Enter GigaGen’s Surge platform, which uses single-cell sequencing to “capture and recreate” libraries of antibodies from blood donors.

Last week, privately-owned Cerevance released data from a Phase Ib biomarker study of its oral compound, CVN058, evaluating the potential of the medication as a treatment for cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia (CIAS).

“RNA interference is often better than antibodies because of the catalytic process that you can generally use,” said Chris Anzalone, CEO of Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals. A drug like inclisiran can cut LDL cholesterol in half with only two injections per year, whereas Praluent and Repatha injections are given every 2 to 4 weeks.

Invasive fungal infections are becoming increasingly common and often pose a serious public health threat, claiming the lives of more than 1.5 million people worldwide each year.

Clene Nanomedicine is trying to set a new “gold standard” in neurodegenerative diseases through the development of a new class of drugs called bioenergetic nanotherapeutics that harnesses the properties of gold nanocrystals.

“We are fortunate to collaborate with CalciMedica, a pharmaceutical company who specializes in developing drugs suppressing calcium overload in the immune cells,” Tvrdik said. “We share the vison that our research might help to identify an effective drug that will improve the recovery of stroke survivors.”

Vaxart, a San Francisco-based biotechnology company, is testing a tablet-form Covid-19 vaccine to tackle storage temperature problems, which affect even rich countries like the US, said founder Sean Tucker. “If it turns out that we will need to vaccinate people every year, it’s going to be a real challenge,” he added. “A tablet vaccine like ours … we dream that it’s going to be sent by mail, or even drone or some other delivery service, because it is room temperature stable, so you don’t have to deal with the problems with the cold-chain [infrastructure].”