thescientist--2020-09-14--Immune Cell and Its Cytokine Control Exploratory Behavior in Mice

ABOVE : A slice of the medial prefrontal cortex of a naïve mouse stained with markers for the receptors for IL-17a ( cyan ) , inhibitory neurons ( green ) , and excitatory neurons ( magenta ) .
COURTESY OF KALIL ALVES DE LIMA Tcells in the lining of the brain control anxiety-like behaviors in mice , researchers report today ( September 14 ) in Nature Immunology .
The findings add to mounting experimental evidence that these immune cells are involved in more than fighting infection and may even contribute to cognitive functions .
Commensal bacteria in the gut influence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the animals ’ behavior , the scientists ’ experiments show .
“ I think the biggest , most important finding is that these T cells are releasing a signaling molecule , not in response to any kind of infection or threat , to make sure that mice are not taking unnecessary risk , ” says study coauthor Kalil Alves de Lima , an immunologist at Washington University in St. Louis ( WUSTL ) .
In the study , Alves de Lima and his colleagues performed a detailed investigation of gamma delta T cells @ @ @ @ @ @ @ throughout the body , including the dura mater , the tough , outermost layer of the meninges .
Called the “ skin of the brain , ” by Alves de Lima and others , the meninges is a set of three spongy membranes that line the skull and spinal cord and separate nerve tissue from the rest of the body .
Alves de Lima discovered gamma delta T cells in the meninges while probing mice ’ s dura mater for helper and killer T cells .
Curious to know if humans harbored similar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ de Lima and his colleagues analyzed the dura mater of people who ’ d recently died ; they too had gamma delta T cells there .
The team then continued to study the meningeal gamma delta T cells in mice , and using flow cytometry , showed the cells were producing IL-17 .
Diving into the literature , Alves de Lima found past studies probing the proinflammatory cytokine ’ s role in fighting infection , as well as its contribution to autoimmune disorders , such as rheumatoid arthritis , lupus , and multiple @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there had not been many studies exploring the cytokine ’ s effect on behavior and cognition .
A 2016 study showed that mouse pups born to mothers injected with a virus or synthetic double-stranded RNA to spur an immune response during pregnancy have changes in their brain architecture and exhibit autismlike behaviors .
If the mouse moms lacked IL-17a , the pups showed no brain or behavioral changes .
In addition , pups deficient in the IL-17a receptor also did not have brain or behavioral changes .
A 2017 study in C. elegans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worms ’ neuronal response to high levels of oxygen .
All of these experiments suggested that IL-17 played a role in something more than microbial defense , says Dan Littman , an immunologist at New York University Grossman School of Medicine .
He coauthored the study on autismlike behaviors in mice but was not involved in the new work .
Last year , another team of researchers showed that gamma delta T cells in the meninges of healthy mice release IL-17a , and that the cytokine influences the animals ’ ability to make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Alves de Lima , working with Jonathan Kipnis , a neuroimmunologist at WUSTL , also tested the cytokine ’ s role in mice ’ s memory and did not find evidence of that connection , but the team did show that IL-17a regulates anxiety-like behavior .
When put in an elevated cross-shaped structure with two arms that are open platforms and two that are walled in , mice lacking gamma delta T cells preferred the open arms while wildtype mice preferred the darker , enclosed arms—behavior that , in the study , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ For the mice , the anxiety is beneficial , protecting them from exposure to predators , the scientists say .
( Littman notes that there may be other ways to interpret the mice ’ s behavior in these experiments . )
The differences in behavior appeared again when the team put the mice in an open arena .
There , the gamma delta T cell–deficient mice wandered out into the middle of the arena , while their wildtype counterparts stayed close to the arena walls .
Continuing experiments on IL-17a , the team @ @ @ @ @ @ @ green fluorescent reporter .
The fluorescent protein lit up in all the same spaces of the meninges where the team saw gamma delta T cells , suggesting those cells were producing the cytokine .
The mice generated the cytokine even when they weren ’ t fighting infections .
Once again , in the elevated maze and open arena experiments , normal mice stuck to the closed , dark spaces , while mice lacking IL-17a were as bold as mice lacking gamma delta T cells , exploring the open areas of the maze and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ team injected neutralizing antibodies for IL-17a into the animals ’ cerebrospinal fluid caused wildtype mice to explore the open areas of the maze and arena , too .
“ This exciting new study , beautifully executed by the Kipnis group , adds to the growing list of findings showing IL-17a ’ s role in modulating animal behaviors , ” Harvard University immunologist Jun Huh , who worked with Littman on IL-17a and autismlike traits in mouse pups but was not involved in the new study , writes in an email to The Scientist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Kipnis group also provided mechanistic insights as to how IL-17 brings about such phenotypes.
” Specifically , an analysis of the amount of the IL-17a receptor on neurons showed it was abundant in nerve cells in a region of the cortex essential for assessing threats , but not very widespread in the hippocampus , which plays a role in learning and memory .
When the team deleted the IL-17a receptor from neurons in the cortical region , the mice showed less anxious behaviors , mimicking the gamma delta T cell– and IL-17s–deficient mice @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immune cells and their signaling molecules , which scientists typically associate with conventional immunological responses , also participate in physiological functions that have nothing to do with protection from microbial pathogens , Littman tells The Scientist .
Because past studies have hinted that certain commensal bacteria are essential for the T cells in tissues around the body to multiply and become active , and other experiments have found that animals without bacteria in and on their bodies are less anxious than normal mice , the team probed the effect of the microbiome on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The researchers found germ-free mice had similar numbers of meningeal gamma delta T cells as wildtype mice did , and so did mice treated with broad spectrum antibiotics .
However , the germ-free and antibiotic-treated mice had less transcription of IL-17a by meningeal gamma delta T cells .
That result suggests gut commensals indirectly affect the production of the cell signaling molecule , which could influence the animals ’ anxiety-like behavior .
The result is significant , says Kipnis , because it ’ s the first time a study has shown a direct @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Gut microbes are known to influence brain activity and , separately , immunity , but their influence on T cells in the meninges has not been demonstrated before this .
“ It ’ s a small part of the paper , but important , ” he says .
One of the next steps in the research , Alves de Lima says , is to determine if fluctuations in IL-17a levels or activity of gamma delta T cells in the meninges is related to anxiety or depression in mice representing those disorders .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ this molecule is good in mice , and when we take it out , it ’ s bad , ” he says .
“ But we don ’ t know if overexpression of these cells in depression models or other neuropsychiatric models would lead to a bad outcome .
That is one thing we need to know.
” Alves de Lima also wants to explore meningeal gamma delta T cells in humans to see if IL-17a affects behavior similar to the way it does in mice .
If studies show IL-17a is increased @ @ @ @ @ @ @ maybe in the future , we can treat humans with anti-IL-17 , ” he says .
The the work , however , would have to be extremely well-developed , Alves de Lima explains , because IL-17a is so critical to our immune system .
K. Alves de Lima et al.
, “ Meningeal γδ T cells regulate anxiety-like behavior via IL-17a signaling in neurons , ” Nature Immunology , doi.org/10.1038/s41590-020-0776-4 .

