Down syndrome

• Lausanne, Switzerland, February 22, 2024 – AC Immune SA (NASDAQ: ACIU), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company pioneering precision medicine for neurodegenerative diseases, today announced upcoming presentations highlighting its precision medicine pipeline at the International Conference on Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Diseases (AD/PD™ 2024), taking place in Lisbon, Portugal March 5-9, 2024.
• In addition, Andrea Pfeifer, Ph.D., CEO of AC Immune SA will lead an industry symposium exploring the latest clinical advances in the diagnosis and treatment of alpha-synuclein pathologies.
• Active immunotherapy ACI-7104.056 in early PD: update from the Phase 2 trial VacSYn
  Utility of [18F]PI-2620 PET in clinical trials: insights into tau pathology deposition in Down Syndrome
  Discovery and preclinical development of [18F]ACI-19626, a first-in-class TDP-43 PET tracer
  VacSYn study: An innovative biomarker-based phase 2 clinical trial to evaluate ACI-7104.056, a novel active immunotherapy for Parkinson’s disease
  ACI-7104.056, an active immunotherapy for synucleinopathies, induces a strong and sustained antibody response against alpha-synuclein in non-human primates

• Valentine’s Day is a time when love and intimacy are celebrated with fervor.
• In particular, people with disabilities face discrimination and obstacles when seeking love, affection and sexual fulfillment.
• Our team has undertaken a comprehensive series of interviews with individuals living with disabilities, delving into their personal journeys with love, romance and sexuality.

Stereotypes about disability and sexuality

• Individuals with disabilities frequently confront a multitude of stereotypes that limit their opportunities to form intimate relationships and have sex.
• These perceptions can deeply affect their experiences and how society treats the topic of disability and sexuality.
• This view unfairly categorizes people with disability as a “danger” to the community, fostering unnecessary fear and discrimination.

Being told to wait

• Infantilization often means people with disabilities are told to wait and delay their engagement in any romantic or sexual experiences.
• For instance, Randy, a 39-year-old man with a mental disability, told us he was advised not to pursue intimate relationships.
• Often, people with disabilities, especially those with intellectual disabilities, are told to wait.

Sex education inaccessible and inadequate

• In ensuring individuals are informed about their options in terms of sex, sexuality and gender, sex education is often where these conversations begin.
• Unfortunately sex education is often delivered in inaccessible and ineffective ways to people with disabilities, particularly those who are 2SLGBTQ+.
• Sex education is often delivered in ways that focus on heterosexual and cisgender experiences.

2SLGBTQ+ disabled people being left behind

• Individuals with disabilities who are also 2SLGBTQ+ often find themselves facing multiple forms of discrimination, including ableism, homophobia and transphobia.
• Yet, our interviews with 2SLGBTQ+ adults with developmental and/or intellectual disabilities reveal not just the barriers these individuals face but also their profound resilience and desire for love.
• For instance Tracey, a 19-year-old gender fluid person, said:
  “I just wish there were more like spaces where disabled people could also enter because you know, when you also think of like, people who are physically disabled, they can’t go out clubbing.

Disabled activists push back

• It’s a fitting moment to reflect on how everyone desires to love and be loved.
• The work of disabled activists like Andrew Gurza, host of the podcast Disability after Dark, and Eva Sweeney, creator of Cripping up Sex with Eva, is particularly illuminating.
• Their efforts highlight a critical message: The more we talk about it, the less of a taboo topic it becomes.

Alan Santinele Martino receives funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

• During this four-day online event, presenters reported on their use of OGM for applications in cancer, genetic disease, and cell and gene therapy.
• OGM is helping to unravel persistent, complex mysteries in genetic disease that impact people, even in more common disorders like Down syndrome and Marfan syndrome.
• OGM has the potential to meet the key requirements of the cell and gene therapy community.
• “I would encourage anyone who was unable to attend live to login, view these presentations and see how bright the future of cytogenetics is with OGM.”

• Whitten will be joining 40 accomplished young professionals who will receive this prestigious annual recognition award the night of the event.
• From 1993 to 2004 Whitten worked in the TV industry for cable pioneers Peter Barton, her father, John J. Sie and others.
• In 2003 Whitten gave birth to her first child, Sophia, who happens to have Down syndrome.
• From that moment, Whitten has dedicated her life to improving the lives of people with Down syndrome through research, medical care, and government advocacy.