Mount Sinai researchers have found that widely available and inexpensive drug targeting inflammatory genes have reduced morbidity and mortality in mice infected with SARS-CoV-2. Following its publication in Cell, and reporting by DDW, Megan Thomas spoke to Dr Ivan Marazzi, co-author of the study and associate professor in the Microbiology… Read More
University academic Dr Suresh Mohankumar has carried out research with colleagues in India during his time at JSS College of Pharmacy, JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research in Ooty prior to taking up his current role at Swansea University Medical School. Findings suggest that one of the compounds in… Read More
Vaccine development company Valneva has been awarded Breakthrough Therapy Designation for its single-shot chikungunya vaccine candidate, VLA1553, by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Breakthrough Therapy Designation intends to facilitate and expedite development and review of new drugs for serious or life-threatening conditions where preliminary clinical data demonstrates that… Read More
Thermo Fisher Scientific and the University of California, Davis (UC Davis) West Coast Metabolomics Center have created The Center of Excellence in Clinical Metabolomics, a research collaboration to provide the metabolomics community with innovations, best practices and standard operating procedures to support the rapid scale-up of large cohort studies and… Read More
Ilya Pharma has been invited to present its ILP100 accelerated wound healing therapy at the US Military Health System Research Symposium (MHSRS) 2021, to be held August 23-26 at the Gaylord Convention Center in Florida. Results for the company’s first in human trial were released earlier this year and… Read More
Gadeta, a clinical-stage company developing gamma delta (γδ) T-cell receptor (TCR)-based immunotherapies for cancer patients, has announced the dosing of the first patient with GDT-002 (formerly labelled TEG002), a potential first-in-class cellular immunotherapy for the treatment of cancer. The multicentre Phase I/II study in collaboration with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute,… Read More
Ferryx won ‘Best Elevator Pitch’ at SETsquared Bristol’s Tech-Xpo. Tech-Xpo is a flagship pitch, demo, connect showcase, providing a platform for start-ups to showcase their innovative technologies and raise investment in Bristol, UK. Founded in 2019 as a spin-out from the University of Bristol, Ferryx is dealing with the lack… Read More
New research reveals that 50% of European and US pharmaceutical manufacturing companies know artificial intelligence (AI) can help bring new drugs to market more rapidly and securely, but 96% face challenges with using it to derive value from their data. 49% of all executives surveyed say their company has no… Read More
UK-based Contract Research Organisation (CRO) Gentronix is set to expand its genetic toxicology capabilities and accelerate its growth following acquisition of the Big Blue transgenic mutation assay models. The acquisition ensures the continuing market provision of the Big Blue transgenic assays for companies requiring mutagenicity assessment under the OECD 488… Read More
Oxford Cannabinoid Technologies (OCTP) and Evotec have entered into a service agreement to expedite the development of OCTP’s lead compound, OCT461201, a selective cannabinoid receptor Type 2 agonist, towards Phase I clinical trials. This Phase I clinical trial will be aimed at demonstrating the safety and tolerability of the drug… Read More
Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have found a vital mechanism, previously thought to have disappeared as mammals evolved, that helps protect mammalian stem cells from RNA viruses such as SARS-CoV-2 and Zika virus. The scientists suggest this could one day be exploited in the development of new antiviral treatments. Read More
A survey of 75 pharmaceutical, life sciences and medtech businesses indicates R&D spending is being maintained and is set to rise in 2021, despite Brexit and the impact of Covid-19. The survey included SMEs in these sectors in the UK and was conducted by accountancy group MHA. This is positive… Read More
Monument Therapeutics has raised £2.6 million in seed funding to spin out of Cambridge Cognition and relocate to Alderley Park, Cheshire. The new company will focus on applying digital biomarkers to neuroscience drug development with a view to matching patient sub-groups with appropriately targeted compounds. Monument Therapeutics applies a novel… Read More
At an update to investors, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) provided details of its strategy, outlook for growth and plans to create shareholder value, following the planned demerger in mid-2022 of its Consumer Healthcare business. An equity research expert suggests that while targets are friendly, investors will not get a completely clean… Read More
News round-up by DDW’s Megan Thomas for 5 – 9 July We know that innovation is key in the drug discovery and development sector. DDW’s Megan Thomas rounds up her top five stories this week which highlight the industry’s on-going work to create breakthrough therapeutics for global wellbeing. Read More
‘Unicorn Hunters’ is a new show on Amazon Prime which invites viewers around the world to invest alongside a panel of entrepreneurs and business leaders. It aims to level the field for start-ups who do not have access to traditional venture capital funding. The panel includes Steve Wozniak (Co-founder of… Read More
