Auburn University

SAN DIEGO, Sept. 19, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cidara Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: CDTX), a biotechnology company using its proprietary Cloudbreak® platform to develop drug-Fc conjugate (DFC) immunotherapies designed to save lives and improve the standard of care for patients facing serious diseases, today announced the appointment of Rick Bright, Ph.D., Philip Krause, M.D., Mario Barro, Ph.D., and Frederick G. Hayden, M.D., FACP to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). “We are honored that these four esteemed physicians and scientists have agreed to join our Scientific Advisory Board,” said Jeffrey Stein, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of Cidara. “They have already provided important guidance on the development of CD388 as we embark on our Phase 2b trial to test a single dose of CD388 to provide season-long protection against influenza A & B. We look forward to their continued guidance on pandemic preparedness, clinical and regulatory strategy, and infectious disease research.” Rick Bright, Ph.D. is an international expert on pandemic preparedness and response. In his most recent role as the Chief Executive Officer of the Pandemic Prevention Institute (PPI) at The Rockefeller Foundation, Dr. Bright led the development of the Foundation’s pandemic data-to-action platform that integrates modern technology, data analytics and global partners to help the world detect, prevent, and mitigate pandemic threats to achieve containment as quickly as possible. Dr. Bright serves as an international subject matter expert in biodefense, emergency preparedness and response, pharmaceutical innovation, vaccine, drug and diagnostic development and served as an advisor to the Biden Administration, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering & Medicine Forum on Microbial Threats. Dr. Bright received a Ph.D. in Immunology and Molecular Pathogenesis from Emory University and a B.S. magna cum laude in Biology and Physical Sciences from Auburn University at Montgomery. Philip Krause, M.D. has over 30 years of experience at the Food and Drug Administration, and a unique combination of scientific, regulatory, clinical, and public health experience. He is a long-time supporter of CASSS and WCBP, and co-chaired the meeting several times. He is trained as a physician with board certification in internal medicine and infectious diseases and a researcher with over 100 publications on topics spanning clinical evaluation of vaccines, viral pathogenesis and immunology, and biological product development. Dr. Krause is currently an independent consultant, providing strategic and regulatory advice related to biological product development. He recently served as deputy director of FDA’s Office of Vaccines Research and Review, where he led assessments of biological products for evaluation and licensure and helped to oversee the development and evaluation of all vaccines authorized and licensed in the US over the past 10 years. Mario Barro, Ph.D. is a Venture Partner and Head of the Infectious Disease Team at RA Capital Management, where he spearheads early-stage investment, company creation, and leads the Infectious Diseases team in advancing the company's evidence-based investment strategy. In this capacity, he collaborates closely with several portfolio companies, serving as a Board Member or Technical Advisor. With over three decades of experience in vaccinology, virology, and immunology across large pharma, government, academia, and biotech sectors, he brings a wealth of expertise to his roles. In addition to his work at RA Capital, Dr. Barro is the CEO and co-founder of GIVAX, a vaccine development startup focused on eradicating preventable Gastrointestinal infections in children and adults. As CEO, he drives the development of a novel groundbreaking vaccine solution aimed at addressing a critical unmet medical need. Dr. Barro completed his postdoctoral training at the NIH/NIAD and Mount Sinai School of Medicine and holds a PhD in microbiology from the University of Chile. Frederick Hayden, M.D., FACP is a Stuart S. Richardson Professor Emeritus of Clinical Virology and Professor Emeritus of Medicine at the University of Virginia School of Medicine in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA. His principal research interests have been on respiratory viral infections with a particular focus on the development and application of antiviral agents for influenza, rhinovirus, and coronavirus infections. He has contributed to the development of seven influenza antivirals and two vaccines approved for clinical use in one or more countries. During the COVID-19 pandemic he collaborated with colleagues in China to conduct the first controlled trials of candidate antivirals in hospitalized patients and has served as a consultant to platform studies (UK CTAP, ACTIV, AGILE), academic groups, and industry regarding the selection of therapeutics for clinical trials. Dr. Hayden received his medical degree from Stanford University School of Medicine in 1973 and completed his clinical training in internal medicine and infectious diseases at Strong Memorial Hospital, University of Rochester, New York. About Cidara Therapeutics Cidara Therapeutics is using its proprietary Cloudbreak® platform to develop novel drug-Fc conjugates (DFCs) comprising targeted small molecules or peptides coupled to a proprietary human antibody fragment (Fc). Cidara’s lead DFC candidate, CD388, is a long-acting antiviral designed to achieve universal prevention of seasonal and pandemic influenza with a single dose by directly inhibiting viral proliferation. In June 2023, CD388 was granted Fast Track