Rock of Riches

After disappointing setbacks and a delay over the summer, NASA says it's finally reviving its mission to explore a tantalizing and giant space rock lurking deep in the Asteroid Belt.

Known as 16 Psyche, the NASA-targeted asteroid comprises a full one percent of the mass of the Asteroid Bet, and is speculated to be the core of an ancient planet. But Psyche's size isn't what intrigues scientists so much as its metal-rich composition, believed to be harboring a wealth of iron, nickel, and gold worth an estimated $10 quintillion — easily exceeding the worth of the Earth's entire economy. Although, to be clear, they're not interested in the metals' monetary value but rather its possibly planetary origins.

Back On Track

Initially slated to launch in August 2022, NASA's aptly named Psyche spacecraft became plagued with a persistent flight software issue that led the space agency to miss its launch window that closed on October 11.

But after surviving an independent review determining whether the mission should be scrapped or not, NASA has formally announced that its spacecraft's journey to Psyche will be going ahead, planned to launch aboard a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket as early as October 10, 2023.

"I'm extremely proud of the Psyche team," said Laurie Leshin, director of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in a statement. "During this review, they have demonstrated significant progress already made toward the future launch date. I am confident in the plan moving forward and excited by the unique and important science this mission will return."

Although the new launch date is only a little over a year late, the expected arrival at the asteroid Psyche is set back by over three years — 2029 instead of 2026 — due to having to wait for another opportunity to slingshot off of Mars' gravity.

Peering Into a Planet

Once it arrives, the NASA spacecraft will orbit around the asteroid and probe it with an array of instruments, including a multispectral imager, gamma ray and neutron spectrometers, and a magnetometer, according to the agency.

In doing so, scientists hope to determine if the asteroid is indeed the core of a nascent planet known as a planetesimal. If it is, it could prove to be an invaluable opportunity to understand the interior of terrestrial planets like our own.

More on NASA: NASA Announces Plan to Fix Moon Rocket, and Maybe Launch It Eventually

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NASA Sets Launch Date for Mission to $10 Quintillion Asteroid

Core Dump

Scientists studying a group of stars made an astonishing but "serendipitous" discovery when they realized that Gamma Columbae, a fairly average celestial body, might actually be the "stripped pulsating core of a massive star," according to a study published this week in Nature Astronomy.

If true, that means Gamma Columbae is missing the envelope, or vast shroud of gas, that hides a star's nuclear fusion powered core.

What caused the stripping of this atmospheric envelope is not definitively known, but the scientists posit that Gamma Columbae running out of hydrogen could've caused its envelope to expand and swallow up a nearby star, likely its binary partner. But in the middle of that relatively common process, something appears to have horrifically gone wrong and ejected the envelope — and possibly even led to the two stars merging.

Naked Core

Before the disaster, the scientists believe Gamma Columbae could have been up to 12 times the mass of our Sun. Now, it's a comparatively meager 5 stellar masses.

Although a naked stellar core missing its envelope has been theorized to exist, it's never been observed in a star this size.

"Having a naked stellar core of such a mass is unique so far," said study co-author Norbert Pryzbilla, head of the Institute for Astro- and Particle Physics at the University of Innsbruck, in an interview with Vice.

Astronomers had an idea of what the cores of massive and low mass stars looked like, Pryzbilla continued, but there wasn't "much evidence" for cores of masses in between.

Star Power

It's an exceedingly rare find because the star is in a "a short-lived post-stripping structural re-adjustment phase" that will only last 10,000 years, according to the study.

That's "long for us humans but in astronomical timescales, very, very short," Przybilla told Vice. "It will always stay as a peculiar object."

The opportunity to study such a rarely exposed stellar core could provide scientists an invaluable look into the evolution of binary star systems. And whatever astronomers learn from the star, it's a fascinating glimpse at stellar destruction at a nearly incomprehensible scale.

More on stars: Black Hole Spotted Burping Up Material Years After Eating a Star

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Scientists Spot "Stripped, Pulsating Core" of Star Caused By Horrific Accident

Cat Burglar

Cats are known for not really minding their own business, getting their furry paws on just about anything they can.

And it turns out, this makes them effective vectors for DNA evidence, according to a study published last month in the journal Forensic Science International: Genetic Supplement Series.

Researchers collaborating with the Victoria Police Forensic Services Department in Australia found detectable human DNA in 80 percent of the samples collected from 20 pet cats, with 70 percent of the samples strong enough that they could be linked to a person of interest in a crime scene investigation.

"Collection of human DNA needs to become very important in crime scene investigations, but there is a lack of data on companion animals such as cats and dogs in their relationship to human DNA transfer," said study lead author Heidi Monkman, a forensic scientist at Flinders University, in a statement.

"These companion animals can be highly relevant in assessing the presence and activities of the inhabitants of the household, or any recent visitors to the scene."

Here Kitty

One possible takeaway is that cats — and other companion pets like dogs — could be harboring DNA that could help solve a case.

The bigger issue, though, is that pets could introduce foreign DNA that muddles a crime scene, possibly leading to an innocent person being implicated. A pet could be carrying the DNA of a complete stranger, or it might bring the DNA of its owner into a crime scene that they had nothing to do with.

Monkman's colleague and co-author of the paper, Maria Goray, is an experienced crime scene investigator and an expert in DNA transfer. She believes their findings could help clear up how pets might tamper a crime scene by carrying outside DNA.

"Are these DNA findings a result of a criminal activity or could they have been transferred and deposited at the scene via a pet?" Goray asked.

It's a question worth asking — especially because innocent people have been jailed off botched DNA science far too often.

More on DNA evidence: Cops Upload Image of Suspect Generated From DNA, Then Delete After Mass Criticism

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A team of neuroscientists at the University of Wisconsin claim to have found a way to control how high mice can get on a given amount of cocaine.

And don't worry — while that may sound like a particularly frivolous plot concocted by a team of evil scientists, the goal of the research is well-meaning.

The team, led by University of Wisconsin neuroscientist Santiago Cuesta, was investigating how the gut microbiome can influence how mice and humans react to ingesting the drug.

The research, detailed in a new paper published this week in the journal Cell Host & Microbe, sheds light on a vicious feedback loop that could explain cases of substance abuse disorders — and possibly lay the groundwork for future therapeutic treatments.

In a number of experiments on mice, the researchers found that cocaine was linked to the growth of common gut bacteria, which feed on glycine, a chemical that facilitates basic brain functions.

The lower the levels of glycine in the brain, the more the mice reacted to the cocaine, exhibiting abnormal behaviors.

To test the theory, the scientists injected the mice with a genetically modified amino acid which cannot break down glycine. As a result, the behavior of mice returned to normal levels.

In other words, the amino acid could curb cocaine addiction-like behaviors — at least in animal models.

"The gut bacteria are consuming all of the glycine and the levels are decreasing systemically and in the brain," said Vanessa Sperandio, senior author, and microbiologist from the University of Wisconsin, in a statement. "It seems changing glycine overall is impacting the glutamatergic synapses that make the animals more prone to develop addiction."

It's an unorthodox approach to treating addiction, but could be intriguing — if it works in people, that is.

"Usually, for neuroscience behaviors, people are not thinking about controlling the microbiota, and microbiota studies usually don't measure behaviors, but here we show they’re connected," Cuesta added. "Our microbiome can actually modulate psychiatric or brain-related behaviors."

In short, their research could lead to new ways of treating various psychiatric disorders such as substance use by adjusting the gut microbiome and not making changes to the brain chemistry.

