Nature Biotechnology

RootPath Announces Publication Demonstrating How Its Novel Gene Synthesis Technology Empowers Cell Therapy in Solid Tumor Cancers

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
Biotechnology, Health, Genetics, Pharmaceutical, Oncology, Nature Medicine, NKI, Cell, Nature Biotechnology, TILS, Research, Patient, Netherlands Cancer Institute, Synthetic biology, Discovery, Neoplasm, TCR, Growth, Gene, Fine chemical

RootPath , a synthetic biology company that elevates the throughput of gene function interrogation by orders of magnitude, today announced a new publication in Nature Biotechnology detailing research that demonstrates the power of the company’s novel gene synthesis technology and how it may contribute to successful cell therapy in solid tumor cancers.

Key Points: 
  • RootPath , a synthetic biology company that elevates the throughput of gene function interrogation by orders of magnitude, today announced a new publication in Nature Biotechnology detailing research that demonstrates the power of the company’s novel gene synthesis technology and how it may contribute to successful cell therapy in solid tumor cancers.
  • The publication is titled “ Discovery of tumor-reactive T cell receptors by massively parallel library synthesis and screening ”.
  • With the help of RootPath’s innovative synthesis technology, we now improved the throughput of this approach by a factor of 100.
  • The company will soon offer TCR gene synthesis and screening services commercially, as reported in the study.

Seed Health Appoints Microbiome Pioneer Zain Kassam, M.D., M.P.H., as Chief Medical Officer

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
Western University, Harvard University, Nature Biotechnology, Public health, Chairperson, Abstract, Health, McMaster University, OpenBiome, FMT, Janssen, IPO, Therapy, Science, Ecology, Alumni, Internal medicine, Bacillota, Longevity, Growth, MIT, Medical device

BOSTON, April 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Seed Health, a microbiome science company, today announced the appointment of Zain Kassam, M.D., M.P.H., as Chief Medical Officer. An award-winning physician-scientist, Dr. Kassam has played a pivotal role in the advancement of microbiome science for over a decade. His extensive body of work includes over 200 peer-reviewed publications and abstracts, including in The New England Journal of Medicine, Nature Biotechnology, and Gastroenterology, and co-authoring international clinical practice guidelines. He has championed more than 30 Phase I-III clinical trials with top-tier academic institutions across multiple therapeutic areas. As Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Kassam will collaborate with Chief Scientific Officer, Dirk Gevers, Ph.D., to oversee Seed Health's R&D portfolio. He will expand the company's gut microbiome program and guide upcoming launches in the vaginal and skin microbiome sectors, as well as in brain health, metabolic health, and longevity.

Key Points: 
  • Dr. Kassam will lead Seed Health's clinical research and medical affairs, driving the
    BOSTON, April 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Seed Health , a microbiome science company, today announced the appointment of Zain Kassam, M.D., M.P.H., as Chief Medical Officer.
  • As Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Kassam will collaborate with Chief Scientific Officer, Dirk Gevers, Ph.D., to oversee Seed Health's R&D portfolio.
  • He will expand the company's gut microbiome program and guide upcoming launches in the vaginal and skin microbiome sectors, as well as in brain health, metabolic health, and longevity.
  • Before joining Seed Health, Dr. Kassam co-founded and was Chief Medical Officer at two foundational microbiome therapeutics companies, OpenBiome and Finch Therapeutics.

Biophytis launches OBA phase 2 clinical study in obesity with BIO101 (20-hydroxyecdysone)

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
Notifiable disease, Metabolism, Obesity, Euronext Growth, Skeletal muscle, Patient, Nature Biotechnology, Weight loss, Trial of the century, OBA, Facial muscles, Sarcopenia, Therapy, MAS, Pharmaceutical industry

These benefical effects of BIO101 (20-hydroxyecdysone) may translate into improved mobility and muscle strength in obese sarcopenic patients, as suggested in the SARA-INT phase 2 study.

Key Points: 
  • These benefical effects of BIO101 (20-hydroxyecdysone) may translate into improved mobility and muscle strength in obese sarcopenic patients, as suggested in the SARA-INT phase 2 study.
  • We believe that our leadership in developing drugs for muscular diseases and promising results obtained in obesity will be a strong accelerator of the OBA clinical plan."
  • The OBA Phase 2 clinical study is expected to start mid 2024, upon regulatory approvals, with first patients expected to be treated in the second half of 2024.
  • Further information on the OBA program and the clinical study is expected to be provided through the coming weeks.

