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What’s New... What’s New...What’s New...

More Transplants More Life New Study from Cleveland Clinic Florida Researchers

Announces Nonprofit Status Points to Novel Drug Target for Treating COVID-19

More Transplants More Life (“MTML”) announced its recognition as a tax-exempt Researchers from Cleveland Clinic’s Florida Research and Innovation Center
non-profit under Section 501(c)(3) of the United States Internal Revenue Code. (FRIC) have identified a potential new target for anti-COVID-19 therapies. Their find-
Contributions to MTML are now fully tax-deductible. Even more importantly, MTML ings were published in Nature Microbiology.
is also eligible to apply for public and private grants. Leveraging grants with matching Led by FRIC scientific director Michaela Gack, Ph.D., the team discovered that a
funds from donors will create more opportunities to improve availability of additional coronavirus enzyme called PLpro (papain-like protease) blocks the body’s immune
organs for transplantation to those in need. They will also provide support for living response to the infection. More research is necessary, but the findings suggest that
donors and recipients. therapeutics that inhibit the enzyme may help treat COVID-19.
“This is a major milestone for our growing organization, and we are excited to help “SARS-CoV-2 – the virus that causes COVID-19 – has evolved quickly against many
support patients on the organ transplant list as well as help educate the community of the body’s well-known defense mechanisms,” Gack said. “Our findings, however,
about the importance of organ donation,” commented Louis Betz, President and offer insights into a never-before characterized mechanism of immune activation and
Founder of MTML. how PLpro disrupts this response, enabling SARS-CoV-2 to freely replicate and wreak
Betz, himself, contracted a rare autoimmune disease that resulted in a double lung havoc throughout the host. We discovered that inhibiting PLpro may help rescue the
transplant at the end of 2018. He learned first-hand about the great demand for early immune response that is key to limiting viral replication and spread.”
organs and that every day people die while on waiting lists – or even trying to get on One of the body’s frontline immune defenses is a class of receptor proteins, includ-
the list at all. Kidneys, lungs, hearts, and livers are desperately needed. In fact, while ing one called MDA5, that identify invaders by foreign patterns in their genetic mate-
in the hospital recovering, one of his fellow patients died while waiting for lungs. It rial. When the receptors recognize a foreign pattern, they become activated and kick-
hit him hard; but blessed with a full recovery, he decided to share his experiences and start the immune system into antiviral mode. This is done in part by increasing the
improve the processes associated with organ transplants. downstream expression of proteins encoded by interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs).
Since its original formation in mid-2019 as a Political Committee, MTML has been In this study, Gack and her team identified a novel mechanism that leads to MDA5
a growing voice about the importance of organ donation and in support of organ activation during virus infection. They found that ISG15 must physically bind to spe-
transplant candidates waiting on – or trying to be approved to - the National registry. cific regions in the MDA5 receptor – a process termed ISGylation – in order for MDA5
“This opens many doors for our organization to expand fundraising and increase to effectively activate and unleash antiviral actors against invaders. They showed that
advocacy on behalf of transplant candidates across the board,” added Betz. ISGylation helps to promote the formation of larger MDA5 protein complexes, which
ultimately results in a more robust immune response against a range of viruses.
“While discovery of a novel mechanism of immune activation is exciting on its
Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center own,” Gack said, “we also discovered a bit of bad news, which is that SARS-CoV-2 also
Opens New Orthopedic Unit understands how the mechanism works, considering it has already developed a strat-
egy to block it.”
The research team shows that the coronavirus enzyme PLpro physically interacts
Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center has with the receptor MDA5 and inhibits the ISGylation process.
opened a new orthopedic unit for patients hav-
ing orthopedic procedures. The unit has 15
newly renovated private rooms with a spacious
room set up including plush sofa beds, private Marcus Neuroscience Institute at
bathroom and shower designed and equipped
for safety, to go along with their supervised Boca Raton Regional Hospital Completes
rehabilitation center offering a fully equipped
gym for physical occupational rehabilitation. Its First Robotic Assisted Spine Surgery
Some of the new amenities include:
• 15 newly renovated private rooms Using state-of-the art tech-
• Spacious room set-up – armoire, a gener- nology that promises to
ous countertop and desk area, and plush sofa become tomorrow’s standard
beds of care, neurosurgeons at
• Private bathroom and shower designed Marcus Neuroscience
and equipped for safety Institute, Frank Vrionis,
• Professionally supervised rehabilitation M.D., and Timothy Miller,
center offering a fully equipped gym for phys- M.D., have successfully per-
ical and occupational rehabilitation formed their first robotic-
• Rehabilitation center furnished with vari- assisted spine surgery. The
ous daily activity simulators to prepare for Institute, located at Baptist
driving, using the restroom, shower or tub, Health’s Boca Raton Regional
and going up and down stairs post-surgery Hospital, is the only facility
• Comfortable dining area is a private space for orthopedic patients to go with in Palm Beach and Broward
their guest to enjoy refreshments and stretch their legs counties to offer this
advanced technology and
one of only two facilities
between Central Florida and Dr. Frank Vrionis
the Florida Keys.
The patient, a man in his 70s, underwent a minimally invasive spinal fusion to sta-
bilize the lumbar area of his back using the Mazor X™ Robotic Guidance Platform.
“Robotics allow us to perform minimally-invasive surgeries with increased safety
and precision, leading to less blood loss, less post-operative pain and faster recovery,”
says neurosurgeon Frank Vrionis, M.D., the Institute’s director. “With our new
sophisticated robotic system, we will be able to perform more minimally invasive pro-
cedures safely and effectively. This is particularly beneficial to our aging population,
because it reduces the risk of infection and shortens hospital stays.”
The robotics platform assists surgeons by combining 3D pre-operative planning,
robotic guidance and intra-operative surgical navigation for precise placement of
spinal implants and screws. “The margin of error is very small in the spine,” Dr.
Vrionis says. “If you’re placing hardware in the spine, there are times when one mil-
limeter is all it takes to leave a person with weakness or a neurological problem. The
more precise we can be, the better.”
The Mazor X™ Robotic Guidance Platform provides surgeons comprehensive
information and visualization before ever making an incision. Using 3D imaging and
computer analytics, the surgeon plans an optimal surgery in a CT-based 3D simula-
tion of the patient’s spine. This means the angle, width and length of every screw are
very specifically mapped for each patient and guided in real time during surgery.

20 April 2021 southfloridahospitalnews.com South Florida Hospital News