Latest news with #HLA
Time of India
3 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
DKMS India, CMC Ludhiana and Punjab Government Expand Access to Transplant Care for Thalassemia Patients
Ludhiana: DKMS Foundation India has partnered with Christian Medical College (CMC) Ludhiana and the Government of Punjab to improve access to affordable transplant care for children with thalassemia in the state. According to the foundation, it aims to address the gaps in finance and logistics during Blood Stem cell transplantation faced by the families. The foundation states that it will support free high-resolution Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) typing for eligible thalassemia patients and their immediate family members (siblings and parents)—first step in identifying a suitable donor for a stem cell transplant. It is indicated that the program will prioritise outreach in remote and underserved areas, with an emphasis on increasing awareness of the DKMS Thalassemia Program. The renewed partnership is expected to benefit an additional 150–160 patients, expanding access to curative care.
Hindustan Times
7 days ago
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Why access to stem cell transplants is out of reach for many thalassemia patients in India
India carries the world's most significant burden of thalassemia, with an estimated 150,000 patients and 12,000 new cases every year. While medical science continues to advance and success rates after hematopoietic stem cell transplants (HSCT) have increased globally as a potential cure for thalassemia, far too many Indian families still lack access to this life-saving treatment. The barriers are not just medical, but they are deeply rooted in systemic inequities, beginning with the first step—Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA). Thalassemia HLAs are proteins on the surface of cells that play a crucial role in the body's immune system. They act like identification tags, allowing the immune system to distinguish between the body's cells and foreign invaders, such as bacteria or viruses. Managing thalassemia requires lifelong care that puts patient and their family into an immense financial hardship. Patients undergo regular blood transfusions and iron chelation therapy. India is the thalassemia capital of the world, with a thalassemia burden of around 150,000 patients and an incidence of approximately 12,000 every year. The recurring cost of ongoing optimal patient management varies between ₹100,000 and ₹120,000 per year. This is not affordable for most Indian families, as the estimated per capita Net National Income (NNI) of India is ₹126,000 ($ 1732). The permanent curative treatment option of HSCT is not well known in India. However, current experience worldwide indicates that more than 90% of patients now survive HSCT, and disease-free survival rates are around 80%. A significant challenge to accessing blood stem cell transplant is the associated costs, as most of the payment for HSCT is out of pocket. The Indian government is supporting ongoing patient needs through a national-level blood safety policy and the institutionalisation of state-level blood availability for patients' monthly blood transfusions and iron chelation medicines. It is also encouraging the public and private sectors to support transplant costs for poor patients as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. Some states have state-level schemes to help patients with thalassemia and HSCT expenses. Thus, eligible poor patients opting for an HSCT can avail themselves of funding support from Government schemes, CSR funds, and other donations. However, these funds do not cover the costs of high-resolution HLA typing, which is the initial step in the medical assessment for an HSCT. Several global and national non-profit organisations—working towards giving patients suffering from thalassemia a second chance at life—have launched initiatives to address this gap. The initiatives include free or subsidised high-re HLA typing for families from low-income backgrounds. Such programmes are designed to enable transplant centres, NGOs, and hospitals to work in close collaboration across India. Through these initiatives, tools such as awareness drives and campaigns have also been conducted in urban and semi-urban areas to educate families about the potential cure and facilitate early intervention. These efforts have led to thousands of families receiving free HLA typing, and in numerous--instances, access to donor searches through worldwide stem cell registries when no familial match was found. We have also adopted collaborative models that not only assist Indian patients but also extend support to neighbouring countries, such as Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and the Maldives, demonstrating the regional need for cross-border medical cooperation. Despite this advancement, large-scale systemic difficulties persist. Transplants are resource-intensive procedures that necessitate robust infrastructure, a diverse donor registry pool, donor availability, and post-transplant care. All of which demand significant public health investment. Without the wide-ranging inclusion of diagnostic tools, such as high-res HLA typing and blood stem cell transplants, in government-funded healthcare plans, treatment remains a luxury for the few rather than a right for all. The cost of a match should not be borne only by the patient or their family. It must be viewed as a shared responsibility across sectors, including government, healthcare institutions, civil society, and corporate partners alike. Only then can equitable access to curative options and care become a grounded reality for every child born with thalassemia, regardless of their socio-economic background. This article is authored by Dr Nitin Agarwal, MD, Transfusion Medicine, HOD-Donor Request Management, DKMS Foundation India.
