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The first installment of a documentary called Plandemic stormed through social media this week, promising viewers on its website that the film will expose the scientific and political elite who run the scam that is our global health system. The video appeared across platforms, with individual uploads each garnering hundreds of thousands of views.

But the viral video, running nearly 26 minutes, weaves a grand conspiracy theory by using a host of false and misleading claims about the novel coronavirus pandemic andits origins, vaccines, treatments for COVID-19, and more.

The video is largely an interview with Judy Mikovits, a former chronic fatigue researcher who has lobbed a number of accusations against National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Dr. Anthony Fauci. Mikovits was an author on a controversial 2009 study linking a retrovirus to chronic fatigue syndrome that was published in the journal Science, and then retracted in late 2011 after labs were unable to replicate the results and other issues were brought to light.

That same year, in September 2011, Mikovits was fired from her position as research director at the Whittemore Peterson Institute in Nevada and arrested two months later after the institute alleged she stole a laptop, flash drives and other property with institute information. While Mikovits claims in the documentary that she was held in jail despite being charged with nothing, a criminal complaint from November 2011 shows she was charged with two felonies related to the stolen property. The charges were later dropped.

What followed was a years-long legal battle in which Whittemore won a civil judgment against Mikovits; Mikovits filed for bankruptcy; and Mikovits alleged that Whittemore defrauded the government by misusing federally funded research materials. The latter case was dismissed this year.

Mikovits recently co-authored a book with self-described anti-vaxxerKent Heckenlively, with a forward by vaccine skeptic Robert Kennedy Jr., and has spoken at events aimed at discrediting vaccines.

In the video, she claims, And they will kill millions as they already have with their vaccines. Its unclear what vaccines shes referring to, but vaccines have been credited with saving millions of lives. For instance, according to one estimate by researchers with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization, the measles vaccine has saved more than 20 million lives across the globe from 2000 to 2016 alone.

In the sections below, we break down eight of the false, misleading and unfounded claims aired in Plandemic.

The first part of the video focuses largely on two sweeping, but unrelated, accusations against Fauci, who also has been a fixture at the White House briefings on COVID-19.

Without offering any evidence, the video claims that Fauci was part of a cover-up and that he worked with other doctors to take credit and make money on the AIDS epidemic.

Filmmaker Mikki Willis sets the tone for this section of the video, saying to Mikovits, So Anthony Fauci, the man who is heading the pandemic task force, was involved in a cover-up. Willis, a former model, has a large following on YouTube, where he has previously claimed the novel coronavirus was intentionally released.

He directed the cover-up, Mikovits says. And, in fact, everybody else was paid off, and paid off big time.

But at no point in the video does anyone explain what Fauci supposedly covered up.

We asked Mikovits in a phone interview to explain. She said it was a reference to her 2009research paperthat was laterretracted. Mikovits holds Fauci responsible and claims it was part of a cover-up on the part of the medical establishment to keep hidden her research linking a mouse retrovirus to chronic fatigue syndrome. In the years since the research was first published, Mikovits has expanded its reach, suggesting that it could apply also to prostate cancer, lymphoma, and autism.

The NIAID funded Mikovits initial research related to chronic fatigue syndrome, and, after she was fired, another researcher at Whittemore was awarded the remaining grant money. But there is no evidence that Fauci, personally, had anything to do with it. And the journal that published the paper made no mention of Fauci in its retraction. Rather, it explained it was fully retracting the paper because the results couldnt be replicated, even in the same lab, and there is evidence of poor quality control in a number of specific experiments in the Report.

As for the claim about the AIDS epidemic,that goes back much further. In the early 1980s, Mikovits was working as a technician at the National Cancer Institute. She claimsthat the lab she was in had identified the HIV virus from blood and saliva samples and prepared a paper detailing those findings that was slated for publication.

But, she says in the video, referencing one of the pioneers of AIDS research, Dr. Robert Gallo,Fauci holds up the paper for several months, while Robert Gallo writes his own paper and takes all the credit.

Mikovits could not provide the name of her labs paper or the journal that was going to publish it when we spoke to her, so we couldnt check on that. But heres what we do know about the timeline for AIDS research in the early 1980s:

1981 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published an article in its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report describing a rare lung infection in five young gay men in Los Angeles. Fauci would later recall seeing that article, saying in a 2011 interview, I remember putting the issue to the side of my desk, thinking, Wow, what a bizarre curiosity. One month later, in July, a second MMWR report came to my desk, and this time, an additional 26 men had it, again all gay, all seemingly healthy, and not only in LA, but now also in San Francisco and New York City. I remember reading it very clearly. It was the first time in my medical career I actually got goose pimples. I knew something was very wrong. It changed the direction of my career.

1982 The CDC used the term AIDS, Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, for the first time.

1983 A group of French researchers identified the virus now known as HIV. Twenty-five years later, Franoise Barr-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier were awarded the Nobel Prize for that discovery.

1984 A team led by Gallo at the National Cancer Institute published research showing that HIV causes AIDS.

Beyond the unsupported claim that Fauci who didnt become the director of NIAID until 1984 stymied early AIDS research at the National Cancer Institute, Mikovits also claims that he has profited from the epidemic.

Referring vaguely to patents, Mikovits says in the video that Fauci was working with other researchers to take credit and make money on the AIDS epidemic. Its true that Faucis name appears on at least six patents related to AIDS research. But its less clear how much he has profited from them. In 2005, the Health and Human Services Department was criticized for not disclosing how much government scientists were collecting from patent royalties. At the time, Fauci expressed concern over the potential for the appearance of a conflict of interest and said that he donated all of his royalty money to charity.

Mikovits makes a claim that numerous scientists have refuted: that the novel coronavirus was manipulated in a laboratory and is not naturally occurring.

So its very clear this virus was manipulated, these, this family of viruses was manipulated and studied in a laboratory where the animals were taken into the laboratory, she says in the video. And this is what was released, whether deliberate or not, that cannot be naturally occurring. Somebody didnt go to a market, get a bat. The virus didnt jump directly to humans. Thats not how it works. Thats accelerated viral evolution. If it was a natural occurrence, it would take it up to 800 years to occur. This occurred from SARS-1 within a decade. That is not naturally occurring.

The exact origin of the coronavirus is not known, but scientists have said the genetic features of SARS-CoV-2 indicate it was neither created in a lab nor manipulated.

Our analyses clearly show that SARS-CoV-2 is not a laboratory construct or a purposefully manipulated virus, said an article published in Nature Medicine in March. Instead, the authors said its plausible that the coronavirus originated in one of two ways: natural selection in an animal host before zoonotic transfer, which refers to the spread of disease from animals to humans, or natural selection in humans following zoonotic transfer.

The authors said the possibility of an inadvertent laboratory release of SARS-CoV-2 cannot be ruled out, but they do not believe that any type of laboratory-based scenario is plausible because they had observed all notable SARS-CoV-2 features in related coronaviruses in nature.

In a statement in April, University of Sydney professor Edward Holmes, who was involved in mapping the genome of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, likewise said: Coronaviruses like SARS-CoV-2 are commonly found in wildlife species and frequently jump to new hosts. This is also the most likely explanation for the origin of SARS-CoV-2.

Holmes said there is unfounded speculation that a bat coronavirus named RaTG13, which was being kept at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, was the origin of the new coronavirus. But, he explained, that is not the case, for several reasons.

In summary, the abundance, diversity and evolution of coronaviruses in wildlife strongly suggests that this virus is of natural origin, Holmes said. He added that more sampling of other animals is needed to resolve the exact origins of SARS-CoV-2.

Mikovits also may give viewers a false impression when she says the novel coronavirus occurred from SARS-1, which is a different coronavirus that caused a global outbreak in 2003.

SARS-CoV, or severe acute respiratory syndrome, is similar but distinct from SARS-CoV-2. The viruses share about 79% of the same genetic make-up, but SARS-CoV-2 is even more closely related (96%) to the bat coronavirus from which Holmes has said SARS-CoV-2 wasnt derived.

Weve already written about a bogus analysis that suggested the new coronavirus could have leaked from a Chinese lab because a portion of its genome is similar to part of a viral vector that was used in previous research on SARS.

Kristian Andersen, the director of infectious disease genomics at the Scripps Research Translational Institute, told us in an email that analysis was completely wrong.

Also on the issue of the Wuhan lab, the video shows a clip claiming that $3.7 million flowed from the National Institutes of Health here in the U.S. to the Wuhan lab in China and that NIAID had already been conducting experiments with the Wuhan lab in the past in regard to coronavirus.

Thats misleading.

The project referenced, as other fact-checkers have previously reported, is actually funding from NIAID to EcoHealth Alliance, a U.S.-based nonprofit that researches emerging infectious diseases. The project was done to examine the risk of future coronavirus (CoV) emergence from wildlife using in-depth field investigations across the human-wildlife interface in China, in particular the risk posed by bats, according to a 2014 description.

NIH records show the project was awarded nearly $3.4 million altogether. Most of the funding was through a five-year grant awarded in 2014, Robert Kessler, an EcoHealth spokesman, said in an email to us. The group was renewed for a second five-year grant in 2019 and received $292,161 but NIH recently terminated the grant.

Of that money, only $600,000 (from the first grant) was given to the Wuhan Institute of Virology, Kessler said. The Wuhan lab was a collaborator that was pre-approved by NIH and the State Department, he added, and one that researchers used to conduct genetic analyses of the viruses.

In each of nearly 30 countries around the world where we work, we collaborate with local institutions, all of which are pre-approved by our federal funders, EcoHealth said in an April 28 statement about the terminated funding. Its been EcoHealth Alliances position for the past 15 years that coronaviruses present a clear and immediate threat to our safety. That seems clearer now than ever before.

The group said its research aimed to analyze the risk of coronavirus emergence and help in designing vaccines and drugs to protect us from COVID-19 and other coronavirus threats. In fact, genetic sequences of two bat coronaviruses that we discovered with this grant have been used as lab tools to test the breakthrough antiviral drug Remdesivir.

So its incorrect, and also lacks context, to claim NIAID gave $3.7 million to the Wuhan lab.

Mikovits falsely claims that if youve ever had a flu vaccine, you were injected with coronaviruses.

Shes wrong, Dr. Paul A. Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia, told us in a phone interview. Thats not true.

This person doesnt know what she is talking about, Dr. Lee Riley, professor and chair of the Division of Infectious Disease and Vaccinology at the University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health, told us in an email, adding, I think this person is just seeking publicity.

In an interview, we asked Mikovits what support she had for the claim, and she didnt provide any. She only said that flu vaccines are cultured in chicken eggs and dog kidney cells, and those animals have coronaviruses. Its an extreme leap to then claim animal strains of coronaviruses end up in vaccines tested and approved for people. Mikovits further said she attributes the spread of the novel coronavirus worldwide at least in part to the use of the flu vaccine.

As weve explained before, coronaviruses are a diverse family of viruses, and some, such as canine coronavirus, infect animals. Those arent the same as SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.

As for influenza vaccines, most are made using hens eggs, Offit explained, and about 10% of vaccines in the U.S. are cell-culture vaccines, which use mammalian cells instead of eggs. Specifically, the process uses Madin-Darby Canine Kidney, or MDCK, cells.

These lines have been around for a long time, Offit said. This is a well-tested cell line that does not contain coronavirus and would never be allowed to.

On its website, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more information on how egg-based and cell-based influenza vaccines are manufactured. A cell-based method that also used eggs at the beginning of the process received Food and Drug Administration approval in 2012, and a fully cell-based process got FDA approval in 2016.

The CDC notes that once vaccines are manufactured, FDA tests and approves the vaccines prior to release and shipment.

This cell-based technology has been used in other U.S. vaccines, including vaccines for rotavirus, polio, smallpox, hepatitis, rubella and chickenpox, the CDC says.

Mikovits also repeats the unsubstantiated claim that the flu vaccines increase the odds by 36% of getting COVID-19, which weve previously covered.

Experts say that there has been no study linking the flu shot to elevated risk for the novel coronavirus. The military study cited by Mikovits involved four types of seasonal coronaviruses thatcausecommon colds, not SARS-CoV-2.

