Month: November 2019

Evolution of Cancer Diagnostics: Rise of Novel Non-Invasive Methods

Cancer diagnosis, today, employs a mix of invasive and non-invasive strategies. Invasive cancer diagnostic methods are generally expensive and uncomfortable. Biopsies have been the gold standard to determine the clinicopathological characteristics of cancer tissues for many years. The procedure is very uncomfortable and painful for patients and in many cases, the results are known to

CAR-T Pipeline Update: Autolus Therapeutics Presents Preclinical Data on AUT06NG

Autolus Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing next-generation programmed T cell therapies for the treatment of cancer, presented pre-clinical data on AUTO6NG, the company’s next-generation GD2-targeting CAR (chimeric antigen receptor) T cell therapy, at the 34th Annual Meeting of the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC). What did the results highlight: The results demonstrated the utility

Microbiome Research Update: New Study Uncovers Role of Bacteria in Bowel Cancer

Dr. Kaitlin, from the University of Bristol, speaking at the 2019 NCRI Cancer Conference, confirmed that they have discovered evidence of the presence of an unclassified type of bacteria from the bacterial group named ‘Bacteroidales’ increased the chances of bowel cancer by 2 to 15 percent.  The researchers employed the technique known as Mendelian randomization to

New Research in ALS – Mitoautophagy Responsible for Development of Early Stages of Neurodegeneration

Researchers at Northwestern Medicine have discovered a new phenomenon in the brain that could explain the development of early stages of neurodegeneration seen in diseases such as ALS, which affects voluntary muscle movement such as walking and talking Mitoautophagy. What is the discovery: The researchers have invented a new term to describe the discovery: Mitoautophagy,

FDA Approves Celgene’s REBLOZYL® for the Treatment of Anemia

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Celgene’s REBLOZYL® (luspatercept-aamt) for the treatment of anemia in adult patients with beta-thalassemia who require regular red blood cell (RBC) transfusions. What is Beta-thalassemia: Beta-thalassemia is a blood disorder that reduces the body’s production of hemoglobin. Low levels of hemoglobin lead to a shortage of mature red blood cells and a lack of oxygen in

CAR-T Pipeline Update: Celgene posts pivotal data ahead of FDA filing

Celgene has recently published positive data from a pivotal trial (NCT02631044) of its CAR-T therapy. As per the reports, the data look competitive against Gilead’s Yescarta and Novartis’ Kymriah, leading analysts to predict Celgene will win FDA approval next year. This is a big news for the overall CAR-T pipeline. As per the reported data, the

New Real-World Data Unveiled at ACAAI Indicates Comparable Clinical Practice Logistics to Implement Oral Immunotherapy and Environmental Allergy Shots

In a recent press release by Aimmune Therapeutics, the company reported that the Clinical Practice logistical needs for implementing oral immunotherapy (OIT) for food allergies, such as peanut allergy, into clinical practice are comparable to those for subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) for environmental allergies. These data were presented at the American College of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology

Party Like Celebrities: American Gene Technologies Hosts a Red Carpet Event to Celebrate IND Submission

On November 6, 2018, American Gene Technologies (AGT) announced that it will host a red carpet event to celebrate a significant milestone in the company’s 11-year history of scientific research in cell and gene therapy. Last month, the company successfully submitted its Investigational New Drug (IND) application to the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) to

T-Cell Therapies Funding Update: Tmunity Raises $75 Million in Series B Funding

On 31st October 2019, Tmunity Therapeutics, a private biotherapeutics company focused on saving and improving lives by delivering the full potential of next-generation T cell Therapies, announced the closing of $75 million Series B financing. Who were the key investors: The financing was led by Andreessen Horowitz (also known as “a16z”). Joining the Series B

Avantgen Enters a Strategic Collaboration Agreement for its NK Cell Engager Technology

On 7 November 2019, AvantGen, a biotechnology company with its array of technology platforms for antibody discovery, optimization, and novel NK cell engager generation, announced a strategic agreement with an undisclosed biopharmaceutical company for the purpose of generating multiple novel bi-specific NK cell engaging therapeutic antibody product candidates. Under the terms of the agreement, AvantGen

CARsgen anti-BCMA CAR T Therapy Receives RMAT Designation

On 28 October 2019, CARsgen Therapeutics, a clinical-stage biopharma company, announced that the FDA has granted Regenerative Medicine Advanced Therapy (RMAT) designation to its investigational CT053 CAR-T cell therapy. What is CT-053: CT053 is a fully human anti-BCMA (B Cell Maturation Antigen) autologous chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T Cell therapy for the treatment of relapsed and/or refractory multiple

Genome Editing Services Market Snapshot

The rising demand for genome editing services has resulted in the rise of several players with a wide range of capabilities. Currently, there are close to 80 players that claim to offer CRISPR based genome editing services. To get more insights about the market, check out the detailed report market report – Genome Editing Services.

More than 50 Large Volume Wearable Injectors are Available / Under Development

Over time, both drug developers and medical device Injectors manufacturers, have entered into strategic alliances to combine their respective expertise and develop appropriate drug-device combination products. Presently, multiple such combinations, facilitating easy delivery of both insulin and non-insulin drugs, in large volumes, are either already available in the market or under development. Check out more

ADCs Pipeline Update: Avacta Partners with ADC Therapeutics

On November 1, 2019, Avacta Group and ADC Therapeutics have announced a collaboration agreement for the development of novel drug candidates. What is the objective of the collaboration: The partnership will aim at the development of drugs combining ADC Therapeutics’ pyrrolobenzodiazepine-based cytotoxic warheads with Avacta’s Affimer targeting platform. What are the financial terms of the agreement: The detailed

ADCs Pipeline Update: Daiichi Sankyo Initiates Clinical Trial

On October 31, 2019, Daiichi Sankyo and Sarah Cannon Research Institute announced the dosing of the first patient in a first-in-human phase 1/2 study (NCT04145622) evaluating DS-7300. What is DS-7300: DS-7300 is an investigational B7-H3 targeting antibody-drug conjugate (ADC). What is B7-H3: It is a Type I transmembrane protein belonging to the B7 family, which includes immune checkpoint