"I think the bridging of these communities is what's going to move the field forward, advancing beyond correlations towards causations for the different types of psychiatric disorders," Sperandio argued.

READ MORE: How gut bacteria influence the effects of cocaine in mice [Cell Press]

More on addiction: Study: Magic Mushrooms Helped 83% of People Cut Excessive Drinking

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Scientists Found a Way to Control How High Mice Got on Cocaine

Advertisers are fleeing Twitter in droves now that Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has taken over control.

Ever since officially closing the $44 billion deal, Musk has been busy gutting the company's executive suite and dissolving its board. Senior executives, as well as Twitter's advertising chief Sarah Personette, have departed as well.

After all, Musk has been very clear about his disdain for advertising for years now.

The resulting uncertainty has advertisers spooked — major advertising holding company IPG has already advised clients to pull out temporarily — and the billionaire CEO is in serious damage mode.

Now, Reuters reports, Musk is spending most of this week meeting with advertisers in New York, trying to reassure them that Twitter won't turn into a "free-for-all hellscape."

According to one of Reuters' sources, the meetings have been "very productive" — but plenty of other marketers are far from satisfied.

Advertisers are reportedly grilling Musk over his plans to address the rampant misinformation being spread on the platform, a trend that Musk himself has been actively contributing to since the acquisition.

And if he's succeeding in ameliorating advertisers in private, he's antagonizing them publicly. On Wednesday, Musk posted a poll asking users whether advertisers should support either "freedom of speech," or "political 'correctness'" — a type of false dichotomy that echoes the rhetoric of far-right conspiracy theorists and conservative pundits.

"Those type of provocations are not helping to calm the waters," an unnamed media buyer told Reuters.

Some are going public with the same sentiment.

"Unless Elon hires new leaders committed to keeping this 'free' platform safe from hate speech, it's not a platform brands can/should advertise on," Allie Wassum, global media director for the Nike-owned shoe brand Jordan, wrote in a LinkedIn post.

So far, Musk's plans for the social media platform remain strikingly muddy. In addition to the behind-the-scenes advertising plays, he's also announced that users will have to pay to retain their verification badge, though he's engaged in a comically public negotiation as to what the cost might be.

He's also hinted that previously banned users — former US president Donald Trump chief among them — might eventually get a chance to return, but only once "we have a clear process for doing so, which will take at least a few more weeks."

The move was seen by many as a way to wait out the impending midterm elections. After all, Twitter has played a huge role in disseminating misinformation and swaying elections in the past.

While advertisers are running for the hills, to Musk advertising is clearly only a small part of the picture — even though historically, social giants like Twitter have struggled to diversify their revenue sources much beyond display ads.

Musk nodded to that reality in a vague open letter posted last week.

"Low relevancy ads are spam, but highly relevant ads are actually content!" he wrote in the note, addressed to "Twitter advertisers."

Big picture, Twitter's operations are in free fall right now and Musk has yet to provide advertisers with a cohesive plan to pick up the pieces.

While he's hinted at the creation of a new content moderation council made up of both "people from all viewpoints" and "wildly divergent views," advertisers are clearly going to be thinking twice about continuing their business with Twitter.

With or without advertising, Twitter's finances are reportedly in a very deep hole. The billions of dollars Musk had to borrow to finance his mega acquisition will cost Twitter around $1 billion a year in interest alone.

The company also wasn't anywhere near profitable before Musk took over, losing hundreds of millions of dollars in a single quarter.

Whether that picture will change any time soon is as unclear as ever, especially in the face of a wintry economy.

But, of course, Musk has proved his critics wrong before. So anything's possible.

READ MORE: Advertisers begin to grill Elon Musk over Twitter 'free-for-all' [Reuters]

More on the saga: Elon Musk Pulling Engineers From Tesla Autopilot to Work on Twitter

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Elon Musk Meeting With Advertisers, Begging Them Not to Leave Twitter

Latest Feud

Another day, another Elon Musk feud on Twitter — except now, he's the owner of the social network, and he's beefing with a sitting member of Congress.

The whole thing started innocently enough earlier this week, when firebrand Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY, and better known by her initials, "AOC") subtweeted the website's new owner.

"Lmao at a billionaire earnestly trying to sell people on the idea that 'free speech' is actually a $8/mo subscription plan," the New York Democratic Socialist tweeted in a post that, upon Futurism's perusal, appeared to load only half the time.

Sweat Equity

Not one to be shown up, Musk later posted a screenshot of an AOC-branded sweatshirt from the congressperson's website, with its $58 price tag circled and an emoji belying the billionaire's alleged affront at the price.

In response, Ocasio-Cortez said she was proud her sweatshirts were made by union labor, and that the proceeds from their sales were going to fund educational support for needy kids. She later dug in further, noting that her account was "conveniently" not working and joking that Musk couldn't buy his way "out of insecurity."

Yo @elonmusk while I have your attention, why should people pay $8 just for their app to get bricked when they say something you don’t like?

This is what my app has looked like ever since my tweet upset you yesterday. What’s good? Doesn’t seem very free speechy to me pic.twitter.com/e3hcZ7T9up

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 3, 2022

Bricked

To be clear, any suggestion that Musk personally had anything to do with any Twitter glitches on AOC's part would seem ludicrously petty. But then again, this is a guy who once hired a private detective to investigate a random critic.

Occam's razor, though, suggests that it was probably AOC's mega-viral tweet that broke the site's notoriously dodgy infrastructure. Of course, that's not a ringing endorsement of the site that Musk just acquired for the colossal sum of $44 billion.

More on Twitter: Twitter Working on Plan to Charge Users to Watch Videos

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AOC Says Her Twitter Account Broke After She Made Fun of Elon Musk

Chinese scientists are reportedly planning to send monkeys to its new Tiangong space station for experiments that will involve the animals mating and potentially reproducing, the South China Morning Post reports.

It's a fascinating and potentially controversial experiment that could have major implications for our efforts to colonize space: can mammals, let alone humans, successfully reproduce beyond the Earth?

According to the report, the experiment would take place in the station's largest capsule, called Wentian, inside two biological test cabinets that can be expanded.

After examining the behavior of smaller creatures, "some studies involving mice and macaques will be carried out to see how they grow or even reproduce in space," Zhang Lu, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing, said during a speech posted to social media earlier this week, as quoted by the SCMP.

"These experiments will help improve our understanding of an organism’s adaptation to microgravity and other space environments," he added.

Some simpler organisms, including nematodes and Japanese rice fish, have been observed reproducing in space.

But more complex life forms have struggled. In 2014, a Russian experiment to see whether geckos could produce offspring in space failed when all the critters died.

And the failure rate for mammals, so far, has been total. Soviet Union scientists got mice to mate during a space flight in 1979, but none of them gave birth after being returned to Earth.

In other words, getting monkeys to reproduce on board a space station will be anything but easy. For one, just dealing with living creatures in space can pose immense challenges. The astronauts will "need to feed them and deal with the waste," Kehkooi Kee, a professor with the school of medicine at Tsinghua University, told the SCMP.

Then there's the fact that astronauts will have to keep the macaques happy and comfortable, something that experts say will be challenging since long term confinement in the spartan environments of space habitats could cause immense stress for the simians.

And even if astronauts successfully set the mood for the monkeys, the physics of sex in space are predicted to be challenging.

"Firstly, just staying in close contact with each other under zero gravity is hard," Adam Watkins, an associate professor of reproductive physiology at University of Nottingham, wrote in a 2020 open letter highlighted by the SCMP. "Secondly, as astronauts experience lower blood pressure while in space, maintaining erections and arousal are more problematic than here on Earth."