ABOVE: A slice of the medial prefrontal cortex of a naïve mouse stained with markers for the receptors for IL-17a (cyan), inhibitory neurons (green), and excitatory neurons (magenta). COURTESY OF KALIL ALVES DE LIMA
Tcells in the lining of the brain control anxiety-like behaviors in mice, researchers report today (September 14) in Nature Immunology. The findings add to mounting experimental evidence that these immune cells are involved in more than fighting infection and may even contribute to cognitive functions. Commensal bacteria in the gut influence those T cells and may also shape the animals’ behavior, the scientists’ experiments show.
“I think the biggest, most important finding is that these T cells are releasing a signaling molecule, not in response to any kind of infection or threat, to make sure that mice are not taking unnecessary risk,” says study coauthor Kalil Alves de Lima, an immunologist at Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL).
In the study, Alves de Lima and his colleagues performed a detailed investigation of gamma delta T cells. These immune cells reside in tissues throughout the body, including the dura mater, the tough, outermost layer of the meninges. Called the “skin of the brain,” by Alves de Lima and others, the meninges is a set of three spongy membranes that line the skull and spinal cord and separate nerve tissue from the rest of the body.
Alves de Lima discovered gamma delta T cells in the meninges while probing mice’s dura mater for helper and killer T cells. Curious to know if humans harbored similar T cells in their meninges, Alves de Lima and his colleagues analyzed the dura mater of people who’d recently died; they too had gamma delta T cells there. The team then continued to study the meningeal gamma delta T cells in mice, and using flow cytometry, showed the cells were producing IL-17.
Diving into the literature, Alves de Lima found past studies probing the proinflammatory cytokine’s role in fighting infection, as well as its contribution to autoimmune disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and multiple sclerosis. Until recently, though, there had not been many studies exploring the cytokine’s effect on behavior and cognition. A 2016 study showed that mouse pups born to mothers injected with a virus or synthetic double-stranded RNA to spur an immune response during pregnancy have changes in their brain architecture and exhibit autismlike behaviors. If the mouse moms lacked IL-17a, the pups showed no brain or behavioral changes. In addition, pups deficient in the IL-17a receptor also did not have brain or behavioral changes. A 2017 study in C. elegans also showed that the cytokine shaped the worms’ neuronal response to high levels of oxygen.
All of these experiments suggested that IL-17 played a role in something more than microbial defense, says Dan Littman, an immunologist at New York University Grossman School of Medicine. He coauthored the study on autismlike behaviors in mice but was not involved in the new work.
Last year, another team of researchers showed that gamma delta T cells in the meninges of healthy mice release IL-17a, and that the cytokine influences the animals’ ability to make short-term memories.
A sketch of an elevated plus maze experiment for behavior tests in rodents WIKIMEDIA, SAMUELJOHN.DE
In the new study, Alves de Lima, working with Jonathan Kipnis, a neuroimmunologist at WUSTL, also tested the cytokine’s role in mice’s memory and did not find evidence of that connection, but the team did show that IL-17a regulates anxiety-like behavior. When put in an elevated cross-shaped structure with two arms that are open platforms and two that are walled in, mice lacking gamma delta T cells preferred the open arms while wildtype mice preferred the darker, enclosed arms—behavior that, in the study, served as a proxy for anxiety. For the mice, the anxiety is beneficial, protecting them from exposure to predators, the scientists say. (Littman notes that there may be other ways to interpret the mice’s behavior in these experiments.)
The differences in behavior appeared again when the team put the mice in an open arena. There, the gamma delta T cell–deficient mice wandered out into the middle of the arena, while their wildtype counterparts stayed close to the arena walls.
Continuing experiments on IL-17a, the team tracked production of the cytokine using a green fluorescent reporter. The fluorescent protein lit up in all the same spaces of the meninges where the team saw gamma delta T cells, suggesting those cells were producing the cytokine. The mice generated the cytokine even when they weren’t fighting infections. Once again, in the elevated maze and open arena experiments, normal mice stuck to the closed, dark spaces, while mice lacking IL-17a were as bold as mice lacking gamma delta T cells, exploring the open areas of the maze and arena. Another experiment in which the team injected neutralizing antibodies for IL-17a into the animals’ cerebrospinal fluid caused wildtype mice to explore the open areas of the maze and arena, too.
“This exciting new study, beautifully executed by the Kipnis group, adds to the growing list of findings showing IL-17a’s role in modulating animal behaviors,” Harvard University immunologist Jun Huh, who worked with Littman on IL-17a and autismlike traits in mouse pups but was not involved in the new study, writes in an email to The Scientist. “Using multidisciplinary approaches, the Kipnis group also provided mechanistic insights as to how IL-17 brings about such phenotypes.”
Specifically, an analysis of the amount of the IL-17a receptor on neurons showed it was abundant in nerve cells in a region of the cortex essential for assessing threats, but not very widespread in the hippocampus, which plays a role in learning and memory. When the team deleted the IL-17a receptor from neurons in the cortical region, the mice showed less anxious behaviors, mimicking the gamma delta T cell– and IL-17s–deficient mice.
Those experiments once again show that immune cells and their signaling molecules, which scientists typically associate with conventional immunological responses, also participate in physiological functions that have nothing to do with protection from microbial pathogens, Littman tells The Scientist.
Because past studies have hinted that certain commensal bacteria are essential for the T cells in tissues around the body to multiply and become active, and other experiments have found that animals without bacteria in and on their bodies are less anxious than normal mice, the team probed the effect of the microbiome on the meningeal gamma delta T cells. The researchers found germ-free mice had similar numbers of meningeal gamma delta T cells as wildtype mice did, and so did mice treated with broad spectrum antibiotics. However, the germ-free and antibiotic-treated mice had less transcription of IL-17a by meningeal gamma delta T cells. That result suggests gut commensals indirectly affect the production of the cell signaling molecule, which could influence the animals’ anxiety-like behavior.
The result is significant, says Kipnis, because it’s the first time a study has shown a direct link between the gut and meningeal immunity. Gut microbes are known to influence brain activity and, separately, immunity, but their influence on T cells in the meninges has not been demonstrated before this. “It’s a small part of the paper, but important,” he says.
One of the next steps in the research, Alves de Lima says, is to determine if fluctuations in IL-17a levels or activity of gamma delta T cells in the meninges is related to anxiety or depression in mice representing those disorders. “We know that at homeostasis, this molecule is good in mice, and when we take it out, it’s bad,” he says. “But we don’t know if overexpression of these cells in depression models or other neuropsychiatric models would lead to a bad outcome. That is one thing we need to know.”
Alves de Lima also wants to explore meningeal gamma delta T cells in humans to see if IL-17a affects behavior similar to the way it does in mice. If studies show IL-17a is increased in anxiety and depression, “then maybe in the future, we can treat humans with anti-IL-17,” he says. The the work, however, would have to be extremely well-developed, Alves de Lima explains, because IL-17a is so critical to our immune system.
K. Alves de Lima et al., “Meningeal γδ T cells regulate anxiety-like behavior via IL-17a signaling in neurons,” Nature Immunology, doi.org/10.1038/s41590-020-0776-4.


thescientist--2020-09-14--College Athletes Experienced Heart Damage After COVID-19: Study