More than that, the results in the study that indicate a flu-vaccinated person had an increased likelihood of testing positive for a seasonal coronavirus do not appear to be adjusted for age groups or seasons. Those factors could affect someones chances of getting a specific virus, regardless of whether or not theyve been vaccinated for the flu.

Multiple scientists have pointed out the same issue in other fact-checks, too, and have debunked the erroneous suggestion that the study looked at SARS-CoV-2.

The Military Health System told us in a statement that the study does not show or suggest that influenza vaccination predisposes in any way, the potential for infection with the more severe forms of coronavirus, such as COVID-19. MHS further said it remains essential for people to obtain the seasonal flu shot each year as it becomes available.

The video makes the unsubstantiated claim that the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine is the most effective medication to treat COVID-19, citing a survey of doctors.

Shortly after that, Mikovits says hydroxychloroquine is effective against these families of viruses, referring to the family of coronaviruses, such as COVID-19, but they keep it from the people.

We have covered this ground before when President Donald Trump encouraged the off-label use of chloroquineand its derivativehydroxychloroquine for treatment of COVID-19 patients. Both drugs are used to treat malaria, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

But there is only limited evidence that hydroxychloroquine is effective for COVID-19, and it carries potential health risks.

The National Institutes of Health says there is insufficient clinical data to recommend either for or against using chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of COVID-19.

Despite insufficient clinical data, the Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization, or EUA, order on March 28 that allowed for the drugs to be used as a treatment for some hospitalized COVID-19 patients.

A little less than a month later, the FDA issueda warning against using hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine for COVID-19 outside of the hospital setting or a clinical trial due to risk of heart rhythm problems. The warning came a few days after astudyfoundthat patients at Veterans Health Administration medical centers treated with hydroxychloroquine had an increased mortality risk compared with those that were not treated with the drug.

In the video, Mikovits says, The AMA was saying doctors will lose their license if they use hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malarial drug thats been on the list of essential medicine worldwide for 70 years. Dr. Fauci calls that anecdotal. Its not storytelling if we have thousands of pages of data saying its effective against these families of viruses. This is essential medicine and they keep it from the people.

Its not true that the American Medical Association told doctors they will lose their license if they use hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19. The AMA issued a statement saying it opposed purchasing excessive amounts of chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine for possible COVID-19 treatment. But it also said, Novel off-label use of FDA-approved medications is a matter for the physicians or other prescribers professional judgment.

As for hydroxychloroquines effectiveness against coronaviruses, we have written that at least two studies show that it has antiviral activity against the novel coronavirus in cells grown in the lab. But there is only anecdotal evidence that the drug works in people.

Trump cited in a tweet the results of a small clinical trial in France, but the International Society of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, which publishes the journal in which the study appeared, later issued a statement that said the article does not meet the Societys expected standard, especially relating to the lack of better explanations of the inclusion criteria and the triage of patients to ensure patient safety.

We cover this more extensively in our story Trump Hypes Potential COVID-19 Drugs, But Evidence So Far Is Slim.

In attacking public health measures taken to address the pandemic in the U.S., Mikovits wrongly suggests that using masks could lead to people infecting themselves with their own breath. Wearing the mask literally activates your own virus, Mikovits said. Youre getting sick from your own reactivated coronavirus expressions and if it happens to be SARS-CoV-2, then youve got a big problem.

Experts were perplexed by what she meant and said the implication that simply breathing through a mask could lead to self-infection doesnt square with science.

Linsey Marr, a professor of civil and environmental engineering at Virginia Tech who studies airborne disease transmission, told us: If youre shedding (breathing out) virus, then youre already infected. Even without a mask, infected people who are shedding virus probably rebreathe some of their own viruses, but there are already billions times more viruses in your body. Hopefully, the mask is protecting other people from your exhalations.

And Lisa Brosseau, an expert on respiratory protection and infectious diseases and a certified industrial hygienist, said in an email that viruses are not activated by anything, as Mikovits suggests.

Viruses instead require living cells in order to replicate, but their viability or ability to replicate isnt affected whether someone is wearing a mask or not, said Brosseau, a former professor at the University of Illinois at Chicago. If anything, viruses in the environment can be rendered non-viable by exposure to certain temperature and relative humidity conditions.

There is nothing magical about our breath that activates or reactivates a virus, Brosseau said.

As weve previously written, while there is little research on cloth masks, the hope is that they can help prevent individuals, even those who do not feel sick, from unknowingly spreading COVID-19 to others. Brosseau said people should frequently wash cloth masks, though, and stressed that masks are not a substitute for social distancing. The CDC notesthe same.

Mikovits says in the video: In 1999, I was working in Fort Detrick and my job was to teach Ebola how to infect human cells without killing them. Ebola couldnt infect human cells until we took it in the laboratories and taught them.

Its not clear what she meant by that, and she didnt explain when we asked about her claim.

But the suggestion that Ebola, which includes six species of ebolaviruses, didnt infect people until 1999, or later, is false.

The first two species, Zaire ebolavirus and Sudan ebolavirus, were discovered after outbreaks in 1976 in Central Africa. Combined, those two viruses, which scientists believe may have come from bats or nonhuman primates (such as chimpanzees, apes, monkeys, etc.), killed about 430 people that year, according to the CDC.

Zaire ebolavirus which is also linked to the largest Ebola outbreak which began in West Africa in 2014 is said to have initially spread in 1976 through the use of contaminated needles and syringes at a hospital in the village where the first infected person was treated. And the Sudan ebolavirus is believed to have started with workers in a cotton factory.

In fact, the CDC says four of the six species of ebolavirus Zaire ebolavirus, Sudan ebolavirus, Ta Forest ebolavirus (formerly Cte dIvoire ebolavirus) and Bundibugyo ebolavirus are known to cause disease in people. And three of the four species were discovered prior to 1999.

A fifth species, Reston ebolavirus, was first discovered in 1989 in research monkeys imported into the U.S. from the Philippines. That species is known to cause disease in nonhuman primates and pigs, but not in people, the CDC says. There have been cases in which individuals developed Reston ebolavirus antibodies, but did not experience symptoms.

The sixth species, Bombali ebolavirus, was discovered in 2018 in a bat in Sierra Leone. It also is not known to infect humans.

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The Falsehoods of the 'Plandemic' Video - FactCheck.org

Jason Kingdon has been commercializing AI for over 25 years. He has a PhD from UCL Computer Science, he co-founded UCLs Intelligent Systems Lab in 1992 and pioneered one of the worlds first neural nets for live financial forecasting.

Jason is the Chairman and CEO of Blue Prism, a company that is unleashing the collaborative potential of humans and digital workers to transform the future of work, so every enterprise can exceed their business goals and drive growth with unmatched agility and speed.

Youve been involved in some form of AI for over 25 years now. What was it that attracted you to the space initially?

I became attracted to the artificial intelligence space because around the time I was in school earning my Ph.D. in intelligent systems and starting my career in research, there was a big boom in technology surrounding software with companies like Microsoft and Apple and Oracle. These organizations were using machines to solve problems people were facing on a daily basis and it was really enticing to become a part of this movement.

In 1992 you co-founded UCLs Intelligent Systems Lab. What were some of the projects that you worked on?

After co-founding UCLs Intelligent System Lab, I became founder/CEO of Searchspace, a successful UCL spinout project. We created Intelligent Transaction Monitoring Systems, which to this day are the global standard for money laundering and terrorist finance detection within the top-tier banks.

You were also responsible for introducing intelligent transaction monitoring on various exchanges such as the London Stock Exchange, and the New York Stock Exchange. Could you discuss the type of data that was being monitored and the type of AI implementation this was?

While we started Searchspace with broad ambitions for transaction monitoring, the project came to focus primarily on anti-money-laundering (AML) technology for banks and the middleware to link it to other systems. We produced an intelligent system that worked for the London Stock Exchange, the New York Stock Exchange, and others.

You also formed a private AI research lab called glass.ai. What was the mission of glass.ai?

The mission of glass.ai was and is to read and interpret vast quantities of textual data whether from websites, news, proprietary databases or other sources at scale, using AI to combine semantic analysis and resource crawling.

You then joinedBlue Prism as Executive Chairman, could you discuss what attracted you to this company?

I was drawn to Blue Prism in 2007 because of the ingenious way that theyd solved the operational inefficiencies within the banking sector where human workers perform repetitive tasks by interoperating between enterprise-wide IT systems. Traditional IT methods couldnt easily address this, as they were focusing on big ticket items, so a more agile automation solution was created by Blue Prism that could be run by non-technical business people but in a highly secure and regulated way.

What really impressed me was how theyd advanced business automation in such an elegant, light way taking the user interface seriously and repurposing it as a machine interface. Focusing on the interface meant that you can theoretically connect it to any past present or future system. The significance of this breakthrough was very clear to me especially when at Searchspace, clients always wanted extra things that involved integration with other systems.

Blue Prism solved these system interoperability challenges by pioneering robotic process automation (RPA) software that runs a pre-built, Digital Worker a software robot that automates tasks over any third-party system independently of machine APIs. Another breakthrough was that the Digital Worker uniquely used AI techniques to carry out tasks in the same way humans do but much faster and more accurately. I also saw RPA as a potential route for organizations being able to more easily test and then deploy any new transformative tech innovation.

The real light bulb moment came when I was introduced to a major UK online retailer who was an early Blue Prism RPA adopter. I was introduced to Kate an employee who ran the robots, and shed recently used them to reverse overpayments on 2,000 accounts. What amazed me was this complex activity was performed in less than 1 day, but without that robotic capability, the same activity would have taken a number of staff over three weeks to complete.

I believed that commercializing AI-powered automation in this way would have a profound effect on business and society. Blue Prism really understood and embraced this from the beginning and thats been reflected in the companys efforts every step of the way.

What has your journey with Blue Prism been like so far?

So far, it has been very exciting, fast-paced, challenging, all-encompassing and rewarding. Since investing in the business in 2007, Ive spent my time as Chairman driving our growth and vision strategy, and helping take the company public in 2016. This IPO provided the engine for growth and product development while providing the means for us to make critical investments, such as the acquisition of Thoughtonomy in 2019.

Im proud to say that over the last four years, weve gone from 60 to over 1,000 people, were selling in 170 countries to 70 commercial sectors and are approaching 1700 customers including many of the worlds biggest brands.

In fact, we recently reported achievingthe fastest revenue growthof all large UK public software companies for the fourth consecutive year in 2019.

As Chairman and CEO, Im now shaping and evolving our product roadmap that takes RPAinto the AI era while working tirelessly to promote the vision of a Digital Workforce for every enterprise. In my vision for the future, businesses will have a new organizational structure one-third human employees, one-third Digital Workers, and one-third core IT. Human workers will continue to provide strategy and creative thinking, Digital Workers will execute on business processes, and core IT will provide the underlying technology infrastructure and data storage.

With Thoughtonomy, in addition to its cloud capabilities, the acquisition is providing access to analytics that enable better ways of looking at the Digital Workers, seeing how they are deployed, seeing all the activities taking place. We are also working on ways to enhance the way Digital Workers and humans interact. The interplay between humans and Digital Workers is absolutely part and parcel of the enterprise vision and a Digital Workforce in every organization.

In the new operating environment recently created by COVID-19, our Digital Workers are arguably more important than ever in driving organizational adaptation and resilience. We are working to meet this demand by helping organizations to maintain business continuity and resilience to alleviate operational challenges through intelligent automation.

Blue Prism helps companies deliver robotic process automation (RPA) with a step-by-step methodology for a smooth implementation. For people not familiar with RPA, could you discuss what it is and how it can benefit different enterprises?

Our RPA technology runs an AI-powered, Digital Workforce; a self-organizing, multi-tasking, intelligent, processing resource thats trained and run by business to safely automate evermore complex, end-to-end, business activities faster and more accurately than humans. This enables our customers to exceed their business goals and drive meaningful growth, resilience and continuity with unmatched speed and agility.

To deliver results fast, Digital Workers arrive already pre-built and can simply be trained by business people without coding skills and put to work using a centralized operating system to draw, create and publish process automations. Digital Workers amplify gains by compounding how work is carried out as published automations and all related innovations are centralized to be shared, reused and improved by the whole business.

