EPHX2

WASHINGTON, Aug. 2, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Lupus Foundation of America announces six recipients of the 2022 Gina M. Finzi Memorial Student Summer Fellowship Program, which provides grant and mentorship support to young scientists pursuing the lupus research field. The program plays an important role in cultivating future lupus researchers to ensure continued growth and progress among the next generation of scientists. The 2022 Finzi Fellowship Awardees will focus on important areas of lupus research ranging from genetics, cardiovascular risks, environmental factors and biomarkers. "Research grants like the Lupus Foundation of America Gina M. Finzi Student Memorial Fellowship Program are an incredible opportunity to build awareness of lupus and the need for more research of the disease among young scientists," shared Montserrat Anguera, PhD, 2022 Finzi Fellow Mentor. "The program is a great way to get students thinking of novel approaches to treat lupus that can be continued throughout their research career." Finzi awardees are mentored by an experienced lupus investigator. This critical component helps ensure young scientists receive support and guidance during their research as they establish themselves in the lupus research field. The Gina M. Finzi Memorial Student Summer Fellowship Program, established in 1984, was created to honor Gina M. Finzi, the late daughter of former Lupus Foundation of America President Sergio Finzi, PhD. The Finzi program has supported the work of nearly 200 young scientists in North America. Past recipients from the program have gone on to lead innovative and groundbreaking lupus research and have become distinguished lupus scientists. "The Lupus Foundation of America understands the importance of nurturing young scientists pursuing the field of lupus research, and the Gina M. Finzi Memorial Student Summer Fellowship Program provides not only critical research funding but the mentorship that is crucial to cultivating the lupus researchers of the future," said Stevan W. Gibson, president & CEO, Lupus Foundation of America. The research by the awardees will contribute to a wide range of important areas within lupus research: Keenan Anderson-Fears Pennsylvania State University Project Title: Evaluation of Genetic and Clinical Risk Scores to Enhance Incomplete Lupus Erythematosus (ILE) to SLE Progression Identification Mentor: Dajiang J. Liu, Ph.D., MA, Professor and Vice Chair, Department of Public Health Sciences, Interim Director of Biomedical Informatics and Artificial Intelligence, Co-Chair of Bioinformatics and Genomics PhD Program, Penn State College of Medicine Co-Mentor: Nancy Olsen, MD, the H. Thomas and Dorothy Willits Hallowell Chair in Rheumatology, Penn State College of Medicine Aditi Deokar Dartmouth College Project Title: Increasing Regulatory T cells to Ameliorate Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Mentor: Yina H. Huang, PhD, Dartmouth Geisel School of Medicine, Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology, and Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Olivia Favor Michigan State University Project Title: Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase Inhibition: A Novel Approach for Suppressing Environmentally-Triggered Lupus Mentor: James J. Pestka, Ph.D., Robert and Carol Deibel Family Professor, University Distinguished Professor, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University Seong Hee (Joy) Park Upstate Medical University Project Title: The role of HRES-1/Rab4-regulated CD38 expression in IL-2 depletion in systemic lupus erythematosus CD4+ T cells Mentor: Andras Perl, MD, PhD, State University of New York Distinguished Professor of Medicine, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and Microbiology and Immunology; Vice Chair for Research, Department of Medicine Chief, Division of Rheumatology Julianne Kleitsch University of Pennsylvania, Perelman School of Medicine Project Title: How to assess the heightened 10-year risk for atherosclerotic cardiovascular events specifically in lupus patients? A comparison of published methods for estimating risk with actual events in a 10-year period in our established longitudinal lupus cohort Mentor: Victoria Werth, MS, MD, Professor of Dermatology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Natalie Toothacre University of Pennsylvania Project Title: Elucidating the role of DNA methylation in dynamic X Chromosome Inactivation and lupus disease development in female lymphocytes Mentor: Montserrat Anguera, Ph.D., Department of Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Learn more about the 2022 Gina M. Finzi Memorial Student Summer Fellowship recipients, here. About the Lupus Foundation of America The Lupus Foundation of America is the national force devoted to solving the mystery of lupus, one of the world's cruelest, most unpredictable and devastating diseases, while giving caring support to those who suffer from its brutal impact. Through a comprehensive program of research, education, and advocacy, we lead the fight to improve the quality of life for all people affected by lupus. Learn more about the Lupus Foundation of America at lupus.org. Media Contact Mike Donnelly [email protected] SOURCE Lupus Foundation of America

