Sci-fi to reality: Superpowered salamander may hold the key to human regeneration

Phys.org | January 24, 2019

Regeneration is one of the most enticing areas of biological research. How are some animals able to regrow body parts? Is it possible that humans could do the same? If scientists could unlock the secrets that confer those animals with this remarkable ability, the knowledge could have profound significance in clinical practice down the road. Scientists at the University of Kentucky have taken this fantasy one step closer to reality, announcing today that they have assembled the genome of the axolotl, a salamander whose only native habitat is a lake near Mexico City. Axolotls have long been prized as models for regeneration, said Randal Voss, a professor in the UK Spinal Cord and Brain Injury Research Center and a co-PI on the project.
"It's hard to find a body part they can't regenerate: the limbs, the tail, the spinal cord, the eye, and in some species, the lens, even half of their brain has been shown to regenerate," he said. Though humans share many of the same genes with axolotl, the salamander genome is ten times larger, posing a formidable barrier to genetic analyses.

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The reason for the rapid expansion and development of the therapeutic antibody sector is the capacity of monoclonal antibodies to precisely bind a target antigen and neutralise or promote its activity. The efficacy and safety.

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The reason for the rapid expansion and development of the therapeutic antibody sector is the capacity of monoclonal antibodies to precisely bind a target antigen and neutralise or promote its activity. The efficacy and safety.

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MEDTECH, INDUSTRIAL IMPACT

Twist Bioscience Announces Technology Early Access of eWGS Solution

Twist Bioscience Corporation | February 13, 2023

Twist Bioscience Corporation, a company that helps customers succeed by providing high-quality synthetic DNA on its silicon platform, recently announced technology early access to the Twist enhanced Whole Genome Sequencing (eWGS) solution for applications related to non-human gnomics at the Advances in Genome Biology and Technology 2023 General Meeting conducted in Hollywood, Florida. eWGS is a unique solution that allows researchers to collect simultaneous low-pass whole genome data as well as in-depth coverage of specific areas in a high-throughput and cost-effective workflow. The eWGS workflow begins with a modified Twist 96-plex library preparation kit, which prepares 96 samples in a single tube for sequencing. Following that, a single-tube 96-plex enrichment on an aliquot of the library is performed using a customized panel to enrich further targets that require additional coverage. The original and enhanced libraries are then merged into a single sequencer-ready pool with low whole genome coverage (0.5x to 4x) and high target-specific coverage. Researchers can tailor the coverage differential between low-pass and high-pass sites to their own needs. Preparing and enriching 96 samples for sequencing at once in a single pool enables a high-throughput workflow and may save costs by utilizing fewer materials and resources. Twist Bioscience’s co-founder and CEO Emily M. Leproust commented, “In agricultural genomics, researchers constantly have to make a tradeoff between cost and insight. Deep sequencing across entire genomes is cost prohibitive, forcing researchers to turn to less costly approaches like genotyping by sequencing, microarrays, or low-pass WGS. These methods impose limits on the resolution, accuracy, or flexibility of experiments.” She added, “With our eWGS solution, researchers can now get all the information they need without compromising on cost or data, enabling our customers to push new boundaries in trait selection, breeding and other applications.” (Source – Business Wire) About Twist Bioscience Corporation Founded in 2013, Twist Bioscience is a leading synthetic biology and genomics firm that has created a proprietary DNA synthesis platform to industrialize biological engineering. It assists researchers in the Life Sciences who are transforming the world for the better. Scientists from several sectors, including health, agriculture, data storage and industrial chemicals, employ its oligo pools, synthetic genes, and NGS target enrichment to improve human lives and the planet's sustainability. Its technology eliminates inefficiencies and enables cost-effective, high-throughput, quick, accurate DNA synthesis and sequencing. The company provides both the quantity and quality that researchers need to quickly capitalize on future prospects.

