American Society of Pain and Neuroscience ASPN

#News: Halda Therapeutics, a Connecticut-based biotech founded by Yale professor and entrepreneur Craig Crews, announced Monday that it has raised $126 million in a #SeriesB extension to move two candidates into #clinicaltrials for patients with #prostate and #breast #cancer. The #biotech has been developing a new class of #cancertherapies known as #RegulatedInducedProximityTargetingChimeras (RIPTAC). According to Halda, these assets use a “hold and kill” mechanism using two proteins, one cancer-specific and one with an essential function. The candidates are designed to help retract essential cell function and cause the death of the cancer cells while preserving non-cancer tissue. “This financing will enable us to bring to patients our oral, selective and widely applicable cancer cell-killing mechanism that is designed to overcome drug resistance, which is a major shortcoming of many current standard of care cancer treatments,” Kat Kayser-Bricker, Halda chief scientific officer, said in a statement. Read more from BioSpace 👇🏼

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The potential benefits of GLP-1s continue to grow. The phase 2b ELAD study showed adults with early-stage Alzheimer's disease (AD) taking the GLP-1 receptor agonist liraglutide exhibited slower decline in memory and thinking and experienced less brain atrophy over 12 months vs placebo. Over 55 million people have dementia worldwide, costing economies globally 1.3 trillion US dollars Obviously, more research and bigger trials are needed but the unmet need is high. https://lnkd.in/eEiBTx2N #biotech #dementia #healthcare

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🌟 A Groundbreaking Milestone in Medicine: Gene Therapy for Hearing Loss 🌟 I’m thrilled to share an incredible advancement in genetic medicine: the first-ever gene therapy procedure in the U.S. to treat hereditary hearing loss, performed at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). This pioneering treatment was administered to an 11-year-old born with profound hearing loss due to a mutation in the otoferlin (OTOF) gene. Using a minimally invasive surgical approach, researchers delivered a therapeutic copy of the OTOF gene directly into the cochlea, restoring the ability to perceive sound. Four months post-treatment, the child can now hear for the first time—experiencing the voices of loved ones and everyday sounds! This is more than a victory for one family; it represents hope for countless others. With over 150 genes linked to genetic hearing loss, this milestone could pave the way for future therapies addressing various genetic conditions. We are closer to a future where such breakthroughs can transform lives globally 🌱 #GeneTherapy #MedicalInnovation #HearingLoss

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Clinical trials without diversity miss the mark. Because health isn’t one-size-fits-all. A recent paper in Nature Neuroscience reminds us that factors like race, gender, and socioeconomic status profoundly influence brain biology and behaviour. Yet many clinical trials fail to include diverse populations, leading to treatments that don’t work for everyone. So, how do we fix this? From my experience of working in this space, here are 3 practical tips: 1️⃣ Engage communities: Build trust by collaborating with local leaders and organisations. 2️⃣ Design for access: Offer flexible scheduling, childcare, and transportation. 3️⃣ Be transparent: Clearly explain the study’s purpose and how data will be used. We all play a role in building trust and breaking barriers. 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁’𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝘃𝗲 𝘂𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗽𝘀? Share your ideas below—someone else might need them. Read the nature release here: https://lnkd.in/en-tjTv2 #ClinicalTrials #Diversity #Inclusion

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💊💊Are you hurt? 💊💊 Millions of people do, and there are many medications available. But are they always the answer? This article explores the use of pain medication, the risks of overusing opioids, and alternative treatments for chronic pain. Let us know your thoughts about this, feel free to share it in the comments section! Call us! TIB Pharmacy T: (510)-573-0064 A: 5886 Mowry School Rd, Newark CA, 94560 #LongTermCare #MedicationManagement #BetterHealth #Teamwork #TIBPharmacy #NewarkPharmacy #pharmacyservices #longtermcare #LTCPharmacy #HospicePharmacy #EndOfLifeCare #hospicespecialized #ltcspecialized #ltcathome #enteraltherapy #MedicationManagement #PackagingPower #SimplifyYourHealth https://lnkd.in/g8isND4e

