Predictive Oncology Inc (POAI)

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Today's release is about the relatively rare condition called Alopecia. If AIPT/Helomics can bring together the known information into a relevant database then, perhaps, interest in Alopecia research will grow and licensing fees to AIPT/Helomics will also grow. If this is a sign of the future, and if AIPT can sign similar agreements with countless foundations representing health conditions not receiving mainstream focus and funding, then this could become a genuine center of knowledge for researchers worldwide.

Today release:
http://investors.skylinemedical.com/news-releases/news-release-details/precision-therapeutics-subsidiary-helomics-and-national-alopecia
MINNEAPOLIS and SAN RAFAEL, Calif., April 18, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Precision Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: AIPT) (“Precision” or “the Company”) today announced a services agreement between its wholly owned subsidiary, Helomics and the National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF), which serves the community of people affected by an autoimmune skin disease called alopecia areata that results in hair loss and emotional pain, to provide a next generation patient registry to drive research into new treatments for people with this disease.

“This agreement will provide NAAF with the ability to store, process and analyze specimens under one roof and in a CLIA regulated setting,” said Gerald Vardzel, president of Helomics. “This approach is a one-stop-shop for all aspects of the specimen lifecycle that will save costs, improve specimen quality, and make available the latest NGS testing to researchers looking into the underlying molecular mechanisms of alopecia areata, while leveraging our D-CHIP platform toward these rich data.”

Helomics will leverage its CRO and Biorepository services offering to provide state of the art storage, processing and analysis of samples from patients with alopecia areata who newly enroll with the NAAF registry, as well as storing samples from the existing registry. The registry was originally established in 2000 by a collaborative group of five experienced hair disease investigators and supported for 12 years by the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) under Award Number HHSN268200682279C. Registry samples and analytical services such as Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) will be made available to NAAF-sponsored researchers on request. The companies will also explore the application of the Helomics D-CHIP Artificial intelligence (AI) platform to data generated as part of the registry. Terms and financial conditions of the agreement were not disclosed.

Dory Kranz, president and CEO of NAAF added, “Achieving better outcomes for people with alopecia areata is a key part of the mission of NAAF and working with Helomics to provide this registry to our researchers is a key step. We are hopeful that in the future, applying Helomics’ AI and machine learning capabilities to the valuable data and samples we collect, will lead to a better understanding and improved treatments for alopecia areata, and other autoimmune diseases. All parties are excited about building on this valuable resource.”

“Agreements such as this one with NAAF further validate the Helomics boutique CRO services business and our D-CHIP AI-driven platform. We are enthusiastic about the opportunity to serve the alopecia areata community and look forward to a long term and impactful partnership,” concluded Dr. Carl Schwartz, president and CEO of Precision Therapeutics.