Rheumatology Enters the Gut-Brain-Immune Axis
Healio’s latest editorial highlights the expanding role of GLP‑1 receptor agonists in immune‑mediated inflammatory diseases, emphasizing weight‑independent anti‑inflammatory mechanisms. Emerging data suggest central nervous system GLP‑1 activation can modulate peripheral immunity, linking the gut‑brain‑immune axis. The FDA’s recent approval of vagal nerve stimulation for treatment‑refractory rheumatoid arthritis underscores neuroimmune pathways as viable therapeutic targets. Collectively, these developments signal a paradigm shift for rheumatology beyond traditional cytokine‑centric models.
QPX7728
Xeruborbactam (QPX‑7728) is a broad‑spectrum β‑lactamase inhibitor designed to revive the activity of β‑lactam antibiotics against multidrug‑resistant Gram‑negative bacteria. Developed by Qpex Biopharma and Shionogi, the molecule targets both serine‑ and metallo‑β‑lactamases, addressing a key resistance mechanism. Preclinical data show...
New Hope For Spina Bifida
A new prenatal therapy combining in‑utero surgery with placental stem‑cell patches, tested in the CuRe trial, has shown promising safety results for spina bifida. Six pregnancies underwent the procedure between 19 and 26 weeks, all delivering without infection, fluid leak,...
Integrated DNA Technologies Expands Into Clinical Diagnostics with First In Vitro Diagnostic
Integrated DNA Technologies (IDT) announced the launch of two in‑vitro diagnostic kits, Archer FUSION Plex‑HT Dx and VARIANT Plex‑HT Dx, marking its entry into the next‑generation sequencing (NGS) IVD market. Built on IDT’s proprietary anchored multiplex PCR chemistry, the kits offer targeted DNA and RNA...
The Six Biotech Companies in Portugal You Should Know About in 2026
Portugal’s biotech sector is gaining momentum, highlighted by BIO‑Europe Spring in Lisbon. Six home‑grown companies—Beat Therapeutics, BSIM Therapeutics, Exogenus, Immunethep, Mondego Bio and TechnoPhage—are advancing novel therapies ranging from DDR inhibitors for pancreatic cancer to exosome‑based wound treatments and bacteriophage...
CLL/SLL Treatment Choices Based on Various Factors
A population‑based study of 148 first‑line CLL/SLL patients in Alberta found that time‑limited venetoclax‑obinutuzumab was used in 51% of cases, while continuous BTK inhibitor therapy accounted for 44%. Patients with del(17p) or TP53 mutations chose BTK inhibitors in 84% of...
Lyme Vaccine Hits 70% Efficacy, Misses Confidence Threshold
The $PFE/ $VALN Lyme vaccine was a product for which there was a lot of hope. Results today show OK efficacy. Vaccine efficacy landed at 70%; investors hoped for 80% but thought as low as 60% would be relevant. But the...
Portable DNA Tests Map Cave Microbes in Real Time
Field-portable genetic assays now enable rapid, on-site mapping of cave microbial ecosystems, offering near real-time insights into biodiversity and potential health threats without reliance on traditional lab methods. microbiology
FDA Warns of Seizure Risk with some Parkinson’s Drugs
The FDA’s recent safety alert warns that high‑dose levodopa/carbidopa regimens can provoke seizures when patients develop vitamin B6 deficiency. Fourteen post‑marketing cases, including two fatalities, involved doses exceeding 1,000 mg daily and featured focal‑onset seizures that generalized. Vitamin B6 supplementation halted...
Pfizer's Lyme Vaccine Data Remains Ambiguous, FDA Review Looms
As someone who lived in Vermont and still spends the summer there, it's disappointing to see the ambiguity in Pfizer's data on a new Lyme disease vaccine. It's a serious threat. Now we can move on to speculating on the...
Thymus Gland Emerges as Key to Healthy Aging
Don't take the time to read about the new landmark studies that put our thymus gland at center stage for healthy aging https://t.co/ENhIn2A2l3 https://t.co/oY2PLSenmf
Kali Therapeutics Partners with Sanofi for KT501 in a ~$1.2B Deal
Kali Therapeutics has signed a license agreement with Sanofi granting the French giant exclusive worldwide rights to KT501, a next‑generation tri‑specific T‑cell engager aimed at B‑cell‑mediated autoimmune diseases. The deal provides Kali with $180 million in upfront and near‑term payments and...
