Researchers from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) said they have used two-dimensional nanosheets (FePSe3) to develop a biomimetic nanosheet that can monitor tumor development, treat tumors and monitor the treatment progress in real-time. With positive results from mice, the team hopes to further test it on larger animals, then move on to clinical studies.

A co-research agreement between Ubix Therapeutics Inc. and Debiopharm International SA aimed at creating a new antibody degraducer conjugates drug modality to treat cancer will combine Ubix’s Degraducer molecule with Debiopharm’s antibody-drug conjugate linker Multilink to specifically target cancer cells.

PERTH, Australia – Digital cognitive assessment technology company Cogstate Ltd. saw its stock skyrocket 60% on the heels of FDA accelerated approval of Biogen Inc./Eisai Co. Ltd.’s Alzheimer’s disease drug Aduhelm (aducanumab). Cogstate and Eisai signed a deal in October 2020 that granted Eisai global development rights and exclusive commercialization rights of all cognitive function tests developed by Cogstate.

Japan’s Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) has been stepping up efforts to bring innovative medical devices to market faster and make the regulatory approval process more predictable and further speed up approval processes that have been known for long delays.

With Pharmabcine Inc.’s anti-angiogenic antibody TTAC-0001 (olinvacimab) already in testing against recurrent glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) and metastatic triple negative breast cancer, CEO Jin-San Yoo is now giving serious thought to starting trials to test it in children with brain tumors. Plans to begin four additional trials between the end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022 are also underway.

PERTH, Australia – After unveiling its new regulatory framework for custom-made and 3D-printed devices, Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) is now proposing further refinements due to pushbacks from stakeholder that manufacture custom-made and patient-matched devices.

The Guangzhou Sino-Israel Bio-industry Investment Fund (GIBF) has raised more than half of its proposed ¥2 billion (US$313 million) round. “The second fund, GIBF2, will focus on Israeli and European biotechnology companies, which are developing innovative drugs and are in phase II to III clinical trials,” Avner Lushi, the CEO and co-founder of the GIBF, told BioWorld. The Chinese RMB fund is managed by The Guangzhou Elim Biotech Industry Venture Capital Management Company, which is controlled by a group of prominent Israeli professionals.

HONG KONG – Singapore authorities have given provisional approval for a locally developed breath test for COVID-19. The test is developed by Breathonix Pte Ltd., a spin-off company from the National University of Singapore through its Graduate Research Innovation Program. The company said its Brefence Go COVID-19 breath test system was the first test of its kind to secure provisional authorization in Singapore.