Krystal Biotech Inc., of Pittsburgh, a gene therapy company developing treatments for patients suffering from dermatological diseases, said it entered a securities purchase agreement with Frazier Healthcare Partners for the private placement of 625,000 shares at $16 each, which will yield gross proceeds of $10 million. Shares of Krystal (NASDAQ:KRYS) closed Friday at $16.26, up 83 cents. Read More
Hitgen Ltd., of Chengdu, China, disclosed a multiyear major drug discovery research collaboration with LG Chem Ltd., of Seoul, South Korea, to identify small-molecule leads for targets of interest. Hitgen will apply its technology platform, based on DNA-encoded library design, synthesis and screening system, to discover such leads, and will receive technology access and research support payments, plus potential milestone payments for multiple targets. Financial details were not disclosed. Read More
The world-saving antics of Sandra Boynton's Amazing Cow appear to have a real-life equivalent in the transgenic cattle of SAB Biotherapeutics Inc. An anti-Ebola immunotherapy produced by company cows has proved fully protective against a lethal dose of the killer virus in a recent animal study run by the U.S. National Interagency Confederation for Biological Research. Read More
Antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) has long been a thorn in the side of dengue vaccine developers. In the Aug. 14, 2018, issue of Cell Reports, a team from the University of Texas Medical Branch showed that ADE occurred with human antibodies to the Ebola virus as well, but it could be prevented by engineering antibodies to prevent their interaction with immune cells. Read More
HONG KONG – Anges Inc. has signed a co-development agreement with Vasomune Therapeutics Inc. for the global development and commercialization of therapeutics treating diseases associated with blood vessel dysfunction and destabilization. Read More
LONDON – A small British biotech that failed to find venture capital backers is being acquired by Novo Nordisk A/S in a potential $800 million deal. Read More
Ovarian cancers, as well as several other difficult-to-treat cancer types, are characterized by complex copy number alterations – that is, they have copy number alterations, but those alterations differ from tumor to tumor. Researchers from the British Cambridge University and Imperial College London have developed a method to classify such tumors by the underlying genomic housekeeping problem that led to their formation. Read More
Most sophisticated diagnostic tests are typically run on large machines that are stationary in a hospital or dedicated laboratory. But nanotechnology is expected to change that in the coming years, as it enables miniaturization down to sizes that are easily portable for point-of-care or even at-home use without sacrificing on accuracy. Read More