With its new space station in nearly full operation, China isn't shying away from asking some big questions — but whether these experiments will play out as expected is anything but certain.

READ MORE: Chinese scientists plan monkey reproduction experiment in space station [South China Morning Post]

More on sex in space: Scientists Say We Really Have to Talk About Boning in Space

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China Plans to Send Monkeys to Space Station to Have Sex With Each Other

Observatory Offline

The Atacama Large Millimeter Array (ALMA) Observatory in Chile has been hit with a cyberattack that has taken its website offline and forced it to suspend all observations, authorities there said.

Even email services were limited in the aftermath, illustrating the broad impact of the hack.

Nested high up on a plateau in the Chilean Andes at over 16,000 feet above sea level, ALMA is one of the most powerful and advanced radio telescopes in the world. Notably, ALMA helped take the first image of a black hole in 2019, in a collaborative effort that linked radio observatories worldwide into forming the Event Horizon Telescope.

Thankfully, ALMA's impressive arsenal of 66 high-precision antennas, each nearly 40 feet in diameter, was not compromised, the observatory said, nor was any of the scientific data those instruments collected.

In High Places

What makes ALMA so invaluable is its specialty in observing the light of the cooler substances of the cosmos, namely gas and dust. That makes ALMA a prime candidate for documenting the fascinating formations of planets and stars when they first emerge amidst clouds of gas.

Since going fully operational in 2013, it's become the largest ground-based astronomical project in the world, according to the European Southern Observatory, ALMA's primary operators.

So ALMA going offline is a distressing development, especially to the thousands of astronomers worldwide that rely on its observations and the some 300 experts working onsite. Getting it up and running is obviously a top priority, but the observatory said in a followup tweet that "it is not yet possible to estimate a date for a return to regular activities."

As of now, there's no information available on who the hackers were, or exactly how they conducted the attack. Their motivations, too, remain a mystery.

More on ALMA: Astronomers Think They Found the Youngest Planet in the Galaxy

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Hackers Just Took Down One of the World's Most Advanced Telescopes

Spaceplane Buddy

After launching into orbit roughly three months ago, China's top-secret spaceplane has released a mysterious object, which is now circling the Earth behind it, SpaceNews reports.

There's very little we know about China's "reusable experimental spacecraft," except that it launched atop a Long March 2F rocket back in August. We don't know its purpose, what it looks like, or what cargo it was carrying during launch — but it's an intriguing development, nonetheless, for China's reusable launch platform.

Mysterious Object

The object was released between October 24 and October 31, according to tracking data being analyzed by the US Space Force's 18th pace Defense Squadron.

We can only hazard a guess as to what the mysterious object's purpose is. According to Harvard astronomer and space tracker Jonathan McDowell, it "may be a service module, possibly indicating an upcoming deorbit burn."

Based on the size and weight of payloads Long March rockets usually carry, China's mysterious spaceplane is likely similar to the Air Force's X-37B spaceplane, which is similarly shrouded in mystery and currently on its sixth mission.

We also don't know when the Chinese model will make its return back to Earth, but given recent activity at the Lop Nur base in Xinjiang suggests, it may land there in the near future, according to the report.

It's a puzzling new development for China's secretive spacecraft — but it does raise the possibility of a renewed interest in spaceplanes, a potentially affordable and reusable way to launch payloads into orbit.

More on the spaceplane: China Launches Mysterious "Reusable Test" Spacecraft

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Chinese Spaceplane Releases Mystery Object Into Orbit

Spying @ Home

Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic drove a wave of working from home, companies have been relentless in their efforts to digitally police and spy on remote employees by using what's known as "bossware." That's the pejorative name for software that tracks the websites an employee visits, screenshots their computer screens, and even records their faces and voices.

And now, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), an agency of the federal government, is looking to intervene.

"Close, constant surveillance and management through electronic means threaten employees' basic ability to exercise their rights," said NLRB general counsel Jennifer Abruzzo, in a Monday memo. "I plan to urge the Board to apply the Act to protect employees, to the greatest extent possible, from intrusive or abusive electronic monitoring and automated management practices."

Undoing Unions

In particular, Abruzzo is worried about how bossware could infringe on workers' rights to unionize. It's not hard to imagine how such invasive surveillance could be used to bust unionization. Even if the technology isn't explicitly deployed to impede organization efforts, the ominous presence of the surveillance on its own can be a looming deterrent, which Abruzzo argues is illegal.

And now is the perfect moment for the NLRB to step in. The use and abuse of worker surveillance tech in general — not just bossware — has been "growing by the minute," Mark Gaston Pearce, executive director of the Workers' Rights Institute at Georgetown Law School, told CBS.

"Employers are embracing technology because technology helps them run a more efficient business," Gaston explained. "… What comes with that is monitoring a lot of things that employers have no business doing."

Overbearing Overlord

In some ways, surveillance tech like bossware can be worse than having a nosy, actual human boss. Generally speaking, in a physical workplace employees have an understanding of how much privacy they have (unless they work at a place like Amazon or Walmart, that is).

But when bossware spies on you, who knows how much information an employer could be gathering — or even when they're looking in. And if it surveils an employee's personal computer, which more often than not contains plenty of personal information that a boss has no business seeing, that's especially invasive.

Which is why Abruzzo is pushing to require employers to disclose exactly how much they're tracking.

It's a stern message from the NLRB, but at the end of the day, it's just a memo. We'll have to wait and see how enforcing it pans out.

More on surveillance: Casinos to Use Facial Recognition to Keep "Problem Gamblers" Away

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US Gov to Crack Down on "Bossware" That Spies On Employees' Computers

Droning On

Someone thinks it's a great idea to fly 500 drones over New York City to create a huge ad in the sky on Thursday evening. Because New Yorkers certainly don't have any historical reason to mistrust unknown aircraft over their skyline, right?

As Gothamist reports, the drone swarm is part of a "surreal takeover of New York City’s skyline" on behalf of — we shit you not — the mobile game Candy Crush.

Fernanda Romano, Candy Crush's chief marketing officer, told Gothamist that the stunt will "turn the sky into the largest screen on the planet" using the small, light-up drones.

Though this is not the first time the Manhattan skyline has been used as ad space — that distinction goes to the National Basketball Association and State Farm, which did a similar stunt this summer during the NBA draft — local lawmakers are ticked off about it nonetheless.

"I think it’s outrageous to be spoiling our city’s skyline for private profit," Brad Hoylman, a state senator that represents Manhattan's West Side in the NY Legislature, told the local news site. "It’s offensive to New Yorkers, to our local laws, to public safety, and to wildlife."

Freak Out

Indeed, as the NYC Audubon Society noted in a tweet, the Candy Crush crapshoot "could disrupt the flight patterns of thousands of birds flying through NYC, leading to collisions with buildings" as they migrate.

Beyond the harm this will do to birds and the annoyance it will undoubtedly cause the famously-grumpy people of New York, this stunt is also going down with very little warning, considering that Gothamist is one of the only news outlets even reporting on it ahead of time.

While most viewers will hopefully be able to figure out what's going on pretty quickly, the concept of seeing unknown aircraft above the skyline is a little too reminiscent of 9/11 for comfort — and if Candy Crush took that into consideration, they haven't let on.

So here's hoping this event shocks and awes Thursday night city-goers in a good way, and not in the way that makes them panic.

More drone warfare: Russia Accused of Pelting Ukraine Capital With "Kamikaze" Drones

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Huge Drone Swarm to Form Giant Advertisement Over NYC Skyline

Jeff Bezos' former housekeeper is suing the Amazon founder for workplace discrimination that she says forced her to literally climb out out the window of his house to use the bathroom.

