Avid Bioservices Inc (CDMO)

[biopharm]

2-2016: Rutgers' Dr. Raymond Birge's relationship with Peregrine & UTSW's Dr. Rolf Brekken and his 2-26-16 article, “Phosphatidylserine is a Global Immunosuppressive Signal in Efferocytosis, Infectious Disease, and Cancer” http://tinyurl.com/z5d9qt9
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Lots of good info CJ and the PS Targeting related royalties milestones etc etc from Oncologie Inc are on target, especially with Merck ties to Rutgers

I think some my have underestimated Dr Raymond Birge and Dr David Calianese with PS Targeting research

Looking at the research in 2017 / 2018 the same time the BOD shake up via John Springs Stafford there looks to be some new HIV info related to anti-PS

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Call for papers on Biology of Phosphatidylserine (PS): Basic Physiology and Implications in Immunology, Infectious disease, and Cancer

Edited by
Ray Birge, New Jersey Medical School, USA

David Calianese, New Jersey Medical School, USA

To maintain membrane potential and carry out the essential biochemical functions of living cells, the lipids in the biological membranes require asymmetric distribution across the lipid bilayer, whereby the phospholipids phosphatidylcholine (PC) and sphingomyelin (SM) are predominantly maintained on the outer leaflet, while phosphatidylserine (PS), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), and phosphatidylinositol (PI) are on the inner leaflet. While PS asymmetry (i.e., PS on the inner leaflet), is maintained under homeostatic conditions, this organization collapses under a variety of physiological and pathological conditions resulting in dramatic changes in the biochemical properties of the membrane. Most emblematically, the redistribution of PS to the external surface of the plasma membrane flags cells for their recognition, phagocytosis, and ultimate degradation by phagocytes (efferocytosis). However, this activity is not solely restricted to cells that undergo an apoptotic program. In fact, there are many instances (ie. during cellular stress or activation) where PS externalization occurs transiently and does not flag cells for engulfment by phagocytes, but regulates the activation status of the cell and various physiological functions.

Historically, investigation of disease biology, etiology and progression is aimed to identify genetic aberrations and/or useful protein biomarkers, whereas other macromolecules, notably phospholipids, are less uniformly appreciated. However, in recent years more evidence has been generated to suggest that PS dysregulation has profound immunological consequences in a variety of pathologies that include chronic inflammation, cancer, anti-phospholipid syndrome, and viral/protest infection and disease etiology. For example, it has been demonstrated that in many solid tumor types, PS externalization is constitutively exposed on cells that compose the tumor microenvironment, making PS a promising biomarker as well as a target for therapeutic intervention. Finally, exposure of PS on the outer surface of pathogens, from parasites, viruses, to bacterial species, is hijacked and used to gain entry to host cells as well as modulate immune responses in favor of disease progression.

This Thematic Series of Cell Communication and Signaling aims to address the biological functions of PS as well as its pathological role in various diseases. This issue will highlight recently published research as well as reviews that cover all facets of PS research.

Submission instructions

Before submitting your manuscript, please ensure you have carefully read the submission guidelines for Cell Communication and Signaling. The complete manuscript should be submitted through the journal submission system. To ensure that you submit to the correct thematic series please select the appropriate section in the drop-down menu upon submission. In addition, indicate within your cover letter that you wish your manuscript to be considered as part of the thematic series on series title. All submissions will undergo rigorous peer review, and accepted articles will be published within the journal as a collection.

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David Calianese
Researcher, Phd Candidate at Rutgers University - New Jersey Medical School
Newark, New Jersey
Research396

Summary
Since the fall of 2014, I have been pursuing a doctoral degree at Rutgers Graduate School of Biomedical Science in the field of Immuno-Oncology in the lab of Dr. Raymond Birge. My thesis work investigates the interaction of an anionic phospholipid, phosphatidylserine (PS), with the receptor family Tyro3, Axl, and Mertk (TAM) and its contribution to immune evasion in cancer. In addition to studying the biology behind this interaction I have been extensively involved in PS/TAM drug R&D ranging from monoclonal development/characterization to small molecule inhibitor studies. In January of 2017 I received a 2-year competitive predoctoral fellowship from the New Jersey Commission on Cancer Research (NJCCR) to engineer PS-targeting antibodies found in HIV-1 patients. The skills I have acquired through my lab experience are founded mainly in, but are not limited to, biochemistry and immunology. I have had seven years of total lab experience, while having five years in a management role conducting my own research while advising other students. I am also an active reviewer for the journal "Cell Communication and Signalling" (Nature Springer).

Prior to Matriculating at Rutgers, I worked as a research assistant under Dr. Yinsheng Wan, Associate Professor at Providence College where I studied the dysregulation of the PI3K/AKT pathways in a variety of cancer cell types. Moreover, in the spring of 2013, I worked in the lab of Dr. Wayne Bowen, Department Chair of Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology & Biotechnology at Brown University, under the direct supervision of Dr. Dioscaris Garcia and Dr. Harold Wanebo. In this position, I worked primarily with neuroblastoma and pancreatic cancer cells, and investigated the efficacy of a novel chemotherapeutic combination with C6-ceramide through in vitro experiments.

Honors & Awards
New Jersey Commission on Cancer Research Predoctoral Fellowship
New Jersey Commission on Cancer Research

January 2017

This is a competitive predoctoral fellowship that I received from the New Jersey Commission on Cancer Research (NJCCR) in January of 2017 for the project "Development of phosphatidylserine (PS) antibodies found in HIV positive patients".

The total amount of this award is $50,000, sponsoring two years of research towards a doctoral degree.