Biotech
By Dr Anton Yuryev, Consulting Director, Bioinformatics and Data Science, Elsevier There are more than 300 million people worldwide living with a rare condition, but only 5 per cent of 8,000 known rare diseases have licensed treatments. One pragmatic and potentially life-changing solution to the rare disease challenge is drug repurposing – the exploration of [...]
Health Tech World explores the latest developments in the world of health technology. Synthetic DNA nanoparticles for gene therapy A grant has been awarded for research in synthetic DNA nanoparticles, which have potential applications in gene therapy. The grant will support work in synthesising nanoparticles and studying how they behave inside cells in a laboratory [...]
Alphabet’s drug discovery unit Isomorphic Labs is preparing to test its AI-designed medicines in humans for the first time, its president has confirmed. Colin Murdoch, president of Isomorphic Labs and chief business officer at Google DeepMind, said clinical trials were "very close" following years of development. Murdoch told Fortune during an interview in Paris: “There [...]
Scientists have identified two new families of drug molecules that could lead to future treatments for tuberculosis, the world’s second deadliest infectious disease after Covid-19. The compounds work by blocking an enzyme that tuberculosis bacteria use to convert cholesterol into energy, offering a potential way to starve the bacteria and combat the disease, which causes [...]
Stockholm-based biotech firm Epigenica has raised €1.8m to support the development and commercialisation of its gene expression screening technology. The company develops tools to study epigenetics – how environmental and lifestyle factors influence gene activity without altering the DNA sequence – for use in research, diagnostics and drug development. The new investment will also support [...]
Oxford-based Ochre Bio, a biotechnology company developing RNA therapeutics for chronic liver disease, has appointed Dr Quin Wills as CEO. As Founder of Ochre, and previously CSO, Quin has been driving the company's innovative approach to late-stage liver disease – developing potential new therapeutics to target disease progression. Quin will now lead the company in [...]
Odgers’ Chris Hamilton and Mike Drew explain why the success of precision medicine will hinge on the development of critical leadership roles As global demographics shift and life expectancy increases, longevity start-ups are emerging at the intersection of science and innovation. These ventures are no longer fringe players in biotech – they are spearheading what [...]
LogicFlo today announces a $2.7 million seed funding round to scale its intelligent agent platform across the pharmaceutical, biotech, and medtech industries. The round was led by Lightspeed with participation from leading healthcare and enterprise AI investors. It will fund product expansion, team growth, and deeper deployments with global life sciences organisations, including a Fortune [...]
A new portable gene therapy device could allow hospital pharmacies to create personalised medicines on demand for rare disease patients, a new study suggests. The technology could reduce reliance on centralised drug manufacturing by enabling pharmacists to prepare treatments directly at the bedside. This approach may address the challenge of treating rare diseases, which affect [...]
A genetic study has been launched following hundreds of reported pancreatitis cases linked to weight loss and diabetes jabs, including ten deaths. Researchers will examine whether genetic differences influence the risk of developing pancreatitis — inflammation of the pancreas — in people taking GLP-1 medicines. These drugs mimic a natural hormone that helps regulate blood [...]