Months after recovering from COVID-19 , some college athletes are showing signs of heart inflammation brought on by a rare condition called myocarditis that may be linked to SARS-CoV-2 exposure , doctors reported September 11 in JAMA Cardiology .
When they imaged the hearts of more than two dozen of Ohio State University players using cardiac magnetic resonance ( CMR ) , they found evidence of myocarditis in 15 percent , while a further 30 percent had cellular damage or swelling that could not be linked definitively to the condition .
In their report , the doctors offer an additional @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sports agencies looking to balance the risk to their athletes against a desire to resume play .
“ Myocarditis is a significant cause of sudden cardiac death in competitive athletes , ” the authors write in the study .
“ Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging has the potential to identify a high-risk cohort for adverse outcomes and may , importantly , risk-stratify athletes for safe participation.
” Several large sporting events have recently been canceled , such as the Big Ten Conference ( which includes Ohio State ) , due in part to concern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contracted the virus .
While myocarditis is a rare condition—affecting roughly 22 out of every 100,000 people each year—it is nevertheless a recognized cause of death among professional athletes , even in the absence of previous heart trouble .
A 2015 study found that among NCAA athletes who died of a sudden cardiac event , 10 percent experienced myocarditis , and a Myocarditis Foundation report found that the condition causes 75 deaths per year in athletes between the ages of 13 and 25 .
ESPN reports that COVID-19 has been linked with myocarditis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been , based on limited studies and anecdotal evidence .
A recent study of 100 patients in Germany found that 60 percent suffered from myocarditis following their COVID-19 diagnoses , independent of pre-existing conditions .
To assess the presence of myocarditis in college athletes that have recovered from COVID-19 , the authors selected 26 students at Ohio State University , including men and women .
None of the participants , who played football , soccer , lacrosse , basketball , or track , had previous heart conditions before being tested .
All @ @ @ @ @ @ @ June and August and had their cases verified using a PCR test .
The timing between their diagnosis and their subsequent testing for myocarditis varied between 11 days to almost two months .
Twelve of the athletes reported mild symptoms while sick , while the rest were asymptomatic .
Ordinarily , athletes may have their heart health assessed using a battery of tests : a physical examination , an ultrasound , an electrocardiogram , and a blood test to measure for the heart stress protein troponin I .
The current study included all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ CMR , which the authors say was the most successful tool at identifying cases of myocarditis .
“ We were able to differentiate those who had evidence of myocardial inflammation—and therefore myocarditis—from those who did not , and the [ CMR ] became the tool that did that with the highest sensitivity , ” Curt Daniels , a cardiologist at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center and a coauthor of the study , tells the Akron Beacon Journal .
Among the 26 athletes , four met at least two criteria consistent with a diagnosis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ showed inconclusive evidence of strain .
Among the four , all of which were men , two had experienced symptoms while the other two were asymptomatic , the authors report .
The current study “ is really a step in the right direction , ” Meagan Wasfy , a sports cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital who was not involved in the study , tells Science News .
“ We need more data like this.
” But Wasfy points to several important limitations that will make it difficult to apply the study ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it was small , did not include controls , and did not test its participants at the same time interval following their diagnosis , all facets that the authors tell Science News they plan to rectify in subsequent follow-ups .
Because of the varying times between diagnosis with COVID-19 and the heart analysis , there were several cases where the different tests the researchers used yielded different results .
For example , there were cases in which the CMR identified possible signs of myocarditis even when the players ’ troponin I levels or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Wasfy says , it may be that the CMR is picking up the “ ghost ” of past inflammation , even as other symptoms have since gone away .
Myocarditis has been found in at least five Big Ten Conference athletes and among players in other conferences , two sources with knowledge of the situation tell ESPN .
In addition , at least a dozen Power 5 schools have identified athletes with a post–COVID-19 myocardial injury , including asymptomatic patients .
“ Initially we thought if you didn ’ t have significant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ risk , ” Matthew Martinez , director of sports cardiology for Atlantic Health System , tells ESPN .
“ We are now finding that that may not be true.
” The overall concern has “ made the bar higher ” for returning to fall sports , Jonathan Drezner , director of the University of Washington Medicine Center for Sports Cardiology , tells ESPN .
“ It could be we don ’ t get there .
”

ABOVE: © ISTOCK.COM, ACESHOT
Months after recovering from COVID-19, some college athletes are showing signs of heart inflammation brought on by a rare condition called myocarditis that may be linked to SARS-CoV-2 exposure, doctors reported September 11 in JAMA Cardiology.
When they imaged the hearts of more than two dozen of Ohio State University players using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR), they found evidence of myocarditis in 15 percent, while a further 30 percent had cellular damage or swelling that could not be linked definitively to the condition.
In their report, the doctors offer an additional risk assessment tool for universities and professional sports agencies looking to balance the risk to their athletes against a desire to resume play.
“Myocarditis is a significant cause of sudden cardiac death in competitive athletes,” the authors write in the study. “Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging has the potential to identify a high-risk cohort for adverse outcomes and may, importantly, risk-stratify athletes for safe participation.”
Several large sporting events have recently been canceled, such as the Big Ten Conference (which includes Ohio State), due in part to concern over heart conditions in players who have contracted the virus.
While myocarditis is a rare condition—affecting roughly 22 out of every 100,000 people each year—it is nevertheless a recognized cause of death among professional athletes, even in the absence of previous heart trouble. A 2015 study found that among NCAA athletes who died of a sudden cardiac event, 10 percent experienced myocarditis, and a Myocarditis Foundation report found that the condition causes 75 deaths per year in athletes between the ages of 13 and 25.
ESPN reports that COVID-19 has been linked with myocarditis at a higher frequency than other viruses have been, based on limited studies and anecdotal evidence. A recent study of 100 patients in Germany found that 60 percent suffered from myocarditis following their COVID-19 diagnoses, independent of pre-existing conditions.
To assess the presence of myocarditis in college athletes that have recovered from COVID-19, the authors selected 26 students at Ohio State University, including men and women. None of the participants, who played football, soccer, lacrosse, basketball, or track, had previous heart conditions before being tested.
All 26 participants had contracted the coronavirus between June and August and had their cases verified using a PCR test. The timing between their diagnosis and their subsequent testing for myocarditis varied between 11 days to almost two months. Twelve of the athletes reported mild symptoms while sick, while the rest were asymptomatic.
Ordinarily, athletes may have their heart health assessed using a battery of tests: a physical examination, an ultrasound, an electrocardiogram, and a blood test to measure for the heart stress protein troponin I. The current study included all these tests, but also added the CMR, which the authors say was the most successful tool at identifying cases of myocarditis.
“We were able to differentiate those who had evidence of myocardial inflammation—and therefore myocarditis—from those who did not, and the [CMR] became the tool that did that with the highest sensitivity,” Curt Daniels, a cardiologist at Ohio State Wexner Medical Center and a coauthor of the study, tells the Akron Beacon Journal.
Among the 26 athletes, four met at least two criteria consistent with a diagnosis of myocarditis, while a further eight showed inconclusive evidence of strain. Among the four, all of which were men, two had experienced symptoms while the other two were asymptomatic, the authors report.
The current study “is really a step in the right direction,” Meagan Wasfy, a sports cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital who was not involved in the study, tells Science News. “We need more data like this.”
But Wasfy points to several important limitations that will make it difficult to apply the study’s findings more broadly. For one, it was small, did not include controls, and did not test its participants at the same time interval following their diagnosis, all facets that the authors tell Science News they plan to rectify in subsequent follow-ups.
Because of the varying times between diagnosis with COVID-19 and the heart analysis, there were several cases where the different tests the researchers used yielded different results. For example, there were cases in which the CMR identified possible signs of myocarditis even when the players’ troponin I levels or electrocardiograms were normal. In these cases, Wasfy says, it may be that the CMR is picking up the “ghost” of past inflammation, even as other symptoms have since gone away.
Myocarditis has been found in at least five Big Ten Conference athletes and among players in other conferences, two sources with knowledge of the situation tell ESPN. In addition, at least a dozen Power 5 schools have identified athletes with a post–COVID-19 myocardial injury, including asymptomatic patients. “Initially we thought if you didn’t have significant symptoms that you are probably at less risk,” Matthew Martinez, director of sports cardiology for Atlantic Health System, tells ESPN. “We are now finding that that may not be true.”
The overall concern has “made the bar higher” for returning to fall sports, Jonathan Drezner, director of the University of Washington Medicine Center for Sports Cardiology, tells ESPN. “It could be we don’t get there.”


