Drug Discovery

Persistent scientists managed to improve cryo-EM’s resolution over time. The development of better hardware for detecting electrons and efficient algorithms to construct a three-dimensional structure from multiple images of a protein eventually triggered a “resolution revolution” in cryo-EM. Once derided as “blobology,” cryo-electron microscopy is being celebrated for bringing structure-based drug design into focus.

By Kerstin Pohl Therapeutics has entered the genomic medicine era, with gene therapies, RNA vaccines, and other novel genomic medicines in development. These new gene...

Nanovesicles are a popular way to deliver therapeutics, but mammalian-based nanoparticles and synthetic lipid nanoparticles often have difficulty reaching the brain, the lungs, the retinas, and other tissues. To overcome the challenges that arise with conventional nanoparticles, AGS Therapeutics develops microalgal extracellular vesicles (MEVs).

Sponsored content brought to you by Viral contamination is an inherent risk during the manufacture of biopharmaceutical products. Whether introduced initially from raw materials or...

Early-stage biotechnology company Infinimmune, which is developing novel techniques for antibody drug discovery and development, announced that it has closed a $12-million seed round led by Playground Global, with participation from Pear VC, Civilization Ventures, and Axial VC and support from Ron Alfa, Jacob Becraft, Paul Conley, and Joshua Meier. Co-founders Wyatt McDonnell, Katie Pfeiffer, Mike Gibbons, Lance Hepler, and David Jaffe have led development teams at 10x Genomics, Pacific Biosciences, and the Broad Institute.

Computational and experimental studies show synonymous mutations that change the DNA sequence of a gene, but not the sequence of the encoded protein (“silent mutations”) can impact protein production and function by changing the rate of protein synthesis. Researchers have uncovered a new class of protein misfolding called a noncovalent lasso entanglement that can result from changes to the rate of protein synthesis caused by synonymous mutations.

University of Washington researchers developed a laboratory test, SOBA, that can measure amyloid beta (Aβ) peptide oligomers in blood and detect Alzheimer’s disease at any stage, potentially years before symptoms develop. The team’s human study indicated that the test can also differentiate Alzheimer’s disease from other amyloid disorders. Spinout company AltPep is developing both SOBA™ diagnostics blood tests to aid in diagnosing amyloid diseases, and SOBIN™ therapeutics that target and neutralize the toxic soluble oligomers associated with amyloid diseases.

Researchers at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences have demonstrated in a new mouse study how our body clock influences our immune response to vaccines. The findings may help improve the design and timing of administration of future vaccines to maximize effectiveness. 

Pfizer and Clear Creek Bio, a private biotechnology company, today announced a research partnership and an exclusive license agreement to develop oral antivirals for the treatment of COVID-19. The research collaboration and license that Clear Creek Bio and Pfizer signed give Clear Creek Bio a chance to work together on lead optimization and hand over a potential development candidate to Pfizer so that it can be tested in the clinic.

President Biden’s executive order to advance our national bioeconomy highlighted the tension between the amazing scientific innovation over the last 10 years and the need for our biotech infrastructure—the underlying scientific systems, manufacturing capacity, and teams—to keep pace. One could see the metaphor to our crumbling infrastructure of highways and bridges, and recognize it is time to modernize our biotech infrastructure.