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Aitia and Ono Pharmaceutical Partner to Advance Neurological Drug Discovery Using AI

Aitia and Ono Pharmaceutical Partner to Advance Neurological Drug Discovery Using AI

Aitia and Ono Pharmaceutical Partner to Advance Neurological Drug Discovery Using AI
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ARPA-H Funds Teams to Advance On-Demand Genetic Medicine Manufacturing

ARPA-H Funds Teams to Advance On-Demand Genetic Medicine Manufacturing

The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) has announced contract awards for its Genetic Medicines and Individualized Manufacturing for Everyone (GIVE) program. This initiative aims to create an automated network capable of producing individualized, ribonucleic acid (RNA)-based genetic medicines on demand. The program seeks to replace the current slow, costly, and centralized manufacturing model with one designed for speed, scale, and reach. ARPA-H plans to invest up to $125 million in this research and development program. The goal is to develop automated manufacturing and real-time quality control into a distributed biomanufacturing network, allowing treatments to be made closer to the patient. This new paradigm is expected to empower communities nationwide to affordably produce cutting-edge treatments, rather than relying solely on major biomanufacturing hubs. The program will engage the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to co-develop the necessary regulatory framework.
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Eric Perreault Appointed CEO of Morgridge Institute for Research

Eric Perreault Appointed CEO of Morgridge Institute for Research

Eric Perreault, a distinguished research executive, academic leader, and biomedical engineering professor at Northwestern University, has been named the third Chief Executive Officer of the Morgridge Institute for Research. His tenure is set to commence in early 2027. The Morgridge Institute, an independent biomedical research organization closely affiliated with the University of Wisconsin–Madison, focuses on advancing biomedical frontiers to enhance human health. Perreault will lead a team comprising 24 investigators and nearly 200 additional members with expertise spanning biomedical sciences, engineering, science communication, ethics, and public engagement. The Morgridge Institute Board of Trustees selected Perreault in August following a national search for a successor to current CEO Brad Schwartz, who announced his retirement earlier this year. Schwartz will continue to lead the institute until Perreault assumes his role. Perreault's extensive background includes serving as Northwestern’s vice presi...
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Advanced Optical Metabolic Imaging Technique Reveals Immune Cell Metabolic States in Blood Samples

Advanced Optical Metabolic Imaging Technique Reveals Immune Cell Metabolic States in Blood Samples

Scientists at the Morgridge Institute for Research have developed an advanced imaging technique, Optical Metabolic Imaging (OMI), that can characterize the metabolic activity within immune cells from patient blood samples. Published in Biophotonics Discovery, this label-free method allows for the nondestructive analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), which are crucial for understanding disease progression and treatment effects in conditions like cancer and immune disorders. OMI uses two-photon microscopy to excite the inherent fluorescence of cell metabolism products, enabling researchers to identify whether PBMCs are metabolically active or quiescent. The study demonstrated 93% accuracy in classifying immune cell activation states within two hours of stimulation, and specifically identified quiescent and activated monocytes with 96% and 88% accuracy, respectively, and natural killer (NK) cells with 74% accuracy.
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N-Power Medicine Secures $32M Series B Funding to Expand Community Oncology Research

N-Power Medicine Secures $32M Series B Funding to Expand Community Oncology Research

N-Power Medicine Secures $32M Series B Funding to Expand Community Oncology Research
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Roche Secures Global Rights to Simcere's Autoimmune Trispecific Antibody in $1.53 Billion Deal

Roche Secures Global Rights to Simcere's Autoimmune Trispecific Antibody in $1.53 Billion Deal

Roche Secures Global Rights to Simcere's Autoimmune Trispecific Antibody in $1.53 Billion Deal
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Yale School of Medicine Receives $25 Million Grant to Map Developing Brain for Autism Research

Yale School of Medicine Receives $25 Million Grant to Map Developing Brain for Autism Research

The Yale School of Medicine (YSM) has been awarded a grant of nearly $25 million by the Aligning Research to Impact Autism (ARIA) initiative. This significant funding, part of ARIA's Human Developmental Neurobiology Research Hub, is dedicated to creating foundational maps and models of the developing human brain. The primary goal is to clarify how and when autism diverges from typical development. The research, co-led by Nenad Sestan, MD, PhD, and Paola Arlotta, PhD, aims to address the current lack of a high-resolution, time-lapse map of the developing human brain. This gap makes it challenging for scientists to pinpoint mechanisms, identify early-life deviations, or design interventions that are tailored to an individual's biology at specific developmental stages. The grant will support two key projects at YSM: developing a high-resolution map of the developing brain's wiring and creating a cellular and molecular model to understand autism's divergence from typical development. These projects are part of...
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DARPA Funds Wireless Yeast DNA Printer Project Led by UC Santa Barbara