In the suit, filed this week in a Washington state court, the former housekeeper claimed that she and Bezos' other household staff were not provided with legally-mandated eating or restroom breaks, and that because there was no "readily accessible bathroom" for them to use, they had to clamber out a laundry room window to get to one.

In the complaint, lawyers for the ex-housekeeper, who is described as having worked for wealthy families for nearly 20 years, wrote that household staff were initially allowed to use a small bathroom in the security room of Bezos' main house, but "this soon stopped... because it was decided that housekeepers using the bathroom was a breach of security protocol."

The suit also alleges that housekeepers in the billionaire's employ "frequently developed Urinary Tract Infections" that they believed was related to not being able to use the bathroom when they needed to at work.

"There was no breakroom for the housekeepers," the complaint adds. "Even though Plaintiff worked 10, 12, and sometimes 14 hours a day, there was no designated area for her to sit down and rest."

The housekeeper — who, like almost all of her coworkers, is Latino — was allegedly not aware that she was entitled to breaks for lunch or rest, and was only able to have a lunch break when Bezos or his family were not on the premises, the lawsuit alleges.

The Washington Post owner has denied his former housekeeper's claims of discrimination through an attorney.

"We have investigated the claims, and they lack merit," Harry Korrell, a Bezos attorney, told Insider of the suit. "[The former employee] made over six figures annually and was the lead housekeeper."

He added that the former housekeeper "was responsible for her own break and meal times, and there were several bathrooms and breakrooms available to her and other staff."

"The evidence will show that [the former housekeeper] was terminated for performance reasons," he continued. "She initially demanded over $9M, and when the company refused, she decided to file this suit."

As the suit was just filed and may well end in a settlement, it'll likely be a long time, if ever, before we find out what really happened at Bezos' house — but if we do, it'll be a fascinating peek behind the curtain at the home life of one of the world's most powerful and wealthy men.

More on billionaires: Tesla Morale Low As Workers Still Don't Have Desks, Face Increased Attendance Surveillance

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Jeff Bezos' Housekeeper Says She Had to Climb Out the Window to Use the Bathroom

You know that "research" going around saying humans are going to evolve to have hunchbacks and claws because of the way we use our smartphones? Though our posture could certainly use some work, you'll be glad to know that it's just lazy spam intended to juice search engine results.

Let's back up. Today the Daily Mail published a viral story about "how humans may look in the year 3000." Among its predictions: hunched backs, clawed hands, a second eyelid, a thicker skull and a smaller brain.

Sure, that's fascinating! The only problem? The Mail's only source is a post published a year ago by the renowned scientists at... uh... TollFreeForwarding.com, a site that sells, as its name suggests, virtual phone numbers.

If the idea that phone salespeople are purporting to be making predictions about human evolution didn't tip you off, this "research" doesn't seem very scientific at all. Instead, it more closely resembles what it actually is — a blog post written by some poor grunt, intended to get backlinks from sites like the Mail that'll juice TollFreeForwarding's position in search engine results.

To get those delicious backlinks, the top minds at TollFreeForwarding leveraged renders of a "future human" by a 3D model artist. The result of these efforts is "Mindy," a creepy-looking hunchback in black skinny jeans (which is how you can tell she's from a different era).

Grotesque model reveals what humans could look like in the year 3000 due to our reliance on technology

Full story: https://t.co/vQzyMZPNBv pic.twitter.com/vqBuYOBrcg

— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) November 3, 2022

"To fully realize the impact everyday tech has on us, we sourced scientific research and expert opinion on the subject," the TollFreeForwarding post reads, "before working with a 3D designer to create a future human whose body has physically changed due to consistent use of smartphones, laptops, and other tech."

Its sources, though, are dubious. Its authority on spinal development, for instance, is a "health and wellness expert" at a site that sells massage lotion. His highest academic achievement? A business degree.

We could go on and on about TollFreeForwarding's dismal sourcing — some of which looks suspiciously like even more SEO spam for entirely different clients — but you get the idea.

It's probably not surprising that the this gambit for clicks took off among dingbats on Twitter. What is somewhat disappointing is that it ended up on StudyFinds, a generally reliable blog about academic research. This time, though, for inscrutable reasons it treated this egregious SEO spam as a legitimate scientific study.

The site's readers, though, were quick to call it out, leading to a comically enormous editor's note appended to the story.

"Our content is intended to stir debate and conversation, and we always encourage our readers to discuss why or why not they agree with the findings," it reads in part. "If you heavily disagree with a report — please debunk to your delight in the comments below."

You heard them! Get debunking, people.

More conspiracy theories: If You Think Joe Rogan Is Credible, This Bizarre Clip of Him Yelling at a Scientist Will Probably Change Your Mind

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That "Research" About How Smartphones Are Causing Deformed Human Bodies Is SEO Spam, You Idiots

Global Stem Cell Banking Market Research Report 2022: Market to Reach $11.5 Billion by 2026 - Adult Stem Cell Research Gains Traction, Accelerating Research Funding - ResearchAndMarkets.com  Business Wire

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Global Stem Cell Banking Market Research Report 2022: Market to Reach $11.5 Billion by 2026 - Adult Stem Cell Research Gains Traction, Accelerating...

Diabetes is nothing less than a pandemic as according to the World Health Organization, about 422 million people have diabetes worldwide. High blood sugar levels affect different organs and tissues of the body leading to a compromised quality of life for example, you might have experienced or heard of tingling sensation, numbness, or pain in the legs/feet of patients with diabetes which as per the health experts, occur due to nerve and blood circulation-related problems caused by the negative effects of high glucose levels on cells and tissues.

Foot-related problems occur commonly in patients with diabetes like if we hurt our toe/foot and have an open wound or cut, the nerve endings from the affected part send signals to the brain and cause pain. In case a person with uncontrolled and long-standing diabetes, the sensation of pain may not be transmitted properly due to nerve issues, leading to the patient ignoring the problem and in such cases, even a small cut can progress to a large size wound (as we know wound healing is affected in diabetic patients).

Infection can spread from the feet through the blood to other parts of the body as well and in the feet specifically, increased severity of the issue can lead to gangrene, ultimately necessitating amputation of the toes/foot. It is therefore important to look out for issues such as cuts, bruises, red spots, warm areas, swelling, blisters, corn, etc. in the feet to identify any issue at the earliest and initiate treatment.

From an advanced treatment perspective, Dr Pradeep Mahajan, Regenerative Medicine Researcher at Navi Mumbai's StemRx Bioscience Solutions Pvt Ltd, talked about regenerative medicine for diabetic foot in an interview with HT Lifestyle. He explained, Regenerative medicine is about using biological molecules to enhance the healing potential of the body. These molecules are cells, growth factors, exosomes, peptides, all of which function to enhance the function of other cells in the body, reduce inflammation, regulate the immune system, provide a constant pool of healthy cells, and clear tissue damage, among other functions.

He highlighted that the treatment for diabetic foot includes a combination of mesenchymal stem cells, growth factors that improve nerve health and blood vessel formation, oxygen therapy, as well as allied stimulation-based treatments. He said, We have seen successful outcomes in diabetic foot conditions following cell-based therapy. Patients experience relief from abnormal sensations in the feet, better wound healing and pain along with better control of diabetes.

Dr Mahajan added, When we target the pathology, we get more definitive treatment outcomes. Our patients with diabetic foot do not progress to develop gangrene. In fact, they even achieve better control of blood glucose levels, which prevents further complication and improves their quality of life. The key is a regenerative (not symptomatic) treatment along with lifestyle modifications.

