Latest news with #autoimmunity
The Independent
23-07-2025
- Health
- The Independent
New form of type 1 diabetes identified in study
A new discovery could change how type 1 diabetes is diagnosed and managed in individuals of African descent, researchers say. Type 1 diabetes, where the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas stop working in childhood or young adulthood, has always been attributed to an autoimmune process in which the immune system produces so-called autoantibodies that mistakenly attack the pancreas. However, a study involving 894 volunteers with youth-onset diabetes in Cameroon, Uganda and South Africa, found that 65 per cent did not have the usual autoantibodies typically seen in people with type 1 diabetes in other parts of the world. Nor did they have the genes that usually predispose to the disease, or features consistent with other known types of diabetes, such as type 2 and malnutrition-related diabetes. 'This suggests that many young people in this region have a different form of type 1 diabetes altogether and is not autoimmune in origin,' study leader Dana Dabelea of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus said. Comparing the data to studies in the U.S., the researchers found that 15 per cent of Black Americans diagnosed with type 1 diabetes had a form of the disease similar to the patients in Sub-Saharan Africa, characterised by negative autoantibodies and a low genetic risk score, according to a report in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology. White Americans with T1D, however, showed the typical autoimmune pattern, and even if they didn't have detectable autoantibodies, their genetics still pointed to autoimmune diabetes. Symptoms of type 1 diabetes NHS Clinicians in parts of Africa had long suspected that some children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes did not quite fit the standard profile, the researchers said. Most studies to date have focused on white Western populations, overlooking regional and genetic diversity in disease presentation, they noted. 'These findings are a wake-up call,' study co-leader Professor Moffat Nyirenda of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Uganda Research Unit said in a statement. 'They challenge our assumptions about type 1 diabetes and show that the disease may present differently in African children and adolescents. We urgently need to deepen our investigations into the biological and environmental factors driving this form of diabetes and ensure our diagnostic and treatment approaches are fit for purpose in African settings.'
Reuters
23-07-2025
- Health
- Reuters
Health Rounds: New form of type 1 diabetes identified in Black patients
July 23 (Reuters) - A new discovery could change how type 1 diabetes is diagnosed and managed in individuals of African descent, researchers say. In type 1 diabetes, the insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas stop working in childhood or young adulthood. The disease has always been attributed to an autoimmune process in which the immune system produces so-called autoantibodies that mistakenly attack the pancreas. But studying 894 volunteers in Cameroon, Uganda and South Africa with youth-onset diabetes, researchers found that 65% of them did not have the usual autoantibodies typically seen in people with type 1 diabetes in other parts of the world. Nor did they have the genes that usually predispose to the disease, or features consistent with other known types of diabetes, such as type 2 and malnutrition-related diabetes. 'This suggests that many young people in this region have a different form of type 1 diabetes altogether and is not autoimmune in origin,' study leader Dana Dabelea of the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus said in a statement. Comparing the data to studies in the U.S., the researchers found that 15% of Black Americans diagnosed with type 1 diabetes had a form of the disease similar to the patients in Sub-Saharan Africa, characterized by negative autoantibodies and a low genetic risk score, according to a report in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, opens new tab. White Americans with T1D, however, showed the typical autoimmune pattern, and even if they didn't have detectable autoantibodies, their genetics still pointed to autoimmune diabetes. Clinicians in parts of Africa had long suspected that some children diagnosed with type 1 diabetes did not quite fit the standard profile, the researchers said. Most studies to date have focused on white Western populations, overlooking regional and genetic diversity in disease presentation, they noted. 'These findings are a wake-up call,' study co-leader Professor Moffat Nyirenda of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Uganda Research Unit said in a statement. 