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10 Precision Oncology Advances of 2024: Transforming Patient Outcomes Through Clinical Trials As 2024 concludes, precision oncology clinical trials have delivered groundbreaking advancements redefining cancer treatment. Below are 10 breakthroughs, their benefits, and next steps in clinical application: 1. Tumor-Agnostic Therapies Expansion Benefit: Broader access to therapies targeting mutations like NTRK and RET, regardless of cancer origin, has improved survival rates for rare cancers. Next Steps: Increase trial enrollment to confirm efficacy across additional subtypes. 2. AI-Powered Biomarker Identification Benefit: Faster and more accurate patient-matching to trials ensures personalized treatments. Next Steps: Expand AI datasets to include underrepresented populations. 3. Circulating Tumor DNA (ctDNA) for Early Detection Benefit: Non-invasive liquid biopsies enable earlier detection of recurrence in breast and lung cancers. Next Steps: Validate ctDNA tests across larger, diverse populations. 4. CAR-T Therapy for Solid Tumors Benefit: First successful application of CAR-T cells in solid tumors like pancreatic cancer shows promise for hard-to-treat cases. Next Steps: Optimize delivery systems to enhance efficacy and reduce toxicity. 5. Neoantigen Vaccines Benefit: Personalized cancer vaccines show durable responses in melanoma patients. Next Steps: Extend trials to lung and colorectal cancers. 6. Organoid-Based Drug Screening Benefit: Patient-derived tumor organoids enable faster, more accurate drug selection tailored to cancers. Next Steps: Scale this approach for use in standard care. 7. Radiopharmaceuticals Benefit: Targeted radioligand therapy achieves remarkable outcomes in metastatic prostate cancer. Next Steps: Explore combination therapies to maximize response rates. 8. Expanded KRAS Inhibitors Benefit: Advances in KRAS G12D inhibitors extend precision treatments to pancreatic and colorectal cancers. Next Steps: Evaluate resistance mechanisms to refine regimens. 9. Targeting the Tumor Microenvironment Benefit: Therapies disrupting immune evasion pathways revitalize immune responses in resistant cancers. Next Steps: Launch larger-scale trials for late-stage cancers. 10. Dual-Target Antibody Therapies Benefit: Bispecific antibodies targeting HER2 and HER3 enhance outcomes in HER2-positive breast and gastric cancers. Next Steps: Investigate combinatorial approaches with immunotherapies. 🏆These milestones demonstrate precision oncology’s immense potential to deliver targeted, effective, patient-centered care. 🤝Greater collaboration, diverse trial enrollment, and equitable access are key to ensuring these advances benefit all patients. 🙋‍♀️Which advancement excites you most? 👇Share your thoughts below!👇 ⭐️If you’re planning or operating oncology or rare disease contact me to explore solutions tailored to your specific needs. Let’s ensure your trials achieve maximum success!

