TORONTO, Oct. 11, 2018 /CNW/ - Trillium Gift of Life Network, the government agency responsible for organ and tissue donation and transplant, has developed a new metric to measure Ontario hospitals' performance in organ donation: the eligible approach rate.

A hospital's eligible approach rate measures the number of families approached to discuss the potential of organ donation for their loved one against the total number of cases where donation was a possibility, and a family could have been approached. This new hospital donation performance metric was developed to increase opportunities for Trillium Gift of Life Network to approach families about donation.

"Trillium Gift of Life Network is dedicated to ensuring that when donation is an option, families have the opportunity to consider giving the gift of life," said Ronnie Gavsie, President and CEO, Trillium Gift of Life Network. "Families often tell us that donation brought them comfort in their grief. We must ensure that the choice to save lives is made available to all families of potential donors."

Ontario is the only province to publicly report on hospital performance in organ and tissue donation. This practice has contributed to higher donation rates, making Ontario the leader in Canada.

From April 1 – June 30, 2018, 55 Ontario hospital corporations collectively achieved an eligible approach rate of 82 per cent. A hospital's eligible approach rate is affected by a variety of factors, including the extent to which hospitals have donation policies to facilitate timely referrals to Trillium Gift of Life Network.

Since 2013, Trillium Gift of Life Network has reported on two other performance indicators: routine notification rate and conversion rate.

Routine notification rate measures the frequency at which hospitals notify Trillium Gift of Life Network of a patient death or imminent death. Without this critical first step, precious life-saving opportunities are lost. From April 1 – June 30, 2018, 69 designated hospital corporations in Ontario collectively achieved a 96 per cent routine notification rate.

Conversion rate measures the percentage of potential organ donors that became actual organ donors. During the same reporting period, 55 designated hospitals corporations together achieved an average of 60 per cent conversion rate.

Quick facts

• Only two to three per cent of hospital deaths occur in circumstances that permit organ donation.
• Donation performance data including eligible approach rate, routine notification rate and conversation rate, by hospital, is available at www.giftoflife.on.ca/en/publicreporting.htm.
• One donor can save up to eight lives and enhance up to 75 more through tissue donation.
• Register or learn more about donation at www.BeADonor.ca.

Trillium Gift of Life Network is the Government of Ontario agency responsible for planning, promoting, coordinating and supporting organ and tissue donation and transplantation across the province and for continually improving the system so that more lives can be saved.

New, game changing category of exercise offers live and on-demand boutique studio classes in the home environment

TORONTO, Oct. 11, 2018 /CNW/ - The future of fitness is about to cycle its way into homes across Canada. According to a new survey by Ipsos conducted in October about the exercise habits of Canadians, it should be welcome news: three quarters of Canadians aged 25 to 64 say making time to get to an exercise class is difficult and that it's more convenient for them to exercise on their own schedule. The launch of US fitness sensation Peloton this week offers Canadians an entirely new way to work out, without ever leaving their homes.

If the Peloton brand sounds familiar, it should: since the launch of its at-home connected bike in 2014, the leading global technology company has become the go-to exercise regimen for everyone from high profile celebrities and CEOs to busy parents who need a more convenient way to exercise.

Dubbed by US media as 'the Netflix of fitness,' Peloton has created an entirely new category of fitness by bringing live and on-demand boutique studio classes to the convenience and comfort of the home environment. All content is produced in the brand's state-of-the-art NYC studio, run by award-winning television producers with world-class instructors leading the pack. Viewed as an industry disruptor, the company uses technology and design to connect the world through fitness, empowering people to be the best version of themselves anywhere, anytime, while allowing their community to feel the rush and competitive nature of a studio.

The company, which has more than doubled its size each year since inception, was founded by entrepreneur John Foley.  Foley, and his wife Jill -- boutique fitness studio enthusiasts -- found it difficult to attend classes after becoming new, time-strapped parents.  Peloton was the solution they imagined filling an immediate need for busy individuals.  To date, the company has raised almost $1 billion in financing and is valued at $4 billion.  Peloton enters Canada following its UK launch in late September, which marked the company's first foray outside the US market.