Designation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Company plans to advance CD388 into a Phase 2b trial in the 2024 Northern Hemisphere influenza season. Additional DFCs have been developed for oncology and in July 2024 Cidara received IND clearance for CBO421 which will be developed to target CD73 in solid tumors. Cidara is headquartered in San Diego, California. For more information, please visit www.cidara.com. Forward-Looking Statements This release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and such forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. “Forward-looking statements” describe future expectations, plans, results, or strategies and are generally preceded by words such as “anticipates,” “expect,” “may,” “believe,” “plan,” or “will”. Forward-looking statements in this release include, but are not limited to, statements related to plans and timing for initiating a Phase 2b clinical trial for CD388. Such statements are subject to a multitude of risks and uncertainties that could cause future circumstances, events, or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, such as unanticipated delays in or negative results from Cidara’s preclinical or clinical trials, unanticipated impacts of the workforce reduction, difficulties in obtaining potential partners or other obstacles to clinical development. These and other risks are identified under the caption “Risk Factors” in Cidara’s most recent Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and other filings subsequently made with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date on which they were made and are based on management’s assumptions and estimates as of such date. Cidara does not undertake any obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of the receipt of new information, the occurrence of future events or otherwise. INVESTOR CONTACT:Brian RitchieLifeSci Advisors(212) 915-2578britchie@lifesciadvisors.com MEDIA CONTACT:Michael FitzhughLifeSci Communicationsmfitzhugh@lifescicomms.com

AUBURN, Ala., Sept. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Gopikrishna Deshpande wants to see the brain in action. How does information between billions of neurons flow within this cerebral superhighway? What functional details impact decision-making or even clinical disorders such as autism or Alzheimer's? Continue Reading The new 7T MRI will allow Auburn University to leverage its existing expertise in engineering, sciences and veterinary medicine to improve health care in the state and beyond. Now, he can. The recently approved $9 million Siemens MAGNETOM Terra.X 7 Tesla (7T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner inside the Auburn University Neuroimaging Center takes researchers to places they've never been and provides them with detailed, ultra-high-resolution images they previously could not study. The world's first field-installed, clinically approved parallel transmit 7T MRI scanner complements the center's 3T scanner, part of its original equipment that's still used today. "3T scanners are standard in clinical practice today, and you get a fairly good view of what's happening in the brain — but you miss a lot of the details," said Deshpande, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, who specializes in signal/image processing. "Because the brain is such a complex organ with billions of neurons and trillions of connections, the devil is in the details. As researchers, we want to have as much detailed depiction, with high-resolution images, as possible." For Auburn, installing the powerful whole-body Terra.X 7 Tesla scanner was … a no-brainer. "The university is sitting on a gold mine in terms of data and capabilities," said Thomas Denney, director of the Auburn University Neuroimaging Center and the Mr. & Mrs. Bruce Donnellan & Family Endowed Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. "This machine puts us on the map in the MRI universe, and it allows us to play in a sandbox that we couldn't play in before." Denney said updated scanners like this are fitted with parallel transmit technology and sodium imaging capability. "With our old 7T, if we did an MRI scan of the brain in certain regions, you wouldn't receive uniform coverage of the brain," Denney said. "That's because we had only one transmit channel — like a flashlight inside a large room with only one beam. By comparison, our new Terra.X 7 provides us with eight beams of light that illuminate the brain and provide a more uniform image. Sodium imaging technology is important because it can measure how much sodium is in your brain regionally and identify abnormalities." Denney noted that Auburn researchers, many whom have already utilized the center's previous 7T and 3T equipment, will take advantage of this new avenue. Fresh research explorations already underway include: Meredith Reid, assistant professor in electrical and computer engineering, is exploring post-traumatic stress disorder biomarkers in senior adults via spectroscopy. Jennifer Robinson, professor in psychological sciences, compares brain connectivity between healthy populations and those with mental illness, focusing on cognition and emotions. Adil Bashir, associate professor in electrical and computer engineering, is studying muscle and brain energy production capacity on the cells and determining mitochondrial metabolic homeostasis using phosphorus spectroscopy. Doug Martin, director of the Scott-Ritchey Research Center and professor of anatomy, physiology and pharmacology at the College of Veterinary Medicine, is using MRI and spectroscopy to measure the effect of gene therapy for Tay-Sachs disease in animal models. "I dreamed of building an MRI research program here at Auburn where large medical centers recognize