Braveheart Investment Group plc Operational update on Kirkstall Limited
02 Junio 2020 - 1:00AM
RNS Non-Regulatory
TIDMBRH
Braveheart Investment Group plc
02 June 2020
RNS Reach announcement (non-regulatory)
2 June 2020
Braveheart Investment Group plc
("Braveheart" or the "Group")
Operational update on Kirkstall Limited
Braveheart (AIM: BRH), the fund management and strategic
investment group, is pleased to provide an operational update on
its strategic investment Kirkstall Limited.
Kirkstall Limited ("Kirkstall") (holding 80%)
Further to the announcement on 23 April 2020, which reported
that Kirkstall is now collaborating with Animal Free Research UK,
the UK's leading non-animal medical research charity, awarding
grants to research scientists to implement new and existing
techniques to replace the use of animal in trials and research.
Animal Free Research UK's assessment panel has awarded the first
three projects that will use Kirkstall's Quasi Vivo(R) system in
research related to COVID-19:
1. Dr Carolina Herrera, Imperial College London
Project Title : Modelling early immune responses to SARS-CoV-2
in a fluidic system
Dr Herrera's Project Description : "To develop a model that
mimics infection of SARS-CoV-2 taking into consideration the
natural flow of lymph and blood in the body. With this model we
want to assess the cellular responses to the entry of SARS-CoV-2 in
cells from the respiratory tract and the effect of such responses
on circulating blood cells from the immune system. We will be able
to isolate the responses triggered by viral entry using a virus
that cannot replicate in the infected cell. We will also test drug
candidates for their potential to inhibit the first steps of
infection and therefore the first stage of the inflammation
process.
"The Kirkstall system allows us to measure the number of
infected cells and their responses to the infection; and at the
same time to observe the consequences of the infection on blood
cells that are circulating, mimicking what happens in the human
body."
2. Dr Mark Turner, Centre for Sport, Exercise and Life Sciences, Coventry University
Project Title: A human-relevant system to investigate obesity,
diabetes and COVID-19.
Dr Turner's Project Description: "Obesity and type 2 diabetes
impacts the function of several organs in the body which can result
in the development of other diseases but also increase the
susceptibility of viral infections. It has been shown that obesity
is a risk factor for developing severe symptoms from SARS-COVID-19
and therefore understanding why this is the case is highly
important for scientists and doctors.
Several animal models have been used to investigate obesity,
however making comparisons is difficult due to the differences
between animals and human metabolism. Therefore, developing a
system which replaces animal use and accurately replicates human
obesity can address this issue. This project aims to establish a
multi tissues model in the Quasi Vivo system which replicates human
obesity which can be used to understand how different tissues
behave and communicate with each other as well as the influence of
diseases like SARS-COVID-19 in obesity."
3. Dr Baishakhi Ghosh, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Project Title: Susceptibility of COPD and cigarette smoke airway epithelia to SARS-CoV-2.
Dr Ghosh's Project Description: " The lungs are the organs most
affected by COVID-19 as the SARS-CoV-2 virus results in
asymptomatic or mild symptoms hospitalizations and mortality due to
respiratory failure. Given the enormous impact of the virus on
health and well-being, it is important to get insight into its
pathogenic interaction with humans. We are exploring the epithelial
changes that lead to increased susceptibility to disease, and also,
quantifying changes that occur after viral exposure to determine
the likelihood of chronic respiratory disease even after recovery
from acute infection. Our understanding of the role of
environmental exposures such as cigarette-smoke or vaping
electronic cigarettes in modifying the response to SARS-CoV-2 is
emerging and smoking has been associated with worsened outcomes in
SARS-CoV-2 patients. The study will improve our understanding of
how cigarette smoke increases our susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2
infection in the lungs and help in developing a therapy for
prevention and treatment."
Carla Owen, CEO of Animal Free Research UK, said: "We are
delighted to partner with Kirkstall Ltd to provide cutting-edge
human relevant technology to scientists at three leading research
institutes - Imperial College London, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg
School of Public Health, and Coventry University - in efforts to
understand COVID-19 as it affects humans. Deployment of the Quasi
Vivo(R) system will contribute to the development of novel
strategies for the prevention and treatment of SARS-CoV-2
infection."
For further information:
Braveheart Investment Group plc Tel: 01738 587555
Trevor Brown, Chief Executive Officer
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END
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