To kick off the much-anticipated Canadian launch, the brand is opening a retail showroom in Toronto for guests to try the category-creating Bikes, Peloton Toronto, located at 130 Bloor Street West, will open October 12^th, and will offer the ultimate cycling experience, where guests will get to test ride the Bike, get a personalized tutorial and learn more about the Peloton experience.  Beyond the Bloor Street showroom, the company will also open a Yorkdale Shopping Centre location (Toronto) later in October and two stores in Western Canada in November (West Edmonton Mall, Edmonton, CF Chinook Centre, Calgary). Bikes will also be available to purchase directly online at www.onepeloton.ca. The Canadian expansion plans to see another 10 showrooms open in the next 12-18 months.

"Technology has changed everything, from the way we watch television to the way we travel – fitness is the next industry going through a revolution and Peloton is excited to be at the forefront of this movement," said Kevin Cornils, International Managing Director, Peloton. "Clearly, Canadians want to work out -- but the reality is that 80 percent want to work out on their own time, when they're available, not on someone else's schedule. Our mission at Peloton is to change the fitness game by bringing the energy of studio-style, group fitness classes to homes around the world, one Bike at a time."

Using its revolutionary indoor Bike, Peloton streams 14 daily live – and 10,000+ on-demand – immersive cycling classes, so users can enjoy the intensity and excitement of classes taught by the world's best instructors without leaving the house.  The Peloton Bike retails in Canada for $2,950 (including Delivery & Setup) plus $49 per month for access to Peloton Digital's unlimited class subscription, which includes cycling, as well as "Floor" workouts such as running, bootcamp, strength, stretching and yoga.

Interview Availability:

Managing Director Kevin Cornils is in Toronto and available for interviews Thursday October 11th and Friday October 12th.  Please contact Rob Loschiavo to arrange an interview rob@pomppr.com or 647-229-8412. 

Survey Highlights

• 75% of Canadians agree that making time to get to an exercise class is difficult, led by 81% of Ontarians
• 77% say it's more convenient for them to exercise at home than go the gym
• 70% say they'd work out more if they could do it from the convenience of their own home
• 84% want to work out on their own time, when they're available, not on a schedule, this number rises to 89% among 35-54 year olds
• 40% of Canadians get less than 30 minutes of activity per day
• Most Canadians (73%) prefer to engage in physical activity on their own vs. 27% who prefer doing so with other people
• One in six (17%) incorporate spinning (indoor cycling) into their exercise or physical activity
• Time (40%), laziness (29%), scheduling (25%), are the top three barriers Canadians report to getting exercise. In particular, men are more likely to cite not enough time (45%) and not fitting with their schedule (30%) as barriers. 42% of those under 35 say they're too lazy
• 64% say working out with others motivates them to work harder, led by BC residents (68%)
• 62% say they get bored easily when working out, including 70% of those aged 25-34 and 67% of Ontarians

The survey was conducted by Ipsos in October 2018, among a sample of 1,000 Canadians aged 25-64 with a household income of at least $60,000. The results are considered accurate to within +/- 3.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.

How to book a trial of the Peloton Bike at Peloton Toronto:
Sign up to book your ride at toronto.onepeloton.com

About Peloton
Founded in 2012, Peloton is reinventing fitness by bringing live and on-demand boutique-style studio classes to the convenience and comfort of your own home. Our immersive fitness content, taught by Peloton's roster of elite instructors, features real-time motivation and curated playlists of your favorite artists. The Peloton experience can be accessed through the Peloton Bike, the Peloton Tread, or Peloton Digital, an iOS app that offers an all-access pass to a full slate of fitness offerings, anytime, anywhere. Peloton is changing the way people get fit through a comprehensive and socially connected experience that makes every workout both efficient and addictive. The company has a growing number of retail showrooms across the US and, starting this fall, in Canada and the UK. For more information, visit www.onepeloton.ca.