Gritstone bio Presents Improvements to EDGE™ Platform at AACR 2024

Retrieved on: 
Monday, April 8, 2024
AP, Infection, HIV, Nature Biotechnology, Epitope, Cancer, SARS-CoV-2, Gritstone bio, HLA, AACR, Immunity, EDGE, Poster, Vaccine

EMERYVILLE, Calif., April 08, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Gritstone bio, Inc. (Nasdaq: GRTS), a clinical-stage biotechnology company working to develop the world’s most potent vaccines, today presented an update on its T cell epitope discovery platform, EDGE, at the 2024 American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting in San Diego, CA. The presentation details improvements Gritstone has made in prediction of peptide presentation by HLA Class I, associated with CD8+ T cells, since the publication of the initial results in 2018 (Nature Biotechnology). It also reviews how Gritstone has expanded EDGE’s application to predict peptide presentation by HLA Class II.

Key Points: 
  • The presentation details improvements Gritstone has made in prediction of peptide presentation by HLA Class I, associated with CD8+ T cells, since the publication of the initial results in 2018 ( Nature Biotechnology ).
  • It also reviews how Gritstone has expanded EDGE’s application to predict peptide presentation by HLA Class II.
  • “Identifying which of the hundreds of tumor mutations are most likely to serve as neoantigens, key targets of tumor-specific T cells, is critical to the development of effective neoantigen-directed vaccines,” said Andrew Allen, M.D., Ph.D., Co-founder, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Gritstone bio.
  • The improvements we are making to EDGE, leveraging advances in protein large language models and in-house immunopeptidomics, have positioned EDGE as a leading HLA/peptide predictive platform in the neoantigen cancer vaccine field.

Nvelop Therapeutics Launches with Dual Platforms for In Vivo Delivery of the Next Generation of Genetic Medicines

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, April 9, 2024
Research, Medical Supplies, Infectious Diseases, Genetics, Biotechnology, Other Health, Health, Pharmaceutical, Science, Culture, Broad Institute, Cell, Massachusetts General Hospital, Partner (business rank), Environment, Trust, RNP, MIT, Spark Therapeutics, Patient, Harvard University, Nature Biotechnology, Tissue, Head, Protein, Therapy, Former, Safety, Royal Naval Patrol Service, FDA, Management

Nvelop Therapeutics , a biotechnology company engineering programmable, non-viral vehicles for the in vivo delivery of therapeutic cargo, today formally announced its launch to develop the next generation of genetic medicines for a wide range of diseases.

Key Points: 
  • Nvelop Therapeutics , a biotechnology company engineering programmable, non-viral vehicles for the in vivo delivery of therapeutic cargo, today formally announced its launch to develop the next generation of genetic medicines for a wide range of diseases.
  • The company’s approach has the potential to enable highly efficient and cell-specific delivery of a broad set of therapeutic cargoes.
  • “The field of genetic medicine is significantly limited by the challenge of efficiently delivering therapeutic cargoes to many types of target cells in vivo,” said Jeff Walsh, Nvelop’s Chief Executive Officer.
  • In vivo data for the second platform is expected to be disclosed at one or more scientific meetings this year.

Pluri’s Sustainable Cell-Based Coffee Addresses Critical Challenges Revealed in International Coffee Organization Market Report

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, March 21, 2024
Deflation, Climate change, Taste, Biotechnology, Plural, Cell, International, Coffee, Nature Biotechnology, ICO, Water, Heat, Frost, PLUR, Maxwell House International, Report, Weather

Price instability and cost increases will impact coffee drinkers worldwide, as more than 2 billion cups of coffee are drunk each day, 400 million of them by Americans.

Key Points: 
  • Price instability and cost increases will impact coffee drinkers worldwide, as more than 2 billion cups of coffee are drunk each day, 400 million of them by Americans.
  • Pluri’s cell-based coffee aims to reduce price instability by moving coffee production into the lab, eliminating the effect of climate change and adverse weather conditions.
  • Pluri recently announced the launch of its cell-based coffee , its proprietary cultured coffee product business, part of its PluriAgtech vertical, addressing the $130 billion coffee industry.
  • To learn more about Pluri’s coffee see the recent article titled “Cell-Based Coffee Future-Proofs World’s Favorite Brew” in the leading peer-reviewed journal Nature Biotechnology.

Profluent Secures $35M in Additional Funding and Key Industry Experts to Scale Foundational AI Models for Biomedicine and Tackle First Vertical in Gene Editing

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, March 21, 2024
Other Health, Software, Research, Pharmaceutical, Technology, Artificial Intelligence, Genetics, Health Technology, Science, Biotechnology, Other Science, Health, AIX, Cas9, OpenAI, Gene editing, Insight Partners, Growth, Spotlight, General partnership, Salesforce, Nature Biotechnology, Gene, Spark Capital, AI, University, Tome, Nature, Protein engineering, Biology, Microbiology, CRISPR, De novo, ChatGPT, Therapy, Machine learning, Probability, Management

Profluent, an AI-first protein design company, today announced the close of additional funding to bring the total raised to $44M.

