Pensioner raises thousands for charity by walking 160 miles
A 72-year-old man has raised more than £2,500 for charity by planning to walk 160 miles.
David, from Southampton, took on the challenge to raise money for Southampton Sight, a charity that supports people with visual impairments.
The pensioner, who has glaucoma, started his journey on May 13 in Porto, Portugal, and aims to finish in Santiago, Spain, on May 25.
He was joined by his brothers-in-law, Mike and Adrian, who supported him along the way.
David said: "I wanted to challenge my disability and do something for my soul but more importantly I wanted to do something to help others affected by sight loss."
If you would like to show your support for David, you can visit his Just Giving page at justgiving.com/page/southampton-sight-fundraiser-6.
Southampton Sight has been supporting people with visual impairments for more than 125 years.
The charity provides social groups, advice, and wellbeing services for people of all ages, ethnicities, and incomes.
David's determination has inspired many people to donate to his cause, and he has already raised more than £2,500 for the charity.
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The most common side effects of TREMFYA® include: respiratory tract infections, headache, injection site reactions, joint pain (arthralgia), diarrhea, stomach flu (gastroenteritis), fungal skin infections, herpes simplex infections, stomach pain, and bronchitis. These are not all the possible side effects of TREMFYA®. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. Use TREMFYA® exactly as your healthcare provider tells you to use it. Please read the full Prescribing Information, including Medication Guide, for TREMFYA® and discuss any questions that you have with your doctor. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit or call 1-800-FDA-1088. Dosage Forms and Strengths: TREMFYA® is available as 100 mg/mL and 200 mg/2mL for subcutaneous injection and as a 200 mg/20 mL (10 mg/mL) single dose vial for intravenous infusion. ABOUT JOHNSON & JOHNSON At Johnson & Johnson, we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured, where treatments are smarter and less invasive, and solutions are personal. Through our expertise in Innovative Medicine and MedTech, we are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more at or at Follow us at @JNJInnovMed. Janssen Research & Development, LLC and Janssen Biotech, Inc. are Johnson & Johnson companies. CAUTIONS CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS This press release contains 'forward-looking statements' as defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 regarding product development and the potential benefits and treatment impact of nipocalimab. The reader is cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These statements are based on current expectations of future events. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or known or unknown risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results could vary materially from the expectations and projections of Johnson & Johnson. Risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to: challenges and uncertainties inherent in product research and development, including the uncertainty of clinical success and of obtaining regulatory approvals; uncertainty of commercial success; manufacturing difficulties and delays; competition, including technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges to patents; product efficacy or safety concerns resulting in product recalls or regulatory action; changes in behavior and spending patterns of purchasers of health care products and services; changes to applicable laws and regulations, including global health care reforms; and trends toward health care cost containment. A further list and descriptions of these risks, uncertainties and other factors can be found in Johnson & Johnson's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, including in the sections captioned 'Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements' and 'Item 1A. Risk Factors,' and in Johnson & Johnson's subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Copies of these filings are available online at or on request from Johnson & Johnson. Johnson & Johnson does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement as a result of new information or future events or developments. REFERENCES 1 Mease PJ, et al. Inhibition of structural damage progression with guselkumab, a selective IL-23i, in participants with active PsA: Results through Week 24 of the phase 3b, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled APEX study. Presented at EULAR 2025, June 11-14. LB0010. 2 Atreya R, Abreu MT, Krueger JG, et al. Guselkumab, an IL-23p19 subunit-specific monoclonal antibody, binds CD64+ myeloid cells and potentially neutralizes IL-23 produced from the same cells. Poster presented at: 18th Congress of the European Crohn's and Colitis Organization (ECCO); March 1-4, 2023; Copenhagen, Denmark. Poster P504. 3 Kreuger JG, Eyerich K, Kuchroo VK. Il-23 past, present, and future: a roadmap to advancing IL-23 science and therapy. Front Immunol. 2024; 15:1331217. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2024.1331217. 4 TREMFYA® [Prescribing Information]. Horsham, PA: Janssen Biotech, Inc. 5 Skyrizi® [Prescribing Information]. North Chicago, IL: AbbVie, Inc. 6 Omvoh™ [Prescribing Information]. Indianapolis, IN: Eli Lilly and Company. 7 Felson, D. T., & LaValley, M. P. The ACR20 and defining a threshold for response in rheumatic diseases: too much of a good thing. Arthritis Research & Therapy, 2014:16(1), 101. 8 Simpson E, Bissonnette R, Eichenfield LF, et al. The validated Investigator Global Assessment for Atopic Dermatitis (vIGA-AD™): The development and reliability testing of a novel clinical outcome measurement instrument for the severity of atopic dermatitis [published online April 25, 2020]. J Am Acad Dermatol. doi: 10.1016/ Accessed April 2025. 9 A Study of Guselkumab in Participants With Active Psoriatic Arthritis (APEX). Identifier: NCT04882098. Available at: Accessed March 2025. 10 Donvito T., CreakyJoints: What Is Dactylitis? The 'Sausage Finger' Swelling You Should Know About. Available at: Accessed March 2025. 11 Belasco J., Wei N. Psoriatic Arthritis: What is Happening at the Joint? Rheumatol Ther. 2019 Sep;6(3):305-315. Available at: Accessed March 2025. 12 Gower, T. Enthesitis and PsA. Arthritis Foundation. Available at: Accessed March 2025. 13 National Psoriasis Foundation. About Psoriatic Arthritis. Available at: Accessed March 2025. 14 Husted J.A., et al. Occurrence and correlates of fatigue in psoriatic arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis, 2008:68(10), 1553–1558. Available at: Accessed March 2025. 15 Haddad A., Zisman D. Comorbidities in Patients with Psoriatic Arthritis. Rambam Maimonides Med J 2017 Jan 30;8(1):e0004. Available at: Accessed March 2025. 16 TREMFYA® Prescribing Information. Available at: Accessed March 2025. View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Johnson & Johnson
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SpliceBio Secures $135 Million Series B Financing to Advance Lead Program SB-007 in Stargardt Disease and Expand Pipeline of Genetic Medicines
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The funding will be used to advance the clinical development of SpliceBio's lead gene therapy candidate, SB-007 for Stargardt disease, including the ongoing interventional Phase 1/2 ASTRA study and the observational POLARIS study. SB-007 is the first dual adeno-associated viral (AAV) gene therapy cleared by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to enter clinical development for Stargardt disease. SB-007 has also received regulatory clearance for clinical development from the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Stargardt disease is an inherited retinal disorder caused by mutations in the ABCA4 gene that leads to progressive vision loss and blindness, with no approved treatments available. SB-007 is designed to address the underlying genetic cause of the disease by producing a functional copy of the full-length ABCA4 protein with the potential to treat all patients, regardless of their specific ABCA4 mutation. The proceeds will also be used to accelerate SpliceBio's pipeline of AAV gene therapy programs in ophthalmology, neurology, and other undisclosed indications that utilise the company's proprietary Protein Splicing platform. "This financing marks a pivotal milestone for SpliceBio as we advance the clinical development of SB-007 for Stargardt disease and continue to expand our pipeline across ophthalmology, neurology and beyond," said Miquel Vila-Perelló, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of SpliceBio. "The support from such high-quality investors underscores the strength of our programs and our unique Protein Splicing platform and its potential to unlock gene therapies for diseases that remain untreatable today. We are building a company positioned to lead the next wave of genetic medicines." SpliceBio is redefining and expanding the scope of diseases that can be tackled with gene therapies by addressing a fundamental limitation of AAV vectors in their inability to deliver genes that exceed their limited packaging capacity of 4.7 kilobases. Many genetic disorders remain untreatable because the necessary gene is too large to fit into the AAV vectors. SpliceBio's unique Protein Splicing platform leverages the use of a family of proprietary, engineered proteins called inteins, originally developed at Princeton University. The company's technology enables the splitting of the gene into two (or more) transgenes that are then delivered using dual AAV vectors. Once inside the cell, the DNA of each transgene is transcribed into messenger RNA and translated into protein. SpliceBio's engineered inteins are designed to then assemble the full-length protein that is needed to treat the disease. Daniela Begolo, Managing Director at EQT Life Sciences, commented: "We are proud to support SpliceBio, a pioneer among the next-generation of genetic medicine companies. Its Protein Splicing platform is designed to offer a novel solution to deliver large genes with AAV, one of the field's most pressing challenges, and exemplifies our commitment to backing transformational science that can meaningfully benefit patients' lives." Laia Crespo, Partner at Sanofi Ventures, remarked: "With compelling data for its lead program, SB-007, and a highly differentiated platform, we are excited to support SpliceBio as it tackles a fundamental challenge for genetic medicines. By enabling the delivery of large and complex genes through its novel AAV vector Protein Splicing technology, SpliceBio has the potential to make a significant impact on the field of gene therapy and to deliver best-in-class therapies to patients." Carole Nuechterlein, Head of Roche Venture Fund, added: "We are impressed by the team's strong execution, the momentum behind SB-007 in Stargardt disease, and the platform's potential to unlock a new class of genetic medicines. We are proud to support SpliceBio at this pivotal stage of growth as they advance their lead program through clinical development and explore additional high-impact indications." In connection with the financing, Daniela Begolo, Managing Director at EQT Life Sciences, Laia Crespo, Partner at Sanofi Ventures, and Carole Nuechterlein, Head of Roche Venture Fund, will join the SpliceBio Board of Directors. About SpliceBioSpliceBio is a clinical-stage genetic medicines company pioneering Protein Splicing to address diseases caused by mutations in large genes. The Company's lead program, SB-007, targets the root cause of Stargardt disease, a genetic eye disease that causes blindness in children and adults. SpliceBio's pipeline comprises additional gene therapy programs across therapeutic areas, including ophthalmology and neurology. SpliceBio's platform is based on technology developed in the Muir Lab at Princeton University after more than 20 years of pioneering intein, Protein Splicing, and protein engineering research. For additional information, please visit About SB-007SB-007 is an investigational Protein Splicing dual AAV gene therapy in development for the treatment of Stargardt disease. It is designed to restore expression of the native full-length ABCA4 protein in the retina. SB-007 has been granted Orphan Drug Designation from both the FDA in the US and the European Commission in Europe. In December 2024, SB-007 received FDA IND clearance, marking the first-ever clearance for a dual AAV gene therapy in Stargardt disease. Alongside initiation of the Phase 1/2 ASTRA study, with the announcement of the first patient dosed in March 2025, SpliceBio continues to advance POLARIS, a natural history study of the disease. Both studies are actively recruiting. For more information or to enquire about participation in the studies, please visit About EQT Life Sciences EQT Life Sciences was formed in 2022 following an integration of LSP, a leading European life sciences and healthcare venture capital firm, into the EQT platform. As LSP, the firm raised over EUR 3.0 billion (USD 3.5 billion) and supported the growth of more than 150 companies since it started to invest over 30 years ago. With a dedicated team of highly experienced investment professionals, coming from backgrounds in medicine, science, business, and finance, EQT Life Sciences backs the smartest inventors who have ideas that could truly make a difference for patients. More info: Follow EQT on LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. About Sanofi VenturesSanofi Ventures is the corporate venture capital arm of Sanofi, focused on investing in promising early-stage healthcare companies. The firm supports pioneering innovations in biotechnology, digital health, and life sciences aligning with Sanofi's mission to bring life-changing treatments to patients worldwide. For more information visit: About Roche Venture FundThe Roche Venture Fund is the corporate venture fund of Roche and invests in innovative life science companies. Over the past 20 years, the Roche Venture Fund has invested in over 60 companies globally and currently has a portfolio of around 30 companies located in 10 countries. As part of a multinational healthcare company, the Roche Venture Fund has access to considerable expertise both internally and externally and co-invests with leading venture funds, including other corporate venture funds, on a regular View original content: SOURCE SpliceBio Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