Digital Workers are managed by humans with our industry-leading, Robotic Operating Model delivery methodology that provides the most effective, proven way to; business-align, organize, identify, design, test, deploy and sustain process automations at scale so business-led, IT approved, enterprise-wide transformation is achieved. All Digital Workers are easy to deploy, manage, upgrade, scale and can be used by remote-working employees due to an availability on-premises, in the cloud, hybrid, or as an integrated SaaS solution.

We are helping organizations operating in all sectors achieve 6 areas of proven value delivery:

Could you discuss why you believe the Blue Prism solution is superior to competing RPA product offerings?

Our Digital Workers achieve greater transformational potential across the enterprise than other competitor robots as they possess business-led, no-code, centralized, design principles.

Our Digital Workers are also equipped with what we believe are the following totally unique attributes:

Competitive RPA offerings favor a form of digital assistant for a single person to perform all kinds of time-saving activity. And thats great, but its not taking full advantage of RPA in an enterprise environment. This is because robots that are distributed across individuals desktops and used in individual, soiled, contexts may help the individual but wont enable any benefits to be scaled and experienced by the whole enterprise.

Another major consideration is that due to a growing scarcity of software development skills, those robots that require any coding will ultimately suffer the same high costs and deployment delays as traditional IT projects.

What is the Blue Prism Digital Exchange (DX)?

The Blue Prism Digital Exchange (DX) is a ground-breaking intelligent automation app store and online community that offers an open ecosystem for intelligent automation capabilities. The Blue Prism DX offers connections to all transformative technologies which are simply dragged and dropped into process flows to be used for the continual testing, advancing, sharing and deployment of new automated innovations. This could be new AI, machine learning, chatbot and other cognitive capabilities. Blue Prisms DX is significant as its now driving those AI capabilities into the wider enterprise which is something that organizations would previously never have been able to experience.

Thank you for the interview. Anyone who wishes to learn more should visit Blue Prism.

Original post:
Robert Youngjohns, Chairman of the Board, ABBYY - Interview Series - Unite.AI

DGAP-News: Vita 34 AG / Key word(s): Quarter Results14.05.2020 / 07:30 The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

Business development of Vita 34 stable and unaffected by COVID-19 development so far

Leipzig, 14 May 2020 - Vita 34 AG (ISIN: DE000A0BL849; WKN: A0BL84), one of the largest cell banks in Europe, has made a stable start to the new 2020 financial year. Revenues in the first quarter remained almost at the previous year's level. In the second quarter, the current order intake also shows a linear sales development so far. To secure the supply of production-relevant preliminary products, sufficient precautions have been taken to prevent negative effects on process stability in connection with the COVID-19 pandemic.

At EUR 4.7 million, revenues in the first quarter were 2.3 percent below the previous year (Q1 2019: EUR 4.8 million). As a result of the targeted increase in marketing and sales expenses by approximately nine percent to EUR 1.4 million compared to the prior-year period (Q1 2019: EUR 1.3 million), earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) were down 9.9 percent to EUR 1.2 million (Q1 2019: EUR 1.3 million). "In the past financial year we analyzed how to deploy our budgets in an even more targeted manner in order to achieve organic growth in our core market," explains Dr. Wolfgang Knirsch, CEO of Vita 34 AG. "Accordingly, we have increased our marketing and sales expenses in certain areas in order to accelerate our organic growth and further consolidate our leading market position."

The company's liquidity situation remains very positive. At EUR 9.1 million, cash and cash equivalents were at the same level as at the end of 2019 (31.12.2019: EUR 9.1 million). "The changed environment, which came as a surprise to us with the COVID-19 pandemic in the first quarter of 2020, required extraordinary efforts at all levels. Due to the still difficult assessable range of the effects of the pandemic, the focus of the measures was on maintaining core processes. From today's perspective, we have achieved this. It is therefore all the more pleasing that despite the expansion of working capital that was necessary in certain areas, liquidity was maintained at a high level," explains Falk Neukirch, CFO of Vita 34 AG.

The key figures for business development in the first quarter of 2020 are as follows:

Since the beginning of May, the company has also been able to return to addressing the relevant target groups personally in the market. "It goes without saying that we are exercising the utmost caution in dealing with this special situation," explains CFO Falk Neukirch. "As things stand at present, however, we are making good progress through these challenging times."

According to Chinese scientists, it should be possible to successfully treat critical COVID-19 pneumonia with the help of connective tissue stem cells, so-called mesenchymal stem cells from umbilical cord tissue. Since these cells are chemotactic, they migrate specifically to sites of inflammation, trigger regeneration processes and weaken the inflammatory reaction. This approach has now been taken up and positively evaluated in a specialist publication of the Harvard Medical School. This supportive therapy is currently being investigated in 19 clinical studies in Asia and Europe. "The results of most of these studies will not be available until later this year", explains CEO Dr. Wolfgang Knirsch, "If the results are positive, we expect that the regenerative potential of stem cells from umbilical cord blood and umbilical cord tissue will again receive increased attention".

Against the background of the stable business development in the first quarter and the previous indication for the second quarter, the Management Board of Vita 34 continues to adhere to its forecasts for the financial year 2020.

Contact:Ingo MiddelmenneInvestor RelationsVita 34 AGPhone: +49 (0341) 48792 - 0Mobile: +49 (0174) 9091190Email: ingo.middelmenne@vita34.de

Company ProfileVita 34 was founded in Leipzig in 1997 and is today one of the leading cell banks in Europe. As the first private umbilical cord blood bank in Europe and a pioneer in cell banking, the company has since then been a complete provider of cryopreservation services for the collection, processing and storage of stem cells from umbilical cord blood and umbilical cord tissue. Based on the expansion of the business model in 2019, Vita 34 intends to also offer the storage of immune cells from peripheral blood as well as of stem cells from endogenous fat in the future. Nursing cells are a valuable source of medical cell therapy and are kept alive at temperatures as low as minus 200 degrees Celsius to be used as part of a treatment when needed. More than 237,000 customers from more than 20 countries have already provided for their family's health with a cell depot at Vita 34.

14.05.2020 Dissemination of a Corporate News, transmitted by DGAP - a service of EQS Group AG.The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

The DGAP Distribution Services include Regulatory Announcements, Financial/Corporate News and Press Releases. Archive at http://www.dgap.de

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Business development of Vita 34 stable and unaffected by COVID-19 development so far - PharmiWeb.com

GlobalChemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy TreatmentMarket Report 2020, Forecast to 2025presents a historical overview of market size, revenue, share, forecast, and market drivers. The report features detailed insights and deep research on the globalChemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy Treatmentmarket. The report studies various segments, as well as key opportunities in the market and influencing factors which will help businesses increase their footprints in the industry. A comprehensive analysis of the product scope and market risks has been given for the participants. The report shows the company profile of the major vendors along with their winning strategies to give business owners, stakeholders, and field marketing personal a competitive edge over others operating in the market.

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Global Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neuropathy Treatment Market 2020 with COVID-19 After Effects Analysis by Emerging Trends, Industry Demand,...

The first UAE patient to recover from Covid-19 after stem-cell therapy has told of his gruelling journey to "full health" after being placed in a coma to stop his organs shutting down.

Abdullahi Rodhile, 50, from Somalia, contracted the virus on March 30 and, because of an existing heart condition, his health deteriorated quickly.

The virus attacked his kidneys and lungs so badly that doctors rushed him into the intensive care unit at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City in Abu Dhabi and put him in an induced coma for 20 days.

Whenever we called the hospital to ask about him, they would say 'just pray for him', Mr Rodhile's sister Zainab, 55, told The National.

Zainab said the family braced themselves for bad news after seeing global death tolls rapidly rise.

I was brought back to life. I was dead and now I am alive

Abdullahi Rodhile

With all this news, we lost our hope," she said. "I swear to God, I thought he was going to [die]. Even his wife prepared herself that he was not coming back.

A week after Mr Rodhile was admitted into the hospital, doctors from the Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Centre proposed a new therapy they believed could help to treat the effects of Covid-19.

Eager to try any treatment that could help, the family agreed and Mr Rodhile became the first Covid-19 patient in the UAE to be given stem cell therapy.

It involves isolating then activating stem cells taken from the patient's blood before they are nebulised into a fine mist so they can be inhaled into the lungs.

The therapy has since been used on 72 other coronavirus patients with severe symptoms.

I was brought back to life. I was dead and now I am alive, said Mr Rodhile, who works as a cargo clerk.

I have never been better. Thank God."

He spent 40 days in intensive care but only after he started the stem cell therapy did his lungs begin to improve slightly.

Mr Rodhile eventually healed enough to gradually awaken from the coma.

The first thing he did after he regained consciousness was call his sister.

He asked for his cell phone and asked them to dial my number," Zainab said. "It was 12am and I saw his name and I was in shock. I couldnt even move."

Mr Rodhile was disoriented and confused at first but slowly began to recover his strength.

I do believe that, after God, stem cell made his life different, his sister said.

Mr Rodhile is father to 10 children with his youngest aged only a month. His wife and children live in Somalia.

His stem cell treatment was free, in line with an order from Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, that all costs be covered for any critical coronavirus cases.

The treatment is considered "supportive". It is administered to patients alongside more conventional medical support and established treatment, rather than as a replacement.

"I am grateful and want to thank every person who has supported me and has taken care of me, and for Sheikh Mohamed and the UAE government for covering my treatment," Mr Rodhile said.

____________

Sheikh Mohammed calls for UAE to make 'fastest recovery' from pandemic

A medical worker puts away a Covid-19 swab test at one of the Mussaffah testing facilities. Victor Besa / The National

An Abu Dhabi resident goes for a jog along the Corniche, as the government eases movement restrictions. Victor Besa / The National

Abu Dhabi residents wear mandatory masks as they walk in the city.Victor Besa / The National

Safety instructions are on display outside Al Awir fruit & vegetable market in Dubai. Pawan Singh / The National

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES , May 6 2020 :- A person wearing protective face mask and covering his face with laptop bag on a hot day in Bur Dubai area in Dubai. UAE government ease the coronavirus restriction for the residents around the country. (Pawan Singh / The National) For News/Standalone/Online/Stock/Instagram

Indian citizens queue to check in at the Dubai International Airport before leaving the UAE on a flight back totheir home country on May 7. Inbound flights for UAE residents have also begun operatingfrom select cities.Karim Sahim / AFP

Passengers from an Emirates flight from London line up before being checked by health workers at Dubai International Airport on May 8. Karim Sahib / AFP

Al Wahda Mall in Abu Dhabi has reopened to the public but with safety measures in place. toprotect shoppers and staff from contracting Covid-19. Victor Besa/The National

Yas Mall in Abu Dhabi has reopened to the public from 12pm to 9pm. Measures remain in place to keep shoppers and staff safe. Victor Besa / The National

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, May 9, 2020. Yas Mall, Abu Dhabi will be open from noon to 9pm. Supermarkets and pharmacies will be open from 9am to midnight. Victor Besa / The National

Workers pass by Al Mina Vegetables and Fruits Market in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

A security guard is given a free Covid-19 test at one of the Mussaffah testing centres. Victor Besa / The National

Workers line up to receive a coronavirus test at Abu Dhabi'sMussafah Industrial Area in Abu Dhabi. Victor Besa / The National

Updated: May 12, 2020 09:56 AM

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UAE's first Covid-19 patient to recover after stem-cell therapy tells of medical journey - The National

MINNEAPOLIS, May 14, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --The challenges surrounding COVID-19 have impacted every aspect of healthcare, including ensuring the timely delivery of bone marrow and blood stem cells for transplant. Thanks to the generosity of the Lockheed Martin Corporation, however, patients are able to continue receiving life-saving transplants without interruption.

When the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP)/Be The Match ran out of available European Union couriers to deliver life-saving cells to American patients and with tens of thousands of commercial flights canceled, Lockheed Martin stepped up to offer their corporate aircraft as an in-kind donation to support the federal government's COVID-19 response and relief efforts to ensure patients that life-saving products from European donors would arrive on time.

NMDP/Be The Match, operates the federally authorized program that matches unrelated volunteer donors with patients in the United States and abroad who have been diagnosed with leukemia and over 70 more otherwise fatal blood disorders and diseases.