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The progressive cognitive decline that prompts the clinical-symptomatic diagnosis of prodromal (mild cognitive impairment; MCI) and syndromal (dementia) stages associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is like the smoke that signals a raging fire: by the time it is apparent, substantial damage has already begun. That process involves the amyloid pathway with accumulation of soluble and aggregated neurotoxic beta-amyloid as well as the generation of phosphorylated tau species that affect and destroy excitatory neurons in the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex and, eventually, other parts of the brain. Now, two single-cell brain atlases, one recently described in Nature Neuroscience and the other in Nature, offer a fresh glimpse at how the disease may advance. The teams behind the atlases examined postmortem brain samples along a continuum of AD progression and used single-nucleus RNA sequencing to estimate the cellular steps that accompany plaques and tangles—namely, changes in glia and the loss of certain inhibitory cells. The work follows the publication of two single-cell atlases last year that also described changes to astrocytes, microglia and inhibitory cells early in AD, after constructing a trajectory of the disease. In the most recent work, published in Nature Neuroscience, an integrated atlas of AD in the middle temporal gyrus (MTG), selected both as a transition area in AD pathology and the region with the greatest aggregated knowledge about cell type phenotypes. The atlas illustrates the utility of the BRAIN Initiative Cell Census Network (BICCN) reference as a unifying framework to map cell types at high resolution, incorporate cell types and states not included in the reference, and replicate results. The core results presented in this article were replicated across data modalities, cortical regions and datasets from independent studies. The results demonstrate the value of this integration in defining a robust and specific series of cellular and molecular events that show what cells are affected, where they are (co-)localized and when these events happen as disease pathology increases. All data presented are publicly accessible through a suite of data resources available through The Seattle Alzheimer’s Disease Brain Cell Atlas (SEA-AD) (https://lnkd.in/eDBb3wni). Learn more: Nature: https://lnkd.in/e7SAkuFg Nature Neuroscience: https://lnkd.in/eCjPUs78 Nature Portfolio Springer Nature #neurology #neuroscience #brain #brainhealth #precisionmedicine #biomarkers #pathology #cells #microglia #neurons #astrocytes #glia #neuroglia #neuropathology #brainatlas #diseaseprogression #cognitivedecline #dementia #alzheimer #alzheimersdisease #neurodegeneration #neurodegenerativediseases #neurologicaldisorders #amyloid #tau #cortex #aging #brainaging #rnasequencing #rna #braindevelopment #inflammation #neuroimmunology #neuroinflammation #proteins #proteinmisfolding

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🎙️ The Grit Behind the Growth: Real Talk on Building and Scaling a Business in Clinical Research 🎙️ I'm excited to share a short clip from my conversation with Geoffrey Banks, Ph.D., a serial entrepreneur who gets real about the sacrifices, challenges, and triumphs of creating businesses. Geoff, the founder of Nuventra Pharma Sciences and co-founder of First Order Pharmaceuticals, also opens up about his book, The Growth Mindset Illusion - Achieving Success as a Steady-State Entrepreneur. Together, we unpack the highs, the lows, and what it truly means to scale a business while balancing health, happiness, and personal sacrifices. 🌟 This is just a teaser—stay tuned as this is the first of a 5-episode series, where we dive into the unfiltered truths of entrepreneurship as he takes us along his journey. His book hit home for me as I prepare for my own rollercoaster journey, and I can't wait to share more about that soon. 📚✨ You can buy his book on Amazon, and I highly recommend it to anyone who understands the sacrifices we make in this industry, in the spirit and business of helping people become well. 🎧 Follow Beyond the Data Podcast for more real stories and raw conversations that peel back the layers of clinical research, one episode at a time. #Podcast #Entrepreneurship #ClinicalResearch #PatientAdvocacy #BeyondTheDataPodcast

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Tomorrow at MassBio's Align Summit, I'll be representing CytoReason on a panel with distinguished representatives from Genentech, BigHat Biosciences, BioNTech SE and Locust Walk. In the session "AI Partnerships: Integrating for Strategic Value" we'll bring up best practices for integrating AI/ML into pharma and biotech companies. We'll also discuss the the competitive advantages that these capabilities can unlock, and when to build, buy, or rent these capabilities. Thanks MassBio for organizing this important event, in partnership with Locust Walk and McKinsey & Company. For more info, see the link in comment below.

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LinkedIn Post: New Insights on Aging: Major Biological Shifts in Your 40s and 60s! Time doesn’t just pass—it reshapes us in profound ways. Stanford Medicine’s latest research (http://med.stanford.edu) uncovers two critical periods of rapid molecular and microbial change around the ages of 44 and 60. These shifts could be the reason why you notice sudden changes in your health, metabolism, or even how you feel daily. Key Findings: • Dramatic shifts in thousands of molecules and microbes occur in our 40s and 60s. • These changes impact crucial areas like cardiovascular health, immune function, and metabolism. • This research highlights the importance of proactive health management, especially as we approach these pivotal ages. It’s never too early—or too late—to take charge of your health. Adjusting your lifestyle in your 40s and 60s could be key to aging gracefully and staying healthy longer. #Aging #HealthResearch #Biology #StanfordMedicine #Longevity #Health

