Moleculera Labs Webinar Replay:

Utilizing the Cunningham Panel™ in Clinical Practice: Identifying appropriate patients and how its use can impact treatment

Webinar Info

  • Speaker: Craig Shimasaki, PhD, MBA – President & CEO, Moleculera Labs
  • Aired: January 25, 2023

ABOUT THE WEBINAR

This webinar will provide a basic understanding of why certain infectious organisms tend to be identified in patients with autoimmune encephalopathy secondary to these infections and how the biological mechanism of molecular mimicry can lead to the production of autoantibodies, resulting in neuropsychiatric symptoms.

I will discuss how the diagnosis and treatment of underlying infections, inflammation and immune dysfunction can result in significant symptom improvements and how the biology and clinical science of the Cunningham Panel™ can be utilized to help identify and treat these patients.

Clinical data demonstrating how certain autoantibodies (measured with the Panel) correlate with specific neuropsychiatric symptoms will be reviewed. This understanding can provide guidance on other therapies that may be useful in the diagnosis and treatment of immune-mediated neuropsychiatric disorders.

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

PRESENTER

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

Craig Shimasaki is President and CEO of Moleculera Labs, a neuroimmunology 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 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.