Tag: biotechnology
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NIH Funding Further Marburg Virus Therapy Development
BioCryst Pharmaceuticals Inc., a developer of drugs for infectious and rare diseases in Durham, North Carolina, says National Institutes of Health (NIH) is continuing its contract with the company to develop a treatment for Marburg virus, the cause of a rare but dangerous tropical disease. The contract extension, says BioCryst, is worth $2.5 million, increasing…
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ARPA-E Challenge Seeks Bio Energy Measurement Techniques
A new challenge on InnoCentive, sponsored by Advanced Research Projects Agency – Energy (ARPA-E), a division of the U.S. Department of Energy, is seeking new ideas for measuring the potential energy output of biofuel feedstocks, without harming the plant material. The competition, which has a maximum prize of $30,000, requires a written proposal and has…
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Large Genomic Study Finds New Rheumatoid Arthritis Targets
An international consortium of 70 institutions and companies combined genome-wide analyses with current drug databases to uncover new genomic targets for rheumatoid arthritis, and identify drugs for other diseases with the potential to treat the disorder. The team led by Robert Plenge of Harvard Medical School and the Broad Institute and Yukinori Okada from the…
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Discovery Process Devised to Better Test Drug Effects
Biomedical researchers at Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California developed a drug discovery method that combines the rapid screening of potential compounds with preclinical tests of the best prospects, and in the process identified a potential new compound to treat type 2 diabetes. The Scripps team led by chemical physiologists Enrique Saez and Benjamin…
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Sugar Beet Genome Sequenced, Human Impact on Species Noted
Geneticists and computer scientists in Germany, Spain, and Sweden sequenced the genome of the sugar beet, a plant contributing a large segment of the world’s sugar production. The study offers an analytical reference for advances in biotechnology with implications for agriculture and renewable energy. The team led by biology professor Bernd Weisshaar at Bielefeld University…
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NIH Giving In-Kind Technical Services for Rare Diseases
National Institutes of Health (NIH) is supporting three new projects with technical research services for two companies and one university lab developing therapies for rare diseases. The projects aim to develop treatments for acute radiation syndrome, brain injury following cardiac arrest, and beta thalassemia, a rare blood disorder. The awards are a product of the…
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Genome Editing Start-Up Secures $43M in First Round Funds
The Cambridge, Massachusetts start-up Editas Medicine, developing therapies based on new research in genome editing, gained $43 million in its first financing round. The funding was led by venture companies Flagship Ventures, Polaris Partners, and Third Rock Ventures, with participation from Partners Innovation Fund, the venture funding arm of Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and…
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Gene Therapy Shows Long-Term Benefit for Heart Failure
A therapy using genes to induce production of an enzyme for heart cells to restore their use of calcium was found to help heart failure patients in a clinical trial reduce their incidents of cardiac problems over a three-year period. Researchers at Mount Sinai Health System in New York, with colleagues from the biotechnology company…
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Inflammation Drug Biotech Lands $32.4M in Venture Funding
Catabasis Pharmaceuticals Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, completed its second venture funding round, securing $32.4 million. The round was led by new investor Lightstone Ventures, with participation by the company’s current investors: SV Life Sciences, Clarus Ventures, MedImmune Ventures, and Advanced Technology Ventures. Catabasis Pharmaceuticals develops medications to treat cardiovascular, metabolic and inflammatory…
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Roche, Biotech Ink Cancer Vaccine/Immunotherapy Deal
The company immatics biotechnologies GmbH in Tuebingen, Germany and the global pharmaceutical maker Roche will collaborate on discovery and development of cancer vaccines and therapies that harness the human immune system. The deal will provide immatics (spelled in all lower case) an immediate payment of $17 million, but future payments to the company could reach…