thescientist--2020-09-14--Longitudinal Immune Profiling Reveals Key Immune Signatures Associated with COVID-19

COVID-19 pathogenesis is associated with an exaggerated immune response .
However , the specific cellular mediators and inflammatory components driving @ @ @ @ @ poorly understood .
In this webinar sponsored by Advanced Cell Diagnostics ( ACD ) , @ @ @ @ @ longitudinal immune profiling of hospitalized patients during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the @ @ @ @ @ immune signatures that associated with disease severity .
Additionally , Jyoti Phatak-Sheldon will describe what @ @ @ @ @ using ACD ’ s RNAscope in situ hybridization technology with RNA probes specific for SARS-CoV-2 @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 patients in the UK • Changes in immune signatures after recovery

FREE Webinar
Tuesday, October 6, 2020
2:30 - 4:00 PM, Eastern Standard Time
Register Now
Exaggerated immune responses contribute to COVID-19 pathogenesis. However, the specific cellular mediators and inflammatory components driving diverse clinical disease outcomes remain poorly understood. In this webinar sponsored by Advanced Cell Diagnostics (ACD), Madhvi Menon will describe the longitudinal immune profiling of hospitalized patients during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK and the key immune signatures that associated with disease severity. Additionally, Jyoti Phatak-Sheldon will describe what researchers can learn about COVID-19 using ACD’s RNAscope in situ hybridization technology with RNA probes specific for SARS-CoV-2.
Topics to be covered
Immune profiling of COVID-19 patients in the UK
Immune signatures associated with severe COVID-19
Changes in immune signatures after recovery
RNAscope in situ hybridization technology specific for SARS-CoV-2
Register Now
Meet the speakers:
Madhvi Menon, PhD
Presidential Research Fellow
School of Biological Sciences
University of Manchester
Jyoti Phatak-Sheldon
Associate Scientist, Applications
Advanced Cell Diagnostics, a Bio-Techne Brand


thescientist--2020-09-17--Racial Profiling Concerns Amid Crackdown on Scholars' China Ties

As the United States government ’ s efforts to curb China ’ s attempts at economic espionage have ramped up in recent years , so have concerns that these investigations are unfairly targeting individuals of Chinese descent .
The case against Franklin ( Feng ) Tao , a professor of chemical engineering at Kansas University , has been criticized by organizations who say this is the latest in a series of government inquiries that involve racial profiling .
Tao was indicted last August on federal charges brought against him for allegedly hiding a relationship with Fuzhou University in China while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( KU ) and thus unlawfully receiving US government funding .
According to the indictment , Tao signed a contract with Fuzhou under a Chinese government–sponsored talent program known as the Changjiang Professorship—which posed a conflict of interest to his position at KU—but failed to report this to the university .
His lawyers counter that the government has launched a disproportionate response to an “ employer-employee dispute ” and that the charges themselves don ’ t hold water .
And groups that advocate for biologists and the rights of Asian Americans accuse the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this ethnic background .
As his case winds its way through court , Tao faces multiple charges of wire fraud and false statements .
If he is found guilty , he could face jail time and be fined millions of dollars .
Scholarly talent programs such as the one Tao is accused of clandestinely taking part in aim to recruit top scientists to Chinese research institutions and have been a focal point of US government investigations .
Probes into potential cases of economic espionage have been ongoing since the late 1990s , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in recent years .
In 2018 , the US government launched the “ China Initiative , ” an effort aimed at countering national security threats from the country , including economic espionage and the theft of intellectual property .
In a speech this February , Christopher Wray , the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation ( FBI ) , stated that there were around 1,000 ongoing investigations into espionage attempts from China .
Wray also highlighted the threat posed by China in the academic sphere .
“ We know they use some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ collectors of our intellectual property , ” he said .
“ We know that through their ‘ Thousand Talents Plan ’ and similar programs , they try to entice scientists at our universities to bring their knowledge to China—even if that means stealing proprietary information or violating export controls or conflict-of-interest policies to do so.
” Frank Wu , a professor at the University of California , Hastings College of the Law , and the former president of the Committee of 100 , a group of Chinese Americans dedicated to advancing US-China relations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ number of cases where people are found guilty , there are “ more and more cases ” of people who didn ’ t do anything wrong .
“ [ Tao ’ s ] case doesn ’ t appear to be one that involves the defendant engaged in what we would normally think of as espionage , ” says Wu .
“ Even if you believe the government , this is a more minor case that has to do with disclosure and conflict of interest.
” Tao was born in China and has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ After completing his doctoral studies at Princeton University , he remained in the US as a postdoc , then as a professor .
In 2014 , Tao was hired as a tenured professor at KU ’ s Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis , where researchers develop technologies for natural resource conservation .
Since the case against the scientist was first brought forward last summer , the legal battle has taken a number of twists and turns .
A few months after Tao was first indicted , the scientist ’ s attorneys filed a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the investigation originated out of fabricated allegations by a disgruntled colleague angry at Tao over authorship on a number of manuscripts .
According to Tao ’ s legal team , Tao never actually accepted the Fuzhou position .
And even if he did , they said , federal prosecutors were transforming a “ garden-variety employment dispute ” into a “ string of federal fraud offenses.
” In response to the motion to dismiss , the government filed another indictment , which superseded the first and elaborated on the initial charges .
As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was rejected by the court .
In June , federal prosecutors brought a second superseding indictment against Tao .
The original indictment charged Tao with one count of wire fraud and three counts of program fraud , while the newest one charged him with a total of 10 offenses : seven counts of wire fraud and three counts of false statements .
Tao faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine of $ 250,000 for each count of wire fraud and another five years in prison and $ 250,000 for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawyers have since filed motions to dismiss the latest incitement .
