Immunology
Thermo Fisher opens cGMP plasmid DNA manufacturing facility in Calif.
Thermo Fisher Scientific announced it has officially opened its new current good manufacturing practice (cGMP) plasmid DNA manufacturing facility in Carlsbad, CA, a step the company hopes will help it meet the rapidly growing demand for plasmid DNA-based therapies and vital mRNA-based vaccines. Read More
Personalized cell therapies offer hope for some of the toughest cancers
Complete with a long-term vision of developing a pipeline of oncology therapies that modulate the functional immune system, Sotio of the Czech Republic is breaking into the world of autologous immuno-oncology therapies. The company's goal is to eventually become a prominent European pharmaceutical firm, according to Radek Špíšek, PhD, CEO and founding scientist of Sotio, who spoke with ScienceBoard.net in a recent interview. Read More
Leveraging past flu pandemics helps build universal flu vaccine
Targeting regions of the influenza virus that do not often change may be an effective strategy for developing next-generation universal flu vaccines, according to new research published in Science Translational Medicine on June 2. Researchers interrogated immune responses from the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic to determine which targets to include in new vaccines. Read More
COVID-19 therapies could come from existing drugs
At least four drugs that have already been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration may be effective as COVID-19 therapies, according to a study published on June 3 in Nature Communications by researchers from the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, CA. Read More
Accenture report highlights growth in 'New Science'
Combining health and science technology to deliver more precise and effective treatments is driving growth in the life sciences market, according to a new market report produced by Accenture. The company calls the trend "New Science" and predicts it will lead to more personalized treatments for patients. Read More
FDA updates requirements for COVID-19 vaccine EUAs
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a new guidance document on May 25 that updates previously issued guidance and sets expectations for future COVID-19 vaccine emergency use authorizations (EUAs) during the pandemic. Read More
Hope for next-gen COVID-19 vaccines may rest in an unexpected region of the virus
Researchers further elucidated how antibodies produced in people who effectively fight off SARS-CoV-2 work to neutralize the part of the virus responsible for causing infection. The study, published in Science on May 4, describes how antibodies targeting sections of the virus outside of the receptor-binding domain may be useful in the development of vaccines and therapies. Read More
How the South African SARS-CoV-2 variant evades antibodies
Computer modeling has demonstrated that one of the three mutations of the South African SARS-CoV-2 variant reduces its ability to bind to human cells. The results, published recently in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, also suggest that the mutation may help it escape some therapeutic antibodies. Read More
Cell-free technique could enable on-demand vaccine production
A new cell-free synthetic biology technique that increases the volume of membrane components in the manufacture of conjugate vaccines can significantly improve the efficiency of vaccine production, according to a new method published in Nature Communications on April 22. The technology could enable on-site production of vaccines and therapies, enabling them to be more efficiently distributed in areas where they are most needed. Read More
Variant-resistant COVID-19 vaccines could be effective, cheap to make
Researchers have collaborated to create a new COVID-19 vaccine platform containing antigens against the fusion protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that could be effective against variants of the virus. The research was published online on April 15 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Read More
Conferences
CPhI North America
August 10-12
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania United States
Bioprocessing Summit
August 16-19
Boston, Massachusetts United States
6th Annual CAR-TCR Summit
August 30 - September 2
Online
European Congress of Immunology (ECI) 2021
September 1-4
Belgrade Serbia
Medical Affairs Strategic Summit (MASS)
September 13-15
New Brunswick, New Jersey United States
Science Briefs
Connect
Science Advisory Board on LinkedIn
Science Advisory Board on Facebook
Science Advisory Board on Twitter