The First Commercially Successful Videotape Recorder, Precursor to the VCR, was Made in 1956 and was the Size of a Piano
Declining Eyesight Improved by Looking at Deep Red Light
Staring at a deep red light for three minutes a day can significantly improve declining eyesight, finds a new UCL-led study, the first of its kind in humans. Scientists believe the discovery, published in the Journals of Gerontology, cou
EMA Revises Methodological Guidance for Trials Impacted by COVID-19
Following a four-week public consultation, the EMA this week revised its guidance on methodological considerations for ongoing clinical trials amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The agency also says it will extend its decision to hold all upcomin
Webinar: Covid-19 – Investigating Flexible and Risk-Averse Integrated Solutions to Accelerate Vaccine Production
Wednesday, July 8th, 2020
The world is expecting a COVID-19 vaccine in 2021. To meet this aggressive timeline, vaccine manufacturers will not have time to
How Digital Mass Flow Controllers Improve Bioprocessing Results
Two Killed, Four Injured Following Gas Leak from Reactor in API Pharma Unit
Two persons died and four were injured in a gas leak at API manufacturer Sainor Life Sciences this week. According to investigators, a reactor in the pharma unit began leaking benzene vapors which resulted in six people who were working in
BioPharma Giants to Unveil Major $1 Billion Venture to Push Novel Antibiotics
Amid escalating concerns over antibiotic resistance, several big drug makers are creating a new $1 billion for-profit venture to acquire or invest in small antibiotic companies and their nascent products, according to two people familiar w
Gilead’s $2,340 Price for Coronavirus Drug Draws Criticism
The maker of a drug shown to shorten recovery time for severely ill COVID-19 patients says it will charge $2,340 for a typical treatment course for people covered by government health programs in the United States and other developed count
Customizable Facility
A U.S. Patent for a "Customizable Facility" was awarded to Lonza on June 23rd, 2020. The present invention is a campus for fabricating at least one pharmaceutical product, the campus comprising: a plu
Designer Peptides Show Potential for Blocking Viruses, Encourage Future Study
Chemically engineered peptides, designed and developed by a team of researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, could prove valuable in the battle against some of the most persistent human health challenges. The team's findings, recen
FDA Approves Zogenix’s Drug Finetpla
The U.S FDA has approved Zogenix's drug to treat seizures associated with a rare form of childhood epilepsy known as Dravet syndrome. The drug, branded as Fintepla, uses a low-dose liquid solution of fenfluramine, which was used in an obes
Advantages of Deploying PI for the Collection of Discrete Data from an Automated Bioreactor Sampling System
In this presentation,Kristin O'Neill at Merck discusses the addition of Flownamics' fully au
A Coronavirus Vaccine is Still Months Away, But an Antibody Treatment Could be Closer
Vaccines have gotten all the attention in the race to fight Covid-19, but there is a major push in the U.S. to develop antibody therapies to treat coronavirus. So much so that some scientists think antibody treatments may be available this
In its First Tough Test, CRISPR Base Editing Slashes Cholesterol Levels in Monkeys
A form of CRISPR widely expected to be safer and possibly more effective that the original has aced its first substantive test. When CRISPR "base editing" was used to knock out two cholesterol-associated genes in monkeys, the animals' bloo
Emerson, Schneider, Others Expected to Bid $4B+ for OSIsoft
OSIsoft, perhaps best known in our community for its industry standard PI platform on which so many rely to manage their bioprocess data and more, could be sold for upwards of $4B+ in the coming months according to people familiar with
Can you recommend an electronic batch reporting tool? Our platform is Emerson’s DeltaV and the MES is Syncade
Hands down you will want to take a look at InfoBatch from the folks at Informetric Systems. It has a proven record of success with seamless integration to both DeltaV and Syncade. And just as importantly, my first hand experience over the
Cell Culture Device System and Methods of Use Thereof
A U.S. Patent Application for a "Cell Culture Device System and Methods of Use Thereof" was awarded to Oribiotechon June 18th, 2020. The present invention is a device for use in growing
University of Alabama Planning $75 Million Genomic Research Center
The Altec Styslinger Genomic Medicine and Data Sciences Facility would encompass 145,000 sq. ft. of lab and office space at the Birmingham campus of the University of Alabama. Earlier this month, the UA System Board passed a Stage III appr
One-Time Treatment Generates New Neurons, Eliminates Parkinson’s Disease in Mice
Researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine have discovered that a single treatment to inhibit a gene called PTB in mice converts native astrocytes, brain support cells, into neurons that produce the neurotrans
EMA Recommends Remdesivir to Treat COVID-19, Authorization Expected Next Week
