STS

New research finds that specific parts of the brain recognize complex cues in human vocal sounds that do not involve speech, such as crying, coughing or gasping. Insights into the organization of the brain voice-recognition system will enable researchers to better understand neurological disorders where voice perception is altered or missing and even help create better voice assistant devices. Specific parts of the brain recognize complex cues in human vocal sounds that do not involve speech, such as crying, coughing or gasping -- found researchers from the University of Pittsburgh. In a paper published today in PLOS Biology, scientists showed that two areas of the auditory cortex are specialized to recognize human voice sounds that, unlike speech, do not carry linguistic meaning. Rather, they help us react to sound cues that allow people to instantly identify characteristics of the person who is speaking, such as gender, approximate age, mood and even height -- all without seeing them. "Voice perception is similar to how humans recognize different faces," said senior author Taylor Abel, M.D., assistant professor of neurological surgery at Pitt. "Voices that don't include speech -- for example, a baby's cries, coughing, moaning or exclamations -- allow us to gain a lot of information about the person making those vocalizations in the absence of other information about the person." Humans live in a world full of sounds, where noises from the environment shape our daily interactions with our surroundings and other people. And even though speech is one of the unique aspects of human communication that does not have direct analogs in the animal world, people do not rely on speech alone to convey auditory information. Non-speech aspects of voice serve a vital role in our communication toolbox, expanding human ability to express oneself accurately and dynamically. Part of that expression is subconscious, and part of it may be intentionally modulated by the speaker to convey a wide spectrum of emotion, such as happiness, fear or disgust. Humans are born with the capacity for voice recognition -- in fact, babies can recognize their mother's voice while still in the womb -- but that capacity is dynamic, and it continues to evolve throughout adolescence. Abel, who is a practicing pediatric neurosurgeon specializing in epilepsy, had a unique opportunity to peek at how the human brain responds to voice. To identify regions of the brain that are responsible for generating seizures in some people with epilepsy, neurosurgeons may implant temporary electrodes into the brain to carefully record its electrical signals. This practice allows physicians to precisely locate the site of the seizure and eventually remove that part of the brain, while sparing the surrounding healthy tissue. Eight patients with epilepsy consented to participate in a study where Abel and his team used the implanted electrodes to measure which areas of the auditory cortex responded when voice sounds -- grunts, yelps, laughs -- were presented to the patients. Using a combination of direct brain recordings and computational modeling, investigators were able to describe in unprecedented detail how voice representation evolves over time and decode when a voice sound had been played based on patterns of neural activity from the auditory cortex. Researchers found that most of that activity came from two regions in the auditory cortex -- folds of the brain's gray matter known as superior temporal gyrus (STG) and superior temporal sulcus (STS). While prior brain imaging studies showed that the STG and STS are important for voice processing, this study demonstrates that these regions represent voice as a distinct sound category rather than simply representing the physical or acoustic aspects of voice. This new knowledge about the organization of the voice-recognition system wired in our brains will enable researchers to better understand neurological disorders such as schizophrenia or autism, where voice perception is altered or missing, and even help create better voice assistant devices, which are currently good at recognizing speech but less adept at differentiating between several speakers. Kyle Rupp, Ph.D., is lead author on the paper; additional authors are Jasmine Hect, Madison Remick, Avniel Ghuman, Ph.D., and Bharath Chandrasekaran, Ph.D., all from Pitt; and Lori Holt, Ph.D., of Carnegie Mellon University. This research was supported by the National Institutes of Health (grants R21DC019217-01A1 and 2R01DC013315-07).

ZyVersa is well positioned in the rapidly emerging inflammasome space with a highly differentiated inflammasome ASC inhibitor, IC 100, with potential to treat a broad range of inflammatory diseases ZyVersa's novel renal compound, VAR 200, is a phase 2a-ready cholesterol efflux mediator for treatment of orphan renal disease, FSGS, with potential to treat numerous other renal conditions WESTON, Fla., July 15, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ZyVersa Therapeutics, Inc. (ZyVersa), a clinical stage specialty biopharmaceutical company developing first-in-class drugs for treatment of inflammatory and renal diseases, is pleased to announce that Stephen C. Glover, ZyVersa's Co-Founder, Chief Executive Officer, and Chairman, is an invited speaker at the 2nd Annual LifeSci Partners' Virtual Private Company Summer Symposium. Mr. Glover's presentation will highlight progress in advancing development of inflammasome inhibitor, IC 100, and cholesterol efflux mediator, VAR 200. For information about ZyVersa's inflammasome inhibitor and cholesterol efflux mediator, visit . Details of Mr. Glover's presentation follow: Date: Friday, July 23rd Time: 1:00-1:25pm ET Event Registration Link: LifeSci Partners Private Summer Symposium 2021 About ZyVersa Therapeutics, Inc. ZyVersa is a clinical stage specialty biopharmaceutical company leveraging advanced, proprietary technologies to develop first-in-class drugs. Our focus is on patients with inflammatory or renal diseases who have significant unmet medical needs. Our development pipeline includes a novel monoclonal antibody that inhibits the ASC component of inflammasomes, IC 100, which has potential to treat numerous inflammatory diseases, and phase 2a-ready VAR 200, a cholesterol efflux mediator for treatment of a rare kidney disease, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), and other renal conditions. For more information, please visit . View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE ZyVersa Therapeutics, Inc.

