The Governors of the University of Calgary

Registration is open for the Great Plains IDeA-CTR’s 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting on Oct. 21 at the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s Scott Conference Center. The free event, themed “Leveraging AI and Innovative Study Designs to Transform Healthcare and Improve Patient Outcomes,” offers up to five continuing education credits and features speakers on AI in healthcare, NIH funding, and health data management. The CTR Superstar Competition will award $35,000 to a promising scholar. Register soon due to limited seating.

Health-care workers in Alberta are demoralized as they brace for a respiratory virus season, with ERs already at maximum capacity. Alberta Health Services plans to increase capacity and use EMS offload protocols, but concerns remain about staffing and resources. The government is recruiting health professionals, but some, like Dr. Arun Abbi, are skeptical about the effectiveness of these measures.

Talquetamab, a bispecific GPRC5D-directed CD3 T-cell engager, demonstrated durable responses in multiple myeloma patients with 4-5 prior therapies in TRIMM-2 and RedirecTT trials. Updated phase 1b results showed an 81.8% ORR and 15.5-month median PFS in the TRIMM-2 triplet arm, and a 79.5% ORR at 18 months in the RedirecTT-1 dual bispecific arm. Both combinations showed robust durability and efficacy, even in high-risk patients with extramedullary disease.

CL-006 study assessed DAV132's effect on plasma concentration of ATB (CZA, PTZ, CRO) alone or combined at 2 doses. 148 HV randomized, treated with ATB over 5 days alone or with DAV132 over 7 days. Primary objective: assess DAV132's effect on β-lactams plasma concentration. Secondary: safety, interaction on fecal β-lactam excretion. Exploratory: protective effect on intestinal microbiome diversity. Study conducted from May 2019 to Dec 2019 in France under Medical Device regulation.

Crestone announces positive Phase 2 trial results for CRS3123 in treating C. difficile infections, showing high clinical cure rates, low recurrence, and safety. NIAID funds $4.5 million for further studies.

Crestone announces positive Phase 2 results for CRS3123 in treating C. difficile infections (CDI), showing high clinical cure rates and lower recurrence compared to vancomycin. CRS3123, a novel drug, maintains gut microbiota, addressing urgent need for effective CDI therapy.

A clinical trial at the University of Calgary uses an anti-gout medication, probenecid, to address severe opioid withdrawal symptoms, based on insights into brain-spinal communication during withdrawal.

A new clinical trial at the University of Calgary uses probenecid, a gout drug, to help with opioid withdrawal symptoms, based on research showing it reduces withdrawal in rodents by disrupting abnormal brain-spinal cord communication during withdrawal.

Arch Biopartners Inc. received ethics approval for a Phase II trial of LSALT peptide to prevent and treat cardiac surgery-associated acute kidney injury (CS-AKI). The trial, involving 240 patients, is ongoing in Turkey and set to expand to Canada. LSALT peptide targets the DPEP1 pathway to prevent inflammation injury in organs.

Biliary tract cancers (BTC) are aggressive with poor prognosis. Radical surgery is curative but often not feasible. Systemic therapy, including gemcitabine-cisplatin plus durvalumab, is standard for advanced cases. Adjuvant capecitabine is recommended post-surgery. Neoadjuvant therapy may downstage borderline resectable tumors. Targeted therapies and immunotherapy are emerging, but access and efficacy vary.