A little over a month after a full company rebrand, the Biotech Formerly Known as Axovant has its first data readout under its new moniker.

Scientists at Recce design these antibiotics to attach to proteins in the plasma membrane of pathogens via hydrophobic interactions, which trigger cell lysis. “The bacteria can mutate as much as it likes, and the compound will still attach to the cell wall,” Graham says.

At a macro level across the globe, there is an increasing cadence, on an exponential curve, in the ability to translate basic insights into therapeutics. While the U.S. is still the world leader, other countries are making tremendous strides. The U.S. moving toward a more nationalistic framework has encouraged other countries, namely China, to own their destiny with respect to therapeutic development.

GigaGen Inc.’s co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, explained that for decades scientists working with emerging pathogens had been concerned about the possibility of a pandemic, especially since funding decisions seemed more focused on the disease in question than the possible advantages a developing technology could provide. While many researchers may have redirected their work towards combatting COVID-19, teams also took a fresh look at various other conditions, including neglected diseases and neuroscience.

One such company is Vaxart, based in South San Francisco, which is currently in Phase 1 human trials for a COVID-19 vaccine that’s taken as a pill.

Next year could be pivotal for Aridis. It anticipates inflection points for three immunotherapy programs and is making available for licensing its rapid mAb development technology platform, which identifies rare, potent, antibody-producing B cells for therapeutic development.

Rocket Pharmaceuticals (RCKT) announced positive Phase 1 test results for a gene therapy in heart disease — prompting RCKT stock to surge Wednesday.

Abpro Corp., a biotechnology company developing next generation antibody therapies for severe disease, is targeting a more robust antibody response with its therapeutic, ABP 300, which is based on neutralizing monoclonal antibodies.