopamine antagonists or antipsychotics. If a patient develops akathisia, the AUSTEDO dose should be reduced; some patients may require discontinuation of therapy.

Parkinsonism: AUSTEDO may cause parkinsonism in patients with Huntingtons disease or tardive dyskinesia. Parkinsonism has also been observed with other VMAT2 inhibitors. The risk of parkinsonism may be increased by concomitant use of dopamine antagonists or antipsychotics. If a patient develops parkinsonism, the AUSTEDO dose should be reduced; some patients may require discontinuation of therapy.

Sedation and Somnolence: Sedation is a common dose-limiting adverse reaction of AUSTEDO. Patients should not perform activities requiring mental alertness, such as operating a motor vehicle or hazardous machinery, until they are on a maintenance dose of AUSTEDO and know how the drug affects them. Concomitant use of alcohol or other sedating drugs may have additive effects and worsen sedation and somnolence.

Hyperprolactinemia: Tetrabenazine elevates serum prolactin concentrations in humans. If there is a clinical suspicion of symptomatic hyperprolactinemia, appropriate laboratory testing should be done and consideration should be given to discontinuation of AUSTEDO.

Binding to Melanin-Containing Tissues: Deutetrabenazine or its metabolites bind to melanin-containing tissues and could accumulate in these tissues over time. Prescribers should be aware of the possibility of long-term ophthalmologic effects.

CYP2D6 Metabolism: In patients who are poor CYP2D6 metabolizers or are taking strong CYP2D6 inhibitors, the total daily dosage of AUSTEDO should not exceed 36 mg (maximum single dose of 18 mg).

Common Adverse Reactions: The most common adverse reactions for AUSTEDO (>8% and greater than placebo) in a controlled clinical study in patients with Huntingtons disease were somnolence, diarrhea, dry mouth, and fatigue. The most common adverse reactions for AUSTEDO (4% and greater than placebo) in controlled clinical studies in patients with tardive dyskinesia were nasopharyngitis and insomnia.

Please see accompanying full Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warning.

About Teva

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NYSE and TASE: TEVA) has been developing and producing medicines to improve peoples lives for more than a century. We are a global leader in generic and specialty medicines with a portfolio consisting of over 3,500 products in nearly every therapeutic area. Around 200 million people around the world take a Teva medicine every day, and are served by one of the largest and most complex supply chains in the pharmaceutical industry. Along with our established presence in generics, we have significant innovative research and operations supporting our growing portfolio of specialty and biopharmaceutical products. Learn more at http://www.tevapharm.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding AJOVY and AUSTEDO, which are based on managements current beliefs and expectations and are subject to substantial risks and uncertainties, both known and unknown, that could cause our future results, performance or achievements to differ significantly from that expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Important factors that could cause or contribute to such differences include risks relating to:

and other factors discussed in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, including in the sections captioned "Risk Factors and Forward Looking Statements. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made, and we assume no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements or other information contained herein, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. You are cautioned not to put undue reliance on these forward-looking statements.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200501005015/en/

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New Data For Teva AJOVY (fremanezumab-vfrm) Injection and AUSTEDO (deutetrabenazine) Tablets Included in Neurology - BioSpace

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Reblozyl (luspatercept) Receives Positive CHMP Opinion for the Treatment of Adults with Anemia in Beta Thalassemia and Myelodysplastic Syndromes |…

Posted: at 3:52 pm

DetailsCategory: AntibodiesPublished on Friday, 01 May 2020 15:04Hits: 156

Recommendation for approval based on results from pivotal Phase 3 MEDALIST and BELIEVE studies

PRINCETON, NJ & CAMBRIDGE, MA, USA I April 30, 2020 IBristol Myers Squibb (NYSE: BMY) and Acceleron Pharma Inc. (NASDAQ: XLRN) today announced that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency has issued a positive opinion, recommending the approval of Reblozyl (luspatercept) for the treatment of:

This CHMP recommendation will now be reviewed by the European Commission (EC), which has the authority to approve medicines for the European Union (EU). If approved, Reblozyl would be the first erythroid maturation agent approved in the EU, representing a new class of therapy for eligible patients. The safety and efficacy results provided in the application are from the pivotal Phase 3 MEDALIST and BELIEVE studies, evaluating the ability of Reblozyl to effectively address anemia associated with MDS and beta thalassemia, respectively.

