Federal University of Rio de Janeiro

The inaugural IMF Latin American Myeloma Network Summit will take place on Saturday, September 28, after the International Myeloma Society (IMS) Meeting in Rio De Janeiro, BrazilRIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil, Sept. 26, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) is proud to announce that the inaugural IMF Latin American Myeloma Network (LAMN) Summit will be held on Saturday, September 28, from 3pm – 7pm, after the International Myeloma Society (IMS) Meeting at Lagune Barra Hotel in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. The incidence of multiple myeloma in Latin America is becoming more prevalent. While the numbers are comparable to those in Western countries, it has become a concerning issue due to poorer outcomes. Similar to the Asian Myeloma Network (AMN), the LAMN was created by the IMF to conduct multinational trials, provide myeloma education to patients and providers, facilitate collaborative research, and deepen myeloma expertise across the Latin American region. Another important objective is to bring the Latin American perspective and expertise to the global programs of the IMF, including the International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG). Through meaningful collaborations, the IMF aims to strengthen partnerships between institutions and the LAMN, establish low-cost combinations of novel therapies to make them more accessible to Latin American countries, as well as to give more prominence to Latin American researchers in the field of myeloma research and treatments. The LAMN Summit will gather top myeloma investigators from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Uruguay. The summit aims to enhance collaborations between member countries and to provide a forum for investigators and junior investigators to have a robust discussion on concepts and proposals for collaborative research and partnerships. Additionally, the first clinical trial for early relapsed disease (LAMN001) will be launched soon. “It is such a privilege to bring together this wonderful group of myeloma physicians from across Latin American for the inaugural LAMN Summit. We have the unique opportunity to improve the outcomes of thousands of patients in jurisdictions where there tends to be minimal access to novel myeloma therapies. I am excited to discuss collaborative project proposals that will be presented at the Summit. We trust this will be the first of many others,” said IMF Chief Medical Officer Dr. Joseph Mikhael, who will be leading this year’s first LAMN Summit. Participating in this inaugural LAMN Summit are the following myeloma experts: Natalia Schutz, MD Department of Internal Medicine and Hematology (Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires — Argentina) Dorotea Fantl, MD International Myeloma Society Board MemberConsultant Physician, Hematology Department (Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires — Argentina) Angelo Maiolino, MD, PhDInternational Myeloma Working Group Member Professor of Medicine (Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro — Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)Director, Hematology Department (Oncologia Americas — Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)Principal Investigator (Instituto Americas de Ensino, Pesquisa Inovação — Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) Vania Hungria, PhD, MDCo-Founder and Coordinator, Brazilian Multiple Myeloma Group (GBRAM)Clinical Director (São Germano Clinic — São Paulo, Brazil)Associate Professor of Hematology and Oncology (Santa Casa de São Paulo — São Paulo, Brazil)Co-founder and Chair, Scientific Advisory Board (International Myeloma Foundation Latin America)Member, Board of Directors (Brazilian Association of Hematology, Hemotherapy and Cell Therapy)Member, Membership Subcommittee (International Myeloma Society) Edvan Crusoe, MD, MsC, PhDHematologist, Departamento de Medicina Interna e Apoio Diagnóstico (Universidade Federal da Bahia — Salvador, Brazil) Camila Peña, MDHematology (Hospital del Salvador — Santiago, Chile) Humberto Martínez-Cordero, MDHematologist—Myeloma—Lymphoma—Transplant and Cell Therapy SpecialistNational Cancer Institute (Hospital Militar Central — Bogotá, Capital District, Colombia) Aline Ramirez Alvarado, MDHematologist (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México — Mexico City, Mexico) Eloisa Riva, MD, MEdAssociate Professor of Hematology (Hospital de Clínicas — Montevideo, Uruguay)Hematologist (Hospital Británico — Montevideo, Uruguay) Junior faculty from each member country are also expected to attend, along with a few North American myeloma investigators. The International Myeloma Foundation wishes to thank the following sponsors for making the inaugural LAMN Summit possible: Binding Site, Bristol Myers Squibb, Johnson & Johnson, Sanofi, Sebia, and Stemline - A Menarini Group Company. ABOUT MULTIPLE MYELOMA Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the bone marrow plasma cells — white blood cells that make antibodies. A cancerous or malignant plasma cell is called a myeloma cell. Myeloma is called “multiple” because there are frequently multiple patches or areas in bone where it grows. It often involves damage to bone and kidneys. Multiple myeloma is still incurable, but great progress has been made in terms of survival over the last two decades. The disease is twice as common and is diagnosed at a younger age in African Americans than white Americans. The most common presenting symptoms include fatigue and bone pain. ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL MYELOMA FOUNDATION Founded in 1990, the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF) is the first and largest global foundation focusing specifically on multiple myeloma. The Foundation's reach extends to more than 525,000 members in 140 countries worldwide. The IMF is dedicated to improving the quality of life of myeloma patients while working toward prevention and a cure by focusing on four key areas: research, education, support, and advocacy. The IMF has conducted more than 250 educational seminars worldwide, maintains a world-renowned InfoLine, and in 2001, established the International Myeloma Working Group (IMWG), a collaborative research initiative focused on improving myeloma treatment options for patients. In 2012, the IMF launched the Black Swan Research Initiative®, a groundbreaking research project aimed at curing myeloma. The IMF can be reached at (800) 452-CURE (2873). The global website is www.myeloma.org. Follow the IMF on:  X (Twitter): @IMFmyeloma  Instagram: @imfmyeloma   Facebook: @myeloma   LinkedIn: International Myeloma Foundation Media Contacts: Peter AntonPanton@myeloma.org Jason LondonJlondon@myeloma.org

A biobank for all, in which a person from any background could find a bone marrow donor for a stem cell transplant, is a major goal for stem cell science. While repositories of cell lines that could be a match for most patients are successfully materializing in some countries with genetically homogenous populations like Japan and the United Kingdom, how many more we need for a universal solution remains unknown. Researchers estimate at least 559 distinct cell lines would be required to cover 95% of the more diverse, and globally representative, people of Brazil. A biobank for all, in which a person from any background could find a bone marrow donor for a stem cell transplant, is a major goal for stem cell science. While repositories of cell lines that could be a match for most patients are successfully materializing in some countries with genetically homogenous populations like Japan and the United Kingdom, how many more we need for a universal solution remains unknown. In a study appearing September 28 in the journal Stem Cell Reports, researchers estimate at least 559 distinct cell lines would be required to cover 95% of the more diverse, and globally representative, people of Brazil. "Considering the possibility of creating a global network of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell banks, we hypothesize that, given the admixture of African, Indigenous, and European ancestries in Brazil, our genetic diversity might provide iPS cells that may cover other countries," write the research team, led by Antonio Carlos Campos de Carvalho of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and Marcio Lassance Martins de Oliveira of Brazil's National Institute of Cardiology, Ministry of Health. Donor compatibility reduces the chances that a patient will reject a stem cell transplant. In cases where a transplant is required, such as with severe blood diseases, family members are often the first to offer to donate their bone marrow, but only 12% of relatives end up being a match. A global biobank could reduce these pressures, but it is unknown how many samples would provide an adequate diversity of cell lines. To find the ideal number of donor cell lines in Brazil, the research team used data from the Brazilian National Registry of Bone Marrow Donors (REDOME). From over 4 million individuals, the researchers identified nearly 2,000 cell lines that could act as potential universal donors. The team then calculated how many of these cell lines would be a match for most of the Brazilian population, and they estimated 51, 157, 267, and 559 cell lines would provide 50%, 75%, 85%, and 95% coverage, respectively. They also predicted over 4 million individuals would need to be tested to cover 99% of Brazilians. Notably, only 30 cell lines were enough to be a donor match for almost 40% of Brazilians. Using the Allele Frequency Net Database (AFND, which compiles genetic data from 369 studies and over 10 million individuals worldwide), the investigators found these same 30 cell lines could cover about 40% of Caucasians, 12% of African descendants, 25% of Alaska Natives and Native Americans, and less than 4% of the Asian population in the USA. "This discrepancy between different populations shows the importance of an initiative to constitute a World iPS Bank, to which Brazil could contribute considerably," the researchers write. "We hope that the publication of the current data will entice the existing bone marrow donor registries to share data that would allow more precise calculations of the dimension of a global iPS cell bank to supply the world population with this important source of advanced therapy for regenerative medicine."

WILMINGTON, Del.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Uvax Bio LLC, a vaccine biotechnology company that utilizes its proprietary 1c-SApNP® vaccine design and manufacturing platform to produce protein-based VLP vaccines to fight viruses that threaten global health, announced today that Pedro Garbes, MD., has joined the company as Vice President, Global Medical Lead. Dr. Garbes joins Uvax Bio at a key inflection point as the company’s recombinant protein nanoparticle vaccines are advancing in development. Dr. Garbes will lead medical, clinical, and regulatory functions in support of Uvax’s lead vaccine candidate for HIV-1 in it phase I clinical trials and guide development of the multiple preclinical-stage vaccines in the company’s pipeline. "We are pleased to have Pedro join our leadership team as we prepare to take our lead vaccines to the next stage of development. With the help of Dr. Garbes clinical leadership, Uvax Bio will continue to optimize our portfolio and business strategies and to progress our promising pipeline of vaccines to address major areas of unmet need in global health. Pedro’s depth of experience in infectious disease, HIV medicine and strategic clinical vaccine development will be especially valuable as we advance our vaccines into human studies," said Ji Li, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer at Uvax Bio. Pedro Garbes brings to Uvax Bio over two decades of life sciences experience in clinical vaccine development, medical affairs, and medical/commercial strategy. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President at Gritstone Bio, where he was responsible for the clinical development and execution of Gritstone’s self-amplifying mRNA platform to develop vaccines against viruses. Dr. Garbes also served as the Global Clinical Head and Global Medicines Lead at AstraZeneca, where he was responsible for the development of their COVID-19 monoclonal antibodies combination. Prior to that, he served as the Senior Medical Director for Takeda Vaccines business unit, and he previously held positions with Sanofi-Pasteur, Allergan and GlaxoSmithKline. Pedro Garbes earned his Doctor of Medicine and Masters degrees from Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro. He later served as an Assistant Professor and Lecturer in Medicine at Universidad Federal Fluminense (Brazil). Pedro has also served as a Lecturer at the University of California, San Diego teaching Clinical Trials Administration. "I am excited to be joining Uvax Bio and I look forward to working with the rest of the management team to help advance our vaccines toward the market. I am enthusiastic about the groundbreaking 1c-SA-pNP vaccine development platform and its potential to provide broad and durable protection against threatening infectious diseases. I look forward to guiding the company's multiple vaccine programs through the clinical development process," said Dr. Garbes. About Uvax Bio Uvax Bio, a spin-off vaccine company from Scripps Research, employs proprietary Single component- Self Assembling protein Nanoparticle 1c-SApNP® platform technology invented by Dr. Jiang Zhu of Scripps Research to develop and commercialize prophylactic vaccines for challenging infectious diseases. Uvax Bio holds the exclusive worldwide rights to the 1c-SApNP platform and an expanding portfolio of 12 patented preclinical vaccine candidates. In addition to the leading candidates in HIV, Uvax is also working to advance its vaccines for Universal Flu and RSV. The company’s technology enables the production of virus-like protein particles that can display 20-60 prefusion stabilized antigens targeting a wide range of viral and bacterial diseases. The vaccines are produced using a single step, universal, cell-based manufacturing process. For more information, visit