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: June 23, 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.
4:31 – Neuropsychiatric disorders diagnosed based on symptoms – not etiology
6:26 – Study: Infections & risk for neuropsychiatric illnesses in children
9:09 – Discovery of many neuronal autoantibodies
9:47 – How does this occur biologically?
13:18 – Study: OCD/tics in children & brain inflammation
16:02 – Other immune-mediated disorders
16:54 – Infections most frequently associated with neuropsychiatric symptoms
17:33 – Molecular mimicry & autoimmunity
23:22 – Commonalities in patients with positive Cunningham Panel results
25:36 – Biomarkers in Cunningham Panel
28:59 – Cunningham Panel case studies – before & after treatment
37:21 – Goal of precision medicine
38:03 – Ordering, testing & results process for the Cunningham Panel
39:04 – Guidelines for diagnosis & treatment
46:18 – What to do with borderline results?
48:41 – Are there specific, contracted lab sites that the patient must use for blood draw?
53:11 – Do medications, like Risperidone, effect test results since it blocks dopamine receptors?
55:09 – Empiric trials of IVIG or plasmapheresis? If so, how would a patient access that?
56:46 – Can Turmeric and Cannabis impact test results?
58:00 – Can the Cunningham Panel be used for adult patients?
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.
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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.