- Results Reported at the American Diabetes Association Meeting Validate Mechanistic and Therapeutic Potential of sEH Inhibitor in Treating Type 2 Diabetes - SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., June 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Arete Therapeutics Inc. today announced the presentation of three posters that validate the mechanistic activity and therapeutic potential of the company's lead drug candidate, AR9281, an orally-administered soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) inhibitor that is in a Phase II clinical program for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. sEH is an enzyme involved in the metabolism of arachidonic acid, a key signaling molecule implicated in diabetes, hypertension and inflammatory disorders. Presented at the 69th Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association (ADA) the data demonstrate that AR9281 exerts sEH mechanism-based improvement in glucose tolerance in preclinical models of type 2 diabetes. In addition, clinical data demonstrate a linear relationship between AR9281 exposure and blood sEH activity. "Taken together, these data showing AR9281's safety and attractive pharmaceutic properties in normal healthy volunteers and strong evidence of its efficacy in animal models of type 2 diabetes support the further development of this novel drug candidate for the treatment of type 2 diabetes," said James A. Sabry, MD, PhD, Arete's President and Chief Executive Officer. "We anticipate that the results from our ongoing phase IIa clinical program in pre-diabetic patients will establish proof of concept that sEH inhibition modulates glucose metabolism or blood pressure in patients with impaired glucose tolerance and hypertension to further corroborate the clinical importance of this novel therapeutic approach." Three Posters Presented at ADA The data presented by Arete scientists and colleagues are described as follows. AR9281 Phase II Program Underway Arete is conducting a Phase IIa multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of AR9281 in pre-diabetic patients with impaired glucose tolerance, mild obesity and mild to moderate hypertension. All 150 enrolled patients will be treatment-naive for type 2 diabetes medications. The trial is evaluating two schedules of AR9281 and placebo using a parallel design to determine the feasibility of twice-a-day dosing. Each patient receives 28 days of treatment. Endpoints for the trial include safety, tolerability, reduction of blood pressure and various measures of glucose and lipid metabolism, with results expected in the first quarter of 2010. The Phase I clinical program for AR9281, consisting of two double-blind, placebo-controlled studies, demonstrated that AR9281 was safe and well tolerated in healthy volunteers. The studies met all safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic endpoints. In addition, AR9281 has shown favorable results in various published and proprietary in vitro and in vivo assays for potency, selectivity, efficacy, ADME, toxicity and safety. About AR9281 AR9281, an orally-administered soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) inhibitor, operates within the third branch of the arachidonic acid pathway and represents a novel and potentially more effective approach to treating type 2 diabetes, hypertension and inflammatory disease. The first two branches of this critical regulatory pathway have been targeted by several commercially successful marketed anti-inflammatory drugs including Aspirin(R) (acetylsalicylic acid), Motrin(R) (ibuprofen), Singulair(R) (montelukast) and Celebrex(R) (celecoxib). AR9281 has demonstrated an excellent safety pro activity in multiple animal models of type 2 diabetes, and has the advantage of inhibiting a novel drug target that differentiates it from currently marketed diabetes medications. With this promising drug profile, AR9281 has the potential to provide safe and effective therapy for patients with type 2 diabetes either as monotherapy or in combination with existing treatment regimens. About Arete Therapeutics Inc. Arete Therapeutics is a privately-held biotechnology company dedicated to the discovery and development of novel drugs to treat type 2 diabetes, hypertension and inflammatory disorders. It is the world's leading company focused on sEH, an important enzyme for the metabolism of arachidonic acid that plays an essential role in metabolic, inflammatory and cardiovascular physiology. The Company has raised a total of over $51 million in Series A financing led by Frazier Healthcare Ventures, Alta Partners, Three Arch Partners, Burrill & Company and Altitude Life Science Ventures. For more information on Arete Therapeutics, please visit Available Topic Expert(s): For information on the listed expert(s), click appropriate link. JAMES SABRY CONTACT: JANE GREEN, +1-415-348-0010, jane@jmgcomm.com, or ANGELA BITTING, +1-925-202-6211, a.bitting@comcast.net, for Arete Therapeutics Inc. Web site: