Drug Discovery

A new imaging technique can be used record the storms of messages that crackle within cells. It affixes reporters to small, self-assembling proteins that act like LEGO bricks. These small proteins click together, forming clusters that are randomly scattered across the cell like little islands. Each cluster, which appears under the microscope as a luminescent dot, reports only one type of cellular signal.

With the first COVID-19 vaccines due to reach patients in a matter of weeks—including some that require temperatures up to -80º Celsius (112º Fahrenheit)—companies that manufacture and market freezers have scrambled to keep up with surging customer demand. Three companies told GEN that the demand for vaccine storage freezer extends beyond traditional customers, many of which require support as they navigate the unfamiliar territory of storing vaccines at such low temperatures.

The companies will initially focus on Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and two other undisclosed gene targets, then potentially work to develop three other gene targets that were also not disclosed.

REGEN-COV2 consists of two monoclonal antibodies, casirivimab and imdevimab, both designed to bind non-competitively to the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2’s spike protein.

The companies said they will support their EUA application in part with final efficacy data they announced earlier this week showing BNT162b2 to be 95% effective in their nearly 44,000-patient Phase III trial, as well as positive safety data.

In the Phase II trial, AZD1222 induced immune responses in both parts of the immune system in all age groups, as well as at both the low and standard doses—though adults 70 years of age and older showed fewer adverse effects than participants in the two younger adult groups.

Scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have discovered an antifungal compound in the microbiome of a Florida Keys sea squirt, that efficiently targets potentially deadly, multidrug-resistant strains of the fungal pathogen Candida auris, without toxic side effects in mice. The scientists say the new molecule, named turbinmicin, represents the most tangible output to date, of the group's $30 million NIH grant to identify useful new antimicrobial drugs from bacteria living in overlooked environments.

Sponsored by: MilliporeSigmaWhen COVID-19 started to spread across continents and become a global pandemic, biopharma manufacturers around the world faced two major challenges: (1) enter the race for treatment of the disease by participating in vaccine development and (2) avoid delays in the production of other essential therapeutics. This GEN webinar, sponsored by MilliporeSigma, presents two case studies from Europe and Latin America that demonstrate how the global teams across the M Lab™ Collaboration Center network used innovative remote technologies to overcome these challenges and meet important production timelines.

Harvard Medical School researchers have, for the first time, described in mice how bacteria residing in the gut can protect against viral infections. Their work pinpointed a group of gut microbes—and a particular species—that trigger immune cells to release virus-repelling type 1 interferons. The studies further identified the molecule on the bacteria that unlocks the immune-protective cascade.

That 95% efficacy rate is based on nearly twice as many COVID-19 cases as the 94 cases reported in early data released last week from the 43,538-participant Phase III trial (NCT04368728). That data showed the vaccine to be more than 90% effective in preventing COVID-19 in participants without evidence of prior SARS-CoV-2 infection.