Highly potent in vivo anti-inflammatory activity demonstrated for novel small molecule NLRP3 inhibitors High-affinity antibodies against extracellular components of the inflammasome pathway show inhibition of target inflammatory responses LAUSANNE, Switzerland, Jan. 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- AC Immune SA (NASDAQ: ACIU), a Swiss-based, clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company with a broad pipeline focused on neurodegenerative diseases, today announced recent advancements in its small molecule- and antibody-based therapeutic programs targeting the (NOD)-like receptor protein 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome, a multi-protein complex that activates downstream inflammatory pathways leading to neuronal damage. The inflammasome is a highly valued therapeutic target implicated in a wide range of neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), as well as in non-central nervous system (CNS) indications, such as autoimmune and infectious diseases, as well as certain cancers. Leveraging the know-how of its proprietary Morphomer™ platform, which generated AC Immune’s clinical stage small molecule Tau aggregation inhibitors, the Company has successfully identified, and filed patent applications for, various chemical series of potent small molecule NLRP3 inhibitors. AC Immune has established biological activity for these compounds in multiple functional assays, and initial animal studies show highly potent target inhibition in a model of peripheral inflammation, providing the first evidence of in vivo activity. AC immune is currently evaluating potential lead compounds for further in vivo efficacy and CNS delivery. The Company expects to initiate in vivo proof-of-concept studies for a CNS-optimized lead compound for development in AD and other key neurodegenerative diseases by year end, as well as evaluate the potential of a second lead molecule in a clinically relevant non-CNS disease model. A critical component of the NLRP3 pathway is ASC (apoptosis-associated speck-like protein containing a C-terminal caspase recruitment domain), which is released by immune cells following NLRP3 inflammasome activation. ASC interacts with amyloid beta (Abeta) in Alzheimer’s disease, not only increasing aggregation but also inducing seeding and spreading of Abeta pathology. AC Immune’s SupraAntigen™ platform has successfully generated high-affinity antibodies binding extracellular human ASC and potently inhibiting ASC-mediated inflammatory responses in vitro. Selected antibodies will be further evaluated in in vivo proof-of-concept studies using animal models of human disease, which AC Immune expects to start by year end. Prof. Andrea Pfeifer, CEO of AC Immune SA, commented: “Accelerating our complementary programs targeting the NLRP3 pathway intra- and extracellularly is a core element of our growth execution strategy in 2021 and beyond. These critical pipeline advancements represent substantial potential value, as the inflammasome has become an important target in both CNS and non-CNS indications. As we continue to develop our small molecule and antibody candidates, I would like to recognize the talent and dedication of our team for establishing a viable development path and enabling us to reach these milestones. Advancing multiple high-value assets targeting the inflammasome pathway further demonstrates AC Immune’s ambition to shape a comprehensive pipeline addressing key targets in neurodegeneration. We look forward to providing further updates as our NLRP3 programs progress towards clinical development.” About AC Immune SA AC Immune SA is a Nasdaq-listed clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, which aims to become a global leader in precision medicine for neurodegenerative diseases. The Company utilizes two proprietary platforms, SupraAntigenTM and MorphomerTM, to design, discover and develop small molecule and biological therapeutics as well as diagnostic products intended to diagnose, prevent and modify neurodegenerative diseases caused by misfolding proteins. The Company's pipeline features nine therapeutic and three diagnostic product candidates, with six currently in clinical trials. It has collaborations with major pharmaceutical companies including Genentech, a member of the Roche Group, Eli Lilly and Company and Janssen Pharmaceuticals. For further information, please contact: Forward looking statements This press release contains statements that constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Forward-looking statements are statements other than historical fact and may include statements that address future operating, financial or business performance or AC Immune’s strategies or expectations. In some cases, you can identify these statements by forward-looking words such as “may,” “might,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “plans,” “anticipates,” “believes,” “estimates,” “predicts,” “projects,” “potential,” “outlook” or “continue,” and other comparable terminology. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s current expectations and beliefs and involve significant risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, developments and business decisions to differ materially from those contemplated by these statements. These risks and uncertainties include those described under the captions “Item 3. Key Information – Risk Factors” and “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects” in AC Immune’s Annual Report on Form 20-F and other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These include: the impact of COVID-19 on our business, suppliers, patients and employees and any other impact of COVID-19. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and AC Immune does not undertake any obligation to update them in light of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as may be required under applicable law. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement.