Biotech Newsfeed
A continuously updated stream of biology and biotech news, aggregated from leading science and industry sources and sorted by what's newest.
Sources: Endpoints News · ScienceDaily · Phys.org · GEN · MIT Tech Review
AbbVie-allied ADARx aims for IPO with 3 drugs in the clinic
RNA interference company ADARx Pharmaceuticals revealed its intentions to go public in a Friday night SEC filing, trying to take advantage of the industry's IPO momentum. The San Diego biotech plans to list on the ...
Life uses 4 DNA letters. Scientists just made 8 work
Researchers at UC San Diego have demonstrated that a key cellular enzyme can accurately read an eight-letter genetic alphabet, doubling the four letters used by all known life on Earth. Detailed imaging revealed that RNA polymerase handles synthetic DNA letters in surprisingly similar ways to natural ones. The findi…
Virus-like particles enable gene activity tracking over time in the same cells
In recent years, scientists have developed methods to measure a cell's transcriptome, or all the RNA produced by a cell, to study the cell's identity and genetic activity. However, these methods rely on killing the cell to access the bits of RNA within and offer only a one-time snapshot.
Medicines Discovery Catapult Backs Two U.K. Biotech Companies Tackling Chronic Diseases
Medicines Discovery Catapult provided its investment and expert support to help two biotech companies accelerate the development of new treatments for a range of autoimmune, inflammatory, and age-related diseases. The post Medicines Discovery Catapult Backs Two U.K. Biotech Companies Tackling Chronic Diseases appear…
Micro-Bladder Model Demonstrates How Phage Therapy Could Help to Reduce Recurrent UTIs
Researchers used a novel human 3D micro-bladder model to demonstrate how phage therapy could help to reduce recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) by attacking the reservoirs of bacteria hidden deep within the bladder wall, which antibiotics can’t address. The post Micro-Bladder Model Demonstrates How Phage Thera…
Capturing localized protein and metabolic information from a single tissue section
Revealing how proteins and end products of biological activity (metabolites) change within specific tissue functional units during development or in response to environmental factors is beneficial for understanding localized biological processes and the biological roles of molecules.
The race to make new Ebola vaccines faces a cash crunch
A rapidly growing outbreak of Ebola in Africa has prompted a race to develop new vaccines against the virus, even as a crucial organization spearheading the effort is low on funds. The financial reality has ...
US-China biotech NeuShen gets $80M to develop brain-health drugs
A Shanghai and Boston biotech led by a veteran transpacific drug developer has secured more than $80 million to advance three clinical-stage brain-health drugs. NeuShen Therapeutics disclosed the Series B this ...
Ionis wins FDA approval of Alexander disease drug zilganersen
Ionis Pharmaceuticals got FDA approval of its rare neurodegenerative disease treatment zilganersen, paving the way for the company’s first wholly owned neurology product. Ionis' drug is an RNA-based therapy for children ...
Stanford scientists discover a seafood that can reverse signs of aging
A substance found in edible sea squirts appeared to reverse several signs of aging in older mice. Plasmalogen supplements improved memory and learning, strengthened connections between brain cells, reduced inflammation, and even helped the mice grow thicker, darker hair. Researchers believe the compounds may encoura…
Thiel-backed Lindus sells CRO arm in pivot to hunt for drug assets
A Peter Thiel-backed transatlantic startup that once branded itself as an “anti-CRO” is pivoting from a clinical trials operator to a drug developer. Lindus Therapeutics is betting that its experience over ...
MIT turns bacteria into living transistors
MIT researchers have created bacterial “transistors” that can be wired together into living circuits capable of performing calculations and directing chemical signals. One day, these biological computers could coat plant roots or leaves, detecting environmental threats and automatically triggering defenses.
Italy's Menarini gets into obesity with European rights to GLP-1 from China's Gan & Lee
One of Italy's large family-owned pharmaceutical companies is throwing its hat into the ring to compete with the GLP-1 giants in Europe. Menarini Group is gaining hold of the European rights to a GLP-1 agonist ...
Cancer Drug Reduces SIV Reservoir in Macaques, May Inform HIV Cure Strategies
Venetoclax, a cancer drug that inhibits BCL-2, reduced the intact SIV reservoir in macaques, offering preclinical support for targeting BCL-2 as part of HIV cure strategies. The post Cancer Drug Reduces SIV Reservoir in Macaques, May Inform HIV Cure Strategies appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechn…
Watchmaker Genomics Boosts Manufacturing Capacity with Major Boulder Campus Expansion
The Flatiron Park facility in Colorado will serve as the Watchmaker Boulder Manufacturing Center of Excellence for reagent manufacturing and will house the company’s manufacturing, quality, R&D, and operations teams. The post Watchmaker Genomics Boosts Manufacturing Capacity with Major Boulder Campus Expansion appea…
Predictive tools can confuse rare mutations with dangerous ones
When a patient's DNA is read, it is compared with a reference version of the human genome. This allows geneticists and rare disease experts to look at a list of places where the patient's DNA differs. Most variations will be harmless and shared with millions of other people, but some can cause illness.