Originally posted here:

Diabetic foot treatment: Here's all you need to know about stem cell therapy - Hindustan Times

The Global Rheumatoid Arthritis Stem Cell Therapy Market is replete with new growth opportunities and expansion avenues. There has been an increase in the use of products and services falling under the ambit of Rheumatoid Arthritis Stem Cell Therapy, giving a thrust to the growth of the global Rheumatoid Arthritis Stem Cell Therapy market. The unprecedented use of these products can be attributed to the increasing paying capacity of the masses.

Furthermore, in the absence of robust or utilitarian alternatives, the demand within the global Rheumatoid Arthritis Stem Cell Therapy market is projected to reach new heights of recognition. It is worthwhile to mention that the global Rheumatoid Arthritis Stem Cell Therapy market is treading along a lucrative pathway due to favorable government legislations.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has changed narratives related to growth and expansion across several key industries. Therefore, the Rheumatoid Arthritis Stem Cell Therapy market is also battling the cons of supply chain disruptions and procurement issues. Over the course of the next quarter, market players could be investing in new technologies to recover from the shocks of the pandemic.

The global market for rheumatoid arthritis stem cell therapy is highly fragmented. Examples of some of the key players operating in the global rheumatoid arthritis stem cell therapy market include Mesoblast Ltd., Roslin Cells, Regeneus Ltd, ReNeuron Group plc, International Stem Cell Corporation, TiGenix and others.

Through the latest research report on Rheumatoid Arthritis Stem Cell Therapy market, the readers get insights on:

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Tentatively, the global rheumatoid arthritis stem cell therapy market can be segmented on the basis of treatment type, application, end-user, and geography.

Based on treatment type, the global rheumatoid arthritis stem cell therapy market can be segmented into:

Based on application, the global rheumatoid arthritis stem cell therapy market can be segmented into:

Based on the distribution channel, the global rheumatoid arthritis stem cell therapy market can be segmented into:

Based on geography, the global rheumatoid arthritis stem cell therapy market can be segmented into:

The study further identifies major manufacturing trends, technologies that will be commercialized

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Growing Prevalence & Recurrence Of Rheumatoid Arthritis Is Expected To Growth Of The Rheumatoid Arthritis Stem Cell Therapy Market Designer Women...

Catherine S. Diefenbach, MD, spoke about refining understanding of CAR T-cell therapies after the approval of lisocabtagene maraleucel for patients with relapsed/refractory large B-cell lymphoma.

Lisocabtagene maraleucel (liso-cel; Breyanzi) was recently approved for the second-line treatment of patients with relapsed/refractory large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL), including diffuse large B-cell lymphoma not otherwise specified; high-grade B-cell lymphoma; primary mediastinal LBCL; and grade 3B follicular lymphoma.1 CancerNetwork spoke with Catherine S. Diefenbach, MD, director of both Hematology and Translational Research and the Clinical Lymphoma Program of Perlmutter Cancer Center at NYU Langone Health, about data from the phase 3 TRANSFORM trial (NCT03575351) that led to the approval and how the indication for this and other similar therapies may be expanded in the future with better understand regarding how to tailor the therapy.2

There are a couple of steps that are going to be important. One is to get a better idea of who benefits so we can tailor this therapy to the patients who are going to benefit the most. We need to get better at understanding the mechanisms of relapse and nonresponse to CAR T-cell therapy so that we [avoid subjecting] patients to this toxic therapy who are unlikely to benefit and/or design a next-generation CAR T-cell treatment that is going to allow more patients to have a durable response and be cured than what is currently approved. We need to get better at managing the toxicity of CAR T cells because this is still a fairly toxic therapy, and design next-generation CAR T cells that are less toxic. We need to get better about improving access so more patients can have access to CAR T cells. There are still many issues around insurance and payments for commercial CAR T cells. From a drug development, a clinical, and a public health standpoint, theres still much work that we can do to optimize this therapy.

This is an exciting time in lymphoma. We have a new therapy that was approved initially in the third line thats now moving to the second line and other exciting therapies that are nearing approval. We have more ways than ever to cure patients with lymphoma or extend the lives of people with incurable lymphoma. The challenge going forward is going to understand who benefits from which therapy and understand how to optimize response for all patients with these exciting therapies that we now have. This is an absolutely wonderful and transformative development.

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Catherine S. Diefenbach, MD, Talks Future of CAR T-cell Therapy Following Liso-Cel Approval in Second-Line LBCL - Cancer Network

Preclinical evaluation of FasT CAR-T cellsFasT CAR-T (F-CAR-T) proliferation in vitro

To characterize the in vitro proliferative capacity of F-CAR-T cells, F-CAR-T and C-CAR-T cells were manufactured in parallel (Supplementary Methods, and Fig. S1) using T-cells from 6 B-ALL patients. To investigate the ex vivo proliferation of F-CAR-T, frozen CD19 F-CAR-T and C-CAR-T cells from each patient were thawed and stimulated with irradiated CD19-expressing K562 cells. The number of CD19-targeting CAR-T cells was then determined during the course of cell expansion in vitro. As shown in Fig. 1A, upon CD19 antigen stimulation, F-CAR-T proliferation was much more robust compared to C-CAR-T proliferation. On day 17 post co-culture, F-CAR-T expanded 1205.61226.3 fold (MeanSD), while C-CAR-T expanded only 116.437.2 fold (MeanSD), (p=0.001). To characterize the mechanism underlying the superior proliferative ability of F-CAR-T, we purified CD19+ CAR-T cells from both F-CAR-T and C-CAR-T. The expression of genes involved in cell proliferation, cell cycle, and apoptosis was analyzed using Nanostring (detailed gene sets are in Table S2). Gene expression profiles showed higher F-CAR-T expression scores for genes associated with cell cycle regulation (F-CAR-T vs. C-CAR-T, p<0.01) and lower expression scores for apoptosis-related genes (F-CAR-T vs. C-CAR-T, p<0.05) in F-CAR-T cells (Fig. S2A).

A Ex vivo cell proliferation of F-CAR-T and C-CAR-T derived from B-ALL patients (n=6) (***P=0.001, F-CAR-T vs. C-CAR-T, d17, unpaired student two-tailed t-test). B Tscm, Tcm, and Tem were characterized by surface staining of CD45RO and CD62L and analyzed with flow cytometry (***P<0.001 comparing F-CAR-T and C-CAR-T). C T-cell exhaustion was characterized by PD-1, LAG3, and TIM-3 staining; Statistical analyses of the percentage of PD1+ LAG3+ Tim3+ (***P<0.001, comparing F-CAR-T and C-CAR-T), unpaired student two-tailed t-test). D RTCA assay was used to examine the specific killing of HeLa-CD19 cells. Growth of target HeLa-CD19 or HeLa cells were monitored dynamically. E CD19+ target Nalm6-Luc cells or F Raji-Luc cells were co-cultured with either F-CAR-T or C-CAR-T for 6h. Target cell killing efficacy was calculated by luciferase activity. NS, P>0.05 F-CAR-T vs. C-CAR-T (unpaired student t-test, two-tailed). F-CAR-T FasT CAR-T, C-CAR-T conventional CAR-T, Tcm (CD45RO+CD62L+) T central memory cells, Tem (CD45RO+CD62L) T effector memory cells, Tscm (CD45ROCD62L+) T stem cell memory, PD1 programmed cell death protein 1, TIM-3 T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain containing-3, LAG3 lymphocyte-activation gene 3, RTCA real-time cell analyzer, E:T effector cells: target cells, NT normal T-cell.

