AbCellera receives Health Canada authorization to initiate ABCL575 Phase 1 trial
AbCellera (ABCL) announced it has received a No Objection Letter (NOL) from Health Canada authorizing its Clinical Trial Application for ABCL575, an investigational antibody antagonist targeting OX40 ligand that is being developed for the treatment of moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis, with potential applications to other inflammatory and autoimmune conditions. The Phase 1 study is anticipated to begin in Q3 of 2025 and will evaluate the safety and pharmacokinetics of ABCL575 administered subcutaneously in healthy participants.
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Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Flyer does not prove assisted death legal for minors in Canada
"Looks like the Canadian gov't reccomends (sic) offering MAiD to our children," says the caption of a May 20, 2025 video shared on Facebook. "Unbelievable! They have to be stopped!" The clip, viewed more than 35,000 times, includes images of what appears to be a brochure discussing a recommendation from Canadian lawmakers to expand assisted dying to mature minors. Similar claims citing the pamphlet as alleged proof of changes to MAID spread in online articles and on X, TikTok and Instagram. The posts gained traction as bills allowing assisted death are currently under debate in France and the United Kingdom. Canada first legalized MAID, intended for people with a "grievous and irremediable" medical condition, in 2016 (archived here). Different forms of euthanasia are also legal in other jurisdictions outside Canada. Initially, a person's natural death had to be "reasonably foreseeable" to be granted the procedure, but updates in 2021 opened eligibility to people whose deaths were not immediately imminent (archived here). False and misleading claims about MAID in Canada frequently surface online, often in posts alleging the program is being opened up to children. In 2023, a parliamentary committee did recommend that mature minors should be given the right to choose MAID. But as of June 3, 2025, people under 18 years old have never been eligible for the procedure in Canada. "The eligibility criteria set out in the Criminal Code require that a person must be a minimum of 18 years of age and capable of making decisions with respect to their health," said Mark Johnson, spokesman for Health Canada. "The Government of Canada is not considering any legislative changes to this requirement that minors cannot be assessed for nor receive MAID." Additionally, a reverse image search reveals that the pamphlet highlighted online was printed by the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada in 2024, as part of a push to discourage the expansion of access to the procedure (archived here). It did not come from the Canadian government, as the posts imply. A Special Joint Committee on Medical Assistance in Dying studied issues related to MAID between 2021 and 2023 (archived here). During this time, individuals, experts and advocacy groups presented their points of view on what could be changed in Canada's approach to assisted death. Following the testimonies, the committee recommended that mature minors should be eligible to access MAID with safeguards in place, including restrictions limiting requests for people under 18 years old to only those whose deaths were reasonably foreseeable (archived here). The government responded to the recommendation with concerns about balancing minors' personal autonomy with safety, and it did not include any provision allowing medically assisted death for people under 18 (archived here). "This could only happen if legislation was introduced and passed to change the Criminal Code," said Alisha Hall, spokeswoman for Dying With Dignity Canada, a group that advocates for mature minors to be allowed the right to choose MAID. Hall told AFP that since Dying With Dignity's report to the committee in 2022, it had not made any further presentations to government bodies on MAID and mature minors (archived here). While some of the posts referencing the pamphlet also implied that MAID could be used by those dissatisfied with life, Canada requires an applicant to have a "grievous and irremediable" medical condition. According to the Justice Canada website, MAID applications need to be approved by at least two medical professionals, and information must be provided about how to withdraw a request (archived here). The ministry also says people applying for the procedure who do not have reasonably foreseeable deaths must be informed about alternative options of treatment. The latest annual report on MAID recorded that 95.9 percent of people who received the procedure in 2023 did so while their deaths were reasonably foreseeable, with cancer being the most frequently cited underlying condition (archived here). Those whose deaths were not foreseeable reported living with issues such as diabetes, frailty, autoimmune problems and chronic pain, according to the report. Some argue the availability of the procedure can leave other issues unaddressed, including those surrounding quality of life for people living with disability or in poverty. Media have previously reported on applicants seeking medically assisted death for social reasons including isolation, and practitioners struggling with requests for MAID from people living with disabilities or difficult economic situations. Offering MAID as an option for people suffering solely from a mental illness was slated to go into effect in 2024, but this change was postponed until at least March 2027 (archived here). Read more of AFP's reporting on misinformation in Canada here.