our contributions," Denney said. "Through research, Auburn University has moved the needle and more than exceeded my expectations. Since opening the Thomas Walter MRI Research Building in 2010, we've been able to double our staff. Those machines are great, but people are the ones who write research papers, and people are the ones who earn those research grants." People like Deshpande. "MRI research has come a long way — and it will continue to evolve," Deshpande said. "I'm proud that Auburn University is a leading player in this field as my colleagues and myself continue to explore the unexplored, explain the unexplained and provide impactful research to improve the quality of life for all." SOURCE Auburn University WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM? 440k+ Newsrooms & Influencers 9k+ Digital Media Outlets 270k+ Journalists Opted In GET STARTED

AUBURN, Ala., Sept. 3, 2024 /PRNewswire/ --Convenient, affordable access to housing, health care and education can change the lives of those living in rural areas, and Auburn University is on a mission to build resilient communities throughout Alabama. Several programs bring Auburn's research and outreach work to rural areas across the state. Health care Continue Reading As part of the Rural Health Initiative, Auburn University nursing students gain hands-on experience by working shifts with Chambers County EMS in Chambers County, Alabama. The university's Rural Health Initiative seeks to enhance access to health and wellness services and education, both in-person and through telehealth. This initiative, supported by Auburn Outreach and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, is a collaborative effort involving a diverse group of faculty and staff. Telehealth emphasizes substance use disorder treatment, mental health and primary care with OnMed health care stations at six sites and telehealth carts at 10 sites. Additionally, the colleges of nursing, liberal arts, education, human sciences, veterinary medicine and pharmacy contribute significantly to face-to-face community service, bringing specialized expertise and hands-on support directly to communities in need. Their involvement ensures a comprehensive approach to addressing health and wellness issues and strengthens the initiative's impact on Alabamians. The Harrison College of Pharmacy partners with the Alabama State Health Insurance Assistance Program (SHIP) to offer the AU-SHIP Medicare Outreach Program. Each fall, student pharmacists assist community members in selecting Medicare Advantage or Part D plans. They deliver unbiased information about the plans available and help people aged 65 and older determine whether they qualify for a subsidy program to help cover out-of-pocket expenses. Funded by the State of Alabama and now in its 19th year, the Rural Medicine Program (RMP) is a strategic collaboration between Auburn's College of Sciences and Mathematics and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Launched in 2006, the RMP aims to address the shortage of primary care physicians in rural Alabama by preparing students for medical school and encouraging their return to serve rural communities. The program includes a pre-matriculation year at Auburn, followed by medical training at UAB and hands-on clinical experience in Huntsville. This three-phase structure includes rigorous science courses, clinical mentorship and experiential learning, all designed to foster a strong commitment to rural medicine among students. Housing The College of Architecture, Design and Construction's Rural Studio is an off-campus design-build program in Newbern, Alabama. Since its founding in 1993, Rural Studio students and faculty have completed more than 220 projects, building homes, recreational facilities, a firehouse, a library and more for the residents of rural Hale County. Through the program's Front Porch Initiative, innovative housing design plans generated by Rural Studio students and faculty are shared with community organizations around the country addressing the lack of affordable housing. Because many areas of the Black Belt lack wastewater treatment infrastructure due to the clay-based soil, Rural Studio recently expanded its housing efforts to include research on wastewater treatment options. Education The College of Education and Auburn Outreach are working together on the Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs (GEAR UP) Achieve initiative. This program is funded by an $18.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education, awarded during the 2023-24 school year, to provide greater access and opportunities to more than 6,500 Alabama middle school students, serving students in districts where college and career readiness support is most needed. Over a span of seven years, these students will receive a college scholarship, enhanced support for higher education opportunities and assistance in navigating the college admissions process to help ensure greater post-secondary success. In addition, Auburn's Government & Economic Development Institute (GEDI) is working to provide support for entrepreneurs, small businesses and local governments in rural communities, hosting trainings and workshops across Alabama. GEDI partners with many municipalities and professional associations to host certification and credentialing programs for elected officials, community leaders and government employees, as well as programs focused on topics such as economic and community development, workforce development, retail strategies, business attraction and marketing. These programs help participants excel at their jobs, better serve their citizens and grow and strengthen their local communities and economies. SOURCE Auburn University