RNA

CureVac and GSK have published preclinical data investigating immune responses as well as the protective efficacy of CureVac’s first-generation vaccine candidate, CVnCoV, and second-generation vaccine candidate, CV2CoV, against SARS-CoV-2 challenge in non-human primates.   The study, conducted in collaboration with Harvard Medical School, assessed cynomolgus macaques vaccinated with 12µg of either the first or second-generation […]

DDW Editor Lu Rahman selects three Canadian start-ups worth watching: AbCellera Biologics, BlueRock Therapeutics and Deep Genomics. AbCellera Biologics AbCellera Biologics was founded in 2012 as a spin out from the University of British Colombia. The company searches, decodes, and analyses natural immune systems to find antibodies that can be developed into drugs to prevent […]

eTheRNA immunotherapies, a clinical-stage company developing mRNA-based immunotherapies for the treatment of cancer and infectious diseases, has opened a subsidiary, eTheRNA Asia, with offices located in the Sheung Wan area of Hong Kong. The Asia-Pacific region is growing in importance in the global healthcare sector and this new subsidiary will serve as a focus for […]

Scientists at the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL), in collaboration with the Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), the Institut de Biologie Structurale (IBS) and the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), have published new data on how the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein interacts with mammalian lung cell membranes, allowing the viral RNA to enter human cells.  The purpose […]

The latest DDW Sitting Down With podcast features Melina Mathur, Product Manager for Biopharma at Twist Bioscience. Mathur talks about Twist’s antibody expertise, drawing on the company’s experience and looking at the importance of collaboration. The company has created some successful partnerships and she explains what these look like, why they have been fruitful, and […]

Now a key pillar in the early stages of therapeutics development, the limitations of introducing a DNA double strand break mean that workflows are broadening away from CRISPR–Cas as a gene knockout technology and towards platforms that enable genetic modulation and safer genetic alterations. Nicola McCarthy, Horizon Discovery, explains. Navigating from target identification to validation […]

Lisa Osborne, CEO at RANA Healthcare Solutions interviews Daniel Kavanagh, PhD, Senior Scientific Advisor, Gene Therapy at WCG. The Covid-19 pandemic has put vaccine development centre-stage. Never have citizens around the world been so focused on the length of time it takes to develop, test, approve, manufacture and distribute new vaccines. This heightened interest is […]

Michael Smyth is Medical Director at Galapagos UK, responsible for launching innovative therapies in the UK to help change the course of inflammatory disease for patients. Having studied medicine at Liverpool University, one of his personal missions is lifelong learning which is reflected in his role to strive for new treatment options that lead to better […]

Two weeks ago, the Moderna mRNA vaccine became the third vaccine to be approved for emergency use in the UK. With 94% effectiveness, this vaccine is an exciting addition to the COVID-19 relief effort and brings us one step closer to the end of the pandemic. Before 2020, efforts to study mRNA vaccines weren’t at the forefront of […]

Targeting RNA is set to be the next big thing; 85% of human genome transcribed to RNA but only 3% translated into proteins, therefore making it an obvious target. With Risdiplam being approved by the FDA in August, and several major collaborations also being penned throughout 2020, including a $190 million deal between Arrakis and […]