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An international team of scientists has shown that a stem cell therapy for multiple sclerosis (MS) could prevent further damage to the brain. The early-stage clinical trial was the result of a collaboration between researchers at University of Colorado Anschutz Campus, the University of Cambridge and the University of Milano-Bicocca. “We don’t know yet whether […]

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has authorised the world’s first gene therapy for sickle-cell disease (SCD) and transfusion-dependent β-thalassemia (TDT). Casgevy (exagamglogene autotemcel, or exa-cel) is the first medicine to be licensed that uses gene editing tool CRISPR, for which its inventors were awarded the Nobel Prize in 2020. The treatment from […]

Glox Therapeutics has raised £4.3M ($5.2M) in seed funding to develop targeted therapeutics against antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria. The company will use the funding to establish laboratories in Oxford and Glasgow and expand its team to accelerate its bacteriocin development programme. Glox Therapeutics is developing precision antibiotics using engineered protein bacteriocins. These novel antimicrobials effectively and […]

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved Zepbound (tirzepatide) injection for chronic weight management alongside a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activity. It is approved in adults with obesity (body mass index of 30 kilograms per square meter (kg/m2) or greater) or overweight (body mass index of 27kg/m2 or greater) with at least […]

Semaglutide 2.4mg (Wegovy), a drug approved for weight loss, can reduce the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) by 20%, according to new data released by Novo Nordisk. SELECT is a Phase III cardiovascular outcomes trial investigating the effects of once-weekly semaglutide 2.4mg in adults with established cardiovascular disease (CVD) and overweight or obesity […]

A Phase Ib trial has shown low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) reductions up to 55% and blood PCSK9 protein reductions up to 84% after a single infusion of Verve Therapeutics’ Verve-101. The trial participants have heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HeFH), a life-threatening inherited disease characterised by lifelong elevations in blood LDL-C and accelerated atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). […]

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Ixchiq, Valneva’s single-dose, live-attenuated vaccine for the prevention of disease caused by chikungunya virus (CHIKV). The vaccine is indicated in individuals 18 years of age and older who are at increased risk of exposure to CHIKV. Ixchiq was granted Fast Track and Breakthrough Therapy designations and […]

The Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer’s (SITC) 38th Annual Meeting (SITC 2023) took place on 1-5 November 2023, at San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, US. CAN-2409 in non-metastatic pancreatic cancer Candel Therapeutics reported on initial positive interim data from its Phase II clinical trial of CAN-2409 that showed notable improvements in patients with […]

The UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has authorised a new indication for anastrozole, to prevent breast cancer in post-menopausal women at moderate or high risk of developing the disease. The hormone treatment was already authorised for use in the treatment of breast cancer in post-menopausal women and has been used off-label for […]

The European Society for Medical Oncology Meeting (ESMO) 2023 took place from 20-24 October in Madrid, Spain. Many drug discovery companies took the opportunity to share their latest cancer research findings. Axicabtagene ciloleucel, Kite Two indirect comparative analyses of CAR T-cell therapy axicabtagene ciloleucel vs. bispecific antibodies epcoritamab and glofitamab, for relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-Cell […]

PwC has published a new report on the UK life sciences industry ‘The Life Sciences Future50’, highlighting companies that illustrate world-class science and innovation, including 32 in the therapeutics space. According to the report, the life science industry represents a £43.4 ($52.7) billion annual contribution to GVA and supports 646,000 job every year and. Academic […]

A partnership has been set up to promote the development of new treatments to tackle the global threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Innovate UK, LifeArc, and Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC) have joined forces to create PACE (Pathways to Antimicrobial Clinical Efficacy), a £30 ($36) million initiative supporting early-stage innovation against AMR. PACE will select, invest […]

Prostate cancer’s resistance to treatment can be reversed in some patients by stopping hijacked white blood cells from being ‘pulled into’ tumours, according to new research published in Nature. In an early clinical trial, researchers showed that blocking the messages cancer uses to hijack white blood cells can re-sensitise a subset of advanced prostate cancers […]

A new blood test has been shown to identify biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease, providing an early warning of cognitive decline. Early results from PharmaKure, a pharmaceutical company spun out from The University of Manchester, UK, shows a novel whole blood test (ALZmetrix) developed by the company can quantify Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers. The test may enable […]

A UK-based study will investigate whether a common anti-viral medication could double up as a treatment for long Covid. The project involves teams from the University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Exeter, in collaboration with Gilead Sciences. Globally, estimates suggest that over 144 million people developed long Covid, […]

The UK’s University of Oxford is taking the lead on two collaborative international projects to improve the response to new Covid-19 variants and contribute to future pandemic preparedness. Researchers at Harvard Medical School (HMS) in the US and the University of Oxford have developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool named EVEscape that can predict […]