In addition to matching donors and patients, one of the program's primary missions is coordinating the delivery of bone marrow domestically and internationally to patients in the United States and abroad. This life-or-death delivery has historically been accomplished by trained couriers hand carrying donated marrow in the passenger compartment of commercial aircraft from donor collection centers to the hospitals of patients all across the globe.

Patients who are scheduled to receive transplants in the coming days are already in the process of a carefully timed course of chemotherapy and radiation treatments designed to eliminate their existing immune systems in preparation for the transplantation of cells to create a healthy, new immune system. If the transportation of donor cells is interrupted, the consequences are fatal to these patients whose immune systems have been ablated.

"The incredible support from Lockheed Martin is a lifeline to our patients. For those awaiting bone marrow transplant, their very survival depends on the on-time delivery of these life-saving cells. By offering flight services, Lockheed Martin is helping us ensure that patients can continue the cells they need, exactly when they need them," said NMDP/Be The Match Chief Policy Officer Brian Lindberg.

As part of this partnership Lockheed Martin will be providing weekly air transport based on government medical need flying government medical teams to the most critical, high-priority locations around the country and/or flying to support bone marrow transport to help with the government's COVID-19 response.

NMDP/Be The Match has facilitated over 100,000 bone marrow transplants since 1987 to deliver cures for patients battling blood cancers and blood disorders. More than 50 percent of those transplants involve international donors or recipients.

About Be The MatchFor people with life-threatening blood cancerslike leukemia and lymphomaor other diseases, a cure exists. Be The Match connects patients with their donor match for a life-saving marrow or umbilical cord blood transplant. People can contribute to the cure as a member of the Be The Match Registry, financial contributor or volunteer. Be The Match provides patients and their families one-on-one support, education, and guidancebefore, during and after transplant.

Be The Match is operated by the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), a nonprofit organization that matches patients with donors, educates health care professionals and conducts research through its research program, CIBMTR (Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research), so more lives can be saved. To learn more about the cure, visit BeTheMatch.orgor call 1 (800) MARROW-2.

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Lockheed Martin Steps Up To Help Save Lives And Support Be The Match During COVID-19 - Southernminn.com

Dr Shikha Sharma

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is an unforgettable word in 2020. World health organization has declared COVID-19 as pandemic and according to the Worldometer site, it has affected 212 countries and territories and has caused approximately 2.8 lakhs deaths so far. According to the various published scientific evidences COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by new coronavirus that can lead to lung dysfunction. There are 7 coronaviruses that are known to cause disease in humans and among these 3 can cause the severe respiratory infection. These are severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) identified in 2002 in China, Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) identified in 2012 in Saudi Arabia and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus2 (SARS-CoV2) commonly called COVID-19 identified in late 2019 in Wuhan, China. SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV and COVID-19 are closely related but COVID-19 spread more quickly than the other two. Over 8000 people from 29 different countries were affected with SARS-CoV epidemic during 2002-2004 while 40.78 lakhs people are affected with COVID-19 so far. In most cases, immune response (bodys defence system) triggered by the COVID-19 infection is sufficient to combat its pathogenesis leads to the recovery of patient. However, in some cases, COVID-19 infection causes highly inflammatory form of lung cells death and injury as the most dangerous phase of its pathogenesis which leads to the overproduction of inflammatory cytokines by bodys own immune cells creating cytokine storm that results in damage to the lung tissues causing pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and sepsis. In Pneumonia and ARDS air sac of lungs fill with fluid or pus. These complications lead to severe condition such as shortness of breath that require treatment with oxygen and ventilator. Therefore controlling inflammatory response is utmost important to prevent coronavirus lethality rate and for the longer life of a patient. Currently no specific treatment is available for COVID-19 infection but several vaccines, drugs and stem cells testing in various countries has generated hope to combat its pathogenesis. Recent breakthrough has demonstrated mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as cell medicine therapy to reduce COVID-19 infection.What are MSCsMSCs are multipotent adult stem cells that are capable of differentiating into various cell types such as fat cells, bone cells, liver cells, pancreatic cells, brain cells, heart cells and skin cells thus can participate in the repair and regeneration of various tissues and organs of the body. Inside the body, upon injury, MSCs migrate to the injured site and participate in the regeneration and repair of the organ either by differentiation or by paracrine secretion or both. In addition MSCs possess immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory properties that contributes to its cell medicinal properties. MSCs can be isolated from various tissues such as bone marrow, peripheral blood, body fat, muscle, placenta, umbilical cord, umbilical cord blood, teeth and hair follicles and can be expanded ex vivo and used for transplantation for treating disease and disorders after genetic stability test.How MSCs reduce COVID-19pathogenesisAs reported by various research groups that upon intravenous injection or through mist inhalation the significant population of MSCs migrate to the lung and secrete various immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory factors to cure lung dysfunction by normalizing immune response altered by COVID-19 and stimulate lung repair. Moreover MSCs are resistant to COVID-19 infection and can be used for autologous and allogenic transplantation.Clinical trial with MSCs for COVID-19There are several clinical trials registered with MSCs for the treatment of COVID-19 from various countries such as China, USA, UK, Germany, UAE, Jordan and Iran and some reports have been published. Approximately 100 patients have been treated with MSCs therapy from moderate to critical conditions within 10-15 days of transplantation. A first case treated with MSCs showed the recovery of 65 year old critical ill patient in Baoshan Peoples Hospital, Longling County, China. Initially the patient was treated with antiviral therapy and immunomodulator thymosin alpha1 but hasnt shown any recovery. Later after 10 days patient was diagnosed with severe pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, multiorgan injury, type2 diabetes, moderate anaemia, electrolyte disturbance, immunosuppression, acute gastrointestinal bleeding and other symptom was shifted to ICU and on ventilator. They showed that after three MSCs injections along with thymosin alpha1 lead to the recovery of patient from COVID-19 infection. FDA has approved 24 patient clinical trial in USA to test safety and efficacy of MSCs from umbilical cord to prevent COVID-19 infection. Recently, in USA three critically ill patients in ICU and on ventilator recovered from COVID-19 infection with MSCs treatment. An Israeli pharmaceutical company Pluristem therapeutics have tested MSCs therapy on 7 critically ill patient and found positive results. More recently, UAE also reported the treatment of 73 COVID-19 infected patients with stem cells. They have developed the technology to isolate the stem cells from patient blood, activate them and reintroduce them by mist inhalation. These reports are indicative that MSCs hold the potential to treat the COVID-19 infection by preventing bodys own defense system from overreacting and normalise its response to fight against COVID-19 infection. Many companies from different countries are seeking approval to begin clinical trial with stem cells against COVID-19 infection.Why are we lagging behind when we have stem cell companies/labs/facility in our country? We also produce GMP grade stem cells for transplantation. China tested the stem cell therapy on first patient when all other therapies failed and stem cells was one of option left to save the life of the patient. In India also so many deaths are happening due to COVID-19 we can also check if stem cells can reduce the mortality rate. Moreover as per some reports MSCs dont stay inside the body for more than 1-3 months and they eventually die and dont result in teratoma formation. Our government along with doctors and scientist can also formulate committee on stem cells and begin such initiative to test MSCs for the treatment of COVID-19 infection. Nevertheless, MSCs has joined the army along with the other possible interventions to prevent the COVID-19 illness.(The author is (PhD and Postdoc in Stem Cells)feedbackexcelsior@gmail.com

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Stem cells therapy A prospective treatment against coronavirus? - Daily Excelsior

News

Secondary bacterial infections are emerging as a risk-multiplier for coronavirus patients with drug-resistant infections a particular threat.

During the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, many people succumbed not to the influenza virus, but to secondary pneumonia, as opportunistic bacteria took advantage of a weakened immune system and invaded the lungs.An influential 2008 Journal of Infectious Diseases study co-authored by leading US infectious disease expert Dr Anthony Fauci found most Spanish Flu deaths were in fact due to bacterial pneumonia.These infections were hard to treat, given the virulent strain of flu emerged a decade before the first antibiotic, penicillin, was discovered.If the next pandemic is caused by a human-adapted virus similar to those recognized since 1918, we believe the infection is likely to behave as it has in past pandemics, precipitating severe disease associated with prevalent colonizing bacteria, the study authors conclude. Now this prediction looks to be coming true. Experts are warning that history may be repeating a century later during a new pandemic, with secondary bacterial infections emerging as an understudied way people can die from COVID-19. We have antibiotics this time but overuse of the vital drugs has led to the emergence of strains of antibiotic-resistant organisms.Not only that, the current global pandemic may supercharge the growth of antibiotic-resistant organisms, given many hospitalised coronavirus patients are routinely given antibiotics to reduce the risk to healthcare workers. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to huge numbers of people with compromised immune systems being admitted to hospitals, which are a known breeding ground for drug-resistant bacteria. Because of this influx, these hospital-associated bacteria will now have a much wider potential target group, microbiologist Dr Ronel McCarthy notes in The Conversation.Infectious disease expert and ANU microbiologist Peter Collignon told newsGP it is doubly concerning given that increasing antimicrobial resistance may make these infections harder to treat.During the Spanish Flu, between half and three quarters of the deaths were linked to secondary bacterial infections. In a study from Wuhan, half the [COVID-19] patients who died had a secondary bacterial infection. Thats quite high, he said.The Wuhan study in The Lancet was small, involving 191 patients who already had advanced COVID-19, leading antibiotic resistance research network ReAct to caution that the secondary infections were very late stage, with sepsis and acute heart and kidney injuries having occurred in many patients, and to call for more research.Professor Collignon predicted that mortality rates will be worse in nations with higher rates of antimicrobial resistance, such as China, Italy and India.Where is the worst antibiotic resistance in Europe? Italy and Spain. The death rates there are considerably higher, he said.Theres a much higher chance that if you get a secondary bacterial infection it wont respond to antibiotics, he said.I have a view that antibiotic resistance is important in this pandemic. It makes sense. If you go into an ICU [for any reason], a proportion get secondary bacterial infections.India had the highest rate of resistance of 41 nations in a 2018 BMJ study, while Chinas gram-negative bacterial resistance is severe, according to a 2019 Frontiers in Microbiology study.Indias National Centre for Disease Control has called on state health authorities to ensure hospitals adopt strict infection prevention guidelines to stop transmission of both coronavirus and bacterial infections.An anonymous national health official told Indian newspaper Mint that the move was to stem the impact of antimicrobial resistance.[Antimicrobial resistance] can indirectly impact the outcomes of treatment in COVID-19 patients. We have asked all the hospitals to adopt the guidelines while treating coronavirus patients, the official said.Almost all COVID-19 cases in India conclude in serious pneumonia, Dr K Madan Gopal of Indias NITI Aayog thinktank told Mint. Now, if this secondary infection is triggered by antibiotic-resistant bacteria then the situation becomes grave and harder to treat.Adding to the issue is the fact hospitalised coronavirus patients in some countries have been given antibiotics without a confirmed infection in order to reduce the risk to doctors from aerosol-generating diagnostic procedures, according to microbiologist Dr Adam Roberts.Dr Roberts and collaborators have collated emerging research on secondary infections and antibiotic use, such as a Lancet study flagging increasing concern that COVID-19 patients are at risk of contracting a dangerous fungal infection, invasive pulmonary aspergillosis.Virologist Jeffery Taubenberger, who first sequenced the genome of the Spanish Flu, has told Bloomberg that secondary bacterial infections in the lungs can prevent patients from recovering due to the damage they can do to respiratory tract stem cells. [Without these cells] you just cant physically repair your lungs he said.People who have a mild reaction to the coronavirus tend to be those able to contain it to the upper respiratory tract. Worse trajectories occur if the virus is able to move to the lungs, potentially paving the way for a secondary assault by bacteria, according to Dr Taubenberger, who was a co-author of the 2008 Spanish Flu study.Paul Glasziou, Professor of Evidence-Based Practice at Bond University, told newsGP it is likely that countries with high numbers of COVID-19 cases will also have increased rates of antimicrobial resistance.A lot of the seriously ill cases get secondary infections. If you have higher rates of antimicrobial resistance, youre going to have more deaths because you wont be able to treat the secondary infections, he said.But Professor Glasziou said antimicrobial resistance could actually decrease in nations like Australia, where the infection has been broadly contained, given that many people have been avoiding GPs and hospitals thus reducing the number of antibiotics prescribed.You have an increased use of antibiotics for hospitalised COVID-19 cases but, at the same time, youve got a reduction in ambulatory care visits with the number of people seeing GPs down and elective surgery put off or cancelled, he said.Social distancing and handwashing have also slashed rates of influenza and other respiratory infections.As well as stopping coronavirus, these interventions also stop every other acute respiratory infection and thats the major area of [antibiotic] overuse in primary care, Professor Glasziou said.What it means long term is hard to say; it depends on what behaviours are changed by this.We may have changed some behaviours permanently and that could lead to long-term reductions in acute respiratory infections. And that could help us long term with antimicrobial resistance.Thats my hope Ive got my fingers crossed. It will be interesting to look at.Log in below to join the conversation.

antimicrobial resistance coronavirus COVID-19

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Are infections and antimicrobial resistance linked to pandemic deaths? - RACGP

In John M. Barrys book on the 1918 flu pandemic, The Great Influenza, one of the most striking passages concerns what actually killed many of the young, healthy victims of the infection, causing them to turn blue and bleed from the nose or ears:

The virus was often so efficient at invading the lungs that the immune system had to mount a massive response to it. What was killing young adults a few days after the first symptom was not the virus. The killer was the massive immune response itself.

The phenomenon Barry describes is the cytokine storm, or cytokine release syndromewhen a bodys natural defenses are called into action and are so overwhelming and destructive that instead of rescuing the sick, they cause their death.

Cytokines are small signaling proteins, which can be grouped by their origins, structural characteristics, effects on the body, and signaling pathways. Each type has a corresponding receptor on the cell surface and, once received, can start one of a number of cellular tasks that begin a cascade of responses, depending on type.

Microbial infections are not the only cause of these storms; a more familiar one is graft versus host disease, which can occur in people who receive organ, bone-marrow, or stem-cell transplants. The donor organ detects an invader (the new body) and masses an immune response to stop the threat, which endangers both the transplanted organ and the recipient. People who receive organ transplants are often given steroids and immunosuppressors to prevent and/or counteract these responses.

Cytokine release syndrome has been reported in some COVID-19 patients, particularly young ones.Unlike other viruses and causes, COVID-19-associated cytokine storms do not appear to inflict severe liver damage. Conversely, the damage to the lungs from the disease is much greater, which may be due to the localization of the virus to those of the lower respiratory tract. Patients kidneys may also be damaged, which accounts for thereporting of acute shortages of dialysis machines for those with already existing renal issues.

The tools available to medicine in 2020 were only at best theoretical in 1918. The lethality of COVID-19 is overwhelming, and the list of complications to infection continues to grow as more cases are seen. The lessons of the influenza pandemic are aiding health care today, and the ability to intervene in cytokine storms early may be saving lives this time.

JSTOR is a digital library for scholars, researchers, and students. JSTOR Daily readers can access the original research behind our articles for free on JSTOR.

By: W. Conrad Liles and Wesley C. Van Voorhis

The Journal of Infectious Diseases, Vol. 172, No. 6 (Dec., 1995)

Oxford University Press

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Cytokine Storms: The Cruel Irony of an Immune Response - JSTOR Daily

DetailsCategory: Small MoleculesPublished on Tuesday, 12 May 2020 12:04Hits: 667

Pediatric Investigational Plan (PIP) for leriglitazone in X-ALD approved by EMA, allowing Minoryx to file Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) in Europe based on NEXUS

Timelines for other ongoing trials not impacted by COVID-19 pandemic

MATAR, BCN, Spain and CHARLEROI, Belgium I May 12, 2020 I Minoryx Therapeutics, a company that specializes in the development of innovative treatments for orphan Central Nervous System (CNS) diseases, today announces the initiation of the registration-enabling Phase 2 NEXUS trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of leriglitazone in pediatric patients with early-stage cerebral ALD (cALD), the acute form of X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (X-ALD).

In addition the European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved the proposed PIP for leriglitazone for the treatment of X-ALD, allowing the company to file for an MAA in Europe based on the Phase 2 NEXUS trial, subject to positive results. Minoryx received a deferral for completion of its pediatric plan until after EMA approval of adrenomyeloneuropathy (AMN).Leriglitazone (MIN-102), a novel, brain penetrant, orally bioavailable and selective PPAR agonist, is currently in late-stage development for the treatment of severe orphan CNS disorders, including both forms of X-ALD (cALD and AMN) and Friedreichs Ataxia. Leriglitazone obtained Orphan Drug Designation in X-ALD from the European Commission and the FDA, and has been awarded the FDA fast-track procedure in X-ALD.With newborn screening currently being implemented, it is now possible to diagnose patients with early stage cALD, an orphan neurodegenerative disorder characterized by rapid cerebral demyelination and inflammation of the brain, leading to death within a few years of diagnosis. There is an urgent need for alternative treatments that are less invasive than the current standard of care, which is based on hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, said Dr. Patricia Musolino, principal investigator of the study and Assistant Professor in Neurology at the Harvard Medical School. The first patient, a ten-year-old boy, has been enrolled in the NEXUS trial at the Hospital Sant Joan de Du in Barcelona. We look forward to further supporting the company and to bringing this much needed innovation to pediatric patients suffering from this devastating disease.Mara Pascual, Chief Regulatory Officer of Minoryx, added: This EMA approval of the PIP, based on the NEXUS trial, marks an important milestone for the company. It highlights the importance of making alternative safe and effective treatments available for children with early cALD. It not only provides a clear path for faster registration of leriglitazone in childhood cerebral ALD but also paves the way for submission of the MAA in Europe for leriglitazone in adrenomyeloneuropathy, following successful completion of the ongoing Phase 2/3 ADVANCE trial.We are pleased that the first patient has been enrolled in the NEXUS trial and expect to report results in 2021, with the potential for preliminary results as soon as this year, said Marc Martinell, Chief Executive Officer of Minoryx.

Despite the current COVID-19 pandemic, the timelines of the other ongoing trials with leriglitazone in adrenomyeloneuropathy and Friedrichs Ataxia have not been impacted. Always putting the safety and needs of our patients first, we continue to work diligently with the study sites and our CRO to complete these trials. We still expect to report results for both trials by the end of 2020.About the NEXUS trialand the PIPThe NEXUS registration-directed Phase 2 clinical trial is an open-label study designed to assess the efficacy and safety of leriglitazone in male pediatric patients with early stage cerebral X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy (cALD). In addition to Spain, the trial has also been approved by ethical committees and the regulatory agencies in France and Germany. Alongside the Barcelona study site under the supervision by Dr Angeles Garca-Cazorla, other recruitment sites include the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendrf, with Dr Anette Bley, the University Hospital Gttingen under the supervision of Dr Hendrik Rosewich and the Bictre Hospital in Paris with Dr Caroline Sevin.The NEXUS trial will recruit up to 13 cALD patients with early cerebral MRI lesions. All patients will receive leriglitazone and will be carefully monitored for safety, clinical symptoms and changes in cerebral MRI lesions. The study has been designed with input from both the EMA and the FDA, clinical experts in X-ALD in Europe and the US, and patient advocacy groups. The trial is partially funded by the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (SME instrument) under grant agreement No 822968.The PIP for leriglitazone is based on the NEXUS trial and has been approved by the EMA following positive opinion from its Pediatric Committee (PDCO). The PIP includes a deferral in completion of the trial until after the approval of the MAA for leriglitazone in adrenomyeloneuropathy (AMN), the most common form of X-ALD. With successful completion of the agreed PIP, leriglitazone will be eligible for two additional years of marketing exclusivity, on top of the ten-year market exclusivity after market approval.About X-ALD and cALDX-ALD (X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy) is the most prevalent peroxisomal disease. It is caused by mutations in the ABCD1 gene. It has an estimated incidence of 1:17,000 newborns worldwide. Although it primarily affects males, heterozygous women may also develop the disease in later life. X-ALD is characterized by the accumulation of very long chain fatty acids (VLCFA), leading to a neurodegenerative disorder where the most affected tissues are the spinal cord, the brain and the adrenal cortex. The CNS-related effects lead to two main phenotypes: adrenomyeloneuropathy (AMN), characterized by progressive motor dysfunction, and cerebral ALD (cALD), characterized by severe neuroinflammation leading to early death. The only alternative to manage cALD is hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) but this approach does not prevent the development of AMN during adulthood, for which there is currently no approved treatment option available.About leriglitazoneLeriglitazone (MIN-102) is a novel, brain penetrant, orally bioavailable and selective PPAR agonist that engages the target receptor at the levels required for efficacy within the central nervous system (CNS). It has demonstrated efficacy in animal models of multiple disease modulating pathways leading to mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, demyelination and axonal degeneration. Leriglitazone has the potential to treat several CNS disorders, including orphan diseases, such as X-ALD (X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy) and Friedreichs Ataxia. A Phase 1 clinical study was successfully completed confirming that leriglitazone is well tolerated and is able to cross the blood brain barrier and engage PPAR within the central nervous system at an equivalent level as in preclinical studies. Leriglitazone has completed enrolment in ADVANCE, a two-year double-blind, placebo-controlled, pivotal Phase 2/3 study in adult patients with adrenomyeloneuropathy (AMN)and recruitment is ongoing in NEXUS, a pivotal open-label study in pediatric cALD patients. Leriglitazone has also completed enrolment in FRAMES, a one year double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 2 study in patients with Friedreichs Ataxia. Results from ADVANCE and FRAMES are expected by the end of 2020and results from NEXUS are expected in 2021. Leriglitazone has obtained Orphan Drug Designation from the European Commission and the FDA in X-ALD and Friedreichs Ataxia.About Minoryx TherapeuticsMinoryx is a clinical stage biotech company focusing on the development of novel therapies for orphan CNS diseases with high unmet medical needs. The companys lead program, leriglitazone (MIN-102), a novel, selective PPAR agonist, is currently being evaluated in X-ALD and Friedreichs Ataxia. The company is backed by a syndicate of experienced investors, which includes Ysios Capital, HealthEquity, Kurma Partners, Chiesi Ventures, Roche Venture Fund, Caixa Capital Risc, Idinvest Partners, Fund+, S.R.I.W, Sambrinvest and SFPI-FPIM, and has support from a network of other organizations. Minoryx was founded in 2011, has operations in Spain and Belgium and has so far raised a total of more than 50M.www.minoryx.com

SOURCE: Minoryx Therapeutics

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Minoryx Therapeutics doses first patient with leriglitazone in registration-enabling cALD NEXUS trial | Small Molecules | News Channels -...

CINCINNATI, May 12, 2020 The explosion in cellular immunotherapy that has revolutionized cancer care in recent years may soon begin showing potential application in treatment for lupus and other autoimmune diseases, thanks to a laboratory breakthrough led by experts at Cincinnati Children's and published in the journal Cell Reports Medicine.

In cancer, CAR T-cell therapy involves engineering T cells with chimeric antigen receptors (CAR) that allow them to recognize specific molecules on the surface of tumor cells. For certain forms of leukemia, some lung cancers, and other malignancies, this form of cellular immunotherapy has been life-changing for patients. Recent evidence suggests engineering natural killer (NK) cells to express CAR may be equally effective as T cells but with increased safety and clinical feasibility.

There is growing interest in the safety and efficacy of applying CAR cellular therapies to deadly and incurable autoimmune diseases. However, finding specific cell targets for diseases such as lupus has been much more difficultuntil now.

In a first-of-its-kind discovery, a team of Cincinnati Children's scientists led by Seth Reighard, PhD, Stephen Waggoner, PhD, and Hermine Brunner, MD, MSc, MBA, has engineered a CAR with the potential to revolutionize care of patients with lupus. When expressed by human NK cells, this CAR enables targeted elimination of T follicular helper (TFH) cells without harming other types of T-cells.

This treatment showed specificity in human cells in lab tests, and improved disease measures in a humanized mouse model of lupustwo key early signs of progress that suggest further research is warranted.

"This is the first method to specifically remove an otherwise intractable population of harmful cells," Waggoner says. "We think targeting them will be safe and clinically beneficial in multiple diseases. Our approach started with lupus because the disease is a leading cause of death in young women for which a cure is presently lacking."

