Moleculera Labs Webinar Replay:

Understanding the Connection between Infections, our Immune System and the Brain: Case studies: Autoimmune Brain Panel™

Webinar Info

  • Speaker: Craig Shimasaki, PhD, MBA – President & CEO, Moleculera Biosciences
  • Aired: April 11, 2024

Scroll through the video to watch specific chapters. Click on the numbers below.

ABOUT THE WEBINAR

The Autoimmune Brain Panel™ (formerly known as the Cunningham Panel™) is an aid in a clinician’s diagnosis of autoimmune encephalopathy and basal ganglia encephalitis disorders. Neurologic, psychiatric, and behavioral symptoms can result from a number of different etiologies. When the underlying root is an autoimmune encephalopathy or basal ganglia encephalitis, treatments that have shown effectiveness include anti-infectives, anti-inflammatory and immune modulatory modalities.

The presentation:

  • Explains the clinical significance of autoimmune antibodies against brain and neuronal targets, and the types of symptoms that have been associated with them.
  • Reviews some of the most common presenting symptoms associated with positive Autoimmune Brain Panel™ results, and share published clinical data on patients’ before and after effective treatment.
  • Provides attendees with a strong understanding of the biology behind infection-triggered autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders and the most common patient symptoms.
  • Discusses how to utilize the Autoimmune Brain Panel™ test results in treatment decisions.

PRESENTER

Craig Shimasaki, PhD, MBA
President & CEO
Moleculera Biosciences, Inc.

Craig Shimasaki is President and CEO of Moleculera Biosciences, a precision medicine company focused on identifying underlying roots of neurologic, psychiatric, and behavioral disorders triggered by an autoimmune response. He is a medical research scientist with over 35 years of translational development experience in biochemical interactions, molecular biology, viral pathogenesis and infection-triggered neuropsychiatric disorders.

Dr. Shimasaki has worked at all stages of research and development from bench to bedside. His research included epitope mapping of HIV proteins, genetic based risk predictors of breast cancer, influenza and RSV diagnostics and therapeutics and pathogenesis of infection triggered neuropsychiatric disorders. As a businessperson, he co-founded multiple companies and led multiple products through the FDA approval process and is a co-inventor on multiple patents.

Dr. Shimasaki started his career at Genentech. He received his BS in Biochemistry from University of California at Davis, his PhD in Molecular Biology from the University of Tulsa, and his MBA from Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Business. He is an Adjunct Professor at the University of Oklahoma where he teaches biotechnology entrepreneurship. His passion is to help translate scientific and medical discoveries into acutely needed products so that more patients can live healthier lives.

This webinar is intended only for Medical Professionals.

The webinar content has been made available for informational purposes only. The information provided is not intended to be medical or healthcare advice for any individual medical problem, nor a substitute for medical or professional advice and services from a qualified healthcare provider.

By attending or viewing the webinar, you acknowledge and agree that we have not represented that any content provided in this webinar has the ability to diagnose a medical condition, prescribe treatment, or perform any other tasks that constitute the practice of medicine.

Moleculera hereby disclaims any and all liability to any party for any direct, indirect, implied, punitive, special, incidental, or other consequential damages arising directly or indirectly from any use of the webinar content, which is provided as is, and without warranties.

All rights reserved. No part of this presentation may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including recording, photocopying, or other electronic or other methods without the prior written consent of the publisher.

The studies listed below were referenced in this presentation.
  1. Evidence of Borrelia Autoimmunity-Induced Component of Lyme Carditis and Arthritis
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC548028/
  2. Harbingers of Mental Disease-Infections Associated With an Increased Risk for Neuropsychiatric Illness in Children (Editorial)
    https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/article-abstract/2716978
  3. Clinical Evaluation of Youth with Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS): Recommendations from the 2013 PANS Consensus Conference
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4340805/
  4. Autoantibody Biomarkers for Basal Ganglia Encephalitis in Sydenham Chorea and Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated With Streptococcal Infections
    https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.00564/full
  5. 6-month neurological and psychiatric outcomes in 236,379 survivors of COVID-19: a retrospective cohort study using electronic health records
    https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(21)00084-5/fulltext
  6. Will COVID-19 Lead to Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome?
    https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmed.2020.606824/full
  7. Tubulins and brain development – The origins of functional specification
    https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1044743116302500
  8. Evaluation of the Cunningham Panel™ in pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with streptococcal infection (PANDAS) and pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS): Changes in antineuronal antibody titers parallel changes in patient symptoms
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31884258/
  9. Overview of Treatment of Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5610386/
  10. Therapeutic plasma exchange and intravenous immunoglobulin for obsessive-compulsive disorder and tic disorders in childhood
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10513708/
  11. For information on diagnostic criteria and treatment of PANS and PANDAS, please visit: www.pandasppn.org.

Schedule: In-services for utilization of the Autoimmune Brain Panel™

We provide free educational services to assist clinicians in better understanding the Autoimmune Brain Panel™ test results. This service is open only to healthcare providers.

Learn How Infections Can Trigger Neuropsychiatric Symptoms
Cunningham Panel™ Results and Symptom Correlation
Watch Clinician Testimonials
Watch Patient Stories
Visit Our Educational Series Archive