Following a rolling review that kicked off in late April, the EMA this week recommended conditionally authorizing Gilead Sciences' remdesivir to treat patients ages 12 and older with severe coronavirus disease (COVID-19) requiring suppleme
Modeling and System Identification of an Unconventional Bioreactor Used for Single Cell Protein Production
In this study a model for an unconventional bioreactor, a U-loop fermentor is presented and
Webinar: Data Integrity Requirements for Filter Integrity Test Instruments
Tuesday, June 30th, 2020
Data integrity is the extent to which all data are complete, consistent and accurate throughout the data lifecycle. It is fundame
Cytovance Biologics – Upstream Advantages of a Simple, Fast IgG Assay
Sanofi Considering Job Cuts as CEO Seeks to Reduce Costs
Sanofi is considering cutting hundreds of jobs and will discuss potential steps with staff representatives over the coming days, five sources said this week. Management has begun meeting with staff representatives to outline a restructurin
NIH Claims Joint Ownership of Moderna’s Coronavirus Vaccine
The NIH may own intellectual property that undergirds a leading coronavirus vaccine being developed by Moderna, according to documents obtained by Axios and an analysis from Public Citizen. Why it matters: Because the federal government ha
UniQure Sells its Hemophilia Gene Therapy for $450M in Cash
UniQure has sold off the rights to its experimental gene therapy for hemophilia B, announcing this week that it is licensing the treatment to CSL Behring for $450 million in cash. The Dutch gene therapy developer could receive as much as $
Device and System for Processing a Liquid Sample Containing Cells
A U.S. Patent for a "Device and System for Processing a Liquid Sample Containing Cells" was awarded to Shenzhen Eureka on June 16th, 2020. The present invention is a device for pro
Far-UVC Light Safely Kills Airborne Coronaviruses, Study Finds
More than 99.9% of seasonal coronaviruses present in airborne droplets were killed when exposed to a particular wavelength of ultraviolet light that is safe to use around humans, a new study at Columbia University Irving Medical Center has
International Regulators Iron Out COVID Vaccine Trial Harmonization
As more candidate vaccines for the novel coronavirus are progressing to advanced clinical trials, international regulators are planning for international convergence on the nuts and bolts of what is needed to move to phase 3 trials of COVI
Validated Quantitation and Activity Assay of Antibody Fragment Molecule (Fab) for Process Development and Quality Control
In this application note, published by ForteBio, the analytical group at Boehringer Ingel
Kymab Wins UK Supreme Court Case Against Regeneron
Kymab has announced that the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom has held that all of the claims of two patents, often referred to as the 'Murphy patents', owned by Regeneron that were asserted against Kymab are invalid. The Court's decisi
FDA Lifts Partial Clinical Hold on Tellomak Trial with Lacutamab in Advanced T-Cell Lymphomas
The U.S. FDA has lifted a partial clinical hold that had been placed on the phase 2 TELLOMAK trial which is examining the safety and efficacy of lacutamab in patients with advanced T-cell lymphoma, according to an announcement from the dru
Far-UVC Light Safely Kills Airborne Coronaviruses, Study Finds
More than 99.9% of seasonal coronaviruses present in airborne droplets were killed when exposed to a particular wavelength of ultraviolet light that is safe to use around humans, a new study at Columbia University Irving Medical Center has
System and Method for Characterizing Conditions on a Fluid Mixing Device
A U.S. Patent for "System and Method for Characterizing Conditions on a Fluid Mixing Device" was awarded to GE on June 16th, 2020. The present invention is a magnetic mixing system
Universal Flu Vaccine May Be More Challenging Than Expected
Some common strains of influenza have the potential to mutate to evade broad-acting antibodies that could be elicited by a universal flu vaccine, according to a study led by scientists at Scripps Research. The findings highlight the challe
FDA Commissioner Hahn Testifies on COVID-19 Response, Says FDA on Target to Hit User Fee Goals
FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, MD, this week testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee of the U.S. Congress on his agency's response to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. On the subject of user fee goals, Mr. Hahn
The Effect of Amino Acid Supplementation in an Industrial Chinese Hamster Ovary Process
The main goal in biosimilar development is to increase Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) viability
Webinar: Solving the Mystery of Converting Data into Value – Real-World Success & Applications of Raman Spectroscopy in Bioprocessing
Tuesday, June 30th, 2020
Leaders in the biopharma industry are continuing to invest heavily in Raman spectroscopic technology in the quest to convert data
In general, do you think it’s appropriate or inappropriate to bring young children (10 years old or younger) to a planned protest that is expected to be peaceful?