Phenotypes of unstimulated F-CAR-T from three healthy donors were analyzed by flow cytometry. The CD45ROCD62L+ population was 45.7%2.2% which was comparable to the un-transduced T-cells (data not shown). Upon stimulation with CD19+ tumor cells for 9 days, C-CAR-T central memory cells (Tcm, CD45RO+CD62L+ and effector memory cells (Tem, CD45RO+CD62L) were 56.62%11.97% and 40.48%9.70%, respectively, among the C-CAR-T cells (Fig. 1B and Figs. S2B and S2). In contrast, Tcm cells (87.92%4.36%) was predominant in F-CAR-T, with only a small fraction of Tem (7.84%3.79%). In addition, F-CAR-T cells demonstrated more abundant T stem cell memory (Tscm) (3.841.22% vs 2.342.48%, p<0.05) than C-CAR-T cells. We also examined the exhaustion status of the stimulated CAR-T cells. A higher percentage of PD-1+LAG3+Tim3+T-cells were detected in the C-CAR-T (11.19%2.54%) compared to F-CAR-T (3.59%2.51%, p<0.001) (Fig. 1C). Together these data indicated that the F-CAR-T exhibited a younger phenotype and was less exhausted compared to C-CAR-T.

We used a real-time cell analyzer (RTCA) assay to measure the cytotoxicity of F-CAR-T and C-CAR-T against CD19+ cells in vitro. F-CAR-T and C-CAR-T killing of Hela-CD19 target cells were comparable using this assay (Fig. 1D). Similar levels of IFN- and IL-2 production were also observed (Fig. S2D). In a luciferase-based cytotoxicity assay, CD19+ B leukemia cell lines, Raji and Nalm6, were both effectively killed to similar or better levels at different E:T ratios (Fig. 1E, F).

To compare the in vivo cytotoxicity of F-CAR-T and C-CAR-T, severe immunodeficient NOG mice were engrafted with Raji-luciferase cells. One week after the tumor grafts were established, F-CAR-T and C-CAR-T were intravenously injected at various doses. The engrafted tumors progressed aggressively in control groups with either vehicle alone or control T-cells (Fig. 2A). In contrast, F-CAR-T or C-CAR-T treatment greatly suppressed tumor growth in a dose-dependent manner (Fig. 2A). In the high dose group (2106/mice), both F-CAR-T and C-CAR-T eliminated the tumor rapidly. However, in the low dose group (5105/mice), F-CAR-T showed more effective tumor-killing compared to C-CAR-T. On day 20, mice in the low dose F-CAR-T group became tumor-free, while C-CAR-T treated mice exhibited tumor relapse (Fig. 2A). We examined the CAR-T cell expansion in vivo after infusion. As shown in Fig. 2B, both F-CAR-T and C-CAR-T began to expand in the peripheral blood 7 days after infusion. C-CAR-T cell numbers reached their peak on day 14 and receded on day 21. In contrast, the F-CAR-T cell number peaked on day 21 and declined to a baseline level on day 28. F-CAR-T not only persisted longer but also underwent 26 folds greater expansion than C-CAR-T (Fig. 2B).

A Raji-Luc cell engraftment NOG mice were given high dose (2106/mice, n=3) and low dose (5105/mice, n=3) F-CAR-T/C-CAR-T along with control groups. Tumor growth was monitored with IVIS scan once every 3 days; B CAR-T expansion in peripheral blood of mice was analyzed by flow cytometry (n=6). ***P<0.001 for F-CAR-T HD vs. C-CAR-T HD; F-CAR-T LD vs. C-CAR-T LD; F-CAR-T HD vs. F-CAR-T LD; C-CAR-T HD vs. C-CAR-T LD (two-way ANOVA statistical analysis); C Schematic of the Nalm6 (1106) xenograft model, CAR-T (2106) infused 1 day after cyclophosphamide (20mg/kg) treatment. Bone marrow infiltration of F-CAR-T was analyzed 10 days after CAR-T infusion (n=3); D CD45+CD2 F-CAR-T vs. C-CAR-T in peripheral blood of mice were analyzed by flow cytometry; *P<0.05 (unpaired student two-tailed t-test). IVIS in vivo imaging system, PB peripheral blood, i.v. intravenous, HD high dose, LD low dose, Cy cyclophosphamide; *p<0.05; #: number.

We examined the BM infiltration of F-CAR-T cells after infusion into Nalm6-bearing mice (Fig. 2C). A larger population of CAR-T cells was observed 10 days after infusion in BM in F-CAR-T infused group than that in the C-CAR-T group (p<0.05) (Fig. 2D), suggesting F-CAR-T cells possessed a better BM homing capability than C-CAR-T.

The chemokine receptor CXCR4 is known to be critical for BM homing of T-cells [25, 26]. Indeed, a higher percentage of CXCR4+ T cells were detected in F-CAR-T than in the C-CAR-T. Interestingly, this phenotype was more pronounced for CD4+ T cells than CD8+ T cells (Fig. S3A). In a two-chamber system, more F-CAR-T cells could be detected in the lower chamber than their C-CAR-T counterparts (Fig. S3B).

Between Jan. 2019 and Oct. 2019, 25 pediatric and adult patients with CD19+R/R B-ALL were enrolled onto our phase 1 trial, including two patients who had relapsed following a prior allo-HSCT. Patient characteristics are detailed in Table 1. The median age of patients was 20 (range: 344) years old. Twenty patients were >14 years old, and five were 14 years old. The median percentage of pre-treatment BM blasts was 9.05% (range: 0.1982.9%). As our pre-clinical studies demonstrated that F-CAR-T cells had a superior expansion capability as compared to C-CAR-T, we infused a relatively low doses of F-CAR-T cells, ranging from 104105 cells/kg: 3.0104 cells/kg (n=2), 6.5 (5.867.43)104 cells/kg (n=9), 1.01 (1.01.16)105 cells/kg (n=12), 1.52(1.471.56)105 cells/kg (n=2), (Fig. S4). The median time from apheresis to the infusion of CD19+F-CAR-T cells was 14 days (range: 1220). Although the manufacturing time of F-CAR-T was next day, the quality control time and detailed final product releases including sterility testing require a minimum of 710 days to complete. In addition, transportation of cell products requires approximately two days. Of the 25 patients who received CD19 F-CAR-T infusion, 22 (88%) received bridging chemotherapy between apheresis and lymphodepleting chemotherapy to control rapid disease progression (Table S3).

F-CAR-T cells were manufactured successfully for all patients. The mean transduction efficiency of F-CAR-T was 35.4% (range: 13.170.3%) (Fig. S5A). Both CD4+/CAR+ (mean, 49.6%; range: 13.673.2%) and CD8+/CAR+ (mean, 41.5%; range: 20.677.7%) subsets were present in the CD3+CAR+ T cell subsets of all products. The mean proportion of Tscm, Tem, and Tcm cells in the CD3+CAR+ T cell subsets of all products was 23.3% (range: 3.5545.3%), 33.2% (range: 17.267.9%), and 36.1% (range: 20.758.1%), respectively (Fig. S5B). F-CAR-T products exerted significant IFN- release and cytotoxic effects against the CD19+ cell line HELA-CD19 (Fig. S5, C, D).

All 25 infused patients experienced adverse events (AEs) of any grade, with 25 (100%) experiencing grade 3 or higher adverse events. No grade 5 events related to F-CAR-T treatment were observed (Table 2).