'They challenge our assumptions about type 1 diabetes and show that the disease may present differently in African children and adolescents. We urgently need to deepen our investigations into the biological and environmental factors driving this form of diabetes and ensure our diagnostic and treatment approaches are fit for purpose in African settings.' J&J DRUG BEATS OLDER TREATMENTS FOR CROHN'S DISEASE A commercially available psoriasis drug could become a new first- or second-line treatment for Crohn's disease, researchers say. They compared Johnson & Johnson's Tremfya to Stelara, a leading Crohn's disease drug from the same company, in two late-stage trials involving a total of 1,021 patients. Trial participants all had moderate to severe disease despite treatment with other types of medications, according to a report of the trials published in The Lancet, opens new tab. By the end of the 48-week trials, 70% of Tremfya patients reached remission, compared to 63% with Stelara and 13% with placebo, the researchers found. Tremfya was also effective in achieving remission without the need for long-term steroid use, which can lead to serious side effects. At 48 weeks, 84% of Tremfya patients had successfully stopped using steroids, compared to 72% of those taking Stelara. Overall, patients receiving Tremfya 'showed significantly higher rates of endoscopic healing and deep remission, critical indicators linked to fewer disease flares, hospitalizations, and long-term complications,' study leader Dr. Bruce Sands from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York said in a statement. Tremfya blocks the action of a specific subunit on the IL-23 protein that plays an important role in colon inflammation in Crohn's disease. It also inhibits a protein called CD-64 on immune cells, blocking them from producing IL-23 in the first place. AbbVie's Skyrizi and Lilly's Omvoh block the same subunit on IL-23 but they don't block CD-64. Stelara inhibits a different IL-23 subunit and a second protein called IL-12. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Tremfya for treatment of moderately to severely active Crohn's disease in March 2025. The drug had already been approved for treating inflammatory bowel disease, as well as psoriasis and related cases of arthritis. (To receive the full newsletter in your inbox for free sign up here)
National Post
09-07-2025
- Business
- National Post
Radiant Biotherapeutics Appoints Deborah Geraghty, Ph.D., as President and Chief Executive Officer
Article content Article content Deepens leadership team and appoints Stefan Larson, Ph.D., as Chair of the Board of Directors and Ingmar Bruns, M.D., Ph.D., as a new Board Member Article content TORONTO — Radiant Biotherapeutics, a biotechnology company committed to advancing and delivering transformative MULTi-specific, multi-Affinity antiBODY (Multabody™) therapeutics for patients with cancer and autoimmune diseases, today announced the appointments of seasoned biotechnology executive Deborah Geraghty, Ph.D., as President and Chief Executive Officer, entrepreneur and venture investor Stefan Larson, Ph.D., as Chair of the Board of Directors, and distinguished physician-scientist Ingmar Bruns, M.D., Ph.D., as Board Member. Stefan Larson, Ph.D., incoming Chair of Radiant Biotherapeutics, commented: 'Dr. Geraghty brings a proven track record of building and transforming innovative biotechnology companies and we are delighted to welcome her to Radiant. Her deep industry expertise and strategic vision make her the ideal CEO to lead Radiant through this next phase of growth as we advance our lead clinical candidate, a 4-1BB agonist, toward clinical trials and expand our preclinical pipeline more broadly across oncology and autoimmunity.' Article content Dion Madsen, outgoing Chair and continuing Board Member of Radiant Biotherapeutics, noted: 'We are thrilled to welcome Stefan and Ingmar to our board of directors as we move towards the clinic with our lead program. The addition of Dr. Larson and Dr. Bruns brings relevant expertise necessary for us to successfully deliver our next-generation biologics to patients with cancer and autoimmune diseases. We appreciate Arthur Fratamico's leadership and foundational contributions to the Company during his four-year tenure as CEO.' Article content These appointments follow the company's successful $35 million Series A financing and build upon the recent progress by founding Chief Scientific Officer, Jo Hulme, Ph.D. Multabody™, Radiant's proprietary, best-in-class antibody platform, leverages remarkable avidity on intended targets while exploiting specificity to address multiple epitopes and different disease-modifying proteins. Antibodies developed using the Radiant platform are designed to deliver exceptional potency against both solid tumors and blood cancers, immunological targets, and infectious disease pathogens. Article content Deborah Geraghty, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Radiant Biotherapeutics, added: 'What drew me to this role are the compelling preclinical data based on the strong scientific foundation of Radiant's unique biologic platform and the team that shepherded it this far. The opportunity to drive innovation for patients and realize the value of its application for devastating cancer and autoimmune diseases is energizing and I look forward to bringing these breakthrough therapies into the clinic.' Article content Deborah Geraghty, Ph.D., Article content is an accomplished life sciences executive with over 20 years of experience having built a strong foundation of financial, operational and strategic expertise throughout her career leading innovative biopharmaceutical companies. She most recently served as President and CEO of Anokion SA, a Phase 2 clinical-stage Swiss biotech company focused on developing a new class of immune tolerance therapies for autoimmune disease. Prior to that, she was Senior Vice President of Corporate Strategy at Dimension Therapeutics, where she led Dimension's initial public offering and subsequent acquisition by Ultragenyx in 2017. Her earlier roles include co-founder and Vice President of Project and Portfolio Development at Cydan Development and leadership positions at Aileron Therapeutics as Head of Portfolio Advancement and Infinity Pharmaceuticals as Director of New Product Marketing. Dr. Geraghty holds a B.S. in Biology from Union College, an MBA from Boston College, and a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Vermont. Article content Stefan Larson, Ph.D., Article content is a Venture Partner at Sectoral Asset Management and serves on several biotech boards including Prilenia Therapeutics, Apnimed, and Stratus Therapeutics. He previously was an Entrepreneur-in-Residence and later Venture Partner at Versant Ventures, where he led the establishment of their Toronto-based Discovery Engine and served as founding CEO of Northern Biologics. Dr. Larson co-founded two medical device companies, Perimeter Medical Imaging and Tornado Spectral Systems, and began his career at McKinsey & Company. He holds a in Biology from McGill University, an in Molecular and Medical Genetics from University of Toronto, and a Ph.D. in Biophysics from Stanford University. Article content Ingmar Bruns, M.D., Ph.D., Article content is a physician-scientist with two decades of hematology and oncology expertise who currently serves as Chief Medical Officer of Zentalis. He previously served as Chief Medical Officer of Trillium Therapeutics through its acquisition by Pfizer, then held senior clinical development roles at Pfizer, including head of the hematologic malignancies franchise. Earlier positions include Senior Vice President and Head of Clinical Development at Pieris Pharmaceuticals and clinical development leadership at Bayer Pharmaceuticals. Dr. Bruns served as an attending hematologist and oncologist as well as a physician-scientist at the University Hospital of Dusseldorf and Albert Einstein College of Medicine. He has authored over 50 publications in leading journals and holds an M.D. and Ph.D. from the University of Lubeck in Germany. Article content About Radiant Biotherapeutics Article content Radiant Biotherapeutics is biotechnology company committed to advancing and delivering transformative MULTi-specific, multi-Affinity antiBODY (Multabody™) therapeutics for patients with cancer and autoimmune diseases. Radiant's proprietary platform leverages avidity and multi-specificity simultaneously, to generate highly efficacious biologics with superior potency than other antibody platforms, encompassing a new class of biologics positioned to address complex, heterogenous diseases such as cancer and autoimmune diseases. Multabody™ production and manufacturing is flexible, modular and scalable, and leverages existing antibody CMC processes. With offices in Canada and the United States, Radiant has successfully delivered on numerous strategic partnerships that validate the platform's broad scientific and clinical utility. For more information, please visit Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
How Is Incyte's Stock Performance Compared to Other Biotech Stocks?
With a market cap of $13.3 billion, Incyte Corporation (INCY) is a global biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering, developing, and commercializing therapies in oncology, inflammation, and autoimmunity. The Wilmington, Delaware-based company has over 2,600 employees and a manufacturing and R&D footprint across North America, Europe, and Asia. Companies valued at $10 billion or more are generally labelled as 'large-cap' stocks, and Incyte fits this criterion perfectly. Its leadership stems from its strong portfolio of high-demand specialty drugs, notably Jakafi and Opzelura, which serve as key revenue drivers in the oncology and dermatology markets. Its robust research and development capabilities, with a diverse and advancing pipeline targeting cancer, inflammation, and autoimmune diseases, position it for long-term innovation. The Next Trillion-Dollar Boom? 3 Stocks to Buy with 300 Million Humanoid Robots on the Horizon. Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway Now Pays 5% of All Corporate Income Taxes in America Meta's Mark Zuckerberg Says the Technology They're Developing Will 'See What You See and Hear What You Hear' Get exclusive insights with the FREE Barchart Brief newsletter. Subscribe now for quick, incisive midday market analysis you won't find anywhere else. Despite that, INCY has fallen 19.9% from its 52-week high of $83.95, achieved on Nov. 8. Yet, shares of INCY have risen 8.6% over the past three months, compared to the SPDR S&P Biotech ETF's (XBI) 5.6% fall during the same time frame. INCY is down 2.6% on a YTD basis, lagging behind XBI's 8.7% gains. However, shares of Incyte have climbed 6.4% over the past 52 weeks, compared to XBI's 10.9% fall over the same time frame. INCY has been trading above its 200-day moving average since early June and has mostly stayed above its 50-day moving average since mid-May. On June 16, shares of Incyte rose more than 4% following the announcement of encouraging clinical trial results for its investigational therapy targeting a blood disorder. The company reported positive data from two separate studies, which demonstrated the treatment's potential effectiveness and safety in managing the condition, likely a form of myeloproliferative neoplasm or a related hematologic disease. The strong outcomes from these trials bolstered investor confidence in the strength of Incyte's R&D pipeline and its ability to diversify beyond its flagship drug, Jakafi. In comparison, rival Exelixis, Inc. (EXEL) outperformed INCY. Shares of Exelixis have gained 95.4% over the past 52 weeks and 30.2% on a YTD basis. Among the 25 analysts covering the stock, there is a consensus rating of 'Moderate Buy,' and its mean price target of $75.81 indicates an upswing potential of 12.7% from the prevailing price levels. On the date of publication, Kritika Sarmah did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on
Medscape
19-06-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Azacitidine Shows Promise in Treating VEXAS Syndrome
Azacitidine showed potential in treating patients with VEXAS (vacuoles, E1 enzyme, X-linked, autoinflammatory, somatic) syndrome, offering high response rates and reducing the use of glucocorticoids. Tocilizumab and anakinra also demonstrated effectiveness, with a higher discontinuation rate seen with the latter. METHODOLOGY: Researchers conducted a retrospective cohort study in the UK and analyzed 71 treatment courses in 59 patients with genetically confirmed VEXAS syndrome (mean age at treatment initiation, 71 years; 98% men) across six major tertiary referral centers from July 2014 to October 2024. Patients received five categories of targeted therapy: Tocilizumab (n = 19), anakinra (n = 13), azacitidine (n = 13), baricitinib (n = 11), and prednisolone alone (n = 10). Data were collected at diagnosis, treatment initiation, and follow-ups at 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months. Primary outcomes were complete response (defined as clinical remission with a C-reactive protein level ≤ 10 mg/L and requirement of ≤ 10 mg/d prednisolone) and partial response (defined as clinical remission with at least a 50% reduction in both C-reactive protein level and glucocorticoid dose from baseline). Adverse events and treatment discontinuation were documented, with serious events defined as those requiring permanent discontinuation. The study followed methods used in a French cohort study with adjustments to only the statistical reporting format to enable comparisons. TAKEAWAY: Azacitidine showed a 91% overall response rate at 6 months (10 of 11 patients), with 27% of patients achieving complete response, and maintained effectiveness at 12 months. Glucocorticoid-sparing effects were notable with prednisolone doses reduced to ≤ 5 mg/d in 60% of patients on azacitidine at 12 months. Anakinra showed promising initial responses at 3 months (seven of eight patients), with a 100% response rate at 6 months in those who tolerated it (n = 3); however, the discontinuation rate was high due to severe injection-site reactions. Tocilizumab had a 64% response rate at 6 months (seven of 11 patients), with 36% of patients achieving complete response, whereas baricitinib showed modest effectiveness, with the highest mortality at 27%. Adverse events were documented for 54% of the therapies, with infections being the most common events, particularly noted with azacitidine (62%) and tocilizumab (47%). IN PRACTICE: 'The findings of this study provide important real-world evidence to guide clinical practice and future research directions in management of patients with VEXAS syndrome,' the authors wrote. SOURCE: This study was led by Adam Al-Hakim, BMBS, Leeds Institute for Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine, Leeds, England. It was published online on May 21, 2025, in The Lancet Rheumatology . LIMITATIONS: The sample size was small, which affected the ability to conduct multivariable analyses, thereby affecting the assessment of treatment effectiveness. Clinical response was based on physician opinion, increasing reporting bias and variance. The lack of standardized prednisolone tapering protocols could have influenced response assessments. DISCLOSURES: No funding was received for this study. Some authors disclosed receiving honoraria, grants, travel support, and consulting fees from various pharmaceutical companies, including AstraZeneca and Novartis. One author reported receiving support for meetings, projects, advisory boards, and clinical trials from various sources.