"Patients with myelodysplastic syndromes who experience anemia have limited treatment options, and some have been shown to not respond to available erythropoietin-based therapies," said Uwe Platzbecker, M.D., Head of Clinic and Policlinic for Hematology and Cell Therapy, Leipzig University Hospital and lead investigator of the MEDALIST study. If approved, the introduction of a new class of therapy in Reblozyl could provide a promising option to help relieve patients from the burden of regular transfusions to manage their disease.

Todays positive CHMP opinion of Reblozyl is an important milestone for adult beta thalassemia patients in the EU who have limited treatment options to address anemia, a serious consequence of the disease, said Maria Domenica Cappellini, M.D., Professor of Medicine, University of Milan, Fondazione IRCCS Ca Granda and lead investigator of the BELIEVE study. Reblozyl has the potential to significantly decrease the number of red blood cell transfusions patients need.

This decision by the CHMP is an important step towards making this first-in-class therapy an option for eligible patients with anemia due to beta thalassemia or myelodysplastic syndromes, said Diane McDowell, M.D., vice president, Hematology Global Medical Affairs, Bristol Myers Squibb. We, and our partners at Acceleron, look forward to the opportunity to make this treatment option available in the EU and are extremely appreciative of the patients, families and individuals who continue to help us progress important research in a range of serious diseases.

About MEDALIST

MEDALIST is a Phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center study evaluating the safety and efficacy of luspatercept plus best supportive care (BSC) versus placebo plus BSC in adults with IPSS-R-defined very low-, low- or intermediate-risk non-del(5q) myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS). All patients were red blood cell (RBC) transfusion-dependent and were either refractory or intolerant to prior erythropoiesis stimulating agent (ESA) therapy, or were ESA nave and unlikely to respond due to endogenous serum erythropoietin levels of 200 U/L, and had no prior treatment with disease modifying agents. Results of the MEDALIST trial were first presented during the Plenary Session of the 2018 American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting and were selected for the Best of ASH. The New England Journal of Medicine published the MEDALIST trial results in January 2020.

About MDS

MDS are a group of closely related blood cancers characterized by ineffective production of healthy red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets, which can lead to anemia and frequent or severe infections. People with MDS who develop anemia often require regular blood transfusions to increase the number of healthy red blood cells in circulation. Frequent transfusions are associated with an increased risk of iron overload, transfusion reactions and infections. There are approximately 50,000 patients with MDS in the EU5 countries.

About BELIEVE

BELIEVE is a Phase 3, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled multi-center study comparing luspatercept plus BSC versus placebo plus BSC in adults who require regular RBC transfusions (6-20 RBC units per 24 weeks with no transfusion-free period greater than 35 days during that period) due to beta thalassemia. Results of the BELIEVE trial were first presented at the 2018 ASH Annual Meeting and selected for the Best of ASH. The New England Journal of Medicine published the BELIEVE trial results in March 2020.

About Beta Thalassemia

Beta thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder caused by a genetic defect in hemoglobin. The disease is associated with ineffective erythropoiesis, which results in the production of fewer and less healthy RBCs, often leading to severe anemia a condition that can be debilitating and can lead to more severe complications for patients as well as other serious health issues. Treatment options for anemia associated with beta thalassemia are limited, consisting mainly of frequent RBC transfusions that have the potential to contribute to iron overload, which can cause serious complications such as organ damage. Across the United States, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, there are approximately 17,000 patients with beta thalassemia.

About Reblozyl

Reblozyl (luspatercept-aamt), a first-in-class erythroid maturation agent, promotes late-stage red blood cell maturation in animal models. Bristol Myers Squibb and Acceleron are jointly developing Reblozyl as part of a global collaboration. Reblozyl is currently approved in the U.S. for the treatment of:

Reblozyl is not indicated for use as a substitute for red blood cell transfusions in patients who require immediate correction of anemia.

Please see full Prescribing Information for REBLOZYL

Bristol Myers Squibb: Advancing Cancer Research

At Bristol Myers Squibb, patients are at the center of everything we do. The goal of our cancer research is to increase patients quality of life, long-term survival and make cure a possibility. We harness our deep scientific experience, cutting-edge technologies and discovery platforms to discover, develop and deliver novel treatments for patients.

Building upon our transformative work and legacy in hematology and Immuno-Oncology that has changed survival expectations for many cancers, our researchers are advancing a deep and diverse pipeline across multiple modalities. In the field of immune cell therapy, this includes registrational chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell agents for numerous diseases, and a growing early-stage pipeline that expands cell and gene therapy targets, and technologies. We are developing cancer treatments directed at key biological pathways using our protein homeostasis platform, a research capability that has been the basis of our approved therapies for multiple myeloma and several promising compounds in early to mid-stage development. Our scientists are targeting different immune system pathways to address interactions between tumors, the microenvironment and the immune system to further expand upon the progress we have made and help more patients respond to treatment. Combining these approaches is key to delivering new options for the treatment of cancer and addressing the growing issue of resistance to immunotherapy. We source innovation internally, and in collaboration with academia, government, advocacy groups and biotechnology companies, to help make the promise of transformational medicines a reality for patients.

About Bristol Myers Squibb

Bristol Myers Squibb is a global biopharmaceutical company whose mission is to discover, develop and deliver innovative medicines that help patients prevail over serious diseases. For more information about Bristol Myers Squibb, visit us at BMS.com or follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram.

Celgene and Juno Therapeutics are wholly owned subsidiaries of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. In certain countries outside the U.S., due to local laws, Celgene and Juno Therapeutics are referred to as, Celgene, a Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and Juno Therapeutics, a Bristol-Myers Squibb Company.

About Acceleron

Acceleron is a biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development, and commercialization of therapeutics to treat serious and rare diseases. The Company's leadership in the understanding of TGF-beta superfamily biology and protein engineering generates innovative compounds that engage the body's ability to regulate cellular growth and repair.

Acceleron focuses its research and development efforts in hematologic and pulmonary diseases. In hematology, Acceleron and its global collaboration partner, Bristol Myers Squibb, are co-promoting REBLOZYL (luspatercept-aamt), the first and only approved erythroid maturation agent, in the United States and are developing luspatercept for the treatment of chronic anemia in myelofibrosis. Acceleron is developing sotatercept for the treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension, having recently reported positive topline results of the Phase 2 PULSAR trial and actively enrolling patients in the Phase 2 SPECTRA trial.

For more information, please visit http://www.acceleronpharma.com. Follow Acceleron on Social Media: @AcceleronPharma and LinkedIn.

SOURCE: Bristol-Myers Squibb

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Reblozyl (luspatercept) Receives Positive CHMP Opinion for the Treatment of Adults with Anemia in Beta Thalassemia and Myelodysplastic Syndromes |...

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Boxed in by Social Distancing, an Endlessly Inventive Theater Festival Powers on Online – Texas Monthly

Posted: April 30, 2020 at 7:53 pm

When I think back on the most thrilling experiences of my life as theatergoer, an inordinate number can be traced to a common source: Austins Fusebox Festival. For those who have never attended Fusebox, its hard to succinctly describe whats so special about the annual five-day, multivenue gathering of theater and dance creators from around the world. A given day might include a robotics-based dance piece, an opera cobbled together out of Lionel Richie songs, a heartfelt monologue based on snippets of home videos, a choral reading of the sexual biographies of a half-dozen elderly volunteers, a sunset orchestral performance atop a Highland Lakes dam, and a late-night dance party where drag meets hip-hop meets elaborate trans-human costumes.

At its best, Fusebox is an ongoing inquiry into the furthest and deepest possibilities of live artistic performance. So what happens when, thanks to COVID-19, in-person experiences of all sorts are suddenly against the rules? That was the rather depressing question last Friday, when Fusebox executive and artistic director Ron Berry took to the internet, broadcasting from his home to Facebook, YouTube, and other platforms to introduce a shrunken and virtual edition of Fusebox Festival 2020.

Berry began his opening toast by referencing the wave of cancellations that waylaid Austins cultural sector beginning in early March with South by Southwest. We felt like we were in a position to respond creatively, and there was meaning in that, Berry said. That wave of cancellations did not have to totally define us. We felt like, Hey, we still have our imaginations, and our imaginations have a role to play right now.

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A typical Fusebox Festival, according to associate artistic director and curator Anna Gallagher-Ross, takes two years to program and develop. This virtual version was thrown together in just four weeks, both to meet the moment Berry described and to provide a much-needed platform and paid gig for artists. I can attest that the virtual festival felt just as necessary as an audience member, providing a welcome change after weeks stuck at home with Netflix and other prerecorded fare.