CRS occurred in 24 (96%) patients with 18 (72%) grade 12 CRS,6 (24%) of grade 3, and no grade 4 or higher CRS (Fig. S6). In the >14 years old group, 16/20 (80%) patients developed mild CRS, and only 2/20 (10%) developed grade 3 CRS. For 14 years old patients, 2/5 (40%) had mild CRS, yet 3/5 (60%) experienced grade 3 CRS (Table S4). ICANS was observed in 7 (28%) patients, with 2 (8%) grade 3 ICANS occurring in patients >14 years old and 5 (20%) grade 4 ICANS all occurring in patients 14 years old. No grade 5 ICANS was developed (Fig. S7 and Table S4). The most frequent presentation of CRS was fever, particularly a high fever of >39C. The first onset of CRS symptoms occurred between day 3 and 8 post-CAR-T infusion with a median onset at day 4 (range: 110 days). The most common symptoms of ICANS were seizure (5/7) and depressed consciousness (5/7). The median time to ICANS onset from CAR-T cell infusion was 7 days (range: 58), and the median time to resolution was 2 days (Fig. S7). All CRS and ICANS events were managed including early intervention when fever of 39C persisted for 24h. Sixteen (64%) patients received tocilizumab with a median total dose of 160mg (range: 160320mg). Twenty-one (84%) patients received corticosteroids including dexamethasone (median total dose, 43mg; range: 4127mg) and or methylprednisolone (median total dose, 190mg; range: 401070mg). The vast majority of these patients discontinued corticosteroids within 2 weeks. The change in IL-6, IFN-, IL-10, and GM-CSF levels after infusion are selectively shown in Fig. S8. The peak levels of these four cytokines were observed between day 710. Among all 21 cytokines examined, only post-infusion IL-6 levels were associated with moderate to severe CRS and/or ICANS (Figs. S9 and S10).

Superior in vivo proliferation and persistence of F-CAR-T compared to C-CAR-T cells were observed regardless of dose levels. The median peak level was reached on day 10 (range: 714 days) with 1.9105 transgene copies/g of genomic DNA (range: 0.225.2105 transgene copies/g of genomic DNA) by qPCR and 83 F-CAR-T cells per l blood (range: 42102 F-CAR-T cells per l blood) by FCM (Fig. 3A, B). No significant differences were observed among the different dose groups in the mean F-CAR-T copies peak (Fig. 3C). Importantly, there was no significant difference in the mean F-CAR-T copies peak between patients who received corticosteroids compared to those who did not (Fig. 3D).

A F-CAR-T cells in peripheral blood by qPCR. Purple, dose level 1; black, dose level 2; blue, dose level 3; red, dose level 4; B F-CAR-T cells in peripheral blood by flow cytometry. Purple, dose level 1; black, dose level 2; blue, dose level 3; red, dose level 4; C Comparison of the mean peak copy number of F-CAR-T cells in peripheral blood at each dose level. Statistical significance was determined by the MannWhitney test. D Comparison of the mean peak copy number of F-CAR-T cells in peripheral blood with or without steroids. Statistical significance was determined by the MannWhitney test.

Fourteen days after F-CAR-T cell infusion, all patients achieved morphologic CR including 2/25 with CR and 23/25 CR with incomplete hematologic recovery (CRi), which further improved to 11/25 CR and 14/25 CRi 28 days post F-CAR-T (Table 1 and Fig. 4). More importantly, 23/25 (92%) had the minimal residual disease (MRD)-negative remission on day 14 and day 28 after F-CAR-T treatment. Patients achieving remission through CAR-T were given the option to proceed to allo-HSCT. With a median time of 54 days (range: 4581 days) post F-CAR-T infusion, 20 of 23 patients with MRD-negative status decided to pursue consolidative allo-HSCT including one patient who received a 2nd transplant. As of 18 October 2021, with a median follow-up duration of 693 days (range: 84973 days) among the 20 patients who had received allo-HSCT, one patient relapsed on day 172 and died 3 months after relapse, and four patients died from transplant-related mortality (TRM) including infection (n=3) and chronic GVHD (n=1) on day 84, day 215, day 220, and day 312, respectively. The other 15 patients remained in MRD-negative CR with a median remission duration of 734 days (range: 208973) except for one who became MRD-positive on day 294 with CD19+ disease. Among the other three patients (F05, F06, F16), one remained in MRD-negative CR on day 304, one remained in MRD-negative CR until day 303, received allo-HSCT but died from an infection on day 505, and one was lost to follow-up after day 114. Two patients who had MRD-positive CR after infusion withdrew from the study on day 42 and day 44, respectively, to seek other studies.

Clinical outcomes and consolidative allo-HSCT for the 25 patients who were treated with F-CAR-T therapy are shown. On day 28, 23/25 patients achieved MRD-negative CR/CRi. With a median time of 54 days (range: 4581) post F-CAR-T infusion, 20 of 23 patients with MRD-negative status received consolidative allo-HSCT. Among the 20 patients, 1 patient (F23) relapsed on day 172 and died 3 months after relapse. Four patients (F04, F09, F11, F12) died from transplant-related mortality (TRM) including infection (n=3) and chronic GVHD (n=1) on day 84, day 215, day 220, and day 312, respectively. The remaining 15 patients were in MRD-negative CR except for one (F18) who became MRD-positive on day 294. Among the other 3 patients (F05, F06, F16), 1 remained MRD-negative CR on day 304, 1 remained in MRD-negative CR until day 303, received allo-HSCT, and subsequently died from an infection on day 505. One patient was lost to follow-up after day 114. MRD minimal residual disease, CR complete remission, Allo-HSCT allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

F-CAR-T/T ratio in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was evaluated by FCM in 13/25 patients with available samples (Table S5). Between days 10 and 32, 9 patients were found to have considerable F-CAR-T penetration in their CSF, ranging from 40.65 to 79.2%, including 4 who developed severe ICANS. Among the other 4 patients, F-CAR-T cell abundance in the CSF ranged from 1.29% to 3.57%, and none experienced severe ICANS. Patients with higher levels of CAR-T in PB on day 10 consistently had higher levels of CAR-T in CSF with the exception of patient F15. Notably, CAR-T cells were still detectable in the CSF on day 101 with a 2.36% CAR-T/T ratio in patient F06, who also had undetectable circulating CAR-T cells at the same time.

In addition, concentrations of seven cytokines (IL-1b, IL-6, IL-10, IFN-, TNF-, MCP-1, and GM-CSF) in CSF samples from the above 10 of 13 patients were measured. Specifically, IL-1b was not detected in any of the 10 patients, and only one patient had detectable GM-CSF. For the other five cytokines, patients with severe ICANS had higher IL-6 levels in contrast to patients without severe ICANS, and the difference between the median level of IL-6 among these two groups of patients was statistically significant (Fig. S11). We did not observe significant differences among the other 4 cytokines between the two groups of patients. No clear relation between the CSF cytokine levels and the F-CAR-T/T % was observed.

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Next-day manufacture of a novel anti-CD19 CAR-T therapy for B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia: first-in-human clinical study | Blood Cancer Journal...

NEW YORK and LONDON, July 07, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Akari Therapeutics, Plc (Nasdaq: AKTX), a late-stage biotechnology company focused on developing advanced therapies for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, today announced that a patient has completed the course of investigational nomacopan treatmentin the open-label, multi-center Phase IIIPart Aclinical trial in pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplant-related thrombotic microangiopathy (HSCT-TMA). Nomacopan is a bispecific recombinant inhibitor of complement C5 and leukotriene B4 (LTB4).

Three patients with severe (nephrotic range proteinuria and elevated soluble C5b-9) HSCT-TMA have been enrolled in the clinical trial. One patient completed more than 60 days of nomacopan treatment and subsequently was discharged from the hospital. Another patient died from multi-organ failureunrelated to nomacopan treatment.Dosing has begun in the third patient.

