Drug Discovery

Sponsor: Thermo Fisher ScientificJoin this GEN webinar, sponsored by Thermo Fisher Scientific, and learn more on novel purification solutions that can help accelerate early vaccine candidate screening and improve the downstream process of different vaccine modalities such as mRNA, recombinant proteins, and Virus-Like Particles (VLPs). In addition, a new scavenging method for the removal of Baculovirus process impurities will be presented.

The pharma giant said it is ending development of V590, on which it has partnered with IAVI, and is also scrapping V591, which it acquired last year from Themis when Merck bought the company last year for an undisclosed price.

The Biden administration’s recently released Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness is extensive and ambitious. Broken down into seven goals, the plan emphasizes an effective vaccination campaign, public health initiatives such as mask mandates and rapid testing, and rebuilding the trust of the American people.

Cannabidiol analogs have been shown for the first time to kill the bacteria responsible for gonorrhea, meningitis, and Legionnaires’ disease. Structure-activity relationship studies suggest that analogs could be developed that have systemic antibiotic activity in vivo.

A Stanford study showed that reprogramming myeloid immune cells can restore youthful bioenergetic metabolism and suppress inflammation in the brain, resulting in better cognitive functions in aged mice. The authors disrupted the binding of a key lipid messenger prostaglandin E2 to its receptor EP2 to reprogram myeloid immune cells.

The discovery of the first shared antifungal compound among ant farms could eventually have a broad range of medical applications.

Researchers in the U.S. and Ireland discovered that combining VEGFR inhibitor and immune checkpoint inhibitor drugs with angiotensin-(1,7), a peptide that is generated by the ACE2 enzyme, can overcome treatment resistance and improve survival in mice with renal cell carcinoma renal cell carcinoma. The team’s studies suggested that ACE2 expression is a good prognostic factor for RCC, and while loss of ACE2 mediates resistance to classical treatments. Experiments in preclinical models of RCC showed that triple therapy using established treatments plus angiotensin-(1–7) can improve tumor response and significantly prolong survival.

Immune responses spread out over time have the ability to contain, exacerbate, and ultimately repair a cerebrovascular injury, a new study reports. Therapeutic blocking of the infiltration of specific immune cells into the brain using antibodies that neutralize cell adhesion molecules, can prevent fatal edema after brain injury, if administered within a six-hour window, the authors note.

Scientists in Australia developed a method for the rapid, safe synthesis of highly pure protein-based vaccines for respiratory pathogens, which can be taken straight into animal models for preclinical testing. The approach uses synthetic chemistry to permanently bind the protein and adjuvant together as a single molecule. The researchers demonstrated use of the technology to develop a synthetic, self-adjuvanted protein vaccine against tuberculosis, which generated a powerful protective immune response in mice.

Bayer predicts that three of its drugs could reach over $1 billion in sales starting this year, helping rebuild its pipeline as its two top-selling drugs start to lose patent protection this year. The pharma giant is focusing on specialties such as cardiovascular, oncology, women's health, and cell and gene therapies.