Business Wire
24-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
ImmunoPrecise Releases New Findings Showing LENSai™ Quickly Flags Anti-Drug-Antibody Risk—Long Before the Clinic
AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ImmunoPrecise Antibodies Ltd. (NASDAQ: IPA) ('IPA' or the 'Company'), a Bio-Native AI pioneer operating where TechBio meets true biological intelligence, today announced results of a newly expanded study demonstrating that its LENSai™ Immunogenicity Screening can reliably predict Anti-Drug-Antibody (ADA) risk for therapeutic proteins before they enter animal studies or human trials. The platform can shorten pre‑clinical cycles, cut material costs, and de‑risk downstream development—delivering a speed‑and‑breadth advantage unattainable with traditional methods. Share 'ADA-related failures still derail up to 40 percent of biologics in late development, costing companies billions of dollars,' said Dr. Jennifer Bath, President & CEO, IPA. 'With LENSai, we can now triage candidates against clinical data in hours, not months, giving drug-developers a fast, objective way to de-risk programs early and focus resources on the safest molecules.' Late‑stage ADA failures can wipe out $1–2 billion in projected revenue for a single biologic and push launch timelines back 12‑18 months. Yet many programs still lean on time‑intensive lab assays or first‑generation in‑silico screens that look only at peptide‑to‑MHC II binding across a few dozen HLA alleles—leaving large swaths of immune diversity untested and immunogenic 'self/non‑self' checks largely unaddressed. LENSai's HYFT‑powered, alignment‑free immunogenicity screening compresses that entire workflow into one overnight run. It evaluates nearly 900 HLA variants and performs a whole‑proteome 'humanness' scan at residue resolution, instantly flagging hot‑spots that legacy tools miss. By revealing design‑level fixes before expensive animal studies or repeat GMP production, the platform can shorten pre‑clinical cycles, cut material costs, and de‑risk downstream development—delivering a speed‑and‑breadth advantage unattainable with traditional methods. Study Highlights 217 marketed and clinical-stage antibodies analyzed – the largest public ADA dataset to predict immunogenicity risk – the largest public ADA dataset to predict immunogenicity risk Single composite score tracks clinical reality – enables reliable ADA incidence risk classification; a score ≥ 54 flags high-risk candidates (> 30 % ADA in patients). The discriminative capability is very powerful as indicated by an AUC=0.92. – enables reliable ADA incidence risk classification; a score ≥ 54 flags high-risk candidates (> 30 % ADA in patients). The discriminative capability is very powerful as indicated by an AUC=0.92. Alignment-free, HYFT-powered engine – the proprietary screening algorithm combines state-of-the-art MHC II binding with IPA's proprietary HYFT® patterns, enabling whole-proteome humanness assessment without multiple-sequence alignments. – the proprietary screening algorithm combines state-of-the-art MHC II binding with IPA's proprietary HYFT® patterns, enabling whole-proteome humanness assessment without multiple-sequence alignments. Detailed amino acid and epitope-level immunogenicity 'self' scanning – quickly pinpoints immunogenic hot-spots and suggests sequence edits before expensive wet-lab assays. Read the full case study: [link] About ImmunoPrecise Antibodies Ltd. ImmunoPrecise Antibodies Ltd. (NASDAQ: IPA) is advancing Bio-Native™ AI at the intersection of biology and computation. The Company's LENSai™ and HYFT® platforms enable large-scale reasoning across sequence, structure, function, and scientific literature, powering next-generation workflows across drug discovery, diagnostics, vaccine design, and molecular systems biology. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward looking statements within the meaning of applicable United States and Canadian securities laws. Forward looking statements are often identified by words such as 'expects,' 'intends,' 'plans,' 'anticipates,' 'believes,' 'potential,' or similar expressions, or by statements that certain actions, events, or results 'may,' 'will,' 'could,' or 'might' occur or be achieved. Examples include statements regarding the projected performance, scalability, and market adoption of the Company's LENSai™ Immunogenicity Screening; the ability of its HYFT® powered, alignment free platform to shorten development timelines, reduce program risk, or displace legacy wet lab and multiple sequence alignment methods; the economic impact of early, in-silico ADA prediction on biopharma R&D efficiency; and the Company's broader scientific, commercial, and capital markets objectives. Forward looking statements are based on management's current expectations, assumptions, and projections about future events. Actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied because of factors beyond the Company's control, including the pace of scientific and technological innovation in AI driven drug discovery, the accuracy and regulatory acceptance of in-silico ADA risk screening, competitive shifts as the industry transitions away from MS dependent workflows, customer adoption rates, operational or integration challenges, and changes in economic, market, or regulatory conditions. Additional information about these and other risks and uncertainties is set out in the Company's Annual Report on Form 20F, as amended, for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2024, available on the Company's SEDAR+ profile at and EDGAR profile at If any of these risks materialize, the Company's actual results, performance, or achievements could vary significantly from those currently anticipated. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward looking statements. Except as required by applicable law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, future events, or otherwise.