The study appears in the first issue of the new, open access journal Cell Reports Medicine, which also carries a commentary about this new approach from Cecile King, PhD, an immunology expert at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Australia.

"Dysregulated TFH cells are associated with the development and severity of several autoimmune diseases and T cell malignancies," King states. "Indeed, the central role of TFH cells in many diseases has made them a major target for therapeutic modulation. The study by Reighard et al. provides exciting proof-of-principle evidence for the use of CAR NK cells in TFH-driven diseases."

How do CAR NK cells work?

The lupus-driving cells that the team wanted to eliminate lack cell-surface targets unique enough to distinguish them from other, desirable cells. To achieve selective targeting, the team realized a cardinal feature of TFH cells that could be exploited by carefully engineering the biochemistry of the CAR molecule.

Specifically, TFH express much greater quantities of a surface receptor, programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1), than other cells that also express this receptor. Since activation of a CAR expressing NK cell is dependent on the strength of interaction between the CAR and its target receptor, as well as the number of such interactions between an NK cell and a target, the team engineered a CAR with relatively weak binding to PD-1. As a result, only cells like TFH that exhibit high expression of PD-1 trigger activation of the CAR NK and are eliminated as a result, which cells with lower levels of PD-1, including regulatory T cell (Treg) and memory T cells, are spared.

These programmed killer cells show early signs of potential as a therapy for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), which affects 20-150 per 100,000 people in the U.S. In fact, lupus ranks in the five causes of death among African American and Hispanic women, aged 15-34.

In addition, aberrant TFH responses play roles in several other autoimmune diseases, including Sjgren syndrome, juvenile dermatomyositis, multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Although the potential toxicity of selectively eliminating TFH remains unexplored, the preservation of naive and memory CD4 T cells as well as B cells and other types of immune cells suggests that the state of immunodeficiency induced by these CAR NK cells will be far less severe than other immunotherapeutic strategies applied to autoimmune disease (e.g., rituximab).

Discovery based on years of research

This advance in CAR technology build upon previous work by Waggoner and colleagues in 2015 and 2018 that revealed how NK cells play surprising regulatory roles in infection and autoimmune disease.

The conceptual connections between infections and autoimmune diseases were further strengthened by a discovery led by John Harley, MD, PhD, and colleagues at Cincinnati Children's. In a 2018 study in Nature Genetics, they revealed how the Epstein-Barr virus uses groups of transcription factors to alter human DNA in ways that can increase a person's risk of developing lupus, multiple sclerosis, type 1 diabetes, and other diseases.

What's Next?

More work is needed to determine how much benefit can be gained by disrupting the role of TFH cells in lupus and other conditions. Concerns to address also include how to prevent the killer cells from attacking non-targeted "good" cells, and how to efficiently deliver the therapeutic cells.

Researchers are working to develop "suicide switches" for CAR NK cells that would make them safer for clinical use, Waggoner says. But importantly, NK cells appear to pose lower toxicity risk than CAR T-cell therapies in multiple clinical trials in cancer patients. Given the contributions of T cells to disease pathogenesis in lupus and other autoimmune disease, therapeutic NK cells likely yield additional benefit in these contexts.

Although the present study was performed with a human NK-cell line approved for clinical use by the FDA, the team envisions flexibility in the clinical application of the new CAR to lupus. CAR engineering of patient cells or cells from unrelated donors, including cord blood or induced pluripotent stem cell-derived NK cells, have all demonstrated excellent safety profiles while maintaining desirable efficacy in clinical trials.

"The CAR can be introduced to various effector cells using mRNA transfection, transposons, or viral vectors, Waggoner says. "Freezers full of CAR-expressing induced pluripotent stem cell-derived NK cells would provide an off-the-shelf product that could be rapidly and repeatedly administered to numerous patients in order to quell harmful flares of disease activity and promote sustained disease remission.

"If successes continue, a clinical trial might be possible within the next few years," Waggoner says.

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SOURCE Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center

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Novel CAR NK-cell technology could lead to new treatments for lupus, other incurable diseases - Stockhouse

Genespire and SR-Tiget announce strategic alliance for the development of transformative gene therapies for genetic diseases and disclose collaboration focus

Pre-clinical data from SR-Tiget, included in the alliance with Genespire, to be presented at ASGCT 23rd Annual Meeting

Italy, Milan, 13 May 2020: The San Raffaele Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (SR-Tiget), one of the worlds leading gene therapy research institutes jointly managed by Fondazione Telethon and Ospedale San Raffaele and Genespire, a gene therapy company developing transformative therapies for genetic diseases, and spin-out of SR-Tiget, announced today their alliance on the research and development of candidate therapeutic products for people affected by primary immunodeficiencies and metabolic diseases based on novel gene editing and lentiviral vector technologies developed by SR-Tiget.

Genespire was co-founded in March 2020 by SR-Tiget director and gene therapy pioneer Prof. Luigi Naldini and Dr. Alessio Cantore, Fondazione Telethon and Ospedale San Raffaele. Genespire recently raised 16 million in a Series A financing round from Sofinnova Partners.

Under the terms of the alliance, Genespire and SR-Tiget will study and further develop novel gene therapies, which have the unique potential to address severe unmet medical need and exploit gene editing and lentiviral vector technologies developed by SR-Tiget.

Genespire was granted an exclusive global license for the research, development and commercialization of gene therapies for metabolic diseases based on SR-Tigets alloantigen free, microRNA-regulated lentiviral vectors, which allow for stable liver gene therapy even for diseases with early onset, requiring administration at a young age.

Genespire was also granted exclusive licenses and options to the results of a joint research and development program with SR-Tiget in the T-cell and Hematopoietic Stem Cells field to address genetic diseases, in particular primary immunodeficiencies, exploiting the ex vivo gene editing technology. SR-Tiget and Genespire will first collaborate to bring an ex-vivo autologous edited T-cell gene therapy for X-linked Hyper IgM syndrome (HIGM1) to the clinic, which becomes Genespires lead candidate product. HIGM1 is caused by inherited mutations of the CD40 ligand gene (CD40L), resulting in impaired antibody response and innate immunity, meaning that people find it difficult to fight off infections and eventually succumb to them. The treatment objective is to correct the defective gene through targeted editing of the endogenous locus, thereby maintaining physiological regulation of the CD40L gene, with the aim of improving the immune response of the patients.

Preclinical results of SR-Tiget on HIGM1 will be disclosed in an oral presentation at the American Society for Cell and Gene Therapy (ASGCT) 23rd Annual Meeting, taking place virtually from 12-15 May 2020 by SR-Tiget (details of Presentation 1 below). The presentation will outline the technology and its preclinical validation in the disease model and patient derived cells and discuss the potential of the gene edited T-cell treatment approach for patients with Hyper IgM.

Dr. Alessio Cantore will also present novel data related to the potential of the lentiviral vector platform for liver gene therapy in an oral presentation at ASGCT (details of Presentation 2 below). The presentation will focus on investigating the stability of lentiviral vector genetically modified liver cells following post-natal liver growth in mice, in view of its potential application to pediatric patients.

Luigi Naldini, Director of SR-Tiget and scientific co-founder of Genespire said: We are excited to have secured a path for bringing forward some of the gene therapy work pioneered at SR-Tiget to eventually help individuals affected by severe metabolic and immunodeficiency disorders. SR-Tigets alliance with Genespire will provide the means to progress effectively to clinical trials, with a strong view to develop efficacious and safe medicines ready for market access.

Julia Berretta, Chief Executive Officer of Genespire commented: SR-Tiget brings outstanding expertise and significant experience in developing gene therapies from bench to bedside. We believe that our strong partnership with SR-Tiget, led by internationally recognized experts Prof. Luigi Naldini and Dr. Alessio Cantore will be fundamental for Genespire to carry out its goal of translating pioneering science into transformative therapeutic solutionsfor patients.

-ENDS-

Oral presentation 1 details: Title: Modeling, Optimization and Comparative Efficacy of HSC- and T-cell Based Editing Strategies for Treating Hyper IgM Syndrome Authors: Valentina Vavassori, Elisabetta Mercuri, Genni Marcovecchio, Maria Carmina Castiello, Giulia Schiroli , Luisa Albano, Elena Fontana, Andrea Annoni, Valentina Capo, Carrie Margulies, Frank Buquicchio, Joseph Kovacs, Eugenio Scanziani, Cecilia Cotta-Ramusino, Anna Villa, Luigi Naldini, Pietro Genovese Date and time: May 14th 2020, 3:45 PM EDT Session: 354 Gene Therapies for Hemophilia and Immune Disorders Abstract #937 Oral Presentation 2 Details Title: Investigating the stability of lentiviral vector targeted liver cells during post-natal growth for in vivo gene therapy applications Authors: Michela Milani, Francesco Starinieri, Cesare Canepari, Tongyao Liu, Federica Moalli, Gioia Ambrosi, Tiziana Plati, Mauro Biffi, Cesare Covino, Timothy Nichols, Matteo Iannacone, Robert Peters, Luigi Naldini, Alessio Cantore Date and time: May 14th 2020, 4:15 pm EDT Session: 350 RNA Virus Vectors Abstract #911

Notes to Editors

About Hyper IgM Syndrome (HIGM)

Hyper IgM is a Primary Immune Deficiency affecting 1:250,000-500,000 patients. The disease is linked to mutations in the CD40L gene, which is expressed in activated CD4 T cells, and results in impaired antibody production and innate immunity. The current standard of care is constituted by continuous Ig replacement, and antibiotic-antifungal prophylaxis, but the disease is still linked to high morbidity and reduced life expectancy. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) is potentially curative, but is limited by matched donor availability and is associated with high risk of graft versus host disease, infections and death. Thus, improved therapeutic alternatives are strongly needed.

About Genespire

Genespire is a biotechnology company focused on the development of transformative gene therapies for patients affected by genetic diseases, particularly primary immunodeficiencies and inherited metabolic diseases. Based in Milan, Italy, Genespire was founded in March 2020 by the gene therapy pioneer Prof. Luigi Naldini and Dr. Alessio Cantore, Fondazione Telethon and Ospedale San Raffaele. It is a spin-off of SR-Tiget, a world leading cell and gene therapy research institute and is backed by Sofinnova Partners. http://www.genespire.com

About SR-Tiget

Based in Milan, Italy, the San Raffaele-Telethon Institute for Gene Therapy (SR-Tiget) is a joint venture between the Ospedale San Raffaele and Fondazione Telethon. SR-Tiget was established in 1995 to perform research on gene transfer and cell transplantation and translate its results into clinical applications of gene and cell therapies for different genetic diseases. Over the years, the Institute has given a pioneering contribution to the field with relevant discoveries in vector design, gene transfer strategies, stem cell biology, identity and mechanism of action of innate immune cells. SR-Tiget has also established the resources and framework for translating these advances into novel experimental therapies and has implemented several successful gene therapy clinical trials for inherited immunodeficiencies, blood and storage disorders, which have already treated >115 patients and have led through collaboration with industrial partners to the filing and approval of novel advanced gene therapy medicines.

About Fondazione Telethon

Fondazione Telethon is a non-profit organisation created in 1990 as a response to the appeals of a patient association group of stakeholders, who saw scientific research as the only real opportunity to effectively fight genetic diseases. Thanks to the funds raised through the television marathon, along with other initiatives and a network of partners and volunteers, Telethon finances the bestscientific research on rare genetic diseases, evaluated and selected by independent internationally renowned experts, with the ultimate objective of making the treatments developed available to everyone who needs them. Throughout its 30 years of activity, Fondazione Telethon has invested more than 528 million in funding more than 2.630 projects to study more than 570 diseases, involving over 1.600 scientists. Fondazione Telethon has made a significant contribution to the worldwide advancement of knowledge regarding rare genetic diseases and of academic research and drug development with a view to developing treatments. For more information, please visit:www.telethon.it

About Ospedale San Raffaele

Ospedale San Raffaele (OSR) is a clinical-research-university hospital established in 1971 to provide international-level specialised care for the most complex and difficult health conditions. OSR is part ofGruppo San Donato, the leading hospital group in Italy. The hospital is a multi-specialty center with over 60 clinical specialties; it is accredited by the Italian National Health System to provide care to both public and private, national and international patients. Research at OSR focuses on integrating basic, translational and clinical activities to provide the most advanced care to our patients. The institute is recognized as a global authority in molecular medicine and gene therapy, and is at the forefront of research in many other fields. Ospedale San Raffaele is a first-class institute which treats many diseases and stands out for the deep interaction between clinical and scientific area. This makes the transfer of scientific results from the laboratories to the patients bed easier. Its mission is to improve knowledge of diseases, identify new therapies and encourage young scientists and doctor to grow professionally. For more information, please visit:www.hsr.it

Enquiries: Genespire Julia Berretta, CEOTel: +39 02 83991300info@genespire.com Consilium Strategic Communications Amber Fennell / Matthew Neal Tel: +44 (0) 20 3709 5700genespire@consilium-comms.com

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Genespire and SR-Tiget announce strategic alliance for the development of transformative gene therapies for genetic diseases and disclose...