This is promising news for children and families facing hematopoietic stem cell transplant-related TMAs who have unmet needs that are significant and urgent because there are no approved treatment options, said Rachelle Jacques, President and CEO of Akari Therapeutics. Recruitment into a study of treatment for a rare and emergent complication of stem cell transplants in children has inherent challenges, and it is testament to the passion and commitment of everyone involved that this important Phase III clinical trial is progressing on behalf of patients and their families.

Nomacopan was granted Orphan Drug and Fast Track designations by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for pediatric HSCT-TMA. Data from the Phase III Part A study of nomacopan in HSCT-TMA will inform the pivotal Phase III Part B study that will be the basis for potential regulatory submissions in the U.S. and Europe.

The six-year-old patient who was discharged wastreated at a clinical trial site in Manchester, England by investigator Rob Wynn, M.D. Thrombotic microangiopathy following a stem cell transplant procedure is a rare but devastating complication made even more tragic because there are currently no approved treatments, said Professor Rob Wynn, of Royal Manchester Childrens Hospital, part of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust. As we advance this important clinical trial and offer treatment to children in Manchester where formerly there was none, we are bringing new hope to families who are in desperate need, and to other clinicians who very much want to offer a treatment option.

Thrombotic microangiopathy following a stem cell transplant procedure is a rare but serious complication of HSCT that appears to involve complement activation, inflammation, tissue hypoxia and blood clots, leading to progressive organ damage and death. The mortality rate in patients who develop severe transplant-related TMAs is 80%.1 Currently, there are no approved treatment options in the U.S. or Europe.

Sites are open and recruiting in the U.S, U.K., and Poland for the Phase III Part A clinical trial of investigational nomacopan in pediatric patients who have undergone allogeneic or autologous HSCT and develop HSCT-TMA within a year of transplant. Patient dosing is underway in the multi-center, open-label study that has a recruitment goal of seven pediatric patients over six months old.

The primary study endpoints are either independence of red blood cell transfusion or urine protein creatinine ratio of 2 mg/mg maintained over 28 days immediately prior to any scheduled clinical visit up to Week 24. According to the study protocol, patients may discontinue therapy sooner than 24 weeks, if one, or both, of the primary endpoint components has been met and the treating clinician determines there is no longer a need for continued treatment with nomacopan. Patients who have achieved the primary endpoint and are no longer receiving nomacopan will have a follow-up clinic visit 30 days after the last dose, at 24 weeks and for long-term follow-up at one and two years.

References

About Akari Therapeutics

Akari Therapeutics, plc (Nasdaq: AKTX) is a biotechnology company focused on developing advanced therapies for autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Akari's lead asset, investigational nomacopan, is a bispecific recombinant inhibitor of C5 complement activation and leukotriene B4 (LTB4) activity. The Akaripipeline includes two late-stage programs for bullous pemphigoid (BP) and thrombotic microangiopathy (TMA), as well as earlier stage research and development programs in eye and lung diseases with significant unmet need. For more information about Akari, please visit akaritx.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release constitute forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward- looking statements reflect our current views about our plans, intentions, expectations, strategies and prospects, which are based on the information currently available to us and on assumptions we have made. Although we believe that our plans, intentions, expectations, strategies and prospects as reflected in or suggested by those forward- looking statements are reasonable, we can give no assurance that the plans, intentions, expectations or strategies will be attained or achieved. Furthermore, actual results may differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements and will be affected by a variety of risks and factors that are beyond our control. Such risks and uncertainties for our company include, but are not limited to: needs for additional capital to fund our operations, our ability to continue as a going concern; uncertainties of cash flows and inability to meet working capital needs; an inability or delay in obtaining required regulatory approvals for nomacopan and any other product candidates, which may result in unexpected cost expenditures; our ability to obtain orphan drug designation in additional indications; risks inherent in drug development in general; uncertainties in obtaining successful clinical results for nomacopan and any other product candidates and unexpected costs that may result there; difficulties enrolling patients in our clinical trials; failure to realize any value of nomacopan and any other product candidates developed and being developed in light of inherent risks and difficulties involved in successfully bringing product candidates to market; inability to develop new product candidates and support existing product candidates; the approval by the FDA and EMA and any other similar foreign regulatory authorities of other competing or superior products brought to market; risks resulting from unforeseen side effects; risk that the market for nomacopan may not be as large as expected risks associated with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; inability to obtain, maintain and enforce patents and other intellectual property rights or the unexpected costs associated with such enforcement or litigation; inability to obtain and maintain commercial manufacturing arrangements with third- party manufacturers or establish commercial scale manufacturing capabilities; the inability to timely source adequate supply of our active pharmaceutical ingredients from third party manufacturers on whom the company depends; unexpected cost increases and pricing pressures and risks and other risk factors detailed in our public filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recently filed Annual Report on Form 20-F filed with the SEC. Except as otherwise noted, these forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this press release and we undertake no obligation to update or revise any of these statements to reflect events or circumstances occurring after this press release. We caution investors not to place considerable reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release.

For more information

Investor Contact:Mike MoyerLifeSci Advisors(617) 308-4306mmoyer@lifesciadvisors.com

Media Contact:Eliza SchleifsteinSchleifstein PR (917) 763-8106eliza@schleifsteinpr.com

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Akari Therapeutics Announces First Patient to Complete Course of Treatment in the Phase III Part A Clinical Trial of Investigational Nomacopan in...

The Global Lupus Market Is Estimated To Grow To USD 4.3 Billion With A CAGR Of 12.41 Percent By 2027.

TheGlobal Lupus Markethas gained traction in the last decade, and from 2022 to 2027, it is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.3 percent. Market revenue will have increased to USD 4.3 billion by the end of 2027, up from USD 1.88 billion in 2020.

Global Lupus Market Scope and Dynamics:

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One of the key elements anticipated to restrain the growth of the global Global Lupus therapeutic market over the forecast period is the negative effects of medications used to treat the disease. For instance, almost all patients receiving treatment for SLE report one or more side effects such nausea, vomiting, bone toxicity, and other symptoms, according to a paper published in the peer-reviewed, open access journal Global Lupus Science and Medicine in March 2018.

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Global Lupus Market Region Insights:

Geographically, the North America are expected to lead the Global Lupus market due to the growing need for better treatment choices, the diseases increasing prevalence, government initiatives for it, and the availability of reimbursement. In addition, the regions developed healthcare system and easy access to biologics are anticipated to support market growth.

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China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, and the rest of Asia-Pacific make up the Asia-Pacific Global Lupus market. Due to the rising Global Lupus prevalence, the growing healthcare industry, and the increasing geographical development of major market participants, the Asia-Pacific region is anticipated to have the quickest growth.

Global Lupus Market Segmentation:

By Technique:

By Product:

By End-User:

By Region:

Key Players in Global Lupus Market:

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Maximize Market Research provides syndicated and custom B2B and B2C business and market research on high-growth emerging technologies, opportunities, and threats for companies in the chemical, internet of things, food and beverage, healthcare, pharmaceuticals, electronics and communications, aerospace, and defense. Maximize Market Research is best positioned to assess, estimate, and anticipate market size along with the competitive landscape of industries as businesses across the globe are battling to keep up with the pace of changing market, along with changing industrial, and technical conditions.

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Global Lupus Market is Expected to Reach USD 4.3 Billion With CAGR of 12.41% By Forecast 2027 Says Maximize Market Research (MMR) - Digital Journal