In addition , a group led by Asian Americans Advancing Justice-AAJC and Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Asian Law Caucus , two organizations dedicated to advocating for and defending the civil rights of Asian Americans and other minority groups , filed an amicus ( “ friend of the court ” ) brief in support of Tao in August .
The brief states that Tao “ stands as one example , among many , of the United States Government ’ s coordinated effort to target @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their ancestry rather than suspected criminal activity.
” Among the signatories of the brief is the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology ( ASBMB ) .
According to Benjamin Corb , the director of public affairs at ASBMB , the society wants more clarity from federal prosecutors , government agencies such as the National Institutes of Health ( NIH ) , and universities about what researchers must do to ensure they are not engaged in activities that violate the law .
“ Because of a lack of transparency that exists .
.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ innocent people being accused of things and losing their careers as a result of a false accusation , ” Corb says .
“ We want to ensure that all scientists are being treated equally , and that we ’ re doing everything that we can to give scientists the opportunity to make sure that they ’ re on the right side of the law.
” The lack of clarity regarding what is legal has engendered confusion among scientists .
For example , participation in foreign talent programs has only been banned in recent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s happened is researchers just haven ’ t caught up , ” Wu told The Scientist in June 2019 .
See “ US-China Tensions Leave Some Researchers on Edge ” Last week , government prosecutors filed a request for the court to deny the amicus brief , stating , among other things , that the authors “ incorrectly argue that the government is targeting Chinese Americans based on their ethnicity rather than on suspected criminal activity ” and that “ the defendant lied to and defrauded the US government and an American university @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Republic of China ] and its strategic needs.
” Jim Cross , the public information officer for the US attorney in the District of Kansas , sent The Scientist this official response to the amicus brief and provided no further comment .
A pre-trial hearing for Tao ’ s case will take place in the US District Court for the District of Kansas on October 1 .
“ As you might imagine , for anyone charged in a criminal case it is the most stressful thing that you can go through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Zeidenberg , the lead defense attorney on Tao ’ s case .
“ Everything is at stake : your liberty , your freedom , and your employment.
” Many of those targeted by the government ’ s recent investigations have been of Chinese descent , aside from some notable exceptions , such as the case of Charles Lieber , a professor of nanoscience at Harvard University who was arrested in January for allegedly concealing ties to China .
A 2018 study found that the percentage of people of Chinese descent charged for economic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ percent between 1997 and 2009 to 52 percent from 2009 to 2015 .
Of all the Chinese defendants charged , 21 percent were never proven guilty of their alleged crimes .
“ The same can be said for only 11 % of defendants with Western names , ” the authors write in their report .
When FBI agents stormed the home of Temple University physics professor Xiaoxing Xi at dawn on a spring day in 2015 , the scientist was confused and terrified .
According to Xi , armed agents ran into his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and daughters at gunpoint , and arrested him .
“ It was very traumatic , ” Xi says .
“ I had absolutely no idea of why they were here to arrest me.
” Xi , who is a naturalized American citizen , was accused of sharing blueprints of a US-made technology , the pocket heater ( a device used in superconductor research ) , with Chinese scientists .
Months after the arrest , federal prosecutors dropped the case when it became apparent that Xi was innocent—the schematics were not , in fact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to testimony from several scientists , including the engineer who invented the technology .
It ’ s been several years since the case was dropped , and Xi has been able to return to his position at Temple University after being suspended from his job while the investigation was ongoing .
But Xi tells The Scientist that his life has not gone back to normal .
Both at home and at work , he remains in fear that something he says or does will be used against him .
Although he is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to apply for grants to support his work .
“ I am not applying for funding as a sole principal investigator , ” he says .
“ I always try to team up with other scientists .
.
.
so I ’ m not the person to sign the forms and check those boxes , because I ’ m scared.
” There have been several other highly publicized instances of Chinese-American scientists who have been wrongfully investigated and charged .
Sherry Chen , a naturalized American citizen who was a hydrologist at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alleged economic espionage in October 2014 .
She was accused of illegally downloading data about American dams and falsifying statements about meetings with a high-ranking official in the Chinese government .
The case was dropped several months later , but Chen was still fired from her job .
See “ Prominent Harvard Chemist Arrested For Concealing Ties to China ” According to a recent presentation given by Michael Lauer , the deputy director for extramural research at the NIH , there are 399 researchers of “ possible concern.
” Of the 189 scientists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , 54 have resigned or been terminated as a result .
Lauer also reported that in 93 percent of the 189 cases , China was the country of foreign support .
The government ’ s crackdown on foreign influence among scientists has cast a chill over Chinese-American researchers who worry that they , too , may become the subjects of government probes .
The uptick in prosecuted cases has also raised fears about a potential exodus of scientists from the US .
Politicians have voiced concerns as well .
Earlier this year , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ D-MD ) and Judy Chu ( D-CA ) , launched an investigation into possible racial profiling by the FBI and NIH .
“ While I get the serious national security implications of Chinese government espionage , none of that justifies dragnet-style ethnic profiling of U.S. citizens who are Chinese-American , ” Raskin told Nature earlier this month .
The outcome of Tao ’ s case remains to be seen .
The amicus brief in support of Tao states that racially based prosecutions have caused immense harm .
“ That ’ s very true—I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” Xi says .
“ I can visualize what all these people are going through.
” The government has a different take on the case .
“ Both the defendant and amici are espousing—while also contributing to—a false narrative entirely unrelated to the legal issues before the Court that the U.S. government is targeting Chinese people , ” the attorneys prosecuting Tao wrote in the filing this month , “ when in reality the U.S. government is responding to a national security threat posed by the government of China .
”

