WHO Issues New Guidance for Simpler Tuberculosis Tests
The World Health Organization announced new policy guidance aimed at simplifying tuberculosis detection tests, signaling a major push for more accessible diagnostics. While the guidance outlines a framework for low‑cost, point‑of‑care testing, specific technical details were not disclosed in the available sources.
Verdesian Life Sciences’ Clare Doyle on Bio-Tech Solutions in 2026
Clare Doyle, chief scientist at Verdesian Life Sciences, outlined the company’s 2026 bio‑tech roadmap, emphasizing engineered nutrient‑delivery platforms and AI‑driven field management. She highlighted partnerships with agri‑tech startups to accelerate gene‑edited microbial solutions and noted upcoming regulatory filings for next‑generation...
High‑Dose Psilocybin Outperforms Nicotine Patches Sixfold
One large psilocybin dose beat nicotine patches by 6x odds for smoking cessation. 82 otherwise-healthy cigarette smokers, 42 received a single high-dose 30mg/70kg psilocybin session, and 40 initiated an 8- to 10-week course of nicotine patch treatment. At 6 months; participants were 6x...
Jona and Everlywell Partner to Launch AI-Powered Gut Microbiome Test
Jona, an AI‑driven gut microbiome startup, has teamed up with Everlywell to bring a high‑resolution microbiome test to the U.S. consumer market. The test employs deep shotgun metagenomic sequencing, delivering strain‑level data on bacteria, fungi, viruses and parasites. Jona’s proprietary...
Kodiak’s Phase 3 Eye Drug Success; Innate Discontinues Anti-CD20 Program
Kodiak Sciences announced that its experimental eye drug Zenkuda (tarcocimab tedromer) achieved positive topline results in the GLow2 Phase 3 trial for diabetic retinopathy, outperforming sham treatment. The study met its primary endpoint, delivering a statistically significant gain in visual acuity...
Researchers Gene-Edit the Bitterness Out of Grapefruit
Researchers at Israel's Volcani Center used CRISPR/Cas9 to inactivate the 1,2RhaT gene in Citrus paradisi, effectively halting production of bitter compounds such as naringin, neohesperidin, and poncirin in leaf tissue. The gene edit eliminates the bitter taste pathway, and the...
Frozen Does Not Mean Stable: Rethinking Cryopreservation in Cell and Gene Therapy Manufacturing
Cryopreservation remains a linchpin for cell and gene therapy (CGT) manufacturing, yet frozen material is not inherently stable. Real‑world operations introduce transient warming events (TWEs) when products are moved, accessed, or shipped, silently degrading viability and potency. Traditional reliance on...
PharmaShots CXO Talks | Women’s History Month Special: A Conversation with Dr. Emanuela Offidani of Tris Pharma
Dr. Emanuela Offidani, Tris Pharma’s Medical Director of Digital Health Strategy, highlighted that ADHD is increasingly recognized as a lifelong condition that often goes undiagnosed in women because symptoms are less overt. She explained that Tris Pharma’s proprietary LiquiXR delivery...
Eggs as Cheap, Scalable Factories for New Medicines
I have a story today about the quest to turn eggs into low-cost factories for medicines. Gift link: https://nyti.ms/4bzSabB
Pistoia Alliance Publishes First Best-Practice Framework for Ethical Social Media Use in Drug Development
The Pistoia Alliance has published a peer‑reviewed best‑practice framework guiding ethical use of social‑media listening in drug development. The framework, co‑authored by experts from Bayer, Roche, Boehringer Ingelheim, Chiesi and Semalytix, outlines standards for data anonymization, bias mitigation, and AI‑driven...
Corcept Therapeutics Shares Surge 20% on FDA Approval of Lifyorli
Corcept Therapeutics saw its shares climb almost 20% after the U.S. FDA approved its lead drug Lifyorli in combination with nab‑paclitaxel for platinum‑resistant ovarian, fallopian tube and primary peritoneal cancer. The approval, based on a 381‑patient trial, validates the company's...
Precigen Posts 149% Revenue Surge, Forecasts $18M Q1 as Papzimius Gains Momentum
Precigen (PGEN) reported fiscal Q4 2025 revenue of $9.7 million, up 149% year‑over‑year, and projected first‑quarter 2026 sales to exceed $18 million. The surge stems from the rapid commercial rollout of its FDA‑approved gene‑therapy Papzimius and broader payer coverage across the United...
How to Turn a Chicken Egg Into a Drug Factory
Biotech start‑up Neion Bio is pioneering a method to turn chicken embryos into miniature drug factories. Scientists micro‑inject genetic constructs into three‑day‑old embryos, reprogramming the developing bird to synthesize pharmaceutical compounds within the egg. The approach promises faster, cheaper production...
Novocure Reports Topline P-II (PANOVA-4) Trial Data on TTFields Therapy for Metastatic Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma (mPDAC)
Novocure disclosed topline Phase‑2 PANOVA‑4 data showing that Tumor‑Treating Fields (TTFields) combined with Tecentriq and gemcitabine/nab‑paclitaxel achieved a 74.4% disease‑control rate in metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (mPDAC). The trial, enrolling 78 patients, outperformed the historical MPACT control arm’s 48% DCR. Secondary...
Lifespan Extension Doesn't Guarantee Morbidity Compression, Study Shows
“These findings challenge the assumption that lifespan extension necessarily compresses morbidity, highlighting the need to consider lifespan, healthspan, and CoM as endpoints when evaluating anti-aging interventions. We do not claim that life-extending interventions categorically fail to achieve CoM; rather, we demonstrate...
Vitamins B3 Plus B6 May Boost Muscle Repair After High Intensity Exercise: Nestlé Study
A Nestlé‑backed randomized trial gave healthy men 714 mg nicotinamide and 19 mg pyridoxine daily for nine days after intense eccentric exercise. The B‑vitamin combo boosted muscle stem cell numbers by 29% and accelerated differentiation markers—MyoD+ cells rose 67%, myogenin+ cells 34%,...
Tech Accelerates Clinical Trial Recruitment of Ideal Participants
I spoke to a startup building software to help clinical trials recruit more of the right kinds of people more quickly - a serious challenge at present.
FDA Guidance Sparks Innovation Path for Inherited Disorders
My article in today's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association Health Forum, on FDA's new rare disease guidance, and how the agency can build on these policy steps to promote innovation for inherited disorders, authored with Maarika...
Oral Peptides Biotech Pinnacle Medicines Gets $89M From US, China Investors
Pinnacle Medicines, a two‑year‑old biotech focused on oral peptide therapeutics, secured $89 million from a mix of U.S. and Chinese investors. The financing will fund its platform that converts injectable peptides into pill form, building on the recent success of Novo...
FDA Approval Propels Denali, Boosts Rare Disease Biotech
FDA clears Denali drug in ‘clear step’ for rare disease biotechs https://t.co/x9yL4nyPaj by Kristin Jensen $DNLI #biotech
IPHYF Falls Short of Promise, Future Uncertain
Of all the IO companies I've met and covered in the past ~15 years I'm struggling to think of one that's been more disappointing vs its initial promise than $IPHYF. Will it even last beyond Q3? Via @ByMadeleineA -> https://t.co/DepdZfDBdY
DDW Highlights: 26 March 2026
In this episode, Bruno Quinney highlights three breakthrough studies: Edinburgh researchers engineered E. coli to convert PET plastic waste into the Parkinson's drug L‑DOPA, offering a sustainable route to a vital medication; scientists identified the enzyme DHX8 as a key...
Allogene's Interim Data Hints at Off‑Shelf CAR‑T Breakthrough
This week's Biotech Scorecard: Allogene $ALLO: A preview of its April interim analysis. Very interesting (to me, at least) There just might be a path forward for off-the-shelf CAR-T therapy in B-cell lymphoma. Frontline consolidation. Read all about it: https://t.co/tcPFelUH3C
Gene Therapy Turns Aging Into Editable Code
Gene therapy isn't just targeting diseases anymore—it's targeting aging itself. The hallmarks of aging are becoming editable code. Longevity Escape Velocity isn't a fantasy. It's an engineering problem. And we're solving it.
Otsuka Pharmaceutical Reports P-III (VISIONARY) Trial Data on Voyxact for IgA Nephropathy (IgAN)
Otsuka Pharmaceutical presented Phase III VISIONARY trial data for Voyxact (sibeprenlimab‑szsi) in IgA nephropathy patients at risk of progression. At 48 weeks, 82.5% of patients receiving 400 mg subcutaneous Voyxact achieved negative microscopic hematuria versus 52.6% on placebo, with median time to...
Harvard's Light Chip Enables Sorting Mirror-Image Molecules
Harvard’s twistable light chip could give drug developers a new tool for sorting mirror-image molecules https://t.co/WkjjD38exo https://t.co/5kr4d9f6sa
Code Ran Fine, but Biology Flagged Label Error
I almost sent a figure with wrong cluster labels to my collaborators. The R code ran perfectly. No errors, no warnings. I caught it because cluster 2 showed upregulated genes in RNAseq but reduced chromatin accessibility in ATACseq. Biologically, that's backwards....
Development of an Ultra-Sensitive Human Cardiac Troponin I Sandwich ELISA
Exazym®'s BOLD amplification technology boosts the sensitivity of a human cardiac troponin I sandwich ELISA by 180‑fold, lowering the detection limit to 0.07 pg/mL. The webinar presented by Cavidi’s Peter Stenlund shows how the method integrates into standard ELISA workflows with...
BiotechTV Live Interviews at MassBio State of Possible
Pretty sweet setup for BiotechTv interviews at @MassBio State of Possible Conference today. If you are here, please stop by and say hello.👋 https://t.co/CQtXLi36Qk
Anti‑TGFβ1 Antibody Shows Durable Efficacy, Low Toxicity
Scholar Rock's anti-TGFb1 antibody clinical study with early data in oncology indications... minimal