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Bovine cell immortalization without GM: cultivated beef barrier falls
Researchers at Hebrew University and Believer Meats reported a method to naturally immortalize bovine cells without genetic modification by activating telomerase and PGC1α, enabling stable...
Third Arc licenses Adagene Safebody — $840M deal to build masked CD3 engagers
Third Arc Bio licensed Adagene’s Safebody platform in a deal worth up to $840 million to generate two masked CD3 T‑cell engagers against tumor‑associated antigens. The agreement grants Third Arc...
CHMP recommends multiple new medicines — EMA advances gene therapy and oncology candidates
The European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) issued positive opinions on several new products, including a gene therapy for Wiskott‑Aldrich syndrome...
Merck buys Cidara for $9.2B — bolsters influenza prevention push
Merck agreed to acquire Cidara Therapeutics for approximately $9.2 billion to add a late-stage, long-acting antiviral designed to prevent seasonal and pandemic influenza. The deal centers on...
FDA tightens Elevidys label: boxed warning added — use narrowed
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration revised the label for Sarepta Therapeutics’ microdystrophin gene therapy Elevidys, adding a boxed safety warning and restricting use to ambulatory patients....
Gene therapy toolkit expands: new AAV capsids and bedside antibody test
Researchers reported discovery of novel AAV variants that substantially improve transduction of human vascular endothelial cells, and separately a point-of-care test was unveiled to detect...
Lundbeck jumps into Avadel fight — Alkermes faces tougher bid
Lundbeck submitted an unsolicited, higher cash offer for Avadel Pharmaceuticals, intensifying a takeover contest that previously favored Alkermes. The new bid increases the cash component per...
Triple CFTR combination benefits children with cystic fibrosis — pediatric data
New clinical data confirm that the CFTR modulator combination elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor (ETI) delivers measurable clinical benefit in children with cystic fibrosis, extending the therapy’s...
Terasaki Institute and Caltech win $2.8M CIRM grant — embryo formation research
The Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation and Caltech received a $2.8 million Discovery Stage Research grant from CIRM to advance studies of early human embryo formation. The funded work...
Intranasal nanogel therapeutic vaccine prevents HPV-driven cervical tumors in animals
Chiba University researchers reported preclinical data showing a cationic nanogel–based intranasal vaccine targeting HPV16 E7 antigen elicits local cervicovaginal CD4+ and CD8+ T-cell responses...
Non‑GM immortalization of bovine cells — scalable step for cultivated beef
Researchers at Hebrew University of Jerusalem and Believer Meats described a method to induce stable self-renewal in bovine cells without genetic modification, activating telomerase and PGC1α...
DeepTarget: AI uncovers drug mechanisms — computational route to new cancer targets
Researchers at Sanford Burnham Prebys and collaborators released DeepTarget, a computational platform that predicts anti-cancer mechanisms of small molecules by integrating multi-omic and chemical...
Targeted genetic test improves XDP diagnosis — resolves hidden causes in Filipino patients
Scientists at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School developed a targeted genetic assay to better diagnose X‑linked dystonia‑parkinsonism (XDP), a debilitating neurogenetic...
Merck to buy Cidara for $9.2B: bet on long‑acting flu prevention
Merck has agreed to acquire Cidara Therapeutics for roughly $9.2 billion to secure CD388, a long‑acting antiviral designed to prevent seasonal and pandemic influenza. The deal centers on CD388, a...
FDA clamps down on Elevidys: boxed warning and ambulatory restriction
The FDA revised the label for Sarepta’s Duchenne muscular dystrophy gene therapy Elevidys, adding a boxed warning and narrowing use to ambulatory patients while requesting post‑marketing data. The...
Lundbeck ignites Avadel bidding war — Alkermes under pressure
Lundbeck submitted an unsolicited higher bid for Avadel Pharmaceuticals, topping Alkermes’ earlier agreement and triggering a potential bidding contest for the Irish drugmaker’s sleep therapy...
CHMP recommends five products — Telethon‑backed gene therapy surfaces
The European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) recommended five new products, including a gene therapy developed by Fondazione Telethon for Wiskott‑Aldrich...
Tumor‑infiltrating lymphocytes: approval momentum and manufacturing gaps
Adoptive cell therapy using tumor‑infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) has advanced with recent regulatory approvals, but scaling manufacturing, selection, and logistics remain the primary barriers to...
AAV toolbox expands: point‑of‑care antibody screen and vascular‑tropic variants
Researchers unveiled a point‑of‑care test for AAV8 binding antibodies and reported discovery of AAV variants with improved transduction of human vascular endothelial cells, expanding tools to...
NGS automation and standards accelerate clinical genomics workflows
Volta Labs and New England Biolabs struck a partnership to integrate NEBNext library‑prep chemistry with Volta’s Callisto automated platform, while vendors rolled out new NGS and reference...