Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

RADNOR, Pa., Oct. 22, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Mineralys Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: MLYS), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing medicines to target hypertension, chronic kidney disease (CKD) and other prevalent cardiovascular diseases driven by dysregulated aldosterone, today announced full details for its upcoming virtual KOL event being held on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, at 10:00 AM ET. To register for the event, please click here. The event will feature comments from Luke J. Laffin, MD (Cleveland Clinic), James M. Luther, MD, MSCI (Vanderbilt University Medical Center), and Rhian Touyz, MBBCh, MSc (Med), PhD (McGill University Health Centre) who will each discuss the unmet medical need in uncontrolled and resistant hypertension and the potential for lorundrostat, a development stage, highly selective aldosterone synthase inhibitor, to change the current treatment paradigm. In addition, the event will include an overview of the ongoing Advance-HTN and Launch-HTN pivotal trials, as well as results from the Phase 2 Target-HTN proof-of-concept trial evaluating lorundrostat in uncontrolled or resistant hypertensive subjects. A live question and answer session will follow the formal presentation. About the KOLs: Luke J. Laffin, MDLuke J. Laffin, MD, is a physician in the Preventive Cardiology & Rehabilitation Section in the Robert and Suzanne Tomsich Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Sydell and Arnold Miller Family Heart, Vascular & Thoracic Institute. He sees patients at Cleveland Clinic Main Campus. Dr. Laffin earned his medical degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tenn. He served his residency at University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, Ill., followed by fellowships in hypertensive diseases and cardiovascular disease there. He was named to the Cleveland Clinic staff in 2018. Dr. Laffin has published two dozen articles and more than a dozen research abstracts in peer-reviewed medical journals, mainly on the diagnosis and management of hypertension (high blood pressure). He has made research presentations at regional, national, and international medical meetings and co-authored five chapters in medical textbooks related to hypertension. James M. Luther, MD, MSCIJames M. Luther, MD, MSCI, is Associate Professor of medicine and pharmacology within the Department of Medicine at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. His translational research program investigates the relationship between hypertension and its metabolic complications. He is director of the Vanderbilt Comprehensive Hypertension Center, where he evaluates and treats resistant and secondary causes of hypertension such as primary aldosteronism and renovascular hypertension. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and Nephrology and is a certified Hypertension Specialist. Dr. Luther received his MD degree from Vanderbilt School of Medicine, where he completed training in Internal Medicine, Clinical Pharmacology, and Nephrology before joining the faculty in the Division of Clinical Pharmacology. He completed the Master in Clinical Investigation program, and now serves as coordinator for the Drug and Device Development course in this program. Dr. Luther is a fellow of the American Heart Association (FAHA) and American Society of Nephrology (FASN). He has served on the ASN Hypertension Advisory Group and the AHA Program Committee of the Kidney in Cardiovascular Disease (KCVD) Council, and is currently an Education Editor for the journal Hypertension. He has over 75 peer-reviewed publications (original articles, reviews, book chapters) and has served as a reviewer for over 30 peer-reviewed journals. He is co-editor of the upcoming Hypertension Secrets, 2nd edition. Rhian Touyz, MBBCh, MSc (Med), PhDRhian Touyz, MBBCh, MSc (Med), PhD, is the Executive Director and Chief Scientific Officer of the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre. She is the Dr. Phil Gold Chair in Medicine and Professor in Family Medicine, McGill University, Montreal, Canada. She was recruited to Montreal in September 2021 after serving 10 years as the Director of the Institute of Cardiovascular & Medical Sciences (ICAMS) and British Heart Foundation Chair and Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom. Dr. Touyz, a clinician-scientist, received her BSc(Hons)(1980), MBBCh(1984), MSc(1986) and PhD(1992) in South Africa. She completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Clinical Research Institute of Montreal (CRIM) in 1996 and then progressed the scientific/academic ladder to become Staff Scientist and Professor in the CRIM. In 2005 she was recruited to the Kidney Research Centre, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, University of Ottawa, where she was the Canada Research Chair in Hypertension Tier 1, until 2011 when she was recruited to the University of Glasgow to direct ICAMS. She is an elected Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci), the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE), the College of Physicians and Surgeons (FRCP), American Heart Association (FAHA), European Society of Cardiology (FESC) and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (FCAHS). Dr. Touyz serves on scientific advisory boards and expert panels of numerous international institutions. She has played major leadership roles in the premier national and international hypertension and cardiovascular organizations and has received numerous prestigious awards. She is the editor-in-chief of Hypertension, past editor-in-chief of Clinical Science, and associate editor of Pharmacological Reviews. About HypertensionHaving sustained, elevated blood pressure (or hypertension) increases the risk of heart disease, heart attack and stroke, which are leading causes of death in the U.S. In 2020, more than 670,000 deaths in the U.S. included hypertension as a primary or contributing cause. Hypertension and related health issues