San Francisco Chronicle
4 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Steelers linebacker Cole Holcomb's long journey back after a gruesome knee injury is almost over
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Cole Holcomb listened patiently and politely shook his head. No, the Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker isn't interested in reliving the gruesome knee injury that forced him to miss a season-and-a-half. Living through it once was punishment enough. Holcomb was chasing after wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins on a Thursday night game in November 2023 when a diving teammate slammed into Holcomb's left leg, shredding multiple ligaments in his knee. How bad was it? The Amazon Prime crew broadcasting the game showed it in slow motion once and decided that was enough. The road back took longer than Holcomb, an admittedly impatient person, ever imagined. He was cleared to return to practice near the end of last season, but never did pull his No. 55 jersey over his increasingly broad shoulders when it counted. The Fear of Missing Out wasn't helped when he watched the middle of Pittsburgh's defense get gashed repeatedly during a five-game skid that culminated in a blowout loss to Baltimore in the opening round of the playoffs. 'Definitely had some days where, you know, you just want to be out there and it's frustrating,' Holcomb said Tuesday, his forehead beaded with sweat after the fourth of the Steelers' six voluntary organized team activities. 'But you know, it's kind of just one of those take each day, one day at a time and just keep chopping.' While Holcomb's inherent confidence led him to believe he was always going to make it back, he knows nothing was guaranteed. The doctors told him there was a chance he'd never play again. It wasn't merely a scare tactic. 'They basically were emphasizing how important the rehab was going to be,' he said. 'You know, if guys don't take it as serious and they don't put the work in, they won't be able to make it back. But if you put the work in, you do the extra stuff, you come every day, no matter how bad you don't want to, all that kind of stuff, you can come back.' Fitting in During his lengthy absence, the Steelers signed Patrick Queen to the richest free agent contract in team history and drafted Payton Wilson, who Holcomb once hosted when Holcomb was at North Carolina and Wilson was a coveted recruit. While Holcomb looks 'more chiseled' as Pro Bowl safety Minkah Fitzpatrick put it, that's not the only way in which he has changed. Watching from the sidelines during games let him take a step back and analyze things in real time that are kind of hard to come by when you're on the field five yards from the line of scrimmage. 'I'm 30 yards back watching the thing and I'm, like 'Oh, I know this, I know this is about to happen,'' he said. 'But it's like, hey, it's easy to see that from back here. But it has definitely helped seeing the forest or the trees kind of thing.' So much so that the 28-year-old could envision going into coaching one day, which his wife, Casey, is 'not too happy about." There were times last season when Holcomb certainly sounded like one. 'He's very vocal, he tries to help everyone out,' Wilson said. 'He knows a lot about the game. He studies a lot. It's cool to be around that guy to see how he watches film and diagnoses stuff.' Yet whatever coaching Holcomb might get into is for down the road. For now, he is focused on trying to get back to being the player who looked every bit worth the $18 million investment the Steelers made in him when they signed him in March 2023. What's next He's less than thrilled that it took this long. Yet if he's learned anything over the last year-plus, it's that he can't take anything for granted. 'The day (during rehab) you think like, 'OK, I hit this milestone,' well, 24 hours later, that's over, got to get moving on to the next step," he said. 'I wasn't really like, focusing on like 'How many months is it until I can run' or anything like that. You're like, 'What do I got tomorrow?'' What Holcomb has now is a clean bill of health. Seven weeks from now, he'll be in training camp, where he'll be able to hit somebody hard for the first time in nearly two years. He's already practicing. During a drill last week, Holcomb would hit the blocking sled, then turn his attention to Wilson, who was holding a pad. The goal was for Holcomb to drive his shoulder into the pad. He did that, and in the process momentarily lifted the 240-pound Wilson off the ground a time or two before gently placing him back down. Maybe it was Holcomb sending a message to someone who took his place in the starting lineup. Or maybe Holcomb was just settling accounts. Wilson, after all, opted for N.C. State rather than the Tar Heels, though Wilson insisted it had nothing to do with his weekend spent with Holcomb on the North Carolina campus. 'No, not at all,' Wilson said, then added to laughter, 'It was more so like the 5,000 people that go to games there and that's it.' ___
