Scurvy

NEW YORK, May 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Lindus Health, the "anti-CRO" running radically faster, more reliable clinical trials for life science pioneers, has announced its collaboration with Acinonyx Bio, a biotechnology company that uses a unique mix of ingredients made from predominantly plants to kill different types of bacteria, fungi, and viruses effectively, in a cosmetics clinical trial to investigate their topical cream's ability to treat inflammatory acne. Inflammatory acne is characterized by red, swollen, and sore blemishes, providing physical discomfort and psychological stress due to its persistent nature and potential to leave permanent scarring. Acne is the most common skin condition in the US, affecting approximately 50 million people. This study aims to target Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes), a bacterium that plays a significant role in the development of inflammatory acne. In in vitro studies, it was revealed Acinonyx Bio's topical cream, ACX, killed P. acnes as rapidly as does benzoyl peroxide, a widely used acne treatment. Benzoyl peroxide products, however, have recently garnered attention for containing a carcinogen, prompting some consumers to seek alternative therapies to manage their acne. ACX does not contain this associated carcinogen in its formulation, and it reduces sebum production, unclogs pores, and absorbs rapidly into the skin to lead to a more rapid clinical effect. The clinical trial will recruit patients with moderate to severe inflammatory acne and will be carried out under a decentralized clinical trial (DCT) model, providing patients with the flexibility to participate in this essential research within the comfort of their real-world environments. Participants will use the investigational product for a period of six weeks and provide photos for medical assessment as well as feedback on the effectiveness of the topical cream and their satisfaction with the product. Lindus Health, responsible for providing end-to-end study management, including protocol development, regulatory submissions, recruitment, monitoring, data management and more, will leverage their in-house virtual site and digital marketing capabilities to carry out patient recruitment via digital advertising. They will also design a dedicated study website with pertinent trial information including leveraging their proprietary eClinical platform, CitrusTM, for patients to easily complete pre-screening and eConsent. "Lindus Health's involvement in this study underpins our commitment to helping our partners bring safe and effective dermatological therapies to market. Inflammatory acne can significantly diminish quality of life," states Michael Young, co-founder of Lindus Health. "We are enthusiastic about the opportunity to leverage our unique technical and service-based capabilities in another dermatology study, building on our vast experience in this space." "We are optimistic about the development of our topical cream and the effect it will have on patients," says Alex Michalow, CEO at Acinonyx Bio. "We are incredibly excited to be working with Lindus Health to bring our study to life and aid in the overall journey of potentially bringing a safer alternative to the hands of individuals suffering from inflammatory acne." Positive results from this trial would further emphasize the potential of this novel topical cream in the utility of improving appearance in those who experience inflammatory acne. For more information, please visit About Lindus Health Lindus Health is an anti-CRO running radically faster and more reliable trials for life science pioneers – bringing ground-breaking treatments to patients more quickly. Lindus Health does this thanks to a commercial model that aligns incentives (fixed-priced quotes per study, with milestone-based payments), marrying a world-class clinical operations team with its unique software platform, and access to 30 million Electronic Health Records. Clinical trials are the biggest bottleneck to advances in healthcare and by removing this constraint they aim to improve health for everyone. They handle the end-to-end execution of clinical studies, including design, patient recruitment, clinical data capture, monitoring and project management. To date, ‍Lindus Health has delivered more than 90 trials across the US, UK and Europe to tackle a range of conditions including diabetes, asthma, acne, social anxiety, major depressive disorder, hypertension, chronic fatigue syndrome and insomnia. The company was named after James Lind, who pioneered the first clinical trial and treatment for scurvy, and co-founded by Michael Young, a former Special Adviser to the UK Prime Minister on Life Sciences, and Meri Beckwith, a former life sciences investor. Lindus Health has raised over $24M from investors including Peter Thiel, CREANDUM, Firstminute Capital, Presight Capital, Seedcamp, Hambro Perks, Amino Collective and Calm/Storm. About Acinonyx Bio Acinonyx Bio was founded by a practicing doctor who developed an antimicrobial technology that uses primarily food grade, mostly plant oil based, ingredients. The unique combination of ingredients shows high kill rates vs. numerous bacteria, fungi, and viruses. Media Contact: Jodi Perkins Amendola for Lindus Health [email protected] SOURCE Lindus Health

