Moleculera Labs Webinar Replay:

Understanding a Biological Basis for Infection-Triggered Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders & Targets in the Cunningham Panel & Clinical Case Studies on Diagnosis and Treatment

Webinar Info

  • Presenters:
    Craig Shimasaki, PhD, MBA – President & CEO, Moleculera Labs
    Eboni Cornish, MD – Amen Clinics
  • Aired: November 4, 2022

ABOUT THE WEBINAR

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.

This webinar will explain the clinical significance of autoimmune antibodies directed against brain and neuronal targets, and the types of symptoms that have been associated with them. We will review some of the most common presenting symptoms associated with positive Cunningham Panel™ results, and share published clinical data on patients’ before and after effective treatment.

Dr. Craig Shimasaki will review the clinical significance of autoimmune antibodies against brain and neuronal targets, and the types of symptoms that have been associated with them, along with some of the most common presenting symptoms associated with positive Cunningham Panel™ results.

Dr. Eboni Cornish will present and discuss clinical cases, including the therapeutic interventions used for patients with infection-triggered autoimmune encephalopathies.

PRESENTER

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

Dr. Shimasaki received his BS in Biochemistry from the University of California at Davis, his PhD in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology 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 and is the cofounder and CEO of Moleculera Labs, a neuroimmunology precision medicine company focused on identifying the underlying roots of neurologic, psychiatric, and behavioral disorders triggered by an autoimmune response. He has spent over 35 years working in the fields of molecular biology, viral pathogenesis, and infection-triggered autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders.

Dr. Shimasaki started his career at Genentech and has worked across all stages of research, development, clinical trials, and regulatory approval of technology innovation from bench-to-bedside. His research work includes epitope mapping of HIV proteins, genetic-based predictors of breast cancer risk, influenza and RSV diagnostics and therapeutics, and the pathogenesis of infection-triggered neuropsychiatric disorders. He has co-founded multiple companies and led multiple products through the FDA approval process and is a co-inventor on multiple patents. Internationally, he teaches and mentors scientists, physicians and biotech leaders on how to translate their research into acutely needed medical interventions. His passion is to translate scientific discoveries into acutely needed products so that more patients can live longer, healthier lives.

Eboni Cornish, MD
Amen Clinics

Dr. Eboni Cornish graduated from Brown University undergraduate with honors and Brown University Medical School. She completed her family medicine residency at Georgetown University. In 2003, as a Howard Hughes Medical Fellow, Dr. Cornish conducted translational research at the National Human Genome Research Institute of NIH. She was an apprentice in the laboratory of Francis Collins, M.D Ph.D., the current Director of NIH and leader of the Human Genome Project. Under his leadership, she analyzed genetic associations of chronic illnesses.

At Amen Clinics, Dr. Cornish specializes in the treatment of Lyme Disease, environmental toxicity, methylation disorders, and Morgellons Disease among other chronic conditions. Dr. Cornish’s approach to the treatment of chronic disease is to find the root cause of a person’s health problems by performing a comprehensive evaluation of the body’s various biological systems and takes an approach based on integrative strategies of healing.

She currently serves as a board member of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society Educational Foundation. She is a member of the American College for Advancement in Medicine (ACAM) and the Institute of Functional Medicine (IFM). She was nominated and awarded Northern Virginia Top Doctor for family practice in 2021. She has combined her passion for integrative/functional medicine, interest in chronic illness and extensive genetic research experience at NIH to manage the challenges facing many patients of Amen Clinics.

The webinar content has been made available for informational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. 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 health care 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 Labs 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.

Schedule: In-services for utilization of the Cunningham Panel™

We provide free, medical education services to assist clinicians in better understanding the Cunningham Panel™ utilization of results. This service is open to individual clinicians and group practices.

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

B. Robert Mozayeni, MD

Medical and Clinical Advisor

B. Robert Mozayeni MD

Dr. B. Robert Mozayeni was trained in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology at Yale and at NIH. He has had pre- and post-doctoral Fellowships in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry at Yale, and also at NIH where he was a Howard Hughes Research Scholar at LMB/DCBD/NCI and later, Senior Staff Fellow at LMMB/NHLBI/NIH. Editorial board of Infectious Diseases – Surveillance, Prevention and Treatment. Past President of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS).