FDA OKs Fecal Transplants, Yet Access Declines
Paradox: The FDA approved some fecal transplants for C. difficile. But accessing treatment got harder. https://t.co/AFFyCGPeKW
Phase 3 Lyme Vaccine Shows Mixed Preliminary Results
The news is mixed in the preliminary results from a Phase 3 trial of a needed #Lyme disease vaccine, @matthewherper reports. https://t.co/bcbfeXchk1
Oryon Cell Therapies Reports Phase 1b/2a Data Showing Sustained Motor Improvements in People with Parkinson’s Disease
Oryon Cell Therapies presented interim Phase 1b/2a data showing that its autologous dopaminergic neuron‑replacement therapy produced sustained motor improvements in Parkinson’s patients. Five participants experienced 29‑62% reductions in OFF‑state MDS‑UPDRS Part III scores over 6‑18 months, with continued gains beyond six months....
Real Bioinformatics Data Is Messy, Not Perfect
1/ Every bioinformatics tutorial is lying to you. They give you clean data, perfect sample names, and zero missing values. Then you open a real dataset and nothing works. Here's what they don't teach you.
CtDNA Drives Next‑stage Risk Stratification in TNBC
From Prognosis to Action: Circulating Tumor DNA and the Next Phase of Risk Stratification in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer [Mar 18, 2026] Schneider & @StoverLab @JCO_ASCO https://t.co/6jPBxQe9QP #bcsm #PrecisionMedicine #LiquidBiopsy https://t.co/MOG73iTcNl
If Gene Therapies Are so Revolutionary, Why Does No One Want to Pay for Them?
Gene therapies promise one‑time cures for diseases like sickle‑cell and inherited blindness, but their price tags—often $1 million to $3 million per patient—clash with the U.S. insurance model. More than half of new cell and gene therapies face coverage restrictions because insurers...
New Guidelines Add Testing, Therapy for ESR1‑mutated Metastatic Breast Cancer
Guideline Update Provides New Testing & Tx Recx for Pts w/ ER-Positive, HER2-Negative Met Breast Cancer w/ ESR1 Mutations [May 17-18, 2023] @ASCO Daily News - https://t.co/3ZVrEkQEN5 @DrHBurstein et al. @JCO_ASCO https://t.co/68e7D0CSgU #bcsm #PrecisionMedicine #LiquidBiopsy https://t.co/KBx2hq2BDW
Low‑
Lenalidomide + high-dose dexamethasone (RD) vs lenalidomide + low-dose dexamethasone (Rd) as initial therapy for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma: an open-label RCT [10/22/2009] @VincentRK et al. @TheLancetOncol https://t.co/hXxlFINejC #NCT00098475 #EAonc E4A03 #mmsm #caxtx #ctsm https://t.co/3Pa2TRMntk
Henlius Receives NMPA IND Clearance for HLX18 (Biosimilar, Opdivo)
Henlius announced that China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) has granted IND clearance for HLX18, a biosimilar of Opdivo (nivolumab), targeting resected solid tumours. The company also reported first‑patient dosing in Phase I trials for HLX17 (Keytruda biosimilar) and HLX13...
Personalized Therapy Improves Outcomes in Residual TNBC
BRE12-158: A Postneoadjuvant, Randomized Phase II Trial of Personalized Therapy Versus Treatment of Physician's Choice for Patients With Residual Triple-Negative Breast Cancer [Dec 15, 2021] Schneider et al. Radovich @JCO_ASCO https://t.co/oJm6BJrMtA #bcsm #PrecisionMedicine
Genetic Links to Aromatase Inhibitor Musculoskeletal Side Effects
Genome-Wide Associations [GWAS] and Functional Genomic Studies of Musculoskeletal Adverse Events in Women Receiving Aromatase Inhibitors [Sep 20, 2010] Ingle et al. @DrWeinshilboum @JCO_ASCO https://t.co/1NJcXkWy8c #bcsm #Supponc
Xilio Therapeutics Announces Pipeline and Business Updates and Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results
Xilio Therapeutics reported a strong cash position of $137.5 million, extending its runway to the end of 2027, and highlighted significant pipeline advances. The company plans to file an IND for its bispecific PD‑1/masked IL‑2 candidate XTX501 in mid‑2026 and start...
