Worldwide News

Diamond Pharma Services has provided EU regulatory, pharmacovigilance, quality and compliance support to GenSight Biologics including the preparation, authoring support, agency communication and submission of GenSight’s first marketing authorisation application (MAA) to the European Medicines Agency (EMA), for its novel ocular gene therapy LUMEVOQ.  The EMA decision is expected in H2 2021. LUMEVOQ is a […]

Cobra Biologics is to manufacture Scancell Holdings COVID-19 vaccine. The agreement covers Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) production of plasmid DNA needed to generate the DNA vaccine, against SARS-CoV-2, for use in a Phase I clinical trial in 2021 (COVIDITY). The project is funded by an Innovate UK grant awarded to the consortium between Scancell, the […]

If you are a biotech scientist interested in reversing or overcoming the state of T-cell exhaustion, this webinar will be of interest. Quantifying T cell exhaustion: An insight into BiTE antibodies and CAR-T cells for improved therapeutics will be hosted by DDW and presented by Sartorius. It will examine T cell exhaustion and how it is […]

As a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic, 41% of global clinical trials in fields other than COVID-19 (c.4,5001) have been delayed or put on permanent hold. Looking ahead, 74% of life science organisations say that COVID-19 will continue to compromise their ability to deliver on clinical trial objectives for the next six to 12 months. […]

Avacta’s BAMS assay to detect the SARS-CoV-2 virus has been launched as a research kit by its partner Adeptrix and the assay has been presented by Bruker Scientific, a mass spectrometer manufacturer, in a new application note. The bead-assisted mass spectrometry (BAMS) assay uses the Affimer reagents specific to the SARS-CoV-2 virus to capture the […]

CPhI Annual Report 2020 highlights cell and gene therapy capacity shortages in the USA and 10+ mAb approvals in China. Continuous Bioprocessing growing quickly, but from a low base, with virtually all manufacturers now using at least some single use technologies. CPhI Annual Report – launched ahead of the first CPhI Festival of Pharma (5-16 […]

Almost seven in 10 Americans would be interested in receiving a COVID-19 vaccine, a study finds. But researchers say there are concerning gaps in interest, particularly among Black Americans, who suffer disproportionately from the virus. Researchers from The Ohio State University surveyed more than 2,000 Americans, asking them about their willingness to be vaccinated and […]

Launching a dual-pronged attack on tumours using a combination of two innovative precision medicines could treat patients with multiple common cancers, a new clinical trial shows. It is the first trial to use the pioneering genetically targeted drug olaparib – already licensed for ovarian, breast and prostate cancer – together with a promising new medicine, […]

Despite causing huge global upheaval, COVID-19 hasn’t deterred the drug discovery and development events sector. Throughout the pandemic, event organisers have been working to ensure that the relationship building, knowledge and innovation we rely on events to deliver, can still happen despite the restrictions. SLAS 2021 January 25-27 There are new and exciting changes taking […]

Metabolon, has announced the close on $72 million in combined debt and equity financing. This round of financing included Perceptive Advisors as a new participant. EW Healthcare Partners and other existing investors also participated in the financing. “We are thrilled by this strong show of support from Perceptive Advisors and our current investors,” said Rohan […]

White blood cells called monocytes released into the blood from bone marrow have abnormal features in people who have COVID-19. This is according to a new study by University of Manchester immunologists at the Lydia Becker Institute. The team from the Coronavirus Immune Response and Clinical Outcome (CIRCO) consortium says the abnormalities are greater in […]

Relation Therapeutics, a drug development company driven by data science and machine learning (ML), has announced Project RE, which will use technology to idenitfy of repurposed drug combinations as potential therapeutic candidates for COVID-19. Project RE will focus on finding therapies to tackle viral entry and replication and is co-led between Mila (Quebec AI Institute) […]

Avacta is planning to launch an ELISA laboratory test for the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to support global research efforts into the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Enzyme linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) are very common research tools used to detect and quantify a target of interest in a range of samples. Using the same Affimer reagents that […]

CSL has signed an agreement with the Australian government for the supply of 51 million doses of the University of Queensland’s (UQ) COVID-19 vaccine candidate (V451). In a separate agreement with AstraZeneca it will also manufacture the Oxford University candidate (AZD1222), should clinical trials of both prove successful. The total number of vaccines ordered by […]

The AstraZeneca Oxford University vaccine trial has been paused due to illness in a participant. The much-publicised vaccine provoked a T cell response within 14 days of vaccination (white blood cells that can attack cells infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus), and an antibody response within 28 days. As part of the ongoing randomised, controlled clinical […]

CN Bio has developed single and multi-organ microphysiological systems (MPS) to improve the accuracy and efficiency of drug discovery. It is now collaborating with Imperial College London. The research will harness CN Bio’s Liver-on-Chip technology to advance the understanding of the underlying mechanisms of alcoholic hepatitis and uncover novel targets for drug discovery and development. […]