Unique discovery platform generates new antibody candidates that block
a root cause of Parkinson's Disease

TORONTO and CAMBRIDGE, MA, Oct. 11, 2018 /CNW/ - ProMIS Neurosciences, Inc. (TSX: PMN) (OTCQB: ARFXF), a biotechnology company focused on the discovery and development of antibody therapeutics targeting toxic oligomers implicated in the development of neurodegenerative diseases, today announced the identification of several potential antibody therapeutic candidates aimed at selectively targeting toxic oligomers of the protein α-synuclein, considered a root cause of Parkinson's disease (PD).

"Using our unique discovery platform, we were able to identify several novel targets displayed on toxic oligomers of α-synuclein and generate antibody candidates capable of protecting brain neurons against such toxic oligomers in vitro," stated ProMIS Executive Chairman Eugene Williams. "We now look forward to further validation and selection of the most promising candidates to move forward in development for PD. We see our emerging Parkinson's disease program as an ideal pharma partnering opportunity."

ProMIS has retained Red Sky Partners, LLC of Cambridge, Mass., to support partnering efforts for its novel antibody candidates for Parkinson's disease.

In vitro studies, performed at Neuron Experts (Marseille, France), a specialized contract research organization, investigated the neuroprotective effect of ProMIS' antibodies on rat primary dopaminergic neurons injured by exposure to toxic oligomers of α-synuclein, an in vitro model of PD. In the test, several ProMIS antibodies, selectively targeting toxic oligomers of α-synuclein, significantly blocked the death of neurons induced by these oligomers.

Commenting on these results, Dr. James Kupiec, ProMIS Chief Medical Officer stated: "I am truly impressed with the outstanding ability and efficiency of the ProMIS platform to predict novel therapeutic targets and generate highly selective therapeutic antibodies for multiple neurodegenerative diseases. Having recently joined ProMIS from my prior position as VP, Global Clinical Leader for Parkinson's Disease at Pfizer, I expect further development of these antibody candidates will offer real hope for disease-modifying therapy in PD."

Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by loss of dopaminergic neurons located in the midbrain and the presence of intraneuronal inclusions (Lewy bodies/Lewy neurites), consisting mainly of aggregates of α-synuclein that can propagate from cell to cell. Recent published data indicate ^1,2,3,4 that a-synuclein toxicity resides primarily with these aggregated, oligomeric forms of the protein.

Pursuant to its expanded license agreement with the University of British Columbia, ProMIS holds exclusive, worldwide license to these novel therapeutic targets and antibodies; patent filings have been submitted to the United States Patent Office.

References:  ¹Fusco et al, 2017, Science; ²Choi et al, 2018, Cell Reports; ³Peelaerts et al, 2015, Nature; ⁴Games et al, 2014, J Neuroscience

About ProMIS Neurosciences
ProMIS Neurosciences, Inc. is a development stage biotechnology company focused on discovering and developing antibody therapeutics selectively targeting toxic oligomers implicated in the development and progression of neurodegenerative diseases, in particular Alzheimer's disease (AD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Parkinson's disease (PD). The Company's proprietary target discovery engine is based on the use of two complementary techniques. The Company applies its thermodynamic, computational discovery platform -ProMIS™ and Collective Coordinates - to predict novel targets known as Disease Specific Epitopes on the molecular surface of misfolded proteins. Using this unique precision medicine approach, the Company is developing novel antibody therapeutics for AD, ALS and PD.  ProMIS is headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, with offices in Cambridge, Massachusetts. ProMIS is listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol PMN, and on the OTCQB Venture Market under the symbol ARFXF.

About Neuron Experts
Neuron Experts is a Contract Research Organization specializing in the study of neuro-active compounds. The company uses its own tests based on primary neuronal cell cultures modeling neurodegenerative diseases and neuronal impairment-induced skin disorders.

For further information about ProMIS Neurosciences, please consult the Company's website at:  www.promisneurosciences.com

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The TSX has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This information release contains certain forward-looking information. Such information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those implied by statements herein, and therefore these statements should not be read as guarantees of future performance or results. All forward-looking statements are based on the Company's current beliefs as well as assumptions made by and information currently available to it as well as other factors. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. Due to risks and uncertainties, including the risks and uncertainties identified by the Company in its public securities filings, actual events may differ materially from current expectations. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.