The horseshoe crab has endured for over 450 million years.In this episode we talk with three experts about how this animal’s unique blue blood has become essential to modern medicine. We also talk about why horseshoe crab populations are dwindling, and what biotech is doing to address the shortfall.
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GSK has announced it is investing over £270m to build a new vaccine manufacturing facility at its Wavre campus in Belgium.
The investment follows the launch of the company’s new respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine, Arexvy.
Designed to increase the efficiency of manufacturing processes and reduce environmental impact, the new unit will handle freeze-dried vaccines, including Arexvy, as well as the company’s fast-growing shingles vaccine, Shingrix, and its malaria vaccine, Mosquirix.
US-based biotech company VLP Therapeutics, Inc. (VLPT) and its Tokyo-based group company VLP Therapeutics Japan, Inc. (VLPT Japan) together announced on September 5 the second closing of its financing round, which secured investments from two existing investors: MUFG Bank, Ltd., and Miyako Kyoto University Innovation II L.P., as well as two new investors: FFG Venture Business Partners Co., Ltd. and toberu Fund run by Phoenixi Co., Ltd.
With this funding the VLPT group plans to: 1) bolster its vaccine research and development underway in the US for cancer treatment and infectious disease prevention, such as malaria and dengue; and 2) establish a manufacturing facility, which is expected to begin operation in 2024–2025 and will enable VLPT Japan to produce investigational vaccines in-house in Fukuoka, Japan.
ROCKVILLE, MD, Sept. 05, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — MacroGenics, Inc. (NASDAQ: MGNX), a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing, manufacturing and commercializing innovative antibody-based therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, today announced that its partner, Gilead Sciences, Inc. (NASDAQ: GILD), nominated the first of two research programs, leveraging MacroGenics’ DART® and TRIDENT® platforms for generating bispecific antibodies. This nomination grants Gilead an exclusive option, upon achievement of a pre-defined preclinical milestone, to license worldwide rights to the research program.
GAITHERSBURG, Md., Aug. 30, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Today, Emergent BioSolutions Inc. (NYSE: EBS) announced NARCAN® Naloxone HCl Nasal Spray 4 mg will be available on shelves nationwide and online beginning in September. Over-the-counter (OTC) access to NARCAN® Nasal Spray offers more people the ability to respond in an opioid emergency, helping to save lives and keep loved ones and communities safe. Expanding access and awareness is critical given the staggering toll of the epidemic mainly driven by synthetic opioids, like fentanyl.1 Last year, approximately every seven minutes one life was lost due to an opioid overdose, and today it is the leading cause of accidental death in the U.S.2,3 The average response time for emergency services to arrive is approximately 10 minutes.4 Having NARCAN® Nasal Spray in a first-aid kit, or carrying it on the go in case of an opioid emergency, can make a difference and help reverse the effects of opioids while waiting for emergency personnel to arrive.
Danaher’s wide-ranging offerings for the life sciences sector will get broader and deeper with the $5.7 billion acquisition of Abcam, a company that makes reagents and tools used in scientific research, drug discovery, and diagnostics.
According to deal terms announced Monday, Washington, D.C.-based Danaher agreed to pay $24 cash for each Abcam share, which is a modest 2.7% premium to that company’s $23.36 closing stock price on Friday. However, shares had already spiked sharply in June after Abcam announced it would pursue a strategy to increase shareholder value as it fended off attempts by company’s founder and former CEO to wrest control of the business. Abcam also said in June it would explore strategic alternatives, including the potential sale of the company. Abcam said Monday that its process engaged with more than 30 entities, a list that narrowed to 20 potential acquirers before leading to the Danaher acquisition agreement.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — The Lupus Foundation of America and Lupus Canada are pleased to announce Joan Wither, MD, PhD, FRCPC has been awarded the 2023 Lupus Canada Catalyst Award for her study “Interferon and Prediction of Treatment Responses in Lupus Nephritis,” focused on interferon (IFN)-induced genes (an inflammatory marker) to predict treatment response in lupus nephritis with a new technique that could be incorporated into routine analysis of kidney biopsies.
Los Angeles, CA; September – CellKey, a leading provider of innovative bioanalytical solutions, is thrilled to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Emerald Cloud Lab (ECL), a pioneer in cloud-based laboratory facilities, to collaborate on the development of a cutting-edge glycoprotein analysis platform. This strategic partnership aims to revolutionize glycosylation studies, essential for diagnosing and treating cancer and various other diseases, as evidenced by the groundbreaking work of the recent Nobel laureate in Chemistry at Stanford University.
The Frederick National Laboratory Advanced Technology Research Facility in Frederick, MD, is set to host the 2023 Technology Showcase on September 6, 2023. This annual event serves as a platform for potential industry partners to engage with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and Frederick National Laboratory (FNL).
Interested parties can register to attend the showcase either in person or online. Each mode of attendance has its own unique registration link, offering flexibility for participants.
The Technology Showcase is a free hybrid event featuring a variety of activities and opportunities:
Inventor Highlights: NCI and FNL inventors will present technologies ripe for commercialization and collaboration.
Programmatic Insights: Leaders from NCI and FNL will share avenues for potential collaboration.
Partnership Perspectives: The event will provide insights into what partnering with NCI and FNL entails, including viewpoints from companies that have successfully collaborated.
Panel Sessions: These will feature success stories and topics relevant to the commercialization of biomedical technology.
Lightning Pitch Competition and Poster Session: These segments will spotlight NIH technologies available for co-development or licensing, presented by the NCI Technology Transfer Ambassadors Program.
Maryland-based veteran-owned biotech company is working to transform mental health care
COLUMBIA, Md. (August 28, 2023) – Charles Cathlin, CEO of Polaris Genomics (TEDCO Portfolio company)TEDCO, Maryland’s economic engine for technology companies, announced its Venture Funds invested $500,000 State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) funds in Polaris Genomics, a Maryland-based biotech company.