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Gil Bashe, Thank you for sharing! This article is worth reading! I completely agree with the 5 listed check points included in this article from the perspective of these checks being applied to clinical trial operations. 👉With regard to clinical trial operations, these 5 evaluation points should be thoroughly researched with detailed, thoughtful, and unbiased responses for each clinical trial at the point of the clinical trial concept. If the clinical trial will be conducted, an ongoing updated audit, discussions with corresponding immediate execution of corresponding decided actions should be conducted at set frequencies throughout the clinical trial. By proactively, completing these detailed evaluations, related discussions and immediate implementation of decided actions with all key stakeholders (from trial concept through closure) for a clinical trial, a sponsor would position themselves, their products, clinical trials, and intended patients for success. #oncologyclinicaltrials #rarediseaseclinicaltrials #costavoidance #ChoiceClinOps #PatientCentricOncologyClinicalTrials #SuccessByDesign #ClinicalTrialOperationsConsulting #ClinicalTrialOperations #PlanForSuccess

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Bluenote is the new "Bio-specific" LLM to follow. Beside Agents, will 2025 be the year of specialized LLMs ... as "mainstream" LLMs are running out of "public data" to use (steal 🤫) ... we will see more models trained on domain-specific data, licensed from life companies ... with (hopefully) the option to fine tune them using proprietary data.

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An interesting read that summaries the learnings and discoveries in #innateimmunity over the last 50 years https://lnkd.in/gmCrmCF9

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Here's a summary of the #ADC-related abstracts for #SITC2024. 3 Humanized HER2-expressing tumor cells established syngeneic models for evaluating HER2 ADC therapy Biocytogen Boston Corp 4 Establishing a tumor cell model to evaluate the bystander effect of ADC therapies Biocytogen Boston Corp 170 Identifying novel targets for ADCs in sarcomas using RNA sequencing BostonGene, Corp. 214 Decoding ADC-response in urothelial cancer with spatial multi-omics OMAPiX GmbH 313 ADCs as Adaptors for Universal CAR T cells University of Pittsburgh 629 Evaluation of immunomodulatory effects of ifinatamab deruxtecan (I-DXd) in the IDeate-Pantumor01 Phase 1/2 study in patients with advanced solid tumors Daiichi Sankyo 654 XMT-2056: A Phase 1 Study of a HER2-directed STING agonist ADC in HER2+ Solid Tumors The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center 796 Enhanced in vitro T cell activation and cytotoxicity induced by a TROP2 ADC conjugated to the novel topoisomerase payload AZ14170133 in lung adenocarcinoma cells AstraZeneca 799 Vedotin ADCs Reinvigorate Anti-Tumor Immunity in a Preclinical Model of Anti-PD1 Resistance Pfizer 807 The PD1-TIM3 bispecific antibody sabestomig combines with a topoisomerase 1 inhibitor-conjugated ADC for additive anti-tumor activity and tumor immune modulation in a novel humanized NSCLC mouse model AstraZeneca 1017 PSMA-E7766 ADC: Harnessing targeted delivery of STING agonists for anti-tumor activity in prostate cancer Eisai Co., Ltd. 1045 PF-08046032: A novel, investigational CD25-directed ADC optimized for selective depletion of regulatory T cells in advanced malignant tumors Pfizer 1048 A differentiated cMet x EGFR bispecific ADC demonstrated broad antitumor activity and promising safety profile in preclinical models EpimAb Biotherapeutics, Inc. 1049 TAA antibody library and novel linker/payload BLD1102 for ADC, bispecific ADC and nanobody-drug conjugate development Biocytogen Pharmaceuticals 1050 Comprehensive Characterization of ADCs for Screening and Manufacturing ACROBiosystems 1051 LNCB74 is a B7-H4 targeting antibody-drug-conjugate with a β-glucuronide linker-MMAE payload system to enhance the therapeutic index in B7-H4 expressing cancers. NextCure, Inc. 1053 XMT-2056, a HER2-targeted Immunosynthen STING agonist ADC, induces anti-tumor activity at low doses in preclinical models Mersana Therapeutics 1054 Developing a Gold-based ADC for Synovial Sarcoma Brigham Young University 1056 IPH45, a next-generation ADC targeting Nectin-4 Innate Pharma 1303 ADC payload-induced IL1 suggests potential for anti-IL1RAP therapy combination for enhanced treatment efficacy and prevention of neuropathy Cantargia AB 1426 The anti-tumor activity of a novel anti-Her2/anti-Trop2 bispecific VHH ADC Bright Biologics LLC This posting summarizes the ADC-related abstracts, covering various aspects of ADC research, including preclinical models, combination therapies, novel targets, and clinical studies.