Business Wire
24-07-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
ImmunoPrecise Releases New Findings Showing LENS ai ™ Quickly Flags Anti-Drug-Antibody Risk—Long Before the Clinic
AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--ImmunoPrecise Antibodies Ltd. (NASDAQ: IPA) ('IPA' or the 'Company'), a Bio-Native AI pioneer operating where TechBio meets true biological intelligence, today announced results of a newly expanded study demonstrating that its LENS ai ™ Immunogenicity Screening can reliably predict Anti-Drug-Antibody (ADA) risk for therapeutic proteins before they enter animal studies or human trials. The platform can shorten pre‑clinical cycles, cut material costs, and de‑risk downstream development—delivering a speed‑and‑breadth advantage unattainable with traditional methods. 'ADA-related failures still derail up to 40 percent of biologics in late development, costing companies billions of dollars,' said Dr. Jennifer Bath, President & CEO, IPA. 'With LENS ai, we can now triage candidates against clinical data in hours, not months, giving drug-developers a fast, objective way to de-risk programs early and focus resources on the safest molecules.' Late‑stage ADA failures can wipe out $1–2 billion in projected revenue for a single biologic and push launch timelines back 12‑18 months. Yet many programs still lean on time‑intensive lab assays or first‑generation in‑silico screens that look only at peptide‑to‑MHC II binding across a few dozen HLA alleles—leaving large swaths of immune diversity untested and immunogenic 'self/non‑self' checks largely unaddressed. LENS ai 's HYFT‑powered, alignment‑free immunogenicity screening compresses that entire workflow into one overnight run. It evaluates nearly 900 HLA variants and performs a whole‑proteome 'humanness' scan at residue resolution, instantly flagging hot‑spots that legacy tools miss. By revealing design‑level fixes before expensive animal studies or repeat GMP production, the platform can shorten pre‑clinical cycles, cut material costs, and de‑risk downstream development—delivering a speed‑and‑breadth advantage unattainable with traditional methods. Study Highlights 217 marketed and clinical-stage antibodies analyzed – the largest public ADA dataset to predict immunogenicity risk Single composite score tracks clinical reality – enables reliable ADA incidence risk classification; a score ≥ 54 flags high-risk candidates (> 30 % ADA in patients). The discriminative capability is very powerful as indicated by an AUC=0.92. Alignment-free, HYFT-powered engine – the proprietary screening algorithm combines state-of-the-art MHC II binding with IPA's proprietary HYFT® patterns, enabling whole-proteome humanness assessment without multiple-sequence alignments. Detailed amino acid and epitope-level immunogenicity 'self' scanning – quickly pinpoints immunogenic hot-spots and suggests sequence edits before expensive wet-lab assays. Read the full case study: [ link ] About ImmunoPrecise Antibodies Ltd. ImmunoPrecise Antibodies Ltd. (NASDAQ: IPA) is advancing Bio-Native™ AI at the intersection of biology and computation. The Company's LENSai™ and HYFT® platforms enable large-scale reasoning across sequence, structure, function, and scientific literature, powering next-generation workflows across drug discovery, diagnostics, vaccine design, and molecular systems biology. Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward looking statements within the meaning of applicable United States and Canadian securities laws. Forward looking statements are often identified by words such as 'expects,' 'intends,' 'plans,' 'anticipates,' 'believes,' 'potential,' or similar expressions, or by statements that certain actions, events, or results 'may,' 'will,' 'could,' or 'might' occur or be achieved. Examples include statements regarding the projected performance, scalability, and market adoption of the Company's LENSai™ Immunogenicity Screening; the ability of its HYFT® powered, alignment free platform to shorten development timelines, reduce program risk, or displace legacy wet lab and multiple sequence alignment methods; the economic impact of early, in-silico ADA prediction on biopharma R&D efficiency; and the Company's broader scientific, commercial, and capital markets objectives. Forward looking statements are based on management's current expectations, assumptions, and projections about future events. Actual results could differ materially from those expressed or implied because of factors beyond the Company's control, including the pace of scientific and technological innovation in AI driven drug discovery, the accuracy and regulatory acceptance of in-silico ADA risk screening, competitive shifts as the industry transitions away from MS dependent workflows, customer adoption rates, operational or integration challenges, and changes in economic, market, or regulatory conditions. Additional information about these and other risks and uncertainties is set out in the Company's Annual Report on Form 20F, as amended, for the fiscal year ended April 30, 2024, available on the Company's SEDAR+ profile at and EDGAR profile at If any of these risks materialize, the Company's actual results, performance, or achievements could vary significantly from those currently anticipated. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward looking statements. Except as required by applicable law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements to reflect new information, future events, or otherwise.