The virtual festival was conceived and presented as a riff on public-access TV, with a single-channel stream featuring a few dozen consecutive virtual performances over the course of three days. A few of these shows felt pitch-perfect for the current social distancing moment, speaking to our cloistered and anxious lives under COVID-19 shutdown. For instance, Alexa Caparedas solo piece Alexa featured the performer, a ballet master, as an embodiment of the Amazon artificial intelligence of the same name. Wearing a futuristic gray skullcap, black clothing, and blue lipstick, Capareda acted the automaton as audience members were invited to ask her questions and give her instructions, with results ranging from Swiffer the floor with your head to Dance the dying swan. Flitting around a too-small enclosure, performing lonely physical acts both absurd and sublime, Capareda spoke not only to the undertone of captivity in the voice of technology circa 2020, but also to our present digitally abetted confinement.

A small number of festival performances took place on Zoom and other platforms according to the interactive needs of the piece. Perhaps the most topical such performance was Erica Nixs Sweet Dreams. This Zoom experience offered participants the chance to fall asleep while quietly gazing into each others eyes. Most of those who signed on were single people sheltering alone. There was something so sweet and honest about staring at complete strangers in bed, Gallagher-Ross wrote in an email afterward. It kind of felt like everyone needed a little human contact and a hug, and this felt close to that.

Other pandemic-themed artworks were more lighthearted. In Fuseboxs take on a cooking show, chef Fiore Tedesco of Austin restaurant LOca dOro offered LETS MAKE MEATLOAF! : An Existential Crisis and Tutorial. Tedesco, better known for his culinary creations for refined palates, appeared onscreen in his bathrobe to instruct the locked-down masses in how to make a rustic yet delightful lump of cheesy baked meat.

Despite these and other inspiringly creative responses to the shutdown, there was no escaping a sense of loss around this virtual Fuseboxin particular, the important stage shows that proved too challenging to adapt into virtual space. One such sorely missed production was Is This a Room, a docudrama by Tina Satter drawn from a verbatim transcript of the FBI interrogation of former U.S. intelligence contractor Reality Winner. Winner, who grew up in Kingsville, was arrested in 2017 after leaking an intelligence report about Russian interference in the 2016 election. Satter, Winners mother Billie Winner-Davis, and Winners attorney joined the virtual edition of Fusebox for a discussion of the case, though Texas audiences will sadly have to wait to catch the play, which earned rave reviews in New York. Its a missed opportunity. Winner-Davis clearly hoped that the plays Texas debut could galvanize local activism on behalf of her daughter, who remains incarcerated in the longest-ever sentence for a government leaker.

Two of the best performances of the weekendSongs at the End of the World, by Dutch collective Wunderbaum, and NO BOUNDARIES: The Journey to Embody and Archive the Visions of Contemporary Black Choreographers by Gesel Mason Performance Projectshad been filmed from staged productions mounted in the pre-COVID-19 era. These professionally shot and edited videos might not have looked out of place on PBS. The fact that these two entries in the virtual Fusebox lineup stood out so much only underlined the limitations of performances made from home during the shutdown, such as grainy cameras, bad lighting, and a lack of audience reactions. As lip-synch artist Dickie Beau put it in his livestreamed-from-home festival workshop, As many of you are awareif indeed anyone is watchingits so strange to have no feedback.

Some of the most poignant moments of the virtual Fusebox Festival came at moments like that one, when performers stopped trying to put on a show and instead simply bared their souls about the present predicament. Playwright, performer, and erstwhile Austinite Daniel Alexander Jones brought to the festival a live solo reading of his in-progress play about the quasi-friendship between first lady Mary Todd Lincoln and her formerly enslaved dressmaker, Elizabeth Keckleyan intriguing project. But what stuck with me most, and what might finally sum up the ethos of this strange and compelling virtual festival, is something Jones said during a livestreamed, impromptu conversation on the topic of theater artists mourning canceled projects and closed venues.

I grew up on a street where people sang as they were walking down the street, cause they had to sing it, and there was a transmission in that, Jones said. Im not minimizing the loss of income and the loss of opportunity and the tremendous grief that people are feeling But I am saying: We are in an urgent time. It was already urgent, and now its more urgent, and things are falling apart. And so, am I gonna wait for those things to return which may not return? Or am I gonna sing on the street?

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Futurism | Definition, Manifesto, Artists, & Facts …

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Futurism, Italian Futurismo, Russian Futurizm, early 20th-century artistic movement centred in Italy that emphasized the dynamism, speed, energy, and power of the machine and the vitality, change, and restlessness of modern life. During the second decade of the 20th century, the movements influence radiated outward across most of Europe, most significantly to the Russian avant-garde. The most-significant results of the movement were in the visual arts and poetry.

Futurism was first announced on February 20, 1909, when the Paris newspaper Le Figaro published a manifesto by the Italian poet and editor Filippo Tommaso Marinetti. Marinetti coined the word Futurism to reflect his goal of discarding the art of the past and celebrating change, originality, and innovation in culture and society. Marinettis manifesto glorified the new technology of the automobile and the beauty of its speed, power, and movement. Exalting violence and conflict, he called for the sweeping repudiation of traditional values and the destruction of cultural institutions such as museums and libraries. The manifestos rhetoric was passionately bombastic; its aggressive tone was purposely intended to inspire public anger and arouse controversy.

Marinettis manifesto inspired a group of young painters in Milan to apply Futurist ideas to the visual arts. Umberto Boccioni, Carlo Carr, Luigi Russolo, Giacomo Balla, and Gino Severini published several manifestos on painting in 1910. Like Marinetti, they glorified originality and expressed their disdain for inherited artistic traditions.

Although they were not yet working in what was to become the Futurist style, the group called for artists to have an emotional involvement in the dynamics of modern life. They wanted to depict visually the perception of movement, speed, and change. To achieve this, the Futurist painters adopted the Cubist technique of using fragmented and intersecting plane surfaces and outlines to show several simultaneous views of an object. But the Futurists additionally sought to portray the objects movement, so their works typically include rhythmic spatial repetitions of an objects outlines during transit. The effect resembles multiple photographic exposures of a moving object. An example is Ballas painting Dynamism of a Dog on a Leash (1912), in which a trotting dachshunds legs are depicted as a blur of multiple images. The Futurist paintings differed from Cubist work in other important ways. While the Cubists favoured still life and portraiture, the Futurists preferred subjects such as speeding automobiles and trains, racing cyclists, dancers, animals, and urban crowds. Futurist paintings have brighter and more vibrant colours than Cubist works, and they reveal dynamic, agitated compositions in which rhythmically swirling forms reach crescendos of violent movement.

Boccioni also became interested in sculpture, publishing a manifesto on the subject in the spring of 1912. He is considered to have most fully realized his theories in two sculptures, Development of a Bottle in Space (1912), in which he represented both the inner and outer contours of a bottle, and Unique Forms of Continuity in Space (1913), in which a human figure is not portrayed as one solid form but is instead composed of the multiple planes in space through which the figure moves.

Futurist principles extended to architecture as well. Antonio SantElia formulated a Futurist manifesto on architecture in 1914. His visionary drawings of highly mechanized cities and boldly modern skyscrapers prefigure some of the most imaginative 20th-century architectural planning.

Boccioni, who had been the most-talented artist in the group, and SantElia both died during military service in 1916. Boccionis death, combined with expansion of the groups personnel and the sobering realities of the devastation caused by World War I, effectively brought an end to the Futurist movement as an important historical force in the visual arts.

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7 Top Futurists Make Some Pretty Surprising Predictions …

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From smartphone apps that can do seemingly everything to driverless cars and eerily humanlike robots, the past decade has seen dramatic advances in science and technology. What amazing advances are we likely to see in the next 10 years?

To find out, HuffPost Science reached out to seven top futurists -- and they gave us some pretty surprising predictions. Keep reading to learn more.

Dr. Michio Kaku, professor of theoretical physics at the City University of New York and author of "The Future of the Mind:"

"In the next 10 years, we will see the gradual transition from an Internet to a brain-net, in which thoughts, emotions, feelings, and memories might be transmitted instantly across the planet.

Scientists can now hook the brain to a computer and begin to decode some of our memories and thoughts. This might eventually revolutionize communication and even entertainment. The movies of the future will be able to convey emotions and feelings, not just images on a silver screen. (Teenagers will go crazy on social media, sending memories and sensations from their senior prom, their first date, etc.). Historians and writers will be able to record events not just digitally, but also emotionally as well.

Perhaps even tensions between people will diminish, as people begin to feel and experience the pain of others."

Dr. Ray Kurzweil, inventor, pioneering computer scientist, and director of engineering at Google:

"By 2025, 3D printers will print clothing at very low cost. There will be many free open source designs, but people will still spend money to download clothing files from the latest hot designer just as people spend money today for eBooks, music and movies despite all of the free material available. 3D printers will print human organs using modified stem cells with the patient's own DNA providing an inexhaustible supply of organs and no rejection issues. We will be also able to repair damaged organs with reprogrammed stem cells, for example a heart damaged from a heart attack. 3D printers will print inexpensive modules to snap together a house or an office building, lego style.

We will spend considerable time in virtual and augmented realities allowing us to visit with each other even if hundreds of miles apart. We'll even be able to touch each other.

We will spend considerable time in virtual and augmented realities allowing us to visit with each other even if hundreds of miles apart. We'll even be able to touch each other. Some of the 'people' we visit with in these new realities will be avatars. They will be compelling but not quite human level by 2025 -- that will take to the 2030s. We will be able to reprogram human biology away from many diseases and aging processes, for example deactivating cancer stem cells that are the true source of cancer, or retard the progression of atherosclerosis, the cause of heart disease.

We will be able to create avatars of people who have passed away from all of the information they have left behind (their emails and other documents, images, videos, interviews with people who remember them). These will be compelling but not fully realistic, not until the mid 2030s, so some people will find this 'replicant' technology to be in the 'uncanny valley,' that is, disconcerting."

Dr. Anne Lise Kjaer, founder of London-based trend forecasting agency Kjaer Global:

"The World Health Organization predicts that chronic diseases will account for almost three-quarters of all deaths worldwide by 2020, so the evolution of M-Health (mobile diagnostics, bio-feedback and personal monitoring) is set to revolutionize treatment of conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Apps designed by medical professionals will provide efficient real-time feedback, tackle chronic conditions at a much earlier stage, and help to improve the lifestyles and life outcomes of communities in the developed and developing world.

This improvement to our physical well-being is exciting, but what excites me even more is the parallel development of apps that meet our under-served mental health needs."

Dr. James Canton, CEO of the San Francisco-based Institute for Global Futures and author of "Future Smart: Managing the Game-Changing Trends that will Transform Your World:"

"Wearable mobile devices will blanket the world. By 2025, there will be a massive Internet of everyone and everything linking every nation, community, company and person to all of the world's knowledge. This will accelerate real-time access to education, health care, jobs, entertainment and commerce...

Humans and robots merge, digitally and physically, to treat patients who may be around the world. Robo-surgeons will operate remotely on patients. RoboDocs will deliver babies and treat you over the cellphone.

Artificial intelligence becomes both as smart as and smarter than humans. AI will be embedded in autos, robots, homes and hospitals will create the AI economy. Humans and robots merge, digitally and physically, to treat patients who may be around the world. Robo-surgeons will operate remotely on patients. RoboDocs will deliver babies and treat you over the cellphone.

Predictive medicine transforms health care. Early diagnosis of disease with medical devices that sniff our breath, and free DNA sequencing that predicts our future health will be common. Personalized genetic medicine will prevent disease, saving lives and billions in lost productivity... The next generation Bitcoin will replace traditional hard money, creating a new paradigm for digital commerce and business that will create a legitimate new economy."

Jason Silva, host of National Geographic Channel's "Brain Games:"

"The on-demand revolution will become the on-demand world, where biological software upgrades, personalized medicine, artificially intelligent assistants will increasingly transform healthcare and well-being. Additionally, increased automation will continue to make our day-to-day lives infinitely richer. Self-driving cars will be ubiquitous, transportation itself will be automatic, clean, and cheap. We will move into a world in which access trumps ownership and the world is at our fingertips."

Dr. Amy Zalman, CEO & president of the World Future Society:

"Researchers now have at their disposal increasingly acute ways of looking into our brains and bodies to understand our attitudes and behavior. A few years ago, Harvard researchers showed that leaders actually have less stress, not more, than non-leaders... At Ben-Gurion University, a study of judges showed that they handed out stricter judgements before lunch -- when they were hungriest.

I find the potential application of these kinds of insights awe-inspiring. A more accurate understanding of how we humans function -- how we trust, cooperate and learn but also fight and hate -- is a tool that public policy-makers and we citizens can use to build better governance and better futures."

Mark Stevenson, author of "An Optimist's Tour of the Future:"

"The technologies arent the most important bit -- although they are super cool. Its what society does with them, and right now its institutional change thats the sticking point. What you really want to look at, in my opinion, is new ways of organizing ourselves. So, my next book covers, for instance, the renewables revolution in a small Austrian town, open source drug discovery in India, patient networks like PatientsLikeMe and schools that are throwing out the curriculum in order to get on with some actual learning."

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The White House Is Trying to Shut Down NASA’s Last Mars Rover – Futurism

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Pack It Up

U.S. President Trumps proposed 2021 budget could spell doom for the countrys Mars exploration missions, including its last Mars rover.

Its an unusual move for a President who has repeatedly urged NASA to send a crewed mission to Mars and even offered the space agency unlimited funding to do so.

But the proposed budget cuts would debilitate several ongoing missions, Scientific American reports, and would even mean shutting down the iconic rover Curiosity, which has been exploring Mars since 2012.

Many scientists responded to the budget with dismay. NASA Planetary Science Division director Lori Glaze,however, took a pragmatic view.

Last year required many difficult decisions: invest in the future, continue what weve been doing or find some balance in between, Glaze told SciAm. All strong organizations do this. Mars exploration is no different.

But other experts are more cynical. George Washington University space historian and policy researcher John Logsdon told SciAm that the budget cuts were meant to punish NASA for going over budget on its Perseverence mission, which will attempt to land a new rover on Mars in 2021 and eventually return soil samples to Earth.

It would be really shortsighted if that penalty undercut the growing momentum toward finally moving forward on a Mars Sample Return effort, Logsdon told SciAm. There has to be a better way of enforcing cost control on NASAs science efforts without jeopardizing their reason for existence.

READ MORE: Mars Needs Money: White House Budget Could Prompt Retreat from Red Planet [Scientific American]

More on Trump and Mars: Trump Offered NASA an Unlimited Budget it it Sent Humans to Mars

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Free DNA Test Claims to Warn Whether COVID Is Likely to Kill You – Futurism

Posted: at 7:49 pm

You know that file you got from Ancestry or 23andMe that contains a digital copy of your entire genetic code? Imagine that you upload it to a site, and five minutes later it spits out a report. Bad news it says your risk from the coronavirus is a glaring red HIGHER, meaning that according to a potpourri of genetic markers, youre more likely to have a severe, potentially deadly case of COVID-19.

Thats the idea behind a free genetic analysis offered by Sequencing.com, a genetic testing company thats offering personalized, DNA-based coronavirus warnings.

A person who looks to be low risk on a non-genetic level or seems like they could be pretty okay if they get COVID-19, we know that their genes are putting them on the path to a more severe disease, Sequencing CEO and clinical geneticist Brandon Colby told Futurism.

One of the major challenges of the coronavirus pandemic has been identifying whos at a greater risk for a disease that remains difficult to treat. At first, the outbreak seemed to be most dangerous for the elderly or people with underlying health conditions. But over time, more reports emerged of younger, healthier people coming down with severe and sometimes fatal cases.

Colbys goal is to personalize coronavirus testing by providing reports catered specifically to a individuals genetic code. With that, the screenings could bring to light warnings signs that might have previously flown under the radar for patients who otherwise seem healthy.

Colby told Futurism that he hopes the reports will convince people with high genetic risk factors to exercise greater caution. And if they do start to feel sick, he says, the report could spur them to seek treatment immediately.

That person may have genes that put them at high risk, and thats really the power of this report, Colby told Futurism. Without this report, that would have been a major question.

While clinical trials about how to best treat COVID-19 are only beginning to emerge, geneticists have already learned much about the structure, genetic code, and biological mechanisms of the virus that causes it, SARS-CoV-2. Colby and his team used that research to develop their predictive reports.

Because SARS-CoV-2 is so genetically similar to SARS-CoV-1, the coronavirus that causes SARS, the Sequencing team also pulled from the far more expansive body of research on that virus as well, since the same genes seem to be linked to a greater risk of infection and more severe symptoms of both diseases.

This research is still preliminary and this analysis is based on preliminary genetic associations, Colby said. If the pandemic was not such a crisis, then this would be something that we would want more research to come out upon. We would probably put this up there in a beta format, and that would be very clear.

But due to the crisis, the urgency, we are utilizing these preliminary studies and making sure that people understand that these are preliminary, he added. Were utilizing what information we currently have available to make it useful at a time when its needed.

