New and updated clinical data presented by biopharma firms at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer, 2023 World Conference on Lung Cancer, including: Amgen, Astrazeneca, BMS, Daiichi, Gilead, Janssen.
Precision Biosciences Inc. uses its proprietary Arcus platform to develop in vivo gene editing therapies and has outlined new data from its wholly owned and partnered pipeline.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) has a new candidate for its treatment. Nasal anti-CD3 monoclonal antibody (MAb) reduced microglia activation in the brain of mice without its effect being dependent on the β-amyloid (Aβ) deposits characteristic of this neurodegenerative disorder. “We have done many basic studies in the laboratory on microglia. Microglia activation occurs in many neurologic diseases. One of them is multiple sclerosis (MS). And it also occurs in AD,” senior author Howard Weiner told BioWorld.
Verge Genomics Inc. has entered a second big AI deal with a large drug company. Privately held Verge will receive up to $42 million, including up-front, equity and near-term payments from Alexion, Astrazeneca Rare Disease, to identify multiple targets for rare neurodegenerative and neuromuscular diseases. The deal could top out at $840 million. There also is potential for downstream royalties.
AI-Stroke SAS is developing an artificial intelligence (AI)-based application able to detect strokes in real time using a simple smartphone or a tablet. The med-tech firm has just won an award in the i-Lab 2023 innovation competition, supported by the French Ministry of Research and sovereign bank Bpifrance SA. “We use the latest AI and computer vision technology to replicate a neurologist’s expertise immediately anywhere, whereas non-specialists can make diagnostic errors up to 50% of the time,” Cédric Javault, CEO and co-founder of AI-Stroke SAS, told BioWorld.
Artelo Biosciences Inc. has completed a pre-IND meeting with the FDA regarding the manufacturing, preclinical and clinical development plan for ART-26.12.
Proteros Biostructures GmbH has established a new collaboration with Orion Corp. The two companies are engaging in a joint multitarget collaboration for early-stage drug discovery projects in oncology and pain using Proteros’ discovery platform, and now have decided to combine their expertise to assemble a chemically diverse small-molecule library collection. The nonexclusive agreement enables Proteros to exclusively offer access to this high throughput screening (HTS) library to all its clients.
In multiple sclerosis (MS), macrophages and microglia play a dual role that could be used to treat this neurodegenerative disease. These cells promote inflammation that demyelinates neurons but also sweep away the debris of damaged myelin and produce neurotrophic factors that would allow its restoration. According to a group of scientists from the University of Hasselt in Belgium, damage or repair depends on a double switch that combines the action of two enzymes, one that desaturates and another that elongates fatty acids. By reducing the levels of these enzymes, phagocytic cells would replenish the myelin instead of engulfing it.
Pepgen Inc. has received a no objection letter from Health Canada for its clinical trial application (CTA) to initiate a phase I study of PGN-EDODM1 in patients with myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1). Initial data from the study are expected next year.