Immune Cells Driving Alzheimer’s-Like Neurodegeneration Traced to Lymph Nodes
A study in mice traces immune cells that drive neurodegeneration to the body’s lymph nodes, suggesting that processes outside the brain contribute to the damage seen in various tauopathies. The post Immune Cells Driving Alzheimer’s-Like Neurodegeneration Traced to Lymph Nodes appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineer…
Psilocybin Prevents Chemotherapy-Related Peripheral Neuropathy in Mice
A study found that psilocybin given before chemotherapy prevented the onset of nerve injury in mouse models, even after repeated treatment cycles, and also protected tumor-bearing mice from neuropathy, without impairing antitumor efficacy. The post Psilocybin Prevents Chemotherapy-Related Peripheral Neuropathy in Mi…
Neutron bone imaging brings T. rex to life
A broken rib from Scotty, the largest T. rex skeleton discovered, is helping scientists uncover new information about life on Earth 66 million years ago. Scotty's rib preserves something rarely seen in the fossil record: a healing injury frozen in time.
The Analytical Blueprint for Cell & Gene Therapy Success
This eBook brings together expert perspectives on several of the most pressing analytical topics facing today’s cell and gene therapy developers. The post The Analytical Blueprint for Cell & Gene Therapy Success appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News .
Microbial 'dark matter' yields 173 potential carbon dioxide-fixing strains
There are millions of species of bacteria and archaea on Earth, remarkably little is known about most of them. Now, researchers have mined the genomes of thousands of microorganisms preserved at the RIKEN BioResource Research Center (BRC) to find organisms that may be capable of capturing CO2. BRC, located in Tsukub…
Novartis' drug delivery deal with Alteogen; More worker cuts at Cellares
Plus, news about Novonesis, Aspen, Fortrea and Northway. Alteogen and Novartis make a deal: The Swiss pharma is licensing Alteogen’s hyaluronidase enzyme, called ALT-B4, which is manufactured using a tech platform ...
Pfizer shares ADC rights with Medicus; RevMed updates lung cancer data
Plus, news about Novartis. 🤝 Pfizer turns over ADC: The New York pharma is giving Medicus Pharma co-development rights to a CD228-targeted antibody-drug conjugate known as PF-08046031, a Seagen-derived asset that it ...
AbbVie claims Phase 3 win for multiple myeloma drug etentamig
AbbVie said its T cell engager etentamig cut the risk of disease progression or death by 60% compared with standard therapies in a Phase 3 multiple myeloma trial. The Chicago-area company is now planning to ...
Summit, Akeso say ivonescimab clears OS bar in Phase 3 lung cancer trial
After an interim overall survival result last year that shook investor confidence, Akeso has claimed victory Thursday with updated China-only Phase 3 data for its closely watched PD-1xVEGF bispecific in certain lung cancer patients. Akeso ...
Superluminal secures $60M for Phase 1 of genetic obesity drug
A Boston biotech following in the footsteps of Rhythm Pharmaceuticals and others in the MC4R obesity field has raised $60 million to test its approach in Phase 1. Superluminal Medicines secured the Series B from ...
GSK to license Hutchmed’s KRAS-EGFR cancer drug for $110M upfront
GSK will spend $110 million upfront for a license to a KRAS-EGFR antibody conjugate developed by Hutchmed, with up to $1.185 billion in biobucks on the line. The Chinese biopharma said ...
Navigating the Regulatory Labyrinth: How Biotech Leaders Are Rethinking Strategy in an Uncertain Regulatory Era
The companies that emerge from this evolving regulatory cycle with clean, rigorous, globally positioned programs will find themselves in a structurally superior competitive position when the environment stabilizes. The post Navigating the Regulatory Labyrinth: How Biotech Leaders Are Rethinking Strategy in an Uncert…
'Pac-Man' enzyme breaks down bioplastics and penicillin in laboratory tests
In the ocean, plastic waste collects to form large garbage patches that endanger marine life. This is partly because the synthetic plastic polymers used today can only be broken down biologically—that is, by microorganisms—at a very slow rate. Instead, the physical fragmentation of these materials leads to the forma…
GLP-1 Drug Semaglutide Slows Aging and Extends Lifespan in Mice
Semaglutide improved health, reduced aging-related changes, and extended lifespan in older female mice, sometimes outperforming caloric restriction. However, human longevity benefits remain unproven. The post GLP-1 Drug Semaglutide Slows Aging and Extends Lifespan in Mice appeared first on GEN - Genetic Engineering…
Mammalian genes can combine to make previously unknown mRNAs and proteins
For decades, scientists have understood that each of the roughly 20,000 genes in the human body carries instructions for a single kind of protein. Now, researchers at Harvard Medical School have discovered that instructions from different genes—even those on different chromosomes—can combine to create chimeric mRNAs…
Bovine stem cells offer new approach to future cultivated steak research
Cultivated meat aims to produce meat from animal cells in the laboratory without needing to raise a living animal for meat production. It has been proposed as a potentially more sustainable alternative to conventional meat production. Yet recreating something as complex as a steak—rather than minced meat—remains a m…
Eight-letter DNA alphabet is accurately transcribed by a natural enzyme
All known life on Earth uses the same genetic alphabet, consisting of four letters. Now, researchers at the University of California San Diego have demonstrated that one of biology's most essential enzymes can accurately read and transcribe an expanded, eight-letter genetic alphabet. The findings provide important e…