Supplementing their research with existing studies on the SARS virus may make for a more robust tool, but genetic experts werent entirely convinced by the idea of an online genetic test for COVID risk.

I think the key here is that there are both genetic and environmental factors that contribute to an individuals personal susceptibility, Boston University geneticist Shoumita Dasgupta, whos unaffiliated with Sequencing, told Futurism. We know this from other pathogens as well. Neither one alone will be enough to be completely protective, but the combination of public health measures and biomedical research on genetic risk factors can together help us navigate our way out of this situation.

Genetics rarely gives you a 100 percent foolproof predictive ability, Dasgupta added.

Certainly, comparative genomics can give insight from how genes work in other systems, but since viruses evolve quickly, its possible that those components may work together slightly differently in the novel coronavirus, Dasgupta added.

Because genes cant possibly tell the whole story, Sequencings report also weighs non-genetic risk factors, like age, smoking habits, and existing medical conditions, which Dasgupta described as a good start. Colby told Futurism that even more environmental factors, like stress, will be included in a major update to the reports expected to go live on Friday.

Colby said that his team will add new findings as they encounter them, making the reports more accurate and robust. Anyone who got a genetic profile from Sequencing might get a notification in the future that their report has changed as new research comes in, especially after that new update.

Even with the knowledge that these reports are based on preliminary findings and could change just as the pandemic continues to change and surprise us, Colby hopes that the personalized reports and warnings will inspire people to better protect themselves.

If you dont know that youre at very high risk, you think, Hey Im 30 years old, I dont have any health problems, I dont smoke, Im gonna go shopping today. Im gonna go outside and potentially expose myself, that decision may be altered once you go and see these reports, Colby said.

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New Zealand Claims to Have Eliminated COVID-19 – Futurism

Posted: at 7:49 pm

On Monday, the Prime Minister of New Zealand declared that the country had successfully eliminated the coronavirus among its residents.

If the claim holds up, that would be a remarkable success story though, in reality, there are several technicalities about what it means to have eliminated the countrys outbreak.

Chief among them is that there are still new cases of COVID-19 being identified and reported in New Zealand, health officials said at a press conference attended by CNN. But because those new cases remain in the single digits, the countrys leaders are still calling it a job well done.

Ashley Bloomfield, New Zealands Director General of Health, said at the conference that the small number of new infections does give us confidence that weve achieved our goal of elimination, which that never meant zero but it does mean we know where our cases are coming from.

Our goal is elimination, Bloomfield added. And again, that doesnt mean eradication but it means we get down to a small number of cases so that we are able to stamp out any cases and any outbreak that might come out.

Of course, that could change, as experts suggest that countries that previously got a handle on their coronavirus outbreaks could expect a second wave in the future.

So as we have said elimination means we may well reach zero but we may well then have small numbers of cases coming up again, that doesnt mean we have failed, New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said at the conference. It just means that we are in the position to have that zero-tolerance approach to have a very aggressive management of those cases and keep those numbers low and fading out again.

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The Laws of Physics May Break Down at the Edge of the Universe – Futurism

Posted: at 7:49 pm

Bending Rules

A controversial new study suggests that it may be possible to bend the laws of the universe but just a little bit.

Scientists at the University of New South Wales found what seem to be discrepancies in whats called the fine structure constant, a number thats thought to remain perfectly unchanging and describes how subatomic particles interact with each other. Its a bold claim, but if it holds up it would fundamentally alter our understanding of the universe.

The fine structure constant describes the force that influences subatomic particles with electrical charge, like how protons and electrons within an atom are drawn to one another. The study, published Friday in the journal Science Advances, found that the number seemed to change when they analyzed extremely distant quasars but only when they looked in certain directions, meaning that the laws of physics may break down at the edges of the universe.

And it seems to be supporting this idea that there could be a directionality in the universe, University of New South Wales physicist John Webb said in a press release, which is very weird indeed.

As it stands right now, our models for the universe assume that it expands outward in all directions like an ever-growing blob of galaxies and other starstuff. If this new study is correct, however, it instead presents a universe with a dipole structure, not unlike the North and South poles of a magnet.

Because its such a bold finding, even Webb himself isnt convinced by his own work but argues that its definitely worth exploring with more and better measurements.

READ MORE: New findings suggest laws of nature downright weird, not as constant as previously thought [University of New South Wales]

More on physics: New Theory Could Solve Universes Biggest Paradox

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