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After predicting that AI will help cure cancer, OpenAI founder Sam Altman is taking it a step further by saying AI will eventually replace principal investigators. While I also believe AI will transform drug discovery and contribute meaningfully to eradicating cancer and other diseases, I don’t think cancer researchers need to start updating their LinkedIn profiles just yet.  I agree with Shantanu Singh, a machine learning biologist and co-leader of the Carpenter-Singh Lab at the Broad Institute, who tells STAT that there’s one skill ChatGPT and other large language models haven’t mastered: creativity. It’s this fundamentally human skill that Singh and others believe will keep principal investigators at the center of drug discovery, with gen AI just one powerful tool in their toolbox. The rest of Singh’s Q&A covers how he’s using large language models, his concerns about AI implementation and more. To see how ZS is helping clients use AI to turbocharge drug discovery, check out the link in the comments.  #AI #ClinicalResearch  https://lnkd.in/dqiMwXJ6  

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New Treatment for Early Alzheimer’s Disease #medicine Kisunla (Donanemab-azbt) just approved by the FDA for the treatment of early symptomatic Alzheimer's Disease (AD). https://lnkd.in/dpuJFisA Why is this important? Kisunla slowed cognitive and functional decline by up to 35% compared to placebo at 18 months in its pivotal Phase 3 study and reduced participants' risk of progressing to the next clinical stage of disease by up to 39%. Kisunla is the first and only amyloid plaque-targeting therapy that used a limited-duration treatment regimen based on amyloid plaque removal; nearly half of study participants completed their course of treatment with Kisunla in 12 months. Once-monthly infusions of 30 minutes reduced amyloid plaques on average by 84% compared to the start of the study. Highlights from clinical trial In the TRAILBLAZER-ALZ 2 Phase 3 study, people who were the least advanced in the disease experienced the strongest results with Kisunla. Trial participants were analyzed over 18 months in two groupings: one group who was less advanced in their disease (those with low to medium levels of tau protein) and the overall population, which also included participants with high tau levels. Treatment with Kisunla significantly slowed clinical decline in both groups. Those individuals treated with Kisunla who were less advanced in their disease showed a significant slowing of decline of 35% compared with placebo on the integrated Alzheimer's Disease Rating Scale (iADRS), which measures memory, thinking, and daily functioning. In the overall population, the response to treatment was also statistically significant using the iADRS at 22%. Among the two groups analyzed, participants treated with Kisunla had up to a 39% lower risk of progressing to the next clinical stage of disease than those taking placebo. Among the overall population of participants, Kisunla reduced amyloid plaques on average by 61% at 6 months, 80% at 12 months, and 84% at 18 months compared to the start of the study. What is Kisunla? Donanemab (LY3002813) is a humanized IgG1 monoclonal antibody targeted against an epitope at the N-terminal of a specific type of amyloid beta (Aβ) - pyroglutamate Aβ - which is found only in the brain amyloid plaques associated with AD. It works by inducing microglial-mediated clearance of existing Aβ plaques with the intent of slowing the progressive decline in cognitive function associated with AD. #pharmaceuticals #healthcare

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