In the News

Interview with Dr. Kah Whye Peng discussing an oral COVID-19 vaccine developed by Vyriad.

Mayo Clinic researcher Dr. Kah-Whye Peng, an early innovator in the field of oncolytic virotherapy, co-founded two Rochester biotech start-ups that are quickly growing into major companies.

Vyriad is developing the next generation of targeted cancer therapies using engineered viruses that selectively attack cancer cells and ignite robust immune responses to prevent cancer recurrence. I sat down for a fascinating conversation with Stephen Russell, Co-founder and CEO of Vyriad, to hear about this incredible technology and its potential to transform oncology treatment forever.

A COVID-19 booster vaccine that can be given by mouth to people who already have antibodies from vaccination or prior infection has yielded promising results in monkeys and is likely to be tested soon in humans, according to the company developing it. A report of the study posted on Monday on bioRxiv ahead of peer review says Vyriad is working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to plan human trials.

Immunocompromised Washington, D.C., attorney Samuel Shafner was unsure of his risks, even though he was vaccinated. A desire for more detailed answers about his immunity led him to Rochester’s Imanis Life Sciences and its Immuno-Cov test.

Speaking on the latest episode of the Biotech 2050 podcast, Alice Bexon, the Chief Medical Officer for Vyriad, discussed the history of oncologic viruses and recent developments which she had been involved in

Got a positive COVID-19 test? Take a deep breath and use this guide to make sense of the situation.

Key Takeaways: Non-vaccinated people can still get vaccinated people sick with COVID-19. Vaccinated people who contract COVID-19 may have less severe symptoms because the body mounts an immune response and adapts to prevent the coronavirus from replicating. More research is needed about how the COVID-19 vaccines respond to emerging variants.

Vyriad, a Rochester biotech firm founded by Mayo Clinic researchers, is developing an oral vaccine for the coronavirus that could be used as a booster in the months after the initial wave of vaccinations.

Vyriad, a scientific research lab based in Rochester, Minnesota, started working on a COVID-19 vaccine early last year and lab testing shows its delivery method and properties could give people immunity to the virus.

The Observer, in advance of the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference, names Imanis Life Sciences and sister company Vyriad as one of the hottest health startups from flyover country of 2021.

Imanis Life Sciences CEO and co-founder, Dr. Stephen Russell, talks to Authority Magazine about Heroes – what makes a hero, heroes in his own life, and heroes amid the current world climate.

As the long-awaited COVID-19 vaccine distribution process begins in the United States, there’s plenty of deliberation around who gets the vaccine, and when.

While many wait for news of a COVID-19 vaccine in the United States, a Rochester company says it has created something that can help figure out if you can fight the virus off on your own.

How immune are you? That’s the question developers of a new COVID-19 antibody test or assay hope to answer for patients and doctors.

So, what’s your titer? That question, still strange sounding, may soon become important as vaccines bring about the endgame for COVID-19.

As COVID-19 vaccines ready themselves for market, two companies have turned their attention to what comes next – verifying whether the vaccines provide effective and lasting protection against SARS-CoV-2.

Researchers in the United States have estimated that the proportion of people in New York City who developed antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) during the first wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is around one in eight.

Six months now into this perplexing and powerful pandemic, we’ve grown accustomed to seeing our “front line” heroes whenever we venture out and also when we don’t.

Vyriad, a growing Rochester biotech firm founded by Mayo Clinic researcher Dr. Kah-Whye Peng and Dr. Stephen Russell, has started dosing of the first patient in a Phase 2 clinical trial of a possible late-stage cancer treatment.