Appropriate
Inappropriate
Trial of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 Vaccine Shows Promise with Two Shots
A trial in pigs of AstraZeneca's experimental COVID-19 vaccine has found that two doses of the shot produced a greater antibody response than a single dose. Research released by Britain's Pirbright Institute this week found that giving an
Sanofi Pays $425 Million Upfront to Expand Collaboration with Translate Bio
Sanofi and Translate Bio have agreed to expand their existing collaboration and license agreement to develop mRNA vaccines for infectious diseases. Under the expansion agreement, Translate Bio will receive a total upfront payment of $425 m
Gilead Secures Exclusive Option to Acquire Pionyr Immunotherapies
Gilead has announced that it has acquired a 49.9 percent equity interest in Pionyr Immunotherapeutics, a privately held company developing first-in-class cancer immunotherapies, and an exclusive option to purchase the remainder of Pionyr.
Initial COVID-19 Infection Rate May be 80 Times Greater Than Originally Reported
Many epidemiologists believe that the initial COVID-19 infection rate was undercounted due to testing issues, asymptomatic and alternatively symptomatic individuals, and a failure to identify early cases. Now, a new study from Penn State e
New Priorities Set for Trans-Atlantic Collaboration on Medicines
As part of an annual bilateral regulatory dialog, officials from the European Commission (EC), the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) agreed on priorities for collaboration. The meeting represents
Webinar: Flexible and Scalable Strategies for Upstream Vaccine Development and Manufacturing Supported by Integrated PAT
Wednesday, June 24th, 2020
Vaccine pipelines are evolving to be more diverse and are requiring the use of different cell lines and virus types. As the products vary, the manufacturing modes, proce
In Situ Clostridium Dry Cell Weight Monitoring in Complex Cellulosic Feedstocks
The economically competitive bioproduction of specialty chemicals using microbial cultures often de
New MIT-Led Consortium Seeks to Accelerate BioPharma R&D and Manufacturing
The AltHost Consortium, an MIT led collaboration that includes Biogen, Amgen, Pfizer, Genentech and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, announced this week that it will work to advance the speed and productivity of alternative host ce
Gilead to Launch Studies of Inhaled Version of COVID-19 Drug Remdesivir
Gilead will this week begin human study of an inhaled version of its COVID-19 drug remdesivir, potentially opening up an avenue to making the antiviral therapy more widely available to patients infected with the new coronavirus. Currently,
UK Firms Critical to Public Health Now Protected from Foreign Takeovers
The UK government has introduced legislation to protect businesses that are key to public health from foreign takeovers. The changes give the government the power to protect companies that could be critical in helping the country in future
Liquid Discharge Device, Sensor Manufacturing Device Having Liquid Discharge Device, and Cell Culture Device Having Liquid Discharge Device
A U.S. Patent Application for "Liquid Discharge Device, Sensor Manufacturing Device Having Liquid Discharge Device, and Cell Culture Device Having Liquid Discharge Device" was published by Panasonic on June11th
Selkirk Pharma to Build a $30 Million Manufacturing Facility in Spokane, Washington
Plans are moving forward for Selkirk Pharma's $30 million manufacturing facility on the West Plains. The company, a CMO, intends to build a 65,000-square-foot manufacturing facility at 9110 W. Granite Ave. in the Pacific Northwest Technolo
Shining Light on a Malignant Lung Cancer
Treating a rare type of malignant lung cancer could improve, thanks to near-infrared irradiation and a cancer-targeting compound. Nagoya University oncologist Kazuhide Sato and colleagues tested the treatment and published their findings i
FDA Says to Follow CDC Guidance for COVID-Infected Employees
A new guidance from the US FDA clarifies how manufacturers of drugs and biological products should address COVID-19 infection in their employees. Generally speaking, employees who are ill or infected with SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus,
A High Yielding IFNAR1 ECD Mammalian Expression Process for Use in Autoimmune Disease Drug Development
Interferon-alpha receptor 1 (IFNAR1) is a target of interest for recombinant biotherapeutics
Webinar: Overcoming the “Stay At Home” Challenge with Automated Sampling
Wednesday, June 24th, 2020
Many companies have asked employees to work from home for their safety and well-being, but relying on manual sampling to collec
