
RNA Therapy Improves Vision in Untreatable Genetic Blindness
A phase I/II trial run by the Dutch company ProQR has found that its RNA therapy could significantly improve the vision of people with Leber’s congenital amaurosis, a rare genetic disease for which there is no treatment.
AbbVie exits $850M Nrf2 deal with Reata, recouping $330M
After a nine-year run, AbbVie is calling it quits on its Reata Pharmaceuticals partnership. The Big Pharma, which ponied up more than $800 million for the rights to a set of Nrf2 activators for kidney disease and autoimmune disease, is now handing those rights back for $330 million in cash.

Reata buys drug rights back from AbbVie for $330M before readout
Reata Pharmaceuticals said Thursday it will pay AbbVie $330 million over the next two years to re-acquire most of the ex-U.S. rights for its leading drug candidates.

Colonoscopy player announces first commercial placements of device
Motus GI, a medical technology company focussing on colonoscopy, has announced the first commercial placements of its Pure-Vu System as part of its initial U.S. market launch targeting early adopter hospitals.

Improving How Neurological Drugs are Developed Using Cell-Type-Specific Analysis
Cerevance, a pharmaceutical company focusing on central nervous system diseases, has developed a new process for peering into the gene expression of specific brain cells. Their Nuclear Enriched Transcript Sort sequencing (NETSseq) platform can leverage a technique to specifically sort and isolate specific types of brain cells to more closely study each type.

AI And Machine Learning Help Unravel The Biology Of Alzheimer’s
Alkahest is a clinical stage company with multiple therapeutic candidates in Phase 2 trials. The company is hoping to develop a treatment for patients with Alzheimer’s but is taking a different path. Alkahest is looking at the plasma proteome and, specifically, how it changes with age.

‘Smart’ Inhaler Can Make Insulin Delivery Quick and Painless
One of the main barriers to medication adherence among diabetics is the painful, constant administration of insulin using a needle and syringes. Moreover, subcutaneous insulin administration has long been admonished for its slow onset of action. People living with this chronic condition need a convenient and efficient method of administering this crucial hormone. Biopharmaceutical company Aerami Therapeutics (formerly Dance Biopharm) may have a solution that changes the way insulin is delivered.

Spring resident finds hope in new migraine treatment device
Spring resident Leah Cravens wanted to have a baby. With her husband diagnosed with cystic fibrosis, rendering him infertile, an in vitro fertilization was her only choice. The problem? Chronic migraines have been plaguing Cravens for more than 20 years, the medicine for which would be unsafe during her pregnancy.