RNA Biomarkers for Early Lung Cancer Diagnosis
Cancer diagnostic developer Oncocyte is pioneering early-stage detection with novel RNA-based tests for lung cancer. Limitations of Current Biomarkers Most blood-based early cancer detection diagnostics in development are based on the analysis of cell-free and tumor-circulating DNA. In order for tumor DNA to be present in the blood of a cancer patient, however, the tumor must be quite large. These diagnostics, therefore, typically only detect mid- to late-stage cancers, and await demonstration that early detection of these large tumors impacts outcomes.
In Conversation: NantKwest — Harnessing Natural Killer Cells to Treat Cancer
Effectively harnessing the immune system requires activation of natural killer, dendritic, and T cells. NantKwest is developing off-the-shelf therapies that have shown great promise in initial clinical studies. Emilie Branch, editor at Pharma’s Almanac, sat down with NantKwest’s Chairman and CEO, Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, to discuss this exciting treatment option and find out why it could be one of the most promising developments in oncology to date.
Developing a Coronavirus Vaccine Using Allogeneic Cell Based Therapy with Jeff Wolf Heat Biologics
Jeff Wolf, CEO, Heat Biologics describes the vaccine platform Heat has developed originally for oncology and their licensing agreement with the University of Miami to use the same vaccine approach for NIH-funded studies against Zika, malaria, and HIV against the Coronavirus.
Woman of the Week Podcast
Smital Shah shares the lessons she learned as a financial strategist and investment banker, which she is now using to help guide ProQR, a rare disease company, to bring much-needed treatments to patients.
Nimble Supply Chains Minimize Disruption
Two marine cargo terminals in Seattle closed Friday (and will close each Friday in the foreseeable future), along with one in Baltimore that will be closed until Tuesday. Cargo volume from Asia that entered the U.S.at the Port of Los Angeles plummeted nearly 23% in the past 30 days. Next door, the Port of Long Beach reported a nearly 10% drop in its incoming Asian cargo.
Aligos tackles hepatitis B with combo approach, three drugs entering clinic this year
Lessons learned from development of hepatitis C therapies could be applied to the underserved hepatitis B population, potentially leading to a functional cure through a combination of optimized drugs that attack the virus from different angles. That is the mission of 2-year-old Aligos Therapeutics Inc., a South San Francisco-based startup focused on liver-related diseases.
Partnered with Gilead and Sanofi, protein degradation specialist Nurix bags $120M to chart its own clinical path
On the same day that Cambridge, MA-based Kymera Therapeutics unveiled a $102 million round to enter into development phase, Nurix said it has raised $120 million to do the same out of San Francisco’s Mission Bay.
After Kymera’s raise, Nurix nabs $120M as it too hones in on clinical work
Sanofi- and Gilead Sciences-backed Nurix Therapeutics is following suit with rival biotech Kymera in raising a major cash haul for its protein modulation R&D work. Nurix has grabbed $120 million to push on with its drug discovery platform that focuses on manipulating the ubiquitin system, which breaks down damaged or unneeded proteins.
