Peptidream Inc., of Kawasaki City, Japan, appointed Kiyofumi Kaneshiro executive vice president. He will be working with the company president, Patrick C. Reid, and executive vice president, Keiichi Masuya, to manage and direct all scientific, strategic, and business efforts at Peptidream.  Read More

Benitec Biopharma Ltd., of Sydney, said the FDA granted orphan designation to BB-301 for the treatment of oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD). BB-301 is a single vector (gene therapy construct) system that uses DNA-directed RNA interference to silence expression of the mutant gene associated with OPMD, while simultaneously adding back a copy of the normal version of the same gene to restore gene function. Human trials are set to start by the end of this year. Read More

A new study by an international team of researchers led by Sweden's Karolinska Institute has for the first time pinpointed a mechanism for the conversion of energy-storing white fat into energy-expending brown fat, a key finding that may lead to the discovery of new diabetes and obesity treatments. Read More

PERTH, Australia – Australia's Imugene Ltd. could be the first biotech out of the gate in developing B-cell peptide vaccines in the immune-oncology space. Read More

HONG KONG – South Korean authorities are expected to ease restrictions for the country's biotech industry, especially for regulations surrounding gene therapies and organ donation. Read More

According to the World Health Organization's (WHO's) Global tuberculosis report 2017, "TB is the ninth leading cause of death worldwide and the leading cause from a single infectious agent, ranking above HIV/AIDS. In 2016, there were an estimated 1.3 million TB deaths among HIV-negative people . . . and an additional 374,000 deaths among HIV-positive people. An estimated 10.4 million people fell ill with TB in 2016." Read More