Agentic AI accelerates search for crops that can harvest critical minerals
For too long, the United States has relied on foreign sources for most of the raw materials powering its technological future: the essential minerals in every smartphone, battery pack and semiconductor. What if one answer to the supply crisis isn't buried in a mine shaft but growing quietly in a field? Scientists ar…
AI-informed AdaptiveFlow redefines large-scale cloud computing for drug discovery
Researchers today announced AdaptiveFlow, an AI-informed platform that can virtually screen billions of drug-like molecules with a 1,000-fold reduction in computational costs over existing methods. Developed and validated by scientists from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, University of Pavia, Dana Farber Canc…
New AI model maps the ion binding sites that control how proteins work
Researchers at Constructor University and Constructor Labs have developed BiteNetI, a deep-learning model that locates the binding sites of 14 biologically important ion types directly in three-dimensional protein structures. The model needs only several seconds per structure and reaches two- to threefold higher acc…
Scientists tested 212 plant-based meat alternatives. Every one contained fungal toxins
Every one of 212 plant-based meat alternatives and drinks tested in the UK contained at least one naturally occurring fungal toxin, though concentrations remained below recommended EU guideline levels. Researchers say the bigger question is whether regularly eating large amounts of these foods could lead to potentia…
A startup claims it’s found a drug to make your blood young
I knew I’d officially become a “longevity influencer” this month when a company called Generation Lab reached out to offer me the chance to write about—and even receive—their new rejuvenation treatment, an injectable combination of two existing drugs which they call 1 Generation. This wasn’t just any antiaging treat…
Your dislike of eating bugs may be 9,000 years old
Ancient teeth and human DNA are revealing a surprising history of insect eating. Modern humans in northern Eurasia appear to have eaten insects only occasionally, while Neanderthals may have consumed them much more regularly. Populations near the tropics also retained genes that make insect exoskeletons easier to di…
Scientists find hidden “highways” guiding animal evolution
A sweeping analysis of thousands of animal genomes suggests that chromosomes do not evolve randomly but instead follow a limited number of irreversible “evolutionary highways.” These one-way genetic changes preserve clues to more than 600 million years of animal history and could even help researchers explore where…
A hidden “on switch” in human DNA has finally been decoded
Researchers have used AI to uncover the DNA signature of a key genetic “switch” involved in turning genes on. After analyzing about 500,000 DNA sequences, the model identified the initiator in roughly 60% of human genes. The breakthrough could help predict the effects of harmful mutations and eventually contribute t…
When AI designs a drug, who gets the credit?
When the biotech company Insilico Medicine used its computer models to propose a promising drug for pulmonary fibrosis, it enthusiastically claimed in a press release that the molecule had been “discovered by” its generative AI platform. Insilico leads a pack of companies using AI to rapidly come up with drug ideas…
Japanese scientists use tiny silver particles to make DNA assembly up to 5x more efficient
Silver nanoparticles can precisely slice DNA and create longer “sticky ends,” helping genetic fragments join up to five times more efficiently than conventional methods. The breakthrough could eventually simplify the construction of large DNA sequences for gene therapies, cancer vaccines, engineered drugs, and advan…
Animals have been eating nature’s original bioplastic for millions of years
Nature invented biodegradable plastic long before humans did—and animals may have been feeding on it for hundreds of millions of years. Researchers discovered that dozens of animal species possess enzymes capable of breaking down microbial bioplastics called PHAs, a talent once thought to belong only to microorganisms.
A 60-year-old theory about ants, bees and wasps may be wrong
Scientists have long thought an unusual genetic system helped ants, bees, and wasps evolve their extraordinary social colonies. A massive new analysis suggests that genetics alone can’t explain it—and the real secret may lie in other traits unique to these insects.
Paleontology rocked by organic molecules found in 66-million-year-old dinosaur bones
Researchers have found strong evidence that original collagen can survive inside dinosaur fossils for tens of millions of years, overturning a long-standing assumption about fossilization. The discovery could unlock hidden molecular clues about dinosaur biology, evolution, and how ancient proteins managed to survive…
Cloning could be used to save species—or make human “organ sacks”
This week I spoke to scientists who have found a way to turn male mouse embryos female. They’ve developed a CRISPR-based approach to essentially cut out the Y chromosome. It allowed them to create female clones of male mice. That’s right: female animals that are genetically identical to males, except for the missing…
Scientists just created female clones of male mice
Scientists have deliberately turned male mouse embryos into females for the first time. A team based in Japan used a CRISPR-based approach to remove the Y chromosome from male cells and create female clones of male mice. “No one has done this before,” says Monika Ward, a reproductive biologist at the University of H…
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