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Steelers linebacker Cole Holcomb's long journey back after a gruesome knee injury is almost over
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Cole Holcomb listened patiently and politely shook his head. No, the Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker isn't interested in reliving the gruesome knee injury that forced him to miss a season-and-a-half. Living through it once was punishment enough. Advertisement Holcomb was chasing after wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins on a Thursday night game in November 2023 when a diving teammate slammed into Holcomb's left leg, shredding multiple ligaments in his knee. How bad was it? The Amazon Prime crew broadcasting the game showed it in slow motion once and decided that was enough. The road back took longer than Holcomb, an admittedly impatient person, ever imagined. He was cleared to return to practice near the end of last season, but never did pull his No. 55 jersey over his increasingly broad shoulders when it counted. The Fear of Missing Out wasn't helped when he watched the middle of Pittsburgh's defense get gashed repeatedly during a five-game skid that culminated in a blowout loss to Baltimore in the opening round of the playoffs. 'Definitely had some days where, you know, you just want to be out there and it's frustrating,' Holcomb said Tuesday, his forehead beaded with sweat after the fourth of the Steelers' six voluntary organized team activities. 'But you know, it's kind of just one of those take each day, one day at a time and just keep chopping.' While Holcomb's inherent confidence led him to believe he was always going to make it back, he knows nothing was guaranteed. The doctors told him there was a chance he'd never play again. It wasn't merely a scare tactic. Advertisement 'They basically were emphasizing how important the rehab was going to be,' he said. 'You know, if guys don't take it as serious and they don't put the work in, they won't be able to make it back. But if you put the work in, you do the extra stuff, you come every day, no matter how bad you don't want to, all that kind of stuff, you can come back.' The group Holcomb returns to is not the one he left. Fitting in During his lengthy absence, the Steelers signed Patrick Queen to the richest free agent contract in team history and drafted Payton Wilson, who Holcomb once hosted when Holcomb was at North Carolina and Wilson was a coveted recruit. Advertisement While Holcomb looks 'more chiseled' as Pro Bowl safety Minkah Fitzpatrick put it, that's not the only way in which he has changed. Watching from the sidelines during games let him take a step back and analyze things in real time that are kind of hard to come by when you're on the field five yards from the line of scrimmage. 'I'm 30 yards back watching the thing and I'm, like 'Oh, I know this, I know this is about to happen,'' he said. 'But it's like, hey, it's easy to see that from back here. But it has definitely helped seeing the forest or the trees kind of thing.' So much so that the 28-year-old could envision going into coaching one day, which his wife, Casey, is 'not too happy about." There were times last season when Holcomb certainly sounded like one. 'He's very vocal, he tries to help everyone out,' Wilson said. 'He knows a lot about the game. He studies a lot. It's cool to be around that guy to see how he watches film and diagnoses stuff.' Advertisement Yet whatever coaching Holcomb might get into is for down the road. For now, he is focused on trying to get back to being the player who looked every bit worth the $18 million investment the Steelers made in him when they signed him in March 2023. What's next He's less than thrilled that it took this long. Yet if he's learned anything over the last year-plus, it's that he can't take anything for granted. 'The day (during rehab) you think like, 'OK, I hit this milestone,' well, 24 hours later, that's over, got to get moving on to the next step," he said. 'I wasn't really like, focusing on like 'How many months is it until I can run' or anything like that. You're like, 'What do I got tomorrow?'' Advertisement What Holcomb has now is a clean bill of health. Seven weeks from now, he'll be in training camp, where he'll be able to hit somebody hard for the first time in nearly two years. He's already practicing. During a drill last week, Holcomb would hit the blocking sled, then turn his attention to Wilson, who was holding a pad. The goal was for Holcomb to drive his shoulder into the pad. He did that, and in the process momentarily lifted the 240-pound Wilson off the ground a time or two before gently placing him back down. Maybe it was Holcomb sending a message to someone who took his place in the starting lineup. Or maybe Holcomb was just settling accounts. Wilson, after all, opted for N.C. State rather than the Tar Heels, though Wilson insisted it had nothing to do with his weekend spent with Holcomb on the North Carolina campus. 'No, not at all,' Wilson said, then added to laughter, 'It was more so like the 5,000 people that go to games there and that's it.' ___ AP NFL:
