In January 1905, the world’s largest gem-quality rough diamond was discovered at the Premier No. 2 mine in Cullinan, modern-day South Africa, and cut into several polished gemstones, some of which became part of Great Britain’s Crown Jewels. Cullinan Oncology LLC hopes to imitate that feat by building a portfolio of oncology assets from one-off opportunities whose profile makes them unsuitable for single-asset companies. Read More
Recursion Pharmaceuticals Inc., a biotech company leveraging artificial intelligence to discover new therapies, has raised a $60 million series B financing led by the Silicon Valley-based venture firm Data Collective. Read More
Erythropoietin (EPO)-producing cells derived from human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells have been shown for the first time to be capable of successfully treating renal anemia in mice, Japanese researchers reported in the Sept. 27, 2017, edition of Science Translational Medicine. Read More
Potentially a solution seeking a problem, two right-to-try bills considered by a House subcommittee Tuesday could result in more of the unintended consequences that are often a byproduct of U.S. congressional action. Read More
Biocardia Inc. said an independent data safety monitoring board has found there are no safety concerns for the first 10 patients treated in the phase III Cardiamp cell therapy trial. The San Carlos, Calif.-based company’s ongoing multicenter, double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled trial is expected to enroll 260 patients at up to 40 centers across the U.S. and will continue as planned. Read More
Mabvax Therapeutics Holdings Inc., of San Diego, reported that results from studies of its HuMab-5B1 and HuMab-GD2 antibody programs provide additional evidence of the targeting specificity, affinity and potential utility of the candidates. Read More
Vical Inc., of San Diego, said the FDA deemed its investigational antifungal, VL-2397, would be eligible for a limited use indication (LUI) approval, assuming a successful outcome of a single phase II trial carried out in accordance with a protocol and statistical analysis plan consistent with the agency’s advice. Read More
The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is withdrawing a proposed Medicare reimbursement model for drugs administered in doctor’s offices and hospitals. Intended to be budget neutral, the controversial model was proposed last year with no input from stakeholders. Read More
