Trump administration halts fetal-tissue research by government scientists

June 5, 2019 | 72 views

US President Donald Trump’s administration is ending fetal-tissue research by government scientists and placing restrictions on academic researchers seeking grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for studies involving fetal tissue.

Spotlight

MorphoSys AG

MorphoSys developed HuCAL, the most successful antibody library technology in the pharmaceutical industry. By successfully applying this and other patented technologies, MorphoSys has become a leader in the field of therapeutic antibodies, one of the fastest-growing drug classes in human healthcare.

OTHER ARTICLES
MEDTECH

Top 10 biotech IPOs in 2019

Article | October 7, 2022

The big question at the start of 2019 was whether the IPO window would stay open for biotech companies, particularly those seeking to pull off ever-larger IPOs at increasingly earlier stages of development. The short answer is yes—kind of. Here’s the long answer: In the words of Renaissance Capital, the IPO market had “a mostly good year.” The total number of deals fell to 159 from 192 the year before, but technology and healthcare companies were standout performers. The latter—which include biotech, medtech and diagnostics companies—led the pack, making up 43% of all IPOs in 2019. By Renaissance’s count, seven companies went public at valuations exceeding $1 billion, up from five the year before

Read More
MEDTECH

Cell Out? Lysate-Based Expression an Option for Personalized Meds

Article | July 12, 2022

Cell-free expression (CFE) is the practice of making a protein without using a living cell. In contrast with cell line-based methods, production is achieved using a fluid containing biological components extracted from a cell, i.e., a lysate. CFE offers potential advantages for biopharma according to Philip Probert, PhD, a senior scientist at the Centre for Process Innovation in the U.K.

Read More
MEDTECH

Closing bacterial genomes from the human gut microbiome using long-read sequencing

Article | July 11, 2022

In our lab, we focus on the impact of the gut microbiome on human health and disease. To evaluate this relationship, it’s important to understand the particular functions that different bacteria have. As bacteria are able to exchange, duplicate, and rearrange their genes in ways that directly affect their phenotypes, complete bacterial genomes assembled directly from human samples are essential to understand the strain variation and potential functions of the bacteria we host. Advances in the microbiome space have allowed for the de novo assembly of microbial genomes directly from metagenomes via short-read sequencing, assembly of reads into contigs, and binning of contigs into putative genome drafts. This is advantageous because it allows us to discover microbes without culturing them, directly from human samples and without reference databases. In the past year, there have been a number of tour de force efforts to broadly characterize the human gut microbiota through the creation of such metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs)[1–4]. These works have produced hundreds of thousands of microbial genomes that vastly increase our understanding of the human gut. However, challenges in the assembly of short reads has limited our ability to correctly assemble repeated genomic elements and place them into genomic context. Thus, existing MAGs are often fragmented and do not include mobile genetic elements, 16S rRNA sequences, and other elements that are repeated or have high identity within and across bacterial genomes.

Read More

Selexis Cell Line Development Strategies

Article | February 11, 2020

In today’s biotechnology landscape, to be competitive, meet regulations, and achieve market demands, “we must apply Bioprocessing 4.0,” said Igor Fisch, PhD, CEO, Selexis. In fact, in the last decade, “Selexis has evolved from cloning by limiting dilution to automated cell selection to nanofluidic chips and from monoclonality assessment by statistical calculation to proprietary bioinformatic analysis,” he added. Single-use processing systems are an expanding part of the biomanufacturing world; as such, they are a major component of Bioprocessing 4.0. “At Selexis, we use single use throughout our cell line development workflow. Currently, we have incorporated single-use automated bioprocessing systems such as ambr® and the Beacon® optofluidic platform for accelerated cell line development. By using these systems and optimizing our parameters, we were able to achieve high titers in shake flasks. Additionally, the Beacon systems integrate miniaturized cell culture with high-throughput liquid handling automation and cell imaging. This allows us to control, adjust, and monitor programs at the same time,” noted Fisch.

Read More

Spotlight

MorphoSys AG

MorphoSys developed HuCAL, the most successful antibody library technology in the pharmaceutical industry. By successfully applying this and other patented technologies, MorphoSys has become a leader in the field of therapeutic antibodies, one of the fastest-growing drug classes in human healthcare.

