Drug Discovery

Allogene Therapeutics will partner with Notch Therapeutics to research and develop induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) AlloCAR™ therapies for initial blood cancer indications that include non-Hodgkin lymphoma, leukemia, and multiple myeloma, through an exclusive worldwide collaboration and license agreement that could generate more than $300 million for Notch.

A study in a large family with members who carry mutations linked with developing early onset Alzheimer's disease has identified a rare mutation in the APOE3 gene in one patient that could help to explain why some individuals are more resistant to the neurodegenerative disease than others.

Halozyme will eliminate more than half (55%) of its workforce—approximately 160 positions—halt development of its lead candidate PEGPH20 (pegvorhyaluronidase alfa), and shut down its oncology pipeline, in a restructuring intended to refocus the company solely on its Enhanze® drug delivery technology.

Researchers at the University of Dundee have identified an enzyme that inhibits the protein kinase product of a gene known as LRRK2, mutations in which are the most common genetic cause of Parkinson’s disease.

Amgen will spend approximately $2.7 billion to dive deeper into China’s growing market for oncology treatments by taking a 20.5% stake in BeiGene—part a global collaboration with the Beijing-based biotech that will include commercializing three marketed Amgen cancer drugs in China, and developing another 20 candidates in Amgen’s oncology pipeline.

Two studies indicate that measles infection in unvaccinated children wipes out B cell memory, leading to "immune amnesia" that leaves individuals more vulnerable to future infection by other pathogens. Authors claim depleted B memory pools and serological immunity highlight the importance of measles virus vaccination not only to protect against measles but also for the maintenance of herd immunity to a range of other pathogens.

Researchers from the University of Sheffield say they have identified a new potential treatment pathway for cardiovascular disease.

If done right—with an architecture for the complete picture—new eClinical platforms will reduce redundancy, streamline effort, and make the process of getting new drugs to market far less of a “trial.”

New tools can evaluate multiple protein–protein interactions at once, expediting drug screening, filling in interactomes, and revealing patterns of molecular activity as intricately choreographed as a ballet.

Emphasizing the value of uniform target capture, Twist Biosciences describes how using dsDNA probes can increase confidence in sequencing reads while reducing costs.