The London Free Press Health and Wellness October 25, 2006 Article
Kidney Foundation recognizes London researcher for excellence
LONDON , ON (Oct. 13, 2005) -- The Kidney Foundation of Canada has awarded London researcher Dr. Anthony Jevnikar its prestigious 2005 Medal for Research Excellence in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the field of autoimmunity and transplantation.
Dr. Jevnikar – who is Director of Transplantation Nephrology at London Health Sciences Centre and a scientist at the Robarts Research Institute and Lawson Health Research Institute – will receive the award at a reception in Room 3320, Somerville House, The University of Western Ontario, at 3 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 14. He is also Professor of Medicine, Immunology and Microbiology at Western’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry.
Over 14 years as a clinical and basic science researcher, Dr. Jevnikar has made significant contributions in the areas of kidney injury and immunotherapy. His primary research interest lies in understanding the molecular mechanisms of transplant injury – a principal cause of premature failure of kidney transplants. Following transplantation, the kidney’s response to stress and inflammation includes the production of “survival proteins” within kidney cells, which regulate the extent and consequence of injury. Dr. Jevnikar’s findings reveal that by increasing the transplanted kidney’s ability to resist injury and promote normal repair processes, it may be possible to improve the function and survival of kidney transplants without increasing immunosuppression, which is often associated with added risks and side effects in transplant patients.
Dr. Jevnikar has also pioneered the development of novel biopharmaceutical drug production and delivery systems for use in the treatment of diabetes as well as transplant rejection. He and his team, which includes plant molecular scientists, have created genetically altered plants that express human proteins which could not be produced in clinical quantities by any previous technology. Remarkably these plants can prevent harmful immune responses when eaten and it is hoped that clinical testing to prevent Type I diabetes will begin in the near future.
A recent past president of the Canadian Society of Transplantation, Dr. Jevnikar has published extensively in the highest tier journals, bringing international interest in his work. He has trained and mentored many medical residents, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows on the ward and in his laboratory and takes great pride in those that he has trained. He recently returned from lecturing in India where a former student started a kidney transplant centre serving a population of more than 50 million. In recognition of his expertise, he serves on national and international committees in transplantation research and clinician training.
“It is an honour to be recognized for this research but it is a team effort that makes us successful,” said Dr. Jevnikar. “The partnerships we have developed between institutions here in London enable us to not only explore new ideas in the laboratory but also to translate our discoveries to patient care. And that will always be the primary motivation for our research.”
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For more information contact:
Linda Quattrin, Robarts Research Institute, 663-3021
Julia Capaldi, Lawson Health Research Institute, 646-6100 ext. 61098
Christine
Roulston, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, 661-2111 ext. 85165
May 10,
2005
checkbiotech.org
10 May 2005
Plant-generated pharmaceuticals bring a harvest of hope
Dr. Anthony Jevnikar Interview
Discovery Health Channel Canada
Friday, February 11, 2005 - 8:00 p.m.
Future
Medicine (Partners in Motion)
Bio-Medicine Episode: 1002
"A new world" (London Free Press article September 25, 2004)
"Anything is possible" (London Free Press article September 25, 2004)
"Old afflictions, new cures" (London Free Press article September 29, 2004)
Plants such
as alfalfa, corn rice and tobacco may be used some day to help combat
Alzheimer's disease, cancer, Crohn's disease, diabetes, HIV and obesity.
Patrick Maloney, Free Press Reporter 2004-09-29 01:37:59
Excerpt from September 29, 2004 London Free Press article:
***
Another London
biotech firm working toward medical breakthroughs is Plantigen, which
was spun out of the Lawson institute with the ambitious goal of treating
diabetes with tobacco leaves.
These low-nicotine leaves produce massive amounts of the protein Plantigen's
founders think rouses your own body's immune system, potentially causing
diabetes. After harvesting these modified leaves, they feed them to mice,
which then do not develop the disease.
Plantigen's theory? That the human stomach, if fed these modified leaves,
might be able to change the actions of the human immune system.
"Plants offer the capacity to produce rare proteins that couldn't
be produced by any other technology," said Dr. Anthony Jevnikar,
who co-founded Plantigen with Shengwu Ma.
"If we could produce (the protein) in quantities that make it very
affordable and we had very good benefit without side effects, it would
be hard to come up with a reason why not to do it."
That's the main goal, Jevnikar notes.
Talk of money and Martha Stewart's stock portfolio often dominate the
public discourse on biotech.
But there are serious ethical issues -- surrounding stem-cell research,
for example -- that all scientists must face.
Ultimately, Jevnikar said, he and his fellow researchers are largely motivated
by a desire to cure major, often misunderstood, diseases.
"There are many unmet needs," he said.
"If we actually had an option for this huge, unmet need in diabetes,
your mind really goes with the possibilities of the people you could help
on this.
"To investors, the benefit comes from the return on investment for
the risk they took. From my perspective, success would be (a) benefit
for the patients."
***
July 9, 2004
Plantigen
Move in London Brings Company to Centre Stage
of Health and Biotechnology
(London, Ontario) – Plantigen Inc., a discovery company focused on the identification and development of plant-derived biopharmaceuticals for the prevention and treatment of human disease, has moved to The Stiller Centre for Biotechnology. The company is the first spin-off of the Lawson Health Research Institute to mature into the Stiller Centre. According to Ms. Mary Gardner, Business Development Manager, Plantigen Inc., the move will not only foster commercialization of innovation in the City of London, but will benefit the community by creating jobs and continuing to establish London as a leader in science and technology.
Plantigen Inc. was founded through a research collaboration between scientists from the London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC), one of Canada's most highly respected teaching hospitals and Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC). Until recently, the company was being incubated through the support of Lawson - the research arm of LHSC.