Related News

INDUSTRY OUTLOOK

RegeneRx Licensee Acquired by Korean Biopharmaceutical Group

RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. | September 28, 2021

RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical-stage drug development company focused on tissue protection, repair and regeneration), announced that GtreeBNT, the licensee for several RegeneRx products, is being acquired by HLB Group, a Korean company that includes six biopharmaceutical and financial subsidiaries in Korea and the U.S. GtreeBNT announced that as part of its acquisition the company would issue approximately US$80 million of new stock and convertible bonds to HLB Group to fund ongoing programs. The new capital should speed up the clinical trials currently in progress and allow the company to focus on new drug approval. RGN-259 will remain a priority for the company. HLB's recommended executives are expected to be appointed at the general meeting scheduled for October 29, 2021. Won Yang, the current CEO of GtreeBNT, is expected to remain as the chief research officer and continue to lead the development of new drugs after the acquisition. RegeneRx has scheduled its 2021 Annual Stockholder Meeting for November 10, 2021 and hopes to have additional details on the acquisition and its effect on GtreeBNT's clinical development activities and timing related to RGN-259 and RGN-137, products developed for the treatment of dry eye syndrome, neurotrophic keratitis, and epidermolysis bullosa. The fact that GtreeBNT will receive a significant capital infusion related to the transaction, we believe, should benefit the development of the products we licensed to the company. As soon as practicable after we receive any new information from the new management related to our products we will update our stockholders. - J.J. Finkelstein, president and chief executive. About RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. RegeneRx is focused on the development of novel therapeutic peptides, including Thymosin beta 4 (Tβ4) and its constituent fragments, for tissue and organ protection, repair, and regeneration. RegeneRx currently has three drug candidates in clinical development for ophthalmic, cardiac/neuro and dermal indications, four active strategic licensing agreements in the U.S., China, and Pan Asia (Korea, Japan, and Australia, among others), and the EU, and has patents and patent applications covering its products in many countries throughout the world.

Read More

INDUSTRY OUTLOOK

RegeneRx Licensee Acquired by Korean Biopharmaceutical Group

RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. | September 28, 2021

RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc., a clinical-stage drug development company focused on tissue protection, repair and regeneration), announced that GtreeBNT, the licensee for several RegeneRx products, is being acquired by HLB Group, a Korean company that includes six biopharmaceutical and financial subsidiaries in Korea and the U.S. GtreeBNT announced that as part of its acquisition the company would issue approximately US$80 million of new stock and convertible bonds to HLB Group to fund ongoing programs. The new capital should speed up the clinical trials currently in progress and allow the company to focus on new drug approval. RGN-259 will remain a priority for the company. HLB's recommended executives are expected to be appointed at the general meeting scheduled for October 29, 2021. Won Yang, the current CEO of GtreeBNT, is expected to remain as the chief research officer and continue to lead the development of new drugs after the acquisition. RegeneRx has scheduled its 2021 Annual Stockholder Meeting for November 10, 2021 and hopes to have additional details on the acquisition and its effect on GtreeBNT's clinical development activities and timing related to RGN-259 and RGN-137, products developed for the treatment of dry eye syndrome, neurotrophic keratitis, and epidermolysis bullosa. The fact that GtreeBNT will receive a significant capital infusion related to the transaction, we believe, should benefit the development of the products we licensed to the company. As soon as practicable after we receive any new information from the new management related to our products we will update our stockholders. - J.J. Finkelstein, president and chief executive. About RegeneRx Biopharmaceuticals, Inc. RegeneRx is focused on the development of novel therapeutic peptides, including Thymosin beta 4 (Tβ4) and its constituent fragments, for tissue and organ protection, repair, and regeneration. RegeneRx currently has three drug candidates in clinical development for ophthalmic, cardiac/neuro and dermal indications, four active strategic licensing agreements in the U.S., China, and Pan Asia (Korea, Japan, and Australia, among others), and the EU, and has patents and patent applications covering its products in many countries throughout the world.

Read More

Events