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INDUSTRIAL IMPACT, MEDICAL

Kymanox Announces Acquisition of Anteris Medical and Anteris Helvetia

Kymanox | February 06, 2023

Kymanox, a leading life science-focused professional services firm, recently announced the acquisition of anteris medical GmbH and anteris helvetia AG (collectively anteris). Anteris specializes in assisting the commercialization and development of medical equipment, combination and in-vitro diagnostic products. This acquisition enables both firms to achieve their common organizational goal of geographic expansion while enhancing their service capabilities by offering clients a greater range of highly specialized services. Customers who bring essential biologics, such as pharmaceuticals, cell and gene therapies (C>s) and biosimilars, medical devices, and drug/device combos to global markets will benefit significantly from the combined service offerings and office locations of the combined firms. In addition, by merging the technological, scientific, and regulatory expertise of both organizations, customers will actually benefit from this synergy to ensure FDA, EMA, Notified Bodies, and other health authorities' compliance and submission excellence. Anteris, with its offices in Holzkirchen, Germany, and Küssnacht a.R., Switzerland, offers resource-efficient and innovative solutions for end-to-end development, technical documentation, and compliance to the life science and medical device sectors. Members of Anteris' technical, quality, and regulatory teams have decades of collective expertise in combination product and device development, with a focus on biosimilar development and registration, MDR, EU, CE marking, 510(k) submissions, and quality systems regulations across all key markets. About Kymanox Founded in 2004, Kymanox is a life science professional services firm that provides scientific, engineering, project management, quality, human factors, testing/CQV, QC, and regulatory assistance to firms in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, medical device, and combination product sectors. It assists in getting products from the bench to the patient and distinguishes itself by providing a wide variety of technical services and products as well as comprehensive project implementation. The company offers its services to clients worldwide from its headquarters in Raleigh (RTP), North Carolina, as well as offices throughout the United States.

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CELL AND GENE THERAPY, MEDTECH

Pear Therapeutics and Spero Health to Collaborate and Expand Access to PDTs

Pear Therapeutics | January 09, 2023

Pear Therapeutics, Inc., the leader in commercializing and developing software-based medicines known as prescription digital therapeutics (PDTs), announced the expansion of its collaboration with Spero Health, an integrated healthcare services organization. Spero Health, which has adopted reSET® and reSET-O® at 14 locations in Kentucky, plans to expand access to eligible patients at its remaining 99 locations in Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. Offering new FDA-approved treatment options is a part of Spero Health's mission to promote patient engagement and retention in recovery. Steve Priest, Spero Health’s CEO said, “Spero Health continues to find innovative ways with new technologies to bring solutions to our communities that have been devastated by drug overdose, and we are looking forward to our collaboration with Pear Therapeutics to pursue even better outcomes in treatment.” Adding to this, he further said, “Pear’s technology equips our clinicians with vital measurements via a clinician dashboard that allows us to provide quality care to our patients who suffer from substance use disorders. We believe having access to patient reported data via Pear’s clinician dashboard gives us better insight into patient behaviors. We expect that this approach will help to increase compliance and create efficiencies in how our treatment teams deliver care.” (Source: BusinessWire) Spero Health's two implemented products, reSET® and reSET-O®, have been measured in real-world use, and their therapeutic content has been evaluated in randomized controlled trials, with the results published in peer-reviewed medical journals. reSET® is used for patients aged 18 or older with substance use disorder as a monotherapy, whereas reSET-O® is used in combination with buprenorphine-based medication-assisted treatment for patients 18 and older with opioid use disorder. About Pear Therapeutics Pear Therapeutics, Inc., the parent firm of Pear Therapeutics (US) Inc., is a leader in the development and marketing of software-based pharmaceuticals, also known as prescription digital therapeutics (PDTs). The company intends to transform care through the widespread adoption of clinically validated software-based therapeutics to provide improved patient outcomes, smarter engagement and tracking tools for clinicians, and cost-effective solutions for payers.

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