ABOVE: © ISTOCK.COM, KRBLOKHIN
As the United States government’s efforts to curb China’s attempts at economic espionage have ramped up in recent years, so have concerns that these investigations are unfairly targeting individuals of Chinese descent. The case against Franklin (Feng) Tao, a professor of chemical engineering at Kansas University, has been criticized by organizations who say this is the latest in a series of government inquiries that involve racial profiling.
Tao was indicted last August on federal charges brought against him for allegedly hiding a relationship with Fuzhou University in China while being employed at the University of Kansas (KU) and thus unlawfully receiving US government funding. According to the indictment, Tao signed a contract with Fuzhou under a Chinese government–sponsored talent program known as the Changjiang Professorship—which posed a conflict of interest to his position at KU—but failed to report this to the university. His lawyers counter that the government has launched a disproportionate response to an “employer-employee dispute” and that the charges themselves don’t hold water. And groups that advocate for biologists and the rights of Asian Americans accuse the US government of targeting Tao because of this ethnic background.
As his case winds its way through court, Tao faces multiple charges of wire fraud and false statements. If he is found guilty, he could face jail time and be fined millions of dollars.
Because of a lack of transparency that exists . . . there’s a risk of innocent people being accused of things and losing their careers as a result of a false accusation. —Benjamin Corb, American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Scholarly talent programs such as the one Tao is accused of clandestinely taking part in aim to recruit top scientists to Chinese research institutions and have been a focal point of US government investigations. Probes into potential cases of economic espionage have been ongoing since the late 1990s, but the focus on China has ramped up in recent years. In 2018, the US government launched the “China Initiative,” an effort aimed at countering national security threats from the country, including economic espionage and the theft of intellectual property.
In a speech this February, Christopher Wray, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), stated that there were around 1,000 ongoing investigations into espionage attempts from China. Wray also highlighted the threat posed by China in the academic sphere. “We know they use some Chinese students in the US as nontraditional collectors of our intellectual property,” he said. “We know that through their ‘Thousand Talents Plan’ and similar programs, they try to entice scientists at our universities to bring their knowledge to China—even if that means stealing proprietary information or violating export controls or conflict-of-interest policies to do so.”
Frank Wu, the president of Queens College, The City University of New York, and the former president of the Committee of 100, a group of Chinese Americans dedicated to advancing US-China relations, says that along with an increasing number of cases where people are found guilty, there are “more and more cases” of people who didn’t do anything wrong. “[Tao’s] case doesn’t appear to be one that involves the defendant engaged in what we would normally think of as espionage,” says Wu. “Even if you believe the government, this is a more minor case that has to do with disclosure and conflict of interest.”
A winding saga
Tao was born in China and has been living in the US since 2002. After completing his doctoral studies at Princeton University, he remained in the US as a postdoc, then as a professor. In 2014, Tao was hired as a tenured professor at KU’s Center for Environmentally Beneficial Catalysis, where researchers develop technologies for natural resource conservation. Since the case against the scientist was first brought forward last summer, the legal battle has taken a number of twists and turns.
A few months after Tao was first indicted, the scientist’s attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the indictment, asserting that the investigation originated out of fabricated allegations by a disgruntled colleague angry at Tao over authorship on a number of manuscripts. According to Tao’s legal team, Tao never actually accepted the Fuzhou position. And even if he did, they said, federal prosecutors were transforming a “garden-variety employment dispute” into a “string of federal fraud offenses.”
In response to the motion to dismiss, the government filed another indictment, which superseded the first and elaborated on the initial charges. As a result, the motion to dismiss was rejected by the court. In June, federal prosecutors brought a second superseding indictment against Tao. The original indictment charged Tao with one count of wire fraud and three counts of program fraud, while the newest one charged him with a total of 10 offenses: seven counts of wire fraud and three counts of false statements. Tao faces up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000 for each count of wire fraud and another five years in prison and $250,000 for each false statement.
Tao’s lawyers have since filed motions to dismiss the latest incitement. In addition, a group led by Asian Americans Advancing Justice-AAJC and Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Asian Law Caucus, two organizations dedicated to advocating for and defending the civil rights of Asian Americans and other minority groups, filed an amicus (“friend of the court”) brief in support of Tao in August. The brief states that Tao “stands as one example, among many, of the United States Government’s coordinated effort to target Chinese American scientists and researchers based on their ancestry rather than suspected criminal activity.”
Among the signatories of the brief is the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB). According to Benjamin Corb, the director of public affairs at ASBMB, the society wants more clarity from federal prosecutors, government agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and universities about what researchers must do to ensure they are not engaged in activities that violate the law. “Because of a lack of transparency that exists . . . there’s a risk of innocent people being accused of things and losing their careers as a result of a false accusation,” Corb says. “We want to ensure that all scientists are being treated equally, and that we’re doing everything that we can to give scientists the opportunity to make sure that they’re on the right side of the law.”
The lack of clarity regarding what is legal has engendered confusion among scientists. For example, participation in foreign talent programs has only been banned in recent years. “Part of what’s happened is researchers just haven’t caught up,” Wu told The Scientist in June 2019.
Last week, government prosecutors filed a request for the court to deny the amicus brief, stating, among other things, that the authors “incorrectly argue that the government is targeting Chinese Americans based on their ethnicity rather than on suspected criminal activity” and that “the defendant lied to and defrauded the US government and an American university to benefit himself and the [People’s Republic of China] and its strategic needs.” Jim Cross, the public information officer for the US attorney in the District of Kansas, sent The Scientist this official response to the amicus brief and provided no further comment.
A pre-trial hearing for Tao’s case will take place in the US District Court for the District of Kansas on October 1. “As you might imagine, for anyone charged in a criminal case it is the most stressful thing that you can go through in your life,” says Peter Zeidenberg, the lead defense attorney on Tao’s case. “Everything is at stake: your liberty, your freedom, and your employment.”
Investigations raise concerns of racial profiling
Many of those targeted by the government’s recent investigations have been of Chinese descent, aside from some notable exceptions, such as the case of Charles Lieber, a professor of nanoscience at Harvard University who was arrested in January for allegedly concealing ties to China. A 2018 study found that the percentage of people of Chinese descent charged for economic espionage in the US rose from 17 percent between 1997 and 2009 to 52 percent from 2009 to 2015. Of all the Chinese defendants charged, 21 percent were never proven guilty of their alleged crimes. “The same can be said for only 11% of defendants with Western names,” the authors write in their report.
When FBI agents stormed the home of Temple University physics professor Xiaoxing Xi at dawn on a spring day in 2015, the scientist was confused and terrified. According to Xi, armed agents ran into his house yelling, rounded up his wife and daughters at gunpoint, and arrested him. “It was very traumatic,” Xi says. “I had absolutely no idea of why they were here to arrest me.”
Xi, who is a naturalized American citizen, was accused of sharing blueprints of a US-made technology, the pocket heater (a device used in superconductor research), with Chinese scientists. Months after the arrest, federal prosecutors dropped the case when it became apparent that Xi was innocent—the schematics were not, in fact, those for the pocket heater, according to testimony from several scientists, including the engineer who invented the technology.
In 93 percent of 189 cases investigated by the NIH for foreign ties, China was the country of foreign support.
It’s been several years since the case was dropped, and Xi has been able to return to his position at Temple University after being suspended from his job while the investigation was ongoing. But Xi tells The Scientist that his life has not gone back to normal. Both at home and at work, he remains in fear that something he says or does will be used against him. Although he is continuing his research, Xi remains afraid to apply for grants to support his work. “I am not applying for funding as a sole principal investigator,” he says. “I always try to team up with other scientists . . . so I’m not the person to sign the forms and check those boxes, because I’m scared.”
There have been several other highly publicized instances of Chinese-American scientists who have been wrongfully investigated and charged. Sherry Chen, a naturalized American citizen who was a hydrologist at the National Weather Service, was arrested for alleged economic espionage in October 2014. She was accused of illegally downloading data about American dams and falsifying statements about meetings with a high-ranking official in the Chinese government. The case was dropped several months later, but Chen was still fired from her job.
See “Prominent Harvard Chemist Arrested For Concealing Ties to China”
According to a recent presentation given by Michael Lauer, the deputy director for extramural research at the NIH, there are 399 researchers of “possible concern.” Of the 189 scientists the agency has investigated for foreign ties, 54 have resigned or been terminated as a result. Lauer also reported that in 93 percent of the 189 cases, China was the country of foreign support.
The government’s crackdown on foreign influence among scientists has cast a chill over Chinese-American researchers who worry that they, too, may become the subjects of government probes. The uptick in prosecuted cases has also raised fears about a potential exodus of scientists from the US. Politicians have voiced concerns as well. Earlier this year, two US Representatives, Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Judy Chu (D-CA), launched an investigation into possible racial profiling by the FBI and NIH. “While I get the serious national security implications of Chinese government espionage, none of that justifies dragnet-style ethnic profiling of U.S. citizens who are Chinese-American,” Raskin told Nature earlier this month.
The outcome of Tao’s case remains to be seen. The amicus brief in support of Tao states that racially based prosecutions have caused immense harm. “That’s very true—I know that from my own experience,” Xi says. “I can visualize what all these people are going through.”
The government has a different take on the case. “Both the defendant and amici are espousing—while also contributing to—a false narrative entirely unrelated to the legal issues before the Court that the U.S. government is targeting Chinese people,” the attorneys prosecuting Tao wrote in the filing this month, “when in reality the U.S. government is responding to a national security threat posed by the government of China.”
Correction (September 18): The article initially stated Frank Wu’s affiliation as his former position at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law. He is the president of Queens College, The City University of New York. The Scientist regrets the error.