He is an expert in Translational Medicine, the science and art of advancing medical science safely and efficiently. He is a Fellow of the non-profit Think Lead Innovate Foundation and is a co-founder of the Foundation for the Study of Inflammatory Diseases. He is a Founder of the Foundation for the Study of Inflammatory Diseases to crowd-source medical solutions for complex conditions using existing knowledge, diagnostic methods, and therapies to meet patient needs immediately. He is the Chief Medical Officer of Galaxy Diagnostics, LLC. He is a Board member of the Human-Kind Alliance. Dr. Mozayeni has held admitting privileges (since 1994) on the clinical staff of Suburban Hospital, a member of Johns Hopkins Medicine and an affiliate of the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center.

Safedin Sajo Beqaj, PhD, HCLD, CC (ABB)

Moleculera Labs, Clinical Laboratory Advisor
Medical Database, Inc., President and CEO

Sajo Baqaj, PhD

Dr. Sajo Beqaj is board certified in molecular pathology and genetics and licensed as a Bioanalyst and High Complexity Laboratory Director. He has been practicing as a laboratory director since 2005.

Dr. Beqaj served as a technical director and was part of the initial management team for several well-known laboratories in the clinical lab industry including PathGroup, Nashville, TN; DCL Medical Laboratories, Indianapolis, IN, and Pathology, Inc, Torrance, CA. He is currently serving as off-side CLIA laboratory director for BioCorp Clinical Laboratory, Whittier, CA and Health360 Labs, Garden Grove, CA.

Dr. Beqaj received his Ph.D. in Pathology from Wayne State University Medical School, Detroit, Michigan. He performed his post-doctoral fellowship at Abbott Laboratories from 2001-2003 and with Children’s Hospital and Northwestern University from 2003-2005.

Dr. Beqaj has taught in several academic institutions and has published numerous medical textbook chapters and journal articles. He has served as a principal investigator in clinical trials for several well-known pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies such as Roche HPV Athena, Merck HPV vaccine, BD vaginitis panel, Roche (Vantana) CINtec® Histology clinical trials, and has presented various scientific clinical abstracts and presentations.

He is a member of several medical and scientific associations including the Association of Molecular Pathology, American Association of Clinical Chemistry and the Pan Am Society for Clinical Virology. He has served on a number of clinical laboratory regulatory and scientific committees, and has assisted several laboratories and physicians as a Clinical Laboratory Consultant.

Rodney Cotton, MBA

Moleculera Labs Board Member

Rodney Cotton, MBA

Rodney Cotton, MBA is an entrepreneurial thought leader in the pharmaceutical/biotech industry who is known for his holistic perspective, bias for action in the face of challenges, and commitment to agile processes.

Rod is an independent director for Orchard Software, a private equity-backed health technology company owned by Francisco Partners; an advisory board member to Flo2 Ventures, a venture capital-backed healthcare and health equity accelerator; and a member of the board of directors and three board committees (Audit, Compliance & Finance; Governance & Equity; and Quality of Care) for Community Health Network.

He built a successful career at Roche spanning more than two decades and culminating in the role of SVP, Head of Strategy & Transformation, and Chief of Staff to the CEO for Roche Diagnostics, the North American headquarters of the world’s largest ($17B) diagnostics company.

While at Roche, Rod led key enterprise initiatives, such as milestone corporate communications, health equity coalitions, the US/Roche Group audit, and global/US acquisition integrations. With 40+ years of experience, he drove the financial turnaround and cultural transformation of four global healthcare companies, led teams of up to 280 total reports, managed P&L of more than $1 billion, and served as a key member of the senior leadership team executing the most significant restructuring of the company in two decades.

In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rod and his team at Roche accelerated six ground breaking products in 11 months, including the first launch of the market’s most accurate and in demand molecular diagnostic test. He also solved extraordinary challenges of product scarcity, supply chain, product allocation, and logistics to achieve accelerated global sourcing and self manufacturing in line with testing guidelines.

A frequent public speaker on health equity and other topics, Rod was named one of the Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America by Savoy Magazine and one of the Top Blacks in Healthcare by BlackDoctor.org. He also received The Sagamore of the Wabash Award, one of the highest Indiana State honors, bestowed by Indiana Governor Eric J. Holcomb.

Rod holds an M.B.A. from California State University, Dominguez Hills, an M.S. in Strategic Management from the University of Southern California, and a B.A. in Biological Sciences & Technology from the University of California at Santa Barbara.