London is quickly becoming known as a vibrant centre for technology and health. According to Mr. Peter Bruijns, President, The Stiller Centre for Biotechnology, the move to the Stiller Centre will enable Plantigen to take advantage of the Centre’s facilities and align itself with other great minds in research, professional, medical and commercial sectors. “We think Plantigen will both benefit and contribute to the environment of cooperation between emerging companies here at the Stiller Centre. Our mandate is to help support all emerging companies with our facilities and services. Plantigen is a unique company with very high potential,” added Mr. Bruijns.
The current market for biopharmaceuticals is estimated at $15 billion U.S., with escalating projections for the future, as research into genomics and proteomics identifies more promising protein candidates.
One of Plantigen Inc.’s most recent achievements was the development of a preventative treatment for Type I Diabetes. Founding scientists, Drs. Anthony Jevnikar and Shengwu Ma, discovered that it is possible to prevent diabetes prone mice from developing the disease by adding certain proteins made by insulin producing cells of the pancreas to their diet.
According to Ms. Gardner, “Plantigen Inc. is taking the lead in capturing the commercial potential of this research. The move to the Stiller Centre will not only attract a number of top researchers, but will enable us to continue with our commitment to advance the company's breakthrough products in oral immune regulation by linking expertise in plant biotechnology with specialized knowledge in molecular immunology, clinical medicine and trials design.”
For more
information regarding Plantigen, Inc., please visit their web site at
www.plantigen.com.
For more information, please contact:
Mary Gardner, Manager, Business Development
Plantigen Inc.
700 Collip Circle
London, ON N6G 4X8
(519) 858-5088
March 30, 2004
Canadian Scientists Use Interleukin From Plants to Help Prevent Type I Diabetes
Until now, there has been no known way to prevent Type I Diabetes in individuals considered to be at high risk. However, according to the research findings of a team of London Ontario scientists, this may no longer be true. The research, which was released today in the prestigious Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) journal, shows that it is possible to prevent diabetes prone mice from developing the disease by adding certain proteins made by insulin producing cells of the pancreas to their diet. The proteins, glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), which is thought to be a trigger factor for diabetes, along with interleukin-4 (IL-4) can re-program harmful immune responses by promoting a mechanism known as oral immune tolerance.
According to Dr. Anthony Jevnikar, Program Director, Transplantation, Immunity & Regenerative Medicine, Lawson Health Research Institute, and Professor of Medicine, Immunology & Microbiology, The University of Western Ontario, “Type I Diabetes is caused by overactivity of the immune system which leads to damage of insulin producing cells within the pancreas. It may be possible to reset the immune system to prevent injury by oral exposure to the proteins which initially triggered the disease.” As compared to biotherapeutics administered to patients by injection, large quantities would be needed. Drs. Shengwu Ma, Scientist at the Lawson Health Research Institute, and Adjunct Professor, Departments of Biology and Medicine, The University of Western Ontario, and Jevnikar realized that current technology for production of these complex proteins could not supply enough for clinical testing. In searching for a practical way to produce the proteins they turned to plants. The researchers have been able to produce clinically useful amounts of these proteins in a novel way using genetically altered non-nicotine tobacco. By simply feeding the mice the transgenic plant leaf tissue, they were able to prevent diabetes in mice that normally develop Type I Diabetes like humans. “Our research demonstrates that IL-4, along with human GAD produced in these plants can be used to regulate immune responses without the need for elaborate purification. This is a significant achievement, ” concluded Dr. Ma.
Diabetes is one of the most important health challenges in Canada. Today, over 2 million Canadians have diabetes and it is predicted that in ten years as many as one in five Canadians will be diabetic. Diabetes is considered a leading cause of death by disease in this country and a major burden on our already strained healthcare system. If not properly treated, diabetes can lead to heart and kidney disease, blindness, nerve damage and circulation problems.
So far, the team of researchers, which includes a collaboration with scientists from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, has currently confined their area of research to diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease. However, there could be many other applications that are yet to be looked at. “I think it is unlimited what we can do for human diseases with this technology,” remarks Dr. Jevnikar. Since scientists are now working with the human versions of the protein, the next step would be planning for the requirements of clinical trial, which would require more funding.
Plantigen Inc. is taking the lead in capturing the commercial potential of this research. Plantigen Inc. in conjunction with Dow AgroSciences LLC, are pursuing proof-of-concept of this exciting technology and its applications for the prevention of immune disorders in companion animals.
ABOUT PLANTIGEN
Plantigen Inc. is a discovery company focused on the identification and
development of plant-derived biopharmaceuticals for the prevention and
treatment of human disease. The company is a spin-off of the Lawson Health
Research Institute, the research arm of the founding hospital in London,
Ontario, Canada. Plantigen is developing products using genetically enhanced
plants - ORAmmune™ and PHYTOkines™ to combat immune system
disorders. These products are in their pre-clinical stage of development.
Please visit www.plantigen.com
For more
information, please contact:
Jayne Graham
Manager, Communications & Public Relations Manager
Lawson Health Research Institute
(519) 646-6100 ext. 64680
The Lawson Health Research Institute in London, Ontario, Canada is the
research arm of London Health Sciences Centre and St. Joseph's Health
Care London
Plantigen,
Dow AgroSciences Announce Collaboration
Using tobacco to treat diabetes
http://www.agvisiontv.com/story.cfm?segment=194
Video on Using tobacco to treat diabetes
http://www.agvisiontv.com/video/Jan17-03TobaccoforDiabetes.ram
(Requires Real Media Player, click
here if you do not have the plug-in)
(Both courtesy of www.agvisiontv.com)
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