UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

Experts discuss global HTA strategies, clinical trial evolution, and the role of real-world data in health technology assessment, emphasizing challenges in diversity and cost-effectiveness analysis.

People with Down syndrome (DS) are often excluded from Alzheimer’s disease (AD) clinical trials, despite DSAD being a high-risk form of AD. AC Immune S.A. is conducting the ABATE study, an anti-amyloid immunotherapy trial in DSAD, addressing challenges like intellectual disability and younger, more active lifestyles. Including DS individuals in AD trials is ethically necessary and offers unique opportunities for proof of principle in anti-amyloid therapies.

300+ nuclear medicine professionals attended SNMMI's 2024 Therapeutics Conference in Bethesda, exploring latest theranostics advancements. Sessions covered disease-specific therapies, dosimetry, and clinical trials. Industry professionals participated, and SNMMI aims to advance nuclear medicine therapies.

Ronna Hauser, SVP of policy and pharmacy affairs at NCPA, discusses the urgent need for PBM reform, advocating for fair compensation for community pharmacies, particularly in Medicaid Managed Care and Medicare Part D programs. NCPA highlights the essential role of community pharmacists in patient care, especially in underserved areas, and supports initiatives like CPESN to ensure fair payment for clinical services. The organization's 'Finish the Fight' campaign aims to push PBM reform through Congress, with nearly 40,000 patients advocating for it. NCPA also works to improve patient access to affordable medications, particularly in rural areas, and is preparing for future challenges by focusing on legislative, policy, and legal fronts.

Pediatric cancer specialist Julio Barredo, M.D., highlights high cure rates for childhood cancers but laments dismal funding, advocating for increased awareness and support during Childhood Cancer Awareness Month.

Dr. Gale Sinatra, Dr. Christina Arieta, and Dr. Kyle Landry receive 2024 College of Natural Sciences Alumni Awards. Sinatra, Distinguished Professor at USC, focuses on public science understanding. Arieta, Senior Director at BioNTech, leads COVID-19 vaccine development. Landry, President of Delavie Sciences, drives product innovation. CNS to host a reception in their honor.

Accurate imputation models for MICA, MICB, HLA-E, HLA-F, and HLA-G alleles from genome SNP data were developed using population-specific and multi-population 1000 Genomes references, achieving a mean accuracy of 99.3%. Validation against clinical-grade reference data showed an average accuracy of 99.8%, supporting the quality of 1000 Genomes data for imputation. Models tailored for Infinium Global Screening Array and Axiom Precision Medicine Research Array SNP content achieved mean accuracies of 99.1% and 98.9%, respectively.

Accurate IHC testing for HER2 in breast cancer is challenging, with HER2-low (IHC 1+ or 2+/ISH–) now recognized. Inconsistent results impact treatment decisions and patient outcomes, prompting calls for regulatory reform to improve IHC quality control.

New research links brain changes signaling Alzheimer's, even before symptoms, to increased vulnerability to financial scams. USC study found that participants with thinner entorhinal cortex, a brain area affected by pre-symptomatic Alzheimer's, scored lower on financial exploitation vulnerability tests, suggesting potential early detection method.

NIH awarded $7,722,583 to Columbia University for the NEXUS Coordinating Center to organize exposomics research. Led by Gary Miller, Chirag Patel, and Rima Habre, NEXUS aims to operationalize exposomics, integrating it into biomedical research to advance precision environmental health. Funded by five NIH Institutes, NEXUS will establish exposomics frameworks, engage multidisciplinary partners, and support learning opportunities.