Olivia Vizier

The scientist whose unorthodox approach helped former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid beat pancreatic cancer is turning his attention toward fighting coronavirus. Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, who said his company ImmunityBio is working with the Department of Health and Human Services on a coronavirus vaccine, said the same treatment that worked on Reid’s cancer could be used to fight infectious diseases.

With deep roots in diabetes, this small company is pushing forward with a trial against a rare diosease known as congenital hyperinsulinism.

Mark Revord will never know for sure whether an experimental drug, known at the time as CM4620-IE, saved him from having a breathing tube inserted down his throat to manage his COVID-19 symptoms.

Fauci is “cautiously optimistic” that with multiple vaccine candidates being developed using different platforms, we’ll eventually have an effective COVID-19 vaccine. However, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, CEO of biotech companies ImmunityBio and NantKwest, says the big question is the duration of immunity produced by a vaccine.

Non-invasive imaging has played an increasing role in drug discovery and development processes. Nikki Withers spoke with Yochi Slonim, who discusses a novel technology that leverages FRET signals for the discovery of small molecule drugs that selectively control mRNA translation in a novel target space.

CalciMedica Inc. revealed that, in combination with low-flow oxygen therapy, Auxora reduced the proportion of patients put on ventilators by over 50 percent compared to the SOC group and improved recovery time to less than half that of the SOC patients. The open-label study consists of 26 patients enrolled while on low-flow oxygen and randomised 2:1

The era of COVID-19 has brought on some exciting developments with the types of biopharmaceutical enterprises that are developing therapies and vaccines to treat the disease. Specifically, immuno-oncology enterprises are delving into the area, as their immunotherapies can also coincide with mechanisms of action that can also treat COVID. In this interview, Lori McDermott, VP,

Nonalcoholic steatohepatitis is a severe form of fatty liver disease that affects 3% to 5% of the population in the United States and currently no approved drugs are available for treatment, according to a press release from Durect Corporation.

Vaccinex’s Phase 2 SIGNAL study, evaluating the investigational antibody pepinemab (VX15/2503) in Huntington’s disease patients with late prodromal and early disease, is ongoing and has tested pepinemab in all 265 patients enrolled in cohort B, the company announced.

Australian drug developer Recce Pharmaceuticals has announced new data showing significant in-vivo antibacterial activity in mice treated with its lead compound RECCE 327 against Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the second most common sexually transmitted infection (STI). RECCE 327 is among a new class of synthetic antibiotics with broad-spectrum activity developed for the treatment of blood infections and sepsis derived from E. coli and S. aureus bacteria,

Best Use of Social Media – Bronze: Using the Power of Social Media to Engage with Target Audiences in a Crowded Disease Space by LifeSci Communications Best Use of Social Media Bronze: Using the Power of Social Media to Engage with Target Audiences in a Crowded Disease Space by LifeSci Communications

“Seeing a group of people become a team and achieving more than they thought was possible inspires me” – Anne Whitaker, CEO, Aerami Therapeutics

The race for a COVID-19 vaccine has a dark horse entrant. Billionaire scientist and businessman Patrick Soon-Shiong announced in a 27 May investor call and press release that an experimental vaccine being developed by two of his companies is on the short list of 14 candidates being evaluated by Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration’s

Molecular diagnostics developer OncoCyte said it will step up its pursuit of coverage by private insurers for its DetermaRx™ non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) test, after receiving a final local coverage determination (LCD) from Palmetto GBA, the Medicare Administrative Contractor for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Work is already underway at Valneva’s plant in Livingston on the unique Covid-19 inactivated vaccine.

Filippo Petti, Chief Executive Officer at Celyad, delves into the disruptive potential of CAR T therapies in treating cancer, and explores the challenges that have held the technology back thus far.

Significant efforts are underway to develop a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that has caused the COVID-19 global pandemic. A critical factor of consideration is the potential impact that vaccine hesitancy could have on these efforts.

As the biotech industry flourishes and therapies become more targeted and personalized, the need for drug developers to interact with patients is increasing as well. While patient organizations took a backseat in the past, they are continuously gaining importance in drug development today. Nowadays, talking with patient organizations has become paramount for successful drug development,

David Hochman, founder and CEO of Orchestra BioMed, shares how the company’s risk-reward sharing business model has helped it stay afloat during the coronavirus pandemic.

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) management has come a long way, now making it possible for people with HIV to live longer, healthier lives. Antiretroviral therapy (ART), drugs that prevent HIV from replicating in your body, are largely to thank for that improvement. Despite ARTs ability to slow disease progression, it is not a cure.

Huntington’s disease (HD), also known as Huntington’s chorea, is an inherited genetic disorder that kills brain cells. The Huntington Disease Society of America describes the disease as “a fatal genetic disorder that causes the progressive breakdown of nerve cells in the brain.”

Fountain Therapeutics Inc., a California company working to create treatments for age-related diseases, said Khosla Ventures has led a $6 million series A-1 financing of the startup, with participation from Nan Fung Life Sciences, which earlier contributed $5 million to the round.

“Significant investment, in both time and money, is needed to advance a vaccine candidate to market,” Thomas Lingelbach, CEO of French vaccine developer Valneva, told me. “In addition to the extensive clinical trial recruitment and separate trials for children and infants, vaccine development takes between 10 to 15 years depending on the disease area and its complexity,

During the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the FDA has continued in its normal role of approving safe and effective drugs. But how do pharma companies go about bringing a new drug to market during the pandemic? Immunomedics’ chief commercial officer Brendan Delaney explains how his company has successfully facilitated the treatment of US patients with its