Key Points: 
  • Profluent, an AI-first protein design company, today announced the close of additional funding to bring the total raised to $44M.
  • “Our research at the forefront of AI has enabled Profluent to create large language models that begin to learn the blueprint of nature,” said Ali Madani, Profluent co-founder and Chief Executive Officer.
  • By first applying its platform to gene editing, the company showcases AI as the ideal interface for engineering complex biological systems.
  • Just as ChatGPT can write compelling essays and emails, Profluent has developed AI that designs entirely new and functional proteins.

Sana Biotechnology Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2023 Financial Results and Business Updates

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 29, 2024
Neoplasm, CD47, VIVID, CD19, Exercise, Science Translational Medicine, Bone marrow, Lymphoid leukemia, Lupus nephritis, CTA, Biotechnology, Escape Room, Research and development, GLEAM, ANCA, GAAP, Sana, Insulin, Development, Immune system, Regeneration, ASH, CD22, AACR, B cell, Safety, Immunosuppression, Diabetes, Patent, IND, Insurance, Nature Biotechnology, NHL, Cancer, CLL, Contingency, Cell, NHP, Organoid, Autoimmunity, Administration, Cell Stem Cell, Patient, HIP, Nature Communications, ISSCR, C-peptide, Vaccine

The Investigational New Drug Application (IND) cleared in 4Q 2023, and Sana expects to share initial data in 2024.

Key Points: 
  • The Investigational New Drug Application (IND) cleared in 4Q 2023, and Sana expects to share initial data in 2024.
  • The Clinical Trial Application (CTA) cleared in 4Q 2023, and Sana expects initial data to be shared in the first half of 2024.
  • Non-GAAP research and development expense in 2023 excludes an expense related to the impairment of certain lab equipment and leasehold improvements, primarily due to the portfolio prioritization in the fourth quarter of 2023.
  • A discussion of non-GAAP measures, including a reconciliation of GAAP and non-GAAP measures, is presented below under “Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”

Calidi Biotherapeutics Announces the Appointment of Three New Members to its Scientific and Medical Advisory Board

Retrieved on: 
Monday, January 8, 2024
Oncology, Health, Stem Cells, Neurology, Research, Science, Biotechnology, Virus, Cell, Cancer, Distinguishing, University, Biologic, Dove Medical Press, Neuroscience, UAB Hospital, Emory University, National academy, UAB, Glioblastoma, Radiation therapy, Neuro, Nature Biotechnology, Physician, Birmingham School of Law, Engineering, Neurosurgery, Potyvirus, Harvard Medical School, Supernova, Pulmonology, Hospital, Bangladesh Technical Education Board, University of Groningen, PNAS, Pharmaceutical industry

Calidi Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NYSE American: CLDI or “Calidi”), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a new generation of targeted immunotherapies today announced the appointment of three new members to its Scientific and Medical Advisory Board.

Key Points: 
  • Calidi Biotherapeutics, Inc. (NYSE American: CLDI or “Calidi”), a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing a new generation of targeted immunotherapies today announced the appointment of three new members to its Scientific and Medical Advisory Board.
  • “Calidi continues to expand our Scientific and Medical Advisory Board, adding leading physicians and scientists from the top cancer hospitals and research institutions in the United States,” said Allan Camaisa, CEO and Chairman of the Board of Calidi Biotherapeutics.
  • Dr. Chiocca is a faculty member at Harvard Medical School and leads a laboratory focused on developing novel genetic therapies for malignant brain tumors.
  • from the University of Tennessee and completed his residency and fellowship at UAB Hospital in Neurology and Neuro-oncology.

BioAtla’s Jay M. Short, Ph.D., Selected for The Explorers Club Lowell Thomas Award

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, October 12, 2023
Agilent Technologies, Neoplasm, C, Antibody, Lowell Thomas, BASF, Personality, Therapy, Case Western Reserve University, Conditional, Biotechnology, Nature Biotechnology, Doctor of Philosophy, Taylor University, The Explorers Club, MIT, Chemistry, Operation, Biochemistry, Award, SAN, Science, PACS, IPO, Are You Serious (Andrew Bird album), CAB, Pharmaceutical industry, Vaccine

Dr. Short’s award is in recognition of his contribution to science innovation throughout his career.

Key Points: 
  • Dr. Short’s award is in recognition of his contribution to science innovation throughout his career.
  • The Lowell Thomas Award is named after the renowned broadcast journalist, filmmaker and explorer and was first given in 1980 to mark the 75th anniversary of The Explorers Club, a multidisciplinary, professional society dedicated to the advancement of field research, scientific exploration and resource conservation.
  • This annual Award is given thematically to a group of outstanding explorers to recognize excellence in domains or fields of exploration.
  • Among the many notable recipients of the Award in past years are Carl Sagan, Sir David Attenborough, “Buzz” Aldrin, Sylvia Earle and Sir Edmund Hillary.