Circulating DNA/Cells Predict Recurrence Post‑Chemo in TNBC
Assoc of Circulating Tumor DNA & Circulating Tumor Cells After Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy w/ Disease Recurrence in Pts w/ Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: BRE12-158 RCT [Jul 9, 2020] Radovich et al. @JAMAOnc https://t.co/XxH9kTT9d5 #bcsm #cactc #NCT02101385 https://t.co/kgV0yM2I1f
Pfizer's Lyme Phase 3 Cut by One‑Third Over Contractor Issues
Pfizer's phase 3 for its Lyme trial was supposed to be 18k patients -- but issues with a contractor at the start of the trial cut the size by a third, and @ky_lahucik + I reported a long time ago...
Arbutus Reports Fourth Quarter and Year End 2025 Financial Results and Provides Corporate Update
Arbutus Biopharma announced a $950 million upfront settlement from Moderna, with a potential $1.3 billion contingent payment, strengthening its cash position to $91.5 million. The company reported $14.1 million revenue for 2025, driven by license milestones, while cutting R&D expenses by $28.8 million. Clinical progress...
P7C3 Boosts NAD Enzyme, Improves Mouse Alzheimer Model
P7C3 is an activator of an enzyme that makes NAD called NAMPT. Cool that it’s working in a 🐁 model of AD 👏
China Transforms From Free Rider to Drug Innovator
New @nberpubs: "From Free Rider to Innovator: The Rise of China's Drug Development" https://t.co/cQpEqRC1jy https://t.co/pSL5kCzlnO
Viruses in the Gut May Help Prevent Blood Sugar Spikes, Mouse Study Hints
A mouse study published in Cell Host & Microbe shows that the gut virome—primarily bacteriophages—modulates carbohydrate metabolism by activating immune pathways. Disrupting the virome with an antiviral cocktail caused sharp blood‑glucose spikes in mice fed a high‑carbohydrate diet, while enriching...
Pfizer Lyme Vaccine Effective yet Misses Crucial Statistical Benchmark
Pfizer’s Lyme vaccine shows efficacy, but misses key statistical hurdle There is a set up for drama here. $Valn $pfe Valneva stock is down 14% in premarket trading. https://t.co/WN0KOl4Nqh via @statnews
Latent-Y: The Autonomous AI Agent for Drug Design at Scale
Latent Labs unveiled Latent‑Y, an autonomous AI agent that designs therapeutic antibodies from natural‑language prompts. Powered by the Latent‑X2 generative model, the platform compresses weeks of expert work into hours and can run multiple design campaigns in parallel. In three...
Pyxis Oncology Provides Business Update and Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2025 Financial Results
Pyxis Oncology announced completion of target enrollment for its Phase 1 MICVO monotherapy study in recurrent/metastatic head and neck cancer, enrolling roughly 40 patients. Interim CEO Thomas Civik highlighted promising early efficacy, with a 46% objective response rate as monotherapy and a...
STAT+: Insmed Drug Benefits Patients with Rare, Bacterial Lung Disease, Study Shows
Insmed announced that a Phase 3 trial showed adding its inhaled antibiotic Arikayce to standard therapy significantly improved respiratory symptoms and boosted culture conversion rates in patients with newly diagnosed mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) lung infection. The study met its primary...
Avalo Therapeutics Reports 2025 Financial Results and Recent Business Updates
Avalo Therapeutics announced its 2025 financial results, reporting $98.3 million in cash and short‑term investments that should fund operations into 2028. Research and development expenses jumped to $50.1 million, driven by the Phase 2 LOTUS trial of abdakibart (AVTX‑009) for hidradenitis suppurativa. The...
'Zombie' Cells Created by Transplanting Genomes Into Dead Bacteria
Researchers have revived a dead bacterial cell by transplanting the complete genome of Mycoplasma capricolum into a chemically inactivated host, creating the first living synthetic bacterium assembled from non‑living parts. The experiment builds on the 2010 landmark where a synthetic...
STAT+: Pfizer’s Lyme Vaccine Shows Efficacy, but Misses Key Statistical Hurdle
Pfizer and Valneva’s experimental Lyme vaccine cut the risk of infection by more than 70% in a late‑stage trial, offering a promising preventive tool for a disease that affects roughly 476,000 Americans annually. The study, however, missed its primary statistical...