DARPA Funds Wireless Yeast DNA Printer Project Led by UC Santa Barbara

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded $1.7 million to a team led by Max Wilson of UC Santa Barbara to develop a wireless yeast DNA printer. This initiative, named LUXCODE, aims to create a nucleic acid compiler (NAC) within a living cell, specifically yeast. The goal is to enable the remote synthesis of DNA or RNA sequences without the need for chemical inputs, effectively allowing instructions to be emailed to a remote location for on-site protein production. The project involves researchers from four universities and is initially funded for nine months, with potential for tens of millions more based on progress. This technology seeks to overcome current bottlenecks in bioengineering, such as the time-consuming process of ordering and receiving DNA sequences from specialized companies. By leveraging the error-detection and DNA-repair processes inherent in living organisms, the project aims to synthesize DNA in days rather than months, significantly accelerating therapeutic inve...
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AI Achieves Human-Level Performance in RNA Pseudoknot Folding, Advancing RNA-Based Therapeutics

AI Achieves Human-Level Performance in RNA Pseudoknot Folding, Advancing RNA-Based Therapeutics

Researchers from Stanford University and Carnegie Mellon University, collaborating through the citizen-science platform Eterna, have demonstrated that artificial intelligence (AI) can achieve performance comparable to experienced human designers in predicting and designing RNA pseudoknot structures. This breakthrough, published in 'Science,' involved an 'Openknot' competition where AI models and human participants were tasked with designing RNA base sequences to fold into specific pseudoknot structures. Initially, human participants outperformed most AI methods. However, by training an AI model called 'RNet' on approximately one million existing RNA data points, AI performance significantly improved. In two rounds of 20 challenges each, both AI and human designers successfully produced highly accurate structures for 19 challenges in each round. Further experiments using cryo-electron microscopy confirmed that some AI-designed RNAs not only formed the intended pseudoknot secondary structures but also create...
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Digital Twins Revolutionize Drug Development by Enhancing Simulation and Predictive Capabilities

Digital Twins Revolutionize Drug Development by Enhancing Simulation and Predictive Capabilities

Digital Twins Revolutionize Drug Development by Enhancing Simulation and Predictive Capabilities
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Researchers Develop Sustainable Spirulina Solution for Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Researchers Develop Sustainable Spirulina Solution for Vitamin B12 Deficiency

Researchers led by Dr. Asaf Tzachor of Reichman University, in collaboration with international partners, have successfully cultivated Spirulina biomass containing biologically active vitamin B12. This breakthrough addresses a significant nutritional challenge, as traditional Spirulina contains a form of B12 that is not bioavailable to humans. Using advanced biotechnology and controlled light conditions, the team produced carbon-neutral Spirulina with 1.64 µg of active vitamin B12 per 100 grams, a level comparable to or exceeding that found in beef (0.7-1.5 µg per 100 grams). The research, published in the scientific journal Discover Food, marks the first reported instance of biologically active vitamin B12 in cultivated Spirulina. This development offers a sustainable alternative to animal-source foods for addressing global vitamin B12 deficiency, which affects over a billion people worldwide.
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BMS Advances Neuroscience Pipeline with Focus on Alzheimer's and MS Treatments

BMS Advances Neuroscience Pipeline with Focus on Alzheimer's and MS Treatments

Bristol Myers Squibb (BMS) is significantly expanding its neuroscience pipeline, building on its 2019 merger with Celgene. The company is developing a range of therapies for neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases, including Alzheimer's disease and multiple sclerosis (MS). Key initiatives include the evaluation of Cobenfy for Alzheimer's disease psychosis, bipolar-1 mania, Alzheimer's cognition, and pediatric autism irritability. BMS is also progressing with a dual FAAH/MAGL inhibitor, irafamdastat, in Phase 2 trials for MS spasticity and agitation associated with Alzheimer's, and the anti-MTBR-tau antibody moponetug in Phase 2 development as a disease-modifying therapy for Alzheimer's. Ken Rhodes, vice president of neuroscience at BMS, highlighted the company's re-entry into the neuroscience space, emphasizing the value derived from Celgene's portfolio. The company is also exploring brain shuttle technologies to deliver therapeutic modalities across the blood-brain barrier, exemplified by a global lice...