resulted in an average annual economic burden of about $130 billion each year in the U.S., averaged over 12 years from 2003 to 2014. Less than 50 percent of hypertension patients achieve their blood pressure goal with currently available medications. Dysregulated aldosterone levels are a key factor in driving hypertension in approximately 25 percent of all hypertensive patients. About LorundrostatLorundrostat is a proprietary, orally administered, highly selective aldosterone synthase inhibitor being developed for the treatment of uHTN and CKD. Lorundrostat was designed to reduce aldosterone levels by inhibiting CYP11B2, the enzyme responsible for its production. Lorundrostat has 374-fold selectivity for aldosterone-synthase inhibition versus cortisol-synthase inhibition in vitro, an observed half-life of 10-12 hours and demonstrated approximately a 70% reduction in plasma aldosterone concentration in hypertensive subjects. In a Phase 2, proof-of-concept trial (Target-HTN) in uncontrolled or resistant hypertensive subjects, once-daily lorundrostat demonstrated clinically meaningful blood pressure reduction in individuals with uHTN, in both automated office blood pressure measurement and 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. Adverse events observed were a modest increase in serum potassium, decrease in estimated glomerular filtration rate, urinary tract infection and hypertension with one serious adverse event possibly related to study drug being hyponatremia. About MineralysMineralys Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing medicines to target hypertension, CKD and other diseases driven by dysregulated aldosterone. Its initial product candidate, lorundrostat, is a proprietary, orally administered, highly selective aldosterone synthase inhibitor that Mineralys Therapeutics is developing for cardiorenal conditions affected by dysregulated aldosterone, including hypertension and CKD. Mineralys is based in Radnor, Pennsylvania, and was founded by Catalys Pacific. For more information, please visit https://mineralystx.com. Follow Mineralys on LinkedIn and Twitter. Forward Looking StatementsMineralys Therapeutics cautions you that statements contained in this press release regarding matters that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements. The forward-looking statements are based on our current beliefs and expectations and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: the potential therapeutic benefits of lorundrostat; the Company’s expectation that aldosterone synthase inhibitors with an SGLT2 inhibitor may provide additive clinical benefits to patients; the Company’s expectation that Advance-HTN and Launch-HTN may serve as pivotal trials in any submission of a new drug application (NDA) to the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA); the Company’s ability to evaluate lorundrostat as a potential treatment for CKD or uHTN; the planned future clinical development of lorundrostat and the timing thereof; and the expected timing of commencement and enrollment of patients in clinical trials and topline results from clinical trials. Actual results may differ from those set forth in this press release due to the risks and uncertainties inherent in our business, including, without limitation: our future performance is dependent entirely on the success of lorundrostat; potential delays in the commencement, enrollment and completion of clinical trials and nonclinical studies; later developments with the FDA may be inconsistent with the feedback from the completed end of Phase 2 meeting, including whether the proposed pivotal program will support registration of lorundrostat which is a review issue with the FDA upon submission of an NDA; our dependence on third parties in connection with manufacturing, research and clinical and nonclinical testing; unexpected adverse side effects or inadequate efficacy of lorundrostat that may limit its development, regulatory approval and/or commercialization; unfavorable results from clinical trials and nonclinical studies; results of prior clinical trials and studies of lorundrostat are not necessarily predictive of future results; our ability to maintain undisrupted business operations due to any pandemic or future public health concerns; regulatory developments in the United States and foreign countries; our reliance on our exclusive license with Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma to provide us with intellectual property rights to develop and commercialize lorundrostat; and other risks described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including under the heading “Risk Factors” in our annual report on Form 10-K, and any subsequent filings with the SEC. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof, and we undertake no obligation to update such statements to reflect events that occur or circumstances that exist after the date hereof. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement, which is made under the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Contact:Investor Relationsinvestorrelations@mineralystx.com Media RelationsTom WeibleElixir Health Public RelationsPhone: (1) 515-707-9678Email: tweible@elixirhealthpr.com