In 2004, 60 Minutes aired a segment on what it called virus hunters, scientists searching for bugs that can leap from animals to humans and cause pandemics. What worries me the most is that we are going to miss the next emerging disease, said a scientist named Peter Daszak, describing his fear of a coronavirus that moves from one part of the planet to another, wiping out people as it moves along.

In the intervening years, Daszak became president of the EcoHealth Alliance, a nonprofit research organization focused on emerging pandemics. EcoHealth worked with Chinas Wuhan Institute of Virology to study coronaviruses in bats that could infect humans, and, as Science magazine put it, to develop tools that could help researchers create diagnostics, treatments and vaccines for human outbreaks. Since 2014, the EcoHealth Alliance has received a grant from the National Institutes of Health, until its funding was abruptly cut two weeks ago.

The reason, as 60 Minutes reported on Sunday evening, was a conspiracy theory spread by Representative Matt Gaetz, the Florida Republican who in March wore a gas mask on the House floor to mock concern about the new coronavirus. On April 14, Gaetz appeared on Tucker Carlsons Fox News show and claimed that the N.I.H. grant went to the Wuhan Institute, which Gaetz intimated might have been the source of the virus the institute may have birthed a monster, in his words.

The first of Gaetzs claims was flatly false, and the second unlikely; the C.I.A. has reportedly found no evidence of a link between the virus and the Wuhan lab. But at a White House briefing a few days later, a reporter from the right-wing website Newsmax told President Trump that under Barack Obama, the N.I.H. gave the Wuhan lab a $3.7 million grant. Why would the U.S. give a grant like that to China? she asked.

In fact, Trumps administration had recently renewed EcoHealths grant, but Trump didnt appear to know that. The Obama administration gave them a grant of $3.7 million? he asked. Then he said, We will end that grant very quickly.

And they did. But ending the grant dealt a blow to efforts to find treatments and a vaccine for the coronavirus. Remdesivir, the antiviral drug thats shown some promise in Covid-19 patients, was earlier tested against bat viruses EcoHealth discovered. Now the nonprofit is facing layoffs.

This political hit on Daszaks work is far from the only way that the Trump administrations contempt for science has undermined Americas coronavirus response. Conservative antipathy to science is nothing new; Republicans have long denied and denigrated the scientific consensus on issues from evolution to stem cell research to climate change. This hostility has several causes, including populist distrust of experts, religious rejection of information that undermines biblical literalism and efforts by giant corporations to evade regulation.

But its grown worse under Trump, with his authoritarian impulse to quash any facts, from inauguration crowd sizes to hurricane paths, that might reflect poorly on him.

Until recently, it seemed as if Trumps sabotage of efforts to combat climate change would be the most destructive legacy of his disregard for science. But the coronavirus has presented the country with an emergency that only sound science can solve. That means that the Trump administrations disdain for expertise, its elevation of slavish loyalty over technical competence, has become a more immediate threat.

Months before this pandemic began, Reuters reported, the Trump administration axed the job of an epidemiologist working for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in China to help detect emerging disease outbreaks. As the pandemic raged, the administration removed Rick Bright, one of Americas premier experts on vaccine development, from an agency overseeing efforts to develop a coronavirus vaccine. Last week Bright filed a whistle-blower complaint claiming hed suffered retaliation because he resisted funding potentially dangerous drugs promoted by those with political connections and by the administration itself. (A federal watchdog agency has called for him to be reinstated pending its investigation.)

Another whistle-blower complaint, filed by a former volunteer on the coronavirus team assembled by Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner, claims the effort has been beset by inexperience and incompetence. The Associated Press reported on how the White House buried guidance from the C.D.C. on how communities could safely reopen. Now the president is urging Americans to return to work even as the White House itself has proved unable to keep the coronavirus at bay.

According to Axios, Trump has even privately started expressing skepticism of the coronaviruss death toll, suggesting its lower than official statistics say. (Most experts believe the opposite.) A senior administration official said he expects the president to begin publicly questioning the death toll as it closes in on his predictions for the final death count and damages him politically, reported Axios. The Trump administrations approach to the coronavirus began with denialism, and thats likely how it will end.

Any progress America makes in fighting Covid-19 will be in spite of its federal government, not because of it. I am speaking out because to combat this deadly virus, science not politics or cronyism has to lead the way, Dr. Bright said when he went public with his complaint in April. Trump wont let that happen. Hed rather essentially give up on combating it at all.

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Were All Casualties of Trumps War on Coronavirus Science - The New York Times

Viruses have been around far longer than humans and will likely outlast them. There are millions of types and thousands of species of viruses. A virus does not reproduce, but replicates on contact with a living cell. A virus is not capable of auto-mobility, but must be transported between living organisms by direct or indirect contact. Scientists do not consider the virus as dead or alive; the poliovirus, for example, if stored at minus 20 centigrade, can be kept in suspended animationinert yet potentindefinitely.

A quarter-century ago, the relation between humans and viruses was seen as an implacable war of two worlds. Accordingly, viruses and other invading hordes continuously attack the human immune system, which, through antibodies, attempts to defend itself. Last February, SARS-CoV-2 was crowned an agent of global disease. From China to the US, all nations bowed before this coronated virus that colonised its human hosts to propagate. Deferring to the invisible threat against all humanity, many nations imposed a lockdown.

The lockdown is designed to slow down but not eliminate death and disease, and as such resembles a military strategy called defence in depth. That strategy does not presume to stop or rebuff an overwhelming enemy force with a firmly defended front. Instead, the enemy is allowed to advance into the interior, inducing it to stretch and diffuse its forces. By delaying a frontal confrontation, the defenders get time to shore up defences and mount counterattacks. The lockdown suppresses the spread of SARS-CoV-2 by confining its potential agents. The period of confinement is used to increase the availability of hospital beds, ventilators and protective equipment. The population is then released from confinement at a rate never greater than the capacity of health facilities.

The results of a model made by a highly regarded scientific team from Imperial College, London, predicted 5,10,000 Britons would die from Covid-19 if no measures were taken to stem the disease. A few weeks later a rival scientific model from Oxford predicted far fewer deaths. By assuming social distancing and recalibrating the model parameters, the original team reduced its own estimate of excess deaths by 98% to about 10,000. Similarly, the results of a model by the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) in Seattle, Washington, suggested between 1,00,000 and 2,40,000 Americans would die from the virus even with social distancing policies in place. Ten days later, the revised IHME estimate of the same number was 61,000. The wild swings in estimates prove why modelled results cannot be confused with evidence.

The often-heard appeal that politicians should give way to professionals is to ask for government by experts. But a technocracy is not a democracy. Nor is it a remedy for an oligarchy, much less for an incipient autocracy. At least notionally, modern political regimes acknowledge that the power of governments to make laws, implement them and judge infractions against them must be separated. Hence, the well-known architecture of distinct but overlapping legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government.

Two pandemics: There are two pandemics underway. In the strict sense of all people, (Greek: pan demos), Covid-19 is the lesser pandemic. The fear of the virus is the greater pandemic. Far fewer people have been infected by it than are aware of it. The smallpox virus that decimated much of the aboriginal peoples on the American continents was carried from Europe at the speed of ships. Sars-CoV-2 travels at the speed of jet planes. Throughout human history, infectious agents have been carried at the speed of human travel along trade routes. In the 21st century, the fear of the virus moves at the speed of what the screen shows.

Flattening the curve is the popular way to explain the mechanics of the lockdown. The curve shows the expected number of infected humans over a period of time. By instituting behavioural controls like handwashing and limiting large gatherings, the number of cases can be kept at or below the healthcare system capacity, which includes nurses, doctors, ICUs, ventilators and the like. Calibrating the number of expected deaths by available hospital resources is an exercise in the field of supply chain management, well known to industrial engineers and hospital administrators. It was this style of just-in-time management that previously gutted the facilities so much that it caused New York hospitals to be almost overwhelmed by sick patients during the flu season of 2018. Then, excess capacity was reduced. Now, excess infections are flattened.

The law to care: The feeling of doom is in the air. The lockdown has exacerbated the sense of catastrophe. Whether they are the migrant workers massed on the borders of Indian states or the millions in the US who have lost their jobs, many are suddenly cast adrift without a livelihood. Countless more experience the menace of an invisible pestilence, not knowing when they will be released from confinement, anxious about ever being freed from continuous and intimate surveillance. A low-grade fever of panic and consternation afflicts many millions across the world. Some have begun to express this in acts of surly rebellion. Others mutely comply waiting for the ill-wind to blow over. Many, if not all, wish the program to save lives will work swiftly and that life will return to normal.

Sars-CoV-2 is neither alive nor dead. It transitioned out of suspended animation to infect its human hosts. In their fight against it, humans parodied the virus and made obvious that the condition of suspended animation is not aberrant. The question is whether the normalcy of a fetishised life and its supporting apparatuses will remain at the epicentre of what is to come.

Sajay Samuel

Author of Beyond Economics and Ecology & professor at State College, Pennsylvania

(Email ID: sxs26@psu.edu)

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Viruses, humans and suspended animation - The New Indian Express

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More than 246000 Covid-19 cases in Mena - MEED

Prime Minister Boris Johnson implemented a lockdown across the UK on March 23 in a bid to protect the NHS, slow the spread of COVID-19 and save lives.

As part of the lockdown the following changes were implemented:

READ MORE:Optician suspended after 'accusing veteran of INVADING COUNTRIES'

The Government has confirmed opticians can remain open as they are working with the NHS to provide essential and urgent eye care to meet with needs and reduce pressure on GPS, A&E and hospital eye departments.

However, it is the decision of each individual practice owner whether or not to remain open during these unprecedented times.

If a practice does remain open, it is advised they ask patients to telephone the practice before attending, but for remote triage, to ascertain whether the patient needs essential eye care before being seen.

For those who have broken their glasses or their prescription is out of date, it may be possible to contact your optician to issue temporary glasses or contact lenses without an examination.

Many opticians are able to undertake simple repairs by post.

For those experiencing serious eye issues and vision problems, these should not be ignored and advice should be sought as soon as possible.

Symptoms or problems may include:

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Opticians opening hours: Are opticians open during the lockdown? - Express.co.uk

(PRESS RELEASE) CHICAGO Prevent Blindness, the nations oldest non-profit eye health organization, announced the launch of its new brand identity, logo, and website. The launch coincides with the organizations new Be a Visionary campaign: a call to action to join in the sight-saving efforts of Prevent Blindness.

The new identity is designed to reflect the organizations long history as well as its current sight-saving efforts and programs. The new look is designed to invoke the innovative, trusted and professional reputation of Prevent Blindness as it looks to the future.

Prevent Blindness began in 1908 as a public health advocacy organization. The core of our sight-saving mission has remained the same, but we have expanded our efforts to address the pressing needs of people living today in communities across the country, said Jeff Todd, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness. Our new brand identity and website have been created to demonstrate all that Prevent Blindness offers to consumers, industry leaders, medical and public health professionals, and government representatives.

The Prevent Blindness logo was redesigned to emphasize the important role of prevention, by bolding the word Prevent. The multi-colored eye as logo mark is meant to reflect many elements converging to represent community and symbolize inclusiveness.

To make vision and eye health information at Prevent Blindness as user-friendly as possible, the newly-redesigned website at http://www.PreventBlindness.org features easy-to-navigate pages with built-in accessibility features. Websites for the Center for Vision and Population Health and the National Center for Childrens Vision and Eye Health at Prevent Blindness have also been extensively updated.

To engage the public in the next chapter of its legacy, Prevent Blindness will soon roll out the Be a Visionary program, asking consumers to join in the mission and pledge their support by advocating for eye health, sharing stories of the gift of healthy vision, or donating to the cause. Shareable social media graphics, including #BeAVisionary, will be available to participate in the campaign.

Today we understand that we are in the midst of a profoundly devastating epidemic, added Mr. Todd. Our goal is to continue to move forward, to continue to advocate and educate on the importance of eye health. We believe these new efforts will help guide us in the year 2020 and for many years to come.

For more information on Prevent Blindness, its history and new brand identity, please visit www. PreventBlindness.org or call (800) 331-2020.

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Prevent Blindness Unveils New Brand Identity, Logo and Website - InvisionMag

Seeing the way forward for eye care in the UK

Eyesight is the sense that most patients fear losing the most(1) yet unfortunately some patients dont know, that as part of their well-being, they should attend their optical practice every two years. Some people should attend more often, including under 16-year-olds (if clinically required), those who have diabetes, or glaucoma, and people with a family history of glaucoma. The leading causes of sight loss are corrective refractive error, age-related macular degeneration (AMD), glaucoma, cataracts and diabetic retinopathy.(2) Regular sight testing and early detection of eye conditions during a sight test, followed by timely intervention and management can prevent sight loss.

One barrier to patients accessing eye care is the cost element.(3) Scotland is the only country in the UK that provides free universal NHS eye examinations. England, Wales and Northern Ireland only provide free NHS eye exams to those who are:

People who get the following benefits are also entitled to a NHS eye examination:

And those who have a low income and are named on a valid NHS HC2 certificate for full help with health costs.

All other patients presenting for routine/emergency eye care need to pay unless there is a locally arranged eye care scheme that provides emergency care. Its extremely disappointing that the Westminster Government doesnt prioritise eye care, as more often than not they dont recognise the optical profession as primary care providers. This has been demonstrated a number of times in the last month where no increase in General Ophthalmic Services (GOS) fees were provided in England, for the fifth consecutive year and optical practices were the last to be directed in the provision of essential and urgent care in relation to eye health within the COVID-19 pandemic.

If eye care was recognised as the public health tool that it can be and pathways changed to enable free eyecare to be delivered, universally; if investment was made by spending to save as it costs less to see patients in primary care than secondary, freeing capacity in secondary care; if the highly skilled optical clinical workforce were allowed to work at the top of their competencies to help prevent, treat and monitor eye health problems in the community, far more sight loss could be avoided.

Regardless of the above and sadly, not all sight loss is preventable. Being diagnosed with sight loss can cause immediate fear and panic. Optical staff are trained to support patients with sight loss and low vision by providing advice on spectacles, contact lenses, visual aids, lighting, advances in technology for computers and mobile phones to be used to help when they are out socialising, travelling, shopping etc. enabling patients to maintain their independence.

There is also advice available on modifications that can be made to homes and workplaces. Optical staff will signpost to charities and organisations that provide support groups and communities for those who have suffered some or complete sight loss. The practical and emotional support offered by organisations including the Macular Society, International Glaucoma Association, Diabetes UK, Blind Veterans UK, the Royal Society for Blind Children, SeeAbility and RNIB to name but a few is invaluable.

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Seeing the way forward for eye care in the UK - Open Access Government

My name is Kenneth, I. Ekeng and, the first thing you should know about me is I am not a doctor. Im not an expert on nutrition either. I never went to medical college and I dont have a degree in anything.

But aside from my job, the other thing I consider myself expert about is

I Know How Any Person In NIGERIA Can Regain Their Lost Vision In A Very Easy Way!.

I know because I CONQUER it.

And Other Numerous Eye Problems.

Find out here: Healthsolve.org/vision

If you are over 45 and you have any eye problems and you REALLY want to see better without eye surgery, glasses or eye-drop, I bet this is going to be the most important message you will read this year.

Heres why!

As you may or may not know, when we get older, we usually begin to experience problems with our eyes and our vision. This causes many people to need eye surgery so they have the best vision possible.

Why? Because, usually after the age of 45, the lens in our eyes begin to harden due to natural causes. Our vision becomes cloudy and the lens itself turns brown, blocking off our field of vision.

The truth is, if you live long enough, I can almost guarantee you will develop Cataracts or Glaucoma. Its a natural condition that affects almost everybody at some point in his or her later life.

In fact, there are over two hundred thousand eye surgeries performed, each year, in Nigeria alone many of which are performed by inexperienced doctors in less than perfect conditions.

This has led to some scary stories on how some of these eye operations have gone wrong for some patients.

too many Eyes surgeries are being performed in less than perfect condition all over the country. Those surgery rooms are not even clean, much less sterile. And the environmental conditions are not controllable.

Unfortunately, too many surgeons are putting their own financial interests ahead of their patients interests.

Click here to find out: Healthsolve.org/vision

Are You Aware That The Big Drug Companies Are Cheating Everyone Who Is Trying To Regain Lost Sight?

They do this in two different ways.

First of all, they try to keep us from finding out about safe, cheap ways to Reverse Glaucoma, cataracts, myopia and other eye problems without going for surgery.

The second way they cheat us is, they sell us millions and millions of naira worth of prescription glasses/lenses that are worthless.

Not only that,

many of these glasses are very dangerous, and they cause refractive errors to your optic nerves.

Why am I telling you this?

Because, for the first time EVER, Ive decided to publicly reveal the Secret remedy, which has helped reverse my Glaucoma and cataract, combined. And Im revealing this to a very small select group of people.

Go here to discover: Healthsolve.org/vision

Once you click that link, youll get to watch the video where I revealed the secret your doctor hasnt told you about your eyes problems, and why you should know it Plus Ive gone ahead to reveal the breakthrough remedy your doctor wished you never found out.

To watch the video. . .

Go here: Healthsolve.org/vision

I kid you not, youre not going to believe your eyes when you watch the hard-core revelation in that video.

Optometrist offered me a big salary, a car and a new wardrobe if I would be a spokesman for them. But I wont. They may have a good system, but I believe my discovery is much better. And thats why I have teamed up with a company of AirTook, Inc. that is letting me tell people what magical pill they should use to reverse their lost sight in exactly the same way I did it. You know, to tell the truth, this discovery works better than any other eye pill and glasses ever devised. Consider this:

My glaucoma was reversed in less than 60 days!

My cataract that was due for the third operation in a row was gone forever!

I dont use glasses any longer!

I can now drive at night and watch Tv just like everyone else with perfect sight!

No more eyeglasses IM FREE!

You see, Ive been on TVs, Ive been on radios, Ive been written up in many newspapers and my story is all around social media.

And guess what? Everybody and I mean everybody wants to know my secret. Well, more than 30 thousand people have been saved from going blind already with this breakthrough remedy. And now, with your permission, Im going to reveal it to you! What I want to do is send you a very special report called: Kens Way: the amazing Publication Of A Man Who Reversed His Lost Sight in just 2 months!The special publication tells it all. It is easy to read and easy to understand and

You Dont Have ToPay a Fortune to Read It!

Click Here >>> To Read The Breakthrough Publication, and as well watch the controversial video therein.

Look, I dont mean to brag, but Im proud of myself. The doctors couldnt help me. All those eyes experts couldnt help me. Even my family couldnt help me. (But God bless them for trying.) I didnt get help from Dr Patterson, possibly the best eye surgeon in Canada who operated my eye or anybody else. No, I did it all on my own and I learned it the hard way. Now I will be showing you how to do it fast and cheap.

Go here: Healthsolve.org/vision

Lets talk about money.

I heard on the news the other day that the average person who performs eye surgery with an optometrist pays about NGN400, 000 or more to do it.

But save your money! All you need is this open secret remedy; you can get for almost nothing compared to all that other stuff.

And hear this: none of those other doctors or drug companies can do what Im about to do for you

NOW, find a quiet place, and carefully watch this urgent video here: Healthsolve.org/vision

Please note: The video would be pulled down after this weekend

Continued here:
This Tiny Ocular Reverses all eye problems, has saved thousands from going blind (Sponsored) - Daily Post Nigeria

DMP, a leading integrator of edge AI Computing leverages performance, low power advantages of Prophesee breakthrough bio-inspired technology to enable more efficient IoT, autonomous navigation systems

PARIS, France and TOKYO, Japan May 14th, 2020 Prophesee SA, inventor of the most advanced neuromorphic vision systems, and Digital Media Professionals (DMP), Inc., a leading semiconductor and IP licensing company specializing in visual computing and edge AI for embedded devices, today announced a partnership that will combine their respective expertise and technology. Through the agreement, DMP will develop and offer integrated solutions that leverage Prophesee's breakthrough Event-Based Vision capabilities which dramatically improve the performance and power efficiency of vision-enabled systems. A particular focus will be on machine vision and AI solutions for IoT and autonomous navigation systems.

Compared to conventional cameras that capture images at a constant frame rate, Event-based Vision sensors detect changes in the luminance of each pixel asynchronously and output data including coordinates and time only for the pixels where a change, a movement, is detected in the environment. As a result, Prophesee's Metavision Event-Based Vision sensor has features such as high dynamic range (120 dB or more), high data efficiency (10-1000 times less than conventional cameras), and ultra-low power consumption (<10 mW at the sensor level). The combination of Prophesee's Metavision Event-Based Vision sensor and DMP's software and hardware technology for edge AI enables quick recognition and tracking of moving objects in a wide range of environments including dark places.

In the fields such as IoT, robotics, and mobility where DMP is focusing, it realizes low power, small size, high performance, and high resolution edge AI solutions, which, for example, are able to detect signs and obstacles in low light conditions, to track a slight movement of the driver's line of sight at high speed to prevent accidents, and to detect thin wires that were previously difficult to detect.

"This is a partnership of strengths. DMP's experience in developing embedded visual computing and AI solutions for applications that require powerful and efficient machine vision capabilities are an ideal complement to Prophesee's breakthrough event-based vision approach," said Luca Verre, co-founder and CEO of Prophesee. "By leveraging our innovative neuromorphic, AI-enabled techniques to improve performance and reduce power in how machines see, we can help meet DMP's customers' image sensing and analysis needs in areas such as IoT/AI devices and autonomous navigation."

"We are pleased to be able to offer this innovative technology as part of our integrated visual and AI solutions for vision-enabled systems. Prophesee's unique event-based approach to object recognition perfectly fits the industry's/customer's requirement of low power consumption for IoT devices and offers us with differentiated competitiveness of our AI-based products and services," said Tatsuo Yamamoto, President & CEO of DMP.

About DMP

Digital Media Professionals (DMP), Inc. is a Tokyo, Japan-based R&D-type fabless semiconductor vendor that deploys licensing business of hardware IPs and software IPs based on proprietary 2D/3D graphics technology for embedded devices, as well as graphics LSI business that incorporates these IPs. In recent years, in order to become the world's leading "AI Computing Company", DMP provides solutions through a broad portfolio including AI processor IPs, hardware/software products and services, and AI ecosystem established by its own.For more information visit: https://www.dmprof.com/en/

About Prophesee

Prophesee is the inventor of the world's most advanced neuromorphic vision systems.The company developed a breakthrough Event-Based Vision approach to machine vision. This new vision category allows for significant reductions of power, latency and data processing requirements to reveal what was invisible to traditional frame-based sensors until now.Prophesee's patented Metavision sensors and algorithms mimic how the human eye and brain work to dramatically improve efficiency in areas such as autonomous vehicles, industrial automation, IoT, security and surveillance, and AR/VR.Prophesee is based in Paris, with local offices in Grenoble, Shanghai, Tokyo and Silicon Valley. The company is driven by a team of 102 visionary engineers, holds more than 50 international patents and is backed by leading international investors including Sony, iBionext, 360 Capital Partners, Intel Capital, Robert Bosch Venture Capital, Supernova Invest, and European Investment Bank.For more information visit: http://www.prophesee.ai

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Prophesee, DMP partner to accelerate development of embedded machine vision and artificial intelligence (AI) applications using Event-Based Vision...