thescientist--2020-09-17--Next-Generation Sequencing (NGS) Sample Preparation

Homogenization frees nucleic acids from intact animal tissues , food , and fecal samples for sequencing analysis .
Uniform homogenization @ @ @ @ @ nucleic acid yields that produce high-quality next-generation sequencing ( NGS ) data .
While there @ @ @ @ @ cells and tissues , mechanical lysis and bead-beating technology repeatedly demonstrate high-quality , high-yield nucleic @ @ @ @ @ approaches preferable for downstream NGS analysis .
Download this white paper from Bertin to receive @ @ @ @ @ NGS workflows :

Homogenization frees nucleic acids from intact animal tissues, food, and fecal samples for sequencing analysis. Uniform homogenization is critical for extracting sufficient nucleic acid yields that produce high-quality next-generation sequencing (NGS) data. While there are many methods for homogenizing cells and tissues, mechanical lysis and bead-beating technology repeatedly demonstrate high-quality, high-yield nucleic acid extraction, making these approaches preferable for downstream NGS analysis.
Download this white paper from Bertin to receive six optimized homogenization protocols for NGS workflows:
Robust and unbiased microbial RNA extraction workflow
Microbiota analysis of fermented milk samples with NGS
Transcriptomic analysis of cheese ripening microbial communities with dual RNA
MicroRNA expression profiling of individual rat hypothalamic nuclei
DNA extraction from frozen tumor samples
Optimized protocol for viral metagenomics studies on fecal samples


thescientist--2020-09-17--Antibody-Based Drug May Reduce COVID-19 Hospitalizations: Study

The results are in from the first monoclonal antibody drug for COVID-19 tested in humans .
The small Phase 2 clinical trial involving 452 participants shows the drug can reduce the need for hospitalization in patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 symptoms compared to control patients .
The drug ’ s manufacturer , Eli Lilly , released a statement announcing the trial results , and the raw data have not yet been peer-reviewed or published .
Convalescent plasma treatments , which work by giving a patient a myriad of antibodies from recovered COVID-19 patients , have received emergency use authorization from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ uncertain .
Lilly ’ s LY-CoV555 is monoclonal and provides a singular , targeted antibody treatment that can be scaled up and provide consistent dosing .
The medicine binds to the spike protein on the SARS-CoV-2 virus , preventing it from infecting cells .
Other antibodies bind to the virus as well but can ’ t always block infection .
“ These interim data from the BLAZE-1 trial suggest that LY-CoV555 , an antibody specifically directed against SARS-CoV-2 , has a direct antiviral effect and may reduce COVID-related hospitalizations , ” Eli Lilly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the statement .
“ The results reinforce our conviction that neutralizing antibodies can help in the fight against COVID-19.
” The company reports that out of the 302 patients given the drug , five ended up in the hospital , a total of 1.7 percent .
This rate is a marked improvement over the 150 patients who received a placebo , among whom nine , or 6 percent , required a hospital stay .
There were no reports of significant adverse reactions .
According to Science , most of the patients who ended @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had a high body mass index—two known risk factors for COVID-19 complications .
Patients who received the drug were divided into groups by dosage and were given either 700 , 2,800 , or 7,000 mg of the drug .
Viral load measurements compared initial samples to those on Day 11 , and doctors monitored patients for health outcomes through Day 29 .
Ultimately , the 2,800 mg dose appeared to be the Goldilocks sweet spot and was the only one that met the goal viral load by Day 11 .
“ This is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute , who was not involved with the study , tells STAT .
“ A lot is pinned not only on Lilly but on the whole family of these [ monoclonal antibodies ] , because even though they ’ re expensive and they ’ re not going to make a gajillion doses , they could make a big difference in the whole landscape of the pandemic.
” The drug was developed from an antibody harvested from a COVID-19 survivor .
Carl Hansen , the CEO of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Eli Lilly on LY-CoV555 , told The Scientist earlier this year that the companies went from blood sample to clinical trials in just three months .
“ It would normally take anywhere from two and a half years to five years for a program like this to move forward , ” he said .
Studies involving other treatment arms are ongoing , with preliminary results expected by the end of the month .
Moving forward , the company plans to use LY-CoV555 in a population with a higher risk of COVID-19–related complications , @ @ @ @ @ @ @

ABOVE: © ISTOCK.COM, CIPHOTOS
The results are in from the first monoclonal antibody drug for COVID-19 tested in humans. The small Phase 2 clinical trial involving 452 participants shows the drug can reduce the need for hospitalization in patients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 symptoms compared to control patients. The drug’s manufacturer, Eli Lilly, released a statement announcing the trial results, and the raw data have not yet been peer-reviewed or published.
Convalescent plasma treatments, which work by giving a patient a myriad of antibodies from recovered COVID-19 patients, have received emergency use authorization from the US government, but their benefits are uncertain. Lilly’s LY-CoV555 is monoclonal and provides a singular, targeted antibody treatment that can be scaled up and provide consistent dosing. The medicine binds to the spike protein on the SARS-CoV-2 virus, preventing it from infecting cells. Other antibodies bind to the virus as well but can’t always block infection.
“These interim data from the BLAZE-1 trial suggest that LY-CoV555, an antibody specifically directed against SARS-CoV-2, has a direct antiviral effect and may reduce COVID-related hospitalizations,” Eli Lilly chief scientific officer Daniel Skovronsky says in the statement. “The results reinforce our conviction that neutralizing antibodies can help in the fight against COVID-19.”
The company reports that out of the 302 patients given the drug, five ended up in the hospital, a total of 1.7 percent. This rate is a marked improvement over the 150 patients who received a placebo, among whom nine, or 6 percent, required a hospital stay. There were no reports of significant adverse reactions.
According to Science, most of the patients who ended up in the hospital were older or had a high body mass index—two known risk factors for COVID-19 complications.
Patients who received the drug were divided into groups by dosage and were given either 700, 2,800, or 7,000 mg of the drug. Viral load measurements compared initial samples to those on Day 11, and doctors monitored patients for health outcomes through Day 29. Ultimately, the 2,800 mg dose appeared to be the Goldilocks sweet spot and was the only one that met the goal viral load by Day 11.
“This is a good start,” Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, who was not involved with the study, tells STAT. “A lot is pinned not only on Lilly but on the whole family of these [monoclonal antibodies], because even though they’re expensive and they’re not going to make a gajillion doses, they could make a big difference in the whole landscape of the pandemic.”
The drug was developed from an antibody harvested from a COVID-19 survivor. Carl Hansen, the CEO of AbCellera, a biotech firm collaborating with Eli Lilly on LY-CoV555, told The Scientist earlier this year that the companies went from blood sample to clinical trials in just three months. “It would normally take anywhere from two and a half years to five years for a program like this to move forward,” he said.
Studies involving other treatment arms are ongoing, with preliminary results expected by the end of the month. Moving forward, the company plans to use LY-CoV555 in a population with a higher risk of COVID-19–related complications, such as old age or obesity.


thescientist--2020-09-16--From Seeing to Analyzing

From Seeing to Analyzing

Live-cell analysis lies at the intersection of live-cell imaging and high-content analysis .
It allows researchers to dig deeper , @ @ @ @ @ to extracting meaningful , quantitative , multiparametric data .
From capturing fast imaging frame rates @ @ @ @ @ in complex cultures , live-cell analysis systems empower discovery in numerous research fields .
Download @ @ @ @ @ discover more about • None The evolution from live-cell imaging to live-cell analysis

Live-cell analysis lies at the intersection of live-cell imaging and high-content analysis. It allows researchers to dig deeper, moving beyond merely observing cells to extracting meaningful, quantitative, multiparametric data. From capturing fast imaging frame rates to monitoring dynamic cell responses in complex cultures, live-cell analysis systems empower discovery in numerous research fields.
Download this poster from Sartorius to discover more about


thescientist--2020-09-16--California Wildfire Beaten Back, for Now, on Famous Mt. Wilson

ABOVE : A view of Mount Wilson Observatory on September 15 , 2020 .
HPWREN Update ( September 17 ) : Mt .
Wilson appears to be under threat again .
“ The # BobcatFire is still on our back .
We thought we might have it down , but ... ...
The more active area appears to be moving northward , ” the Mount Wilson Observatory reported a few hours ago on its Twitter feed .
Sparing no effort , firefighters successfully waged all-out war yesterday ( September 15 ) on a wildfire that threatened two famous telescopes and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ atop Mt .
Wilson , a mountain a little more than 30 miles northeast of Los Angeles .
Flames from the fire tore through the Angeles National Forest and came within 500 feet of the grounds of the historic telescopes on the mountain , David Dantic , a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department , tells Reuters .
The firefighters are continuing to protect Mt .
Wilson as the blaze , called the Bobcat Fire , is not yet well contained .
The blaze was one of dozens of wildfires that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ date , the Bobcat Fire has engulfed more than 44,000 acres , according to the Angeles National Forest Twitter feed .
On September 13 , Deadline reported , the fire began to pose a threat to the Mount Wilson Observatory , which is home to 60-inch and 100-inch telescopes .
Observatory employees were ordered to evacuate .
In the 1920s , astronomer Edwin Hubble used the larger telescope to show that the Milky Way was not the sole galaxy in the universe and later that the universe is expanding .
While historic , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the only scientific equipment on Mt .
Wilson .
An array of six solar telescopes run by Georgia State University reside there , along with a solar tower , a billion-dollar set of transmission towers used by TV , radio , and government agencies , and roughly 50 buildings , according to ABC News 7 .
Yesterday , the observatory reported on its Twitter account that the boundaries of the facility were secure .
Only hours later , the Angeles National Forest Twitter account reported that the fire was within 500 feet of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of fire crews dedicated to protect the mountain were using bulldozers and other equipment , including aerial water and fire repellent dumps , to keep the blaze at bay .
Around midnight local time , the Angeles National Forest Twitter account provided an update , which seemed to indicate Mt .
Wilson was safe , for the moment .
“ While there is still much work to be done in southwest and in the northern sections of the fire , your firefighters did incredible work around Mt .
Wilson today , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ posted a picture of a reddish sunrise with no sign no flames in sight , only smoke : “ Another “ Martian ” morning on the mountain .
We hope today is filled with water and retardant drops as well as safety for the fire crews.
” The observatory is “ not out of the woods yet , ” Dantic tells the Los Angeles Times .
There are flames east and south of the observatory , he says .
“ There is a possibility that the fire could go back up north toward @ @ @ @ @

ABOVE: A view of Mount Wilson Observatory on September 15, 2020.
HPWREN
Update (September 21): Mt. Wilson observatory is now considered safe from the Bobcat Fire, according to The New York Times.
Update (September 17): Mt. Wilson appears to be under threat again. “The #BobcatFire is still on our back. We thought we might have it down, but...... The more active area appears to be moving northward,” the Mount Wilson Observatory reported a few hours ago on its Twitter feed.
Sparing no effort, firefighters successfully waged all-out war yesterday (September 15) on a wildfire that threatened two famous telescopes and other scientific and communications equipment that sit atop Mt. Wilson, a mountain a little more than 30 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
Flames from the fire tore through the Angeles National Forest and came within 500 feet of the grounds of the historic telescopes on the mountain, David Dantic, a spokesman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, tells Reuters. The firefighters are continuing to protect Mt. Wilson as the blaze, called the Bobcat Fire, is not yet well contained.
The blaze was one of dozens of wildfires that began over Labor Day weekend. To date, the Bobcat Fire has engulfed more than 44,000 acres, according to the Angeles National Forest Twitter feed. On September 13, Deadline reported, the fire began to pose a threat to the Mount Wilson Observatory, which is home to 60-inch and 100-inch telescopes. Observatory employees were ordered to evacuate.
In the 1920s, astronomer Edwin Hubble used the larger telescope to show that the Milky Way was not the sole galaxy in the universe and later that the universe is expanding. While historic, the optical telescopes are by no means the only scientific equipment on Mt. Wilson. An array of six solar telescopes run by Georgia State University reside there, along with a solar tower, a billion-dollar set of transmission towers used by TV, radio, and government agencies, and roughly 50 buildings, according to ABC News 7.
Yesterday, the observatory reported on its Twitter account that the boundaries of the facility were secure. Only hours later, the Angeles National Forest Twitter account reported that the fire was within 500 feet of the observatory grounds and the dozen companies of fire crews dedicated to protect the mountain were using bulldozers and other equipment, including aerial water and fire repellent dumps, to keep the blaze at bay.
Around midnight local time, the Angeles National Forest Twitter account provided an update, which seemed to indicate Mt. Wilson was safe, for the moment. “While there is still much work to be done in southwest and in the northern sections of the fire, your firefighters did incredible work around Mt. Wilson today,” @Angeles_NF wrote. Later today @MtWilsonObs posted a picture of a reddish sunrise with no sign no flames in sight, only smoke: “Another “Martian” morning on the mountain. We hope today is filled with water and retardant drops as well as safety for the fire crews.”
The observatory is “not out of the woods yet,” Dantic tells the Los Angeles Times. There are flames east and south of the observatory, he says. “There is a possibility that the fire could go back up north toward Mt. Wilson.”


thescientist--2020-09-16--Bio-Rad Introduces StarBright Violet 515 Dyefor Flow Cytometry

StarBright Dyes are conjugated to a growing range of antibodies and are compatible with most flow cytometers and experimental protocols .
The StarBright Violet 515 Dye with an excitation maximum at 401 nanometer and emission maximum of 516 nanometer offers researchers improved brightness to resolve rare and low antigen density populations more easily .
It has a narrow emission profile to reduce spillover into neighboring filters and minimal excitation by other lasers , making it suitable for inclusion in multicolor panels .
The dye is not susceptible to photobleaching , delivers high lot-to-lot reproducibility , and is stable at 4°C @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ensure consistent staining and deliver reliable results .
It has been tested in many common staining buffers and there is no requirement to use a special staining buffer , permitting easy integration into common experimental protocols without compromising performance .
StarBright Violet 515 Dye is compatible with Bio-Rad ’ s ZE5 Cell Analyzer , S3e Cell Sorter , as well as other cytometers , and it is suitable for both conventional and spectral flow .
“ StarBright Violet 515 Dye is brighter than other common dyes that emit at similar wavelengths , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Life Science Group .
“ The dye is flexible enough to fit into any flow cytometry panel , allowing researchers to multiplex with ease regardless of flow cytometer and experimental protocol , and it offers a superior alternative for fluorophores that have emission maxima between 500 and 550 nanometers .
”

StarBright Dyes are conjugated to a growing range of antibodies and are compatible with most flow cytometers and experimental protocols.
The StarBright Violet 515 Dye with an excitation maximum at 401 nanometer and emission maximum of 516 nanometer offers researchers improved brightness to resolve rare and low antigen density populations more easily. It has a narrow emission profile to reduce spillover into neighboring filters and minimal excitation by other lasers, making it suitable for inclusion in multicolor panels.
The dye is not susceptible to photobleaching, delivers high lot-to-lot reproducibility, and is stable at 4°C with no loss of signal to help ensure consistent staining and deliver reliable results. It has been tested in many common staining buffers and there is no requirement to use a special staining buffer, permitting easy integration into common experimental protocols without compromising performance. StarBright Violet 515 Dye is compatible with Bio-Rad’s ZE5 Cell Analyzer, S3e Cell Sorter, as well as other cytometers, and it is suitable for both conventional and spectral flow.
“StarBright Violet 515 Dye is brighter than other common dyes that emit at similar wavelengths,” said Mike Blundell, Bio-Rad Product Manager, Life Science Group. “The dye is flexible enough to fit into any flow cytometry panel, allowing researchers to multiplex with ease regardless of flow cytometer and experimental protocol, and it offers a superior alternative for fluorophores that have emission maxima between 500 and 550 nanometers.”