Increased use of blood transfusions after major traumatic brain injury could help people hospitalized in intensive care units regain greater functional independence and a better quality of life, according to new research. Increased use of blood transfusions after major traumatic brain injury could help people hospitalized in intensive care units regain greater functional independence and a better quality of life. Six months after a major traumatic brain injury (TBI), patients who benefited from this approach regained more functional independence and had a better quality of life than those subjected to a more restrictive approach, even though the combined incidence of death and major disability was not significantly different between the two treatment groups. This is the conclusion of an international research team led by Alexis Turgeon, professor at Université Laval, Canada Research Chair in Neurological Critical Care and Trauma, critical care physician and researcher at CHU de Québec-Université Laval, whose work is published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. "This randomized clinical trial, initiated in 2017, was carried out in 34 hospital centres in Canada, the United Kingdom, France and Brazil. Its aim was to compare two blood transfusion strategies -- one so-called restrictive and the other liberal -- employed to care for people hospitalized in an intensive care unit following a TBI. These approaches differ in the degree of anemia, or the minimum hemoglobin concentration that must be present in patients' blood before a blood transfusion can be given," explains Professor Turgeon. "The hemoglobin enables red blood cells to carry oxygen to the tissues and organs. Most patients hospitalized after a TBI suffer from anemia, defined as low hemoglobin concentration, which could reduce oxygen transport to the brain during a period when it is most vulnerable," points out François Lauzier, also a professor at Université Laval and who co-led the study with Professor Dean Fergusson of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute. The restrictive approach consists in tolerating a low hemoglobin level before giving a transfusion, while a liberal approach aims to maintain high hemoglobin levels, thus giving more blood transfusion. "By improving oxygen transport to the brain during the acute phase of care, it may be possible to save more nerve cells in the days following a TBI, thereby preventing additional brain damage," says Professor Turgeon. To conduct the study, the research team recruited 742 critically ill patients with moderate or severe TBI and anemia defined as a hemoglobin level of 10 g/decilitre or less during hospitalization. Randomly divided into two groups, these individuals were subjected to one or other of the transfusion strategies during their stay in the intensive care unit. To maintain these thresholds, the care teams administered blood transfusions whenever necessary. Six months after TBI, the research team assessed the level of overall recovery for each group, including neurovegetative status, dependence on activities of daily living and impairments preventing resumption of activities that had been performed prior to TBI. "The combined incidence of death and major disability was not statistically different between the two groups, but seemed favouring the liberal strategy in all analyses," says Professor Turgeon. What's more, those treated using the liberal approach showed a higher functional independence measure and quality of life index than those treated using the restrictive approach. "In light of the overall results of our study and considering the safety of current blood transfusions, the liberal strategy is probably the option that should be preferred in the acute phase of care to improve long-term prognosis following TBI," concludes Professor Turgeon.

OTTAWA, Jan. 24, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The EmpowerHER Leadership Network proudly unveils its innovative networking platform, marking a transformative milestone in championing and supporting women within Canadian health care. Designed collaboratively by Jennifer Stewart, President and CEO of Syntax Strategic, and Emily Gruenwoldt, CEO of Children’s Healthcare Canada, EmpowerHER is a five-part hybrid learning series, designed to establish a vibrant, dynamic community of courageous female leaders in health committed to fostering professional growth, leading change and celebrating accomplishments. "EmpowerHER is about building a lasting community where women feel empowered, supported and equipped to thrive in their careers," said Jennifer Stewart. “It is crucial to support women in health care by providing a forum where they can come together to connect, share experiences and create meaningful relationships.” Esteemed mentors will include Senator Flordeliz (Gigi) Osler; Dr Charu Kaushic, Scientific Director, CIHR-Institute of Infection and Immunity; Dr. Leigh Chapman, Chief Nursing Officer of Canada; Melissa Farrell, President and CEO, Halton Healthcare Team; Catherine Clark, Catherine Clark Communications, The Honest Talk; Katie Lafferty, Chair, The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute Board of Directors; Deirdre Freiheit, Executive Coach, Pourquoi Pas Coaching International; Mante Molepo, Mante Molepo Consulting; and Megan Shaw, Director of Brand Marketing and Media Relations, Syntax Strategic. Emily Gruenwoldt, CEO of Children’s Healthcare Canada, emphasized, "The EmpowerHER Leadership Series convenes female leaders in health committed to advancing their professional roles, while contributing to meaningful and sustainable change in health systems serving Canadians. This is a community designed to connect and empower diverse women with a shared vision.” FORTHCOMING EVENTS April 4 (virtual): EmpowerHER Cohort Meet and Greet April 25 (virtual): Navigating your Leadership Journey for Maximum Impact with mentors Senator Flordeliz (Gigi) Osler; Dr. Leigh Chapman, Chief Nursing Officer of Canada; and Melissa Farrell, President and CEO, Halton Healthcare TeamMay 16 (virtual): Optimizing your Personal and Professional Brand with guests Catherine Clark, Catherine Clark Communications, and Megan Shaw, Director of Brand Marketing and Media Relations, Syntax StrategicMay 30 (virtual): Brave Leadership with Deirdre Freiheit, Executive Coach, Pourquoi Pas Coaching InternationalJune 6 (virtual): Getting a Seat at the Table – Growing your Leadership Through Governance with guests Katie Lafferty, Chair, The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute Board of Directors, and Mante Molepo, Mante Molepo ConsultingJune 25 (in person): Building Connections and Conversations, Networking Soiree and Fireside Chat at the Rideau Club For more information about how to participate, visit the EmpowerHER website. Women in health care are encouraged to apply by February 16, 2024. MEDIA CONTACT For questions and media inquiries, please contact: Kate Cornickkcornick@syntaxstrategic.ca