STAT+: Apogee Therapeutics Data Show Long-Acting Eczema Drug Induced Relief with Less Frequent Injections
Apogee Therapeutics reported that its experimental long‑acting eczema biologic, zumilokibart, achieved sustained skin‑clearance in a mid‑stage trial. Seventy‑five percent of patients receiving the drug every three months and 85 % of those dosed every six months maintained an EASI‑75 response after...
IntraBio Reports the US FDA’s sNDA Submission of Aqneursa for Ataxia-Telangiectasia
IntraBio has filed a supplemental New Drug Application (sNDA) with the U.S. FDA seeking approval of Aqneursa (levacetylleucine) for Ataxia‑Telangiectasia (A‑T). The filing is supported by a Phase III trial that met its primary and key secondary endpoints and demonstrated a...
Optimus Protein
Researchers at Kyoto University and RIKEN identified the RNA‑binding protein DHX29 as the sensor that detects non‑optimal codons in human mRNA. Genome‑wide CRISPR screens, ribosome profiling, and cryo‑EM revealed that DHX29 binds ribosomes translating suboptimal codons and recruits the GIGYF2·4EHP...
Collagen Gene Expression and Aging in Nematode Worms
Researchers analyzed RNA‑seq data from Caenorhabditis elegans and identified a broad decline in collagen gene expression with age, pinpointing 16 collagens consistently downregulated across multiple studies. Meta‑analysis of 66 datasets revealed that collagen expression is up‑regulated in 84% of long‑lived...
Dog Aging Project’s 50,000‑Dog Study Could Accelerate Human Anti‑Aging Therapies
The Dog Aging Project, now tracking more than 50,000 dogs across the United States, is delivering longitudinal data that could shorten the path to therapies for human age‑related conditions such as dementia and cancer. Researchers say the canine model bridges...
How Do Recent Actions From FDA Provide Insight to the Agency's Enforcement Posture?
The FDA’s Rare Disease Evidence Principles (RDEP) introduce flexible trial designs, allowing sponsors to use natural‑history data and novel biomarkers as endpoints. These guidances aim to accelerate approvals for rare‑disease therapies while maintaining safety as a top priority. However, analysts...
Advanced Biotech Diagnostics Enable Precise Disease Detection
Accurate Disease Detection with Advanced Biotech Diagnostics by @antgrasso #MedTech #Healthcare #HealthTech #Tech #TechForGood https://t.co/VRXzThHgeq
Galderma Receives U.S. FDA Approval for Restylane® Contour™ for the Correction of Temple Hollowing
Galderma announced that the U.S. FDA has cleared Restylane Contour for the correction of temple hollowing in adults over 21, extending its existing cheek and mid‑face indications. Clinical studies demonstrated a 91% responder rate at three months, with efficacy persisting for...
HUTCHMED Initiates P-III Trial of HMPL-760 + R-GemOx for R/R Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma in China
HUTCHMED has launched a Phase III trial of HMPL‑760 combined with R‑GemOx in relapsed/refractory diffuse large B‑cell lymphoma (DLBCL) patients in China, dosing the first patient on March 20, 2026. The study will enroll approximately 240 patients who have failed first‑line therapy and...
Only Seven Proven Longevity Compounds After Massive Mouse Trials
7 Drugs. 30,000 Mice. 20 Years. The Only Longevity Compounds With Real Evidence. https://t.co/BzdoDZeicb @agingroy https://t.co/uM5QMpIAS6
ADA2 Deficiency Boosts Cell Death, Metabolic Issues
A new study reveals that deficiency of the enzyme ADA2 markedly increases programmed cell death and disrupts normal metabolic pathways. Researchers observed heightened apoptosis in immune cells and multiple organ tissues of ADA2‑knockout mice, accompanied by severe inflammation and organ...
Validated Mechanisms, Strong Data Beat Hype in Longevity Investing
Longevity investing has shifted from hype to data‑driven strategies, according to LongeVC partners Sergey Jakimov and Artem Trotsyuk. They argue that startups must focus on measurable, disease‑specific mechanisms rather than treating aging as a single target, aligning with FDA and...
A Targeted Nanozyme for STING Activation Improves BiTEs Therapy Outcomes in Colorectal Cancer
Researchers engineered a tumor‑targeted nanozyme, MnO2‑dsDNA@BiTE/APT, that simultaneously delivers a double‑strand DNA STING agonist and a PD‑L1/CD3 bispecific T‑cell engager. The MnO2 carrier releases Mn2+ ions, activating the STING pathway, while the surface‑bound BiTE recruits T cells to cancer cells....