Breaking WORLD PHARMA NEWS

AI could accelerate protein engineering - key for developing new medicines

In a study published in the journal Nature Machine Intelligence, Sheffield computer scientists in collaboration with AstraZeneca and the University of Southampton have developed a new machine learning framework that has shown the potential to be more accurate at inverse protein folding than existing state-of-the-art methods.

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AstraZeneca enters strategic collaboration with CSPC Pharmaceuticals focused on AI-enabled research

AstraZeneca has entered a strategic research collaboration with Shijiazhuang City-based CSPC Pharmaceuticals Group Limited. Working together on high priority targets, the collaboration aims to advance the discovery and development of novel oral candidates, with the potential to treat diseases across multiple indications.

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Researchers identify a protein that may help improve the treatment of obesity and cardiovascular disease

Obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases are increasingly present in the population. Brown adipose tissue has a protective function against these prevalent diseases, as it burns calories and can produce body heat from fat. But as the body ages, the activity of brown adipose tissue decreases. This inactivation of brown adipose tissue - also typical of obese people - remains poorly studied in the scientific literature.

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New strategy for the treatment of severe childhood cancer

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Lund University in Sweden have identified a new treatment strategy for neuroblastoma, an aggressive form of childhood cancer. By combining two antioxidant enzyme inhibitors, they have converted cancer cells in mice into healthy nerve cells. The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

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Groundbreaking TACIT algorithm offers new promise in diagnosing, treating cancer

Researchers at VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center have developed a novel algorithm that could provide a revolutionary tool for determining the best options for patients - both in the treatment of cancer and in the prescription of medicines. As recently published in Nature Communications, Jinze Liu, Ph.D., and Kevin Byrd, D.D.S., Ph.D., created Threshold-based Assignment of Cell Types from Multiplexed Imaging Data (TACIT), which assigns cell identities based on cell-marker expression profiles.

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Smartphone tests could accelerate drug development for Huntington's disease

A series of digital tests, carried out via a smartphone app, could enhance the detection of disease progression in Huntington's disease and improve the efficiency of clinical trials, finds research led by scientists at University College London (UCL) and Roche.

The research, published in Brain, highlights how digitising tests designed to measure the progression of motor symptoms in people with Huntington's disease can provide a sensitive and reliable way to track changes in the function of patients.

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Vividion Therapeutics and Bayer further strengthen oncology development pipeline with clinical-stage WRN inhibitor

Vividion Therapeutics, Inc. (Vividion), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, and a wholly owned and independently operated subsidiary of Bayer AG, announced it has secured exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialize the clinical-stage Werner helicase (WRN) covalent inhibitor VVD-214 (RO7589831), strengthening and complementing its innovative oncology development pipeline. VVD-214 was discovered and developed under an exclusive worldwide collaboration and license agreement initiated between Vividion and Roche in 2020.

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Ultra-selective aptamers give viruses a taste of their own medicine

We have all heard of antibodies - proteins produced by our bodies to bind to viruses or bacteria, marking them for elimination by the immune system. But not all of us are familiar with aptamers: short segments of DNA or RNA that are designed to bind, like antibodies, to specific targets. Synthetic and inexpensive to produce, aptamers are attractive alternatives to antibodies for biomedical diagnostics and therapeutics.

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Fermenting legume pulses boosts their antidiabetic, antioxidant properties

Food scientists at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign identified the optimal fermentation conditions for pulses - the dried edible seeds of legumes - that increased their antioxidant and antidiabetic properties and their soluble protein content.

Using the bacteria Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 299v as the microorganism, the team fermented pulses obtained from varying concentrations of black bean, black-eyed pea, green split pea, red lentil and pinto bean flours.

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Improving T cell responses to vaccines

In the quest to design vaccines that better help the body's immune system fight disease, scientists are always looking for more tools for their arsenal. The strong antibody responses generated by vaccines provide an important first round of defense, but "you always want to have a backup plan," says Biomedical Graduate Studies Ph.D. student Emily A. Aunins, considering viruses mutate to evade antibody responses that become widespread in a population.

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