Time of India
22-07-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Young, active and in pain? The hidden signs of rheumatoid arthritis
RA (rheumatoid arthritis) is an autoimmune disorder in which our own immune function damages thejoints. it's a very disabling condition and tend to affect young population and especially affects far more women than men. ratio can be 3-5female :1 male and could be due to genetic, hormonal factors in expression of disease. Causes of rheumatoid arthritis is not fully known but definitely has a complex interplay of genetic and environmental factors. genetics does play a role but per se rheumatoid has never been considered as a familial linked disease and often comes randomly. Like HLA B27 is linked strongly with ankylosing spondylosis, rheumatoid arthritis has a much lesser but linkage to HLA -DR4 cluster. In a susceptible individual a viral infection can induce autoimmunity thus environmental factors are also implicated but definite single aetiology is not confirmed yet. Symptoms of RA and clinical diagnosis criteria is well established as treatment need to be aggressive and medicines have side effects. morning stiffness and joint swelling is the most characteristic symptom. morning stiffness in joints which persists more than one hour after getting up is the most classical symptom and if associated with multiple symmetric large joint pain and swelling almost clinches the diagnosis. if a person complains of joint pain and surgeon can't see swelling, then its just considered less important but if swelling is observed it's a major diagnostic criterion. if major joints like hip, knee, shoulder, elbow and wrist are affected symmetrically meaning both right and left side, it's almost diagnostic with morning symptoms of stiffness persisting for more than an hour. Hand and foot joints, the knuckle and first joint of fingers (known as PIP, proximal interphalangeal) are also most frequently affected joints. Also, firm lumps under skin over areas of pressure known as rheumatoid nodules are common. symptoms more than 6 weeks duration with high ESR and CRP in blood with, high Anti-citrullinated peptide antibody and if associated with erosions in Xray and MRI scan of affected joints clinches the diagnosis. various presentations can be monoarticular, palindromic, aggressive seropositive type where ACCP is significant, and seronegative when autoantibodies are largely absent. The golden arrow of treatment of rheumatoid arthritis is diagnose early, communicate well, be empathetic and put patient on full treatment fast as most joint destruction happens in the first 2 years. once joint is destroyed it can't function well. disease can be aggressive, so should be the treatment. save the joint by being for patient, by educating them to never discontinue treatment. in our practice we find patients when they don't feel fully relieved waste the time taking ayurvedic and homeopathic treatment in first 2 years and loose the critical time of joint salvage, once joint is damaged its irreversible. Drugs used are pain drugs called NSAIDS, oral steroids are a mainstay in small effective dosage, a group of drugs called disease modifying drugs like methotrexate, salazopyrine and leflunomide, and now the biologicals. the principle is not slow escalation of drugs but rapid suppression of the inflammation so that irreversibility of joint damage doesn't happen and as disease activity reduces, drugs to be also reduced and minimum safe effective dose need continuing often in excess of 5 years. Managing diet and keeping muscles active and modifying lifestyle is also equally essential. Dr. Pradeep Kocheeppan, Consultant, Orthopaedics, Apollo Hospitals Bannerghatta Road, Bengaluru