Kiwifruit has proven itself as a powerful mood booster and new research has shown just how fast its effects can be. Kiwifruit has proven itself as a powerful mood booster and new research from the University of Otago has shown just how fast its effects can be. In a study, published in The British Journal of Nutrition, researchers found the furry fruit improved vitality and mood in as little as four days. Co-author Professor Tamlin Conner, of the Department of Psychology, says the findings provide a tangible and accessible way for people to support their mental well-being. "It's great for people to know that small changes in their diet, like adding kiwifruit, could make a difference in how they feel every day." Vitamin C intake has been associated with improved mood, vitality, well-being, and lower depression, while vitamin C deficiency is associated with higher depression and cognitive impairment. However, Professor Conner says limited research has assessed how quickly mood improvements occur after introducing vitamin C supplements or whole food sources. The researchers aimed to fill that gap with an 8-week dietary intervention of 155 adults with low vitamin C. Participants took daily either a vitamin C supplement, placebo, or two kiwifruit. They then reported their vitality, mood, flourishing, sleep quality, sleep quantity, and physical activity using smartphone surveys. The researchers found kiwifruit supplementation improved vitality and mood within four days, peaking around 14-16 days, and improved flourishing from day 14. Vitamin C, on the other hand, marginally improved mood until day 12. Lead author Dr Ben Fletcher, who conducted the research as part of his PhD at Otago, says understanding the nuances of when and how these effects occur day-to-day contributes to our knowledge of the potential benefits of vitamin C-rich foods and supplements on mental health. "This helps us see that what we eat can have a relatively fast impact on how we feel. "Our participants had relatively good mental health to begin with so had little room for improvement, but still reported the benefits of kiwifruit or vitamin C interventions," he says. He adds that, while vitamin C tablets showed some improvements, the study underscores the potential synergistic effects of consuming whole foods like kiwifruit. "We encourage a holistic approach to nutrition and well-being, incorporating various nutrient-rich foods into your diet." In addition to the direct implications for individuals seeking to improve their mental well-being, Professor Conner says the study introduces a novel methodology in nutritional research. "The use of intensive smartphone surveys offers a real-time understanding of the day-to-day changes in mood-related outcomes."

Scientists identify a new molecular model and potential therapeutic target for gout, the most common form of inflammatory arthritis. Many Americans think of gout as a disease from a bygone era, akin to rickets or scurvy. The condition commonly afflicted the rich and royal, including American historical figures such as Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. Gout is indeed one of the earliest known diseases, first identified by the ancient Egyptians around 2640 BC. But the disease is more prevalent now than ever, affecting more than 10 million people in the United States or approximately 5 percent of the adult population. Gout is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis, in which urate (a byproduct of purine-rich foods like meat and alcohol) builds up in the body and forms needle-shaped crystals in and around the joints, usually starting in the foot. The crystal deposits lead to flares of severe pain, joint swelling and tenderness, and can progress to chronic joint damage that limits patients' movement and quality of life. Excess urate circulating in the blood (known as hyperuricemia) has long been considered the major cause of gout, but counterintuitively, most people with high urate levels do not actually develop the disease. In fact, asymptomatic hyperuricemia is approximately four times more prevalent than gout. Gout patients also show mysteriously higher levels of urate in their joint fluid compared to their blood. Thus hyperuricemia must not be the only thing stimulating urate crystal deposition in the joints. So what else could be causing the disease? In a new study published online on December 1, 2022 in Arthritis & Rheumatology, an international research team led by University of California San Diego School of Medicine identified a novel molecular pathway that causes gout and its progression to joint tissue erosion. The findings position lubricin, a protein found in joint fluid, as a novel therapeutic target for both the prevention and treatment of the disease. The scientists were interested in exploring the genetic factors that lead not to high levels of circulating urate, but specifically to urate production and crystal deposition within joints. To do this, they studied a rare case of gout in which the patient had developed urate crystal deposits and erosion in her joints but did not show high levels of urate in her blood. "This naturally occurring and extremely unusual disorder provided a unique opportunity to look at gouty arthritis through a different lens, and understand what molecular processes contribute to the disease independent of hyperuricemia," said senior author Robert Terkeltaub, MD, professor at UC San Diego School of Medicine and section chief of Rheumatology at the Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System. Using whole genome sequencing, RNA-sequencing and quantitative proteomic methods, the researchers were able to identify a major molecular pathway that was disrupted in the patient, centering on a significant reduction in lubricin. The mucinous protein provides essential lubrication and protection to joint tissues, and regulates the function of a specific type of white blood cell that promotes inflammation in the joint. Additional experiments confirmed that under healthy conditions, lubricin suppresses the secretion of urate and xanthine oxidase (an enzyme that produces urate) by activated white blood cells, and also blocks urate from crystallizing in the joint. The researchers then assessed several patients with the common form of gout and confirmed that they too had markedly decreased levels of lubricin. The authors suggest that whether or not a hyperacemia patient goes on to develop gout may thus be influenced by which gene variants they have for lubricin and other molecules that control its production or degradation in the joint. "Our findings show that lubricin may be a new biomarker for tracing patients' risk of developing gout, and that new drugs to maintain and increase lubricin could limit the incidence and progression of gouty arthritis," said Terkeltaub. Co-authors include: Leigh-Ana Rossitto, Ru LiuBryan, Majid Ghassemian, Anaamika Campeau and David J. Gonzalez at UC San Diego; Marin Miner at Veterans Affairs San Diego Healthcare System; Khaled Elsaid and Sandy Elsayed at Chapman University; Amanda Phipps-Green, Tony R. Merriman and Murray Cadzow at University of Otago; Jacob Karsh at University of Ottawa; Gregory D. Jay at Rhode Island Hospital; Marwa Qadri at Jazan University; Talia J. Dambruoso at Brown University; Tannin Schmidt at University of Connecticut Health Center; Nicola Dalbet and Ashika Chhana at University of Auckland; Jennifer Höglund at University of Gothenburg; Nancy Maltez at Ottawa Riverside Hospital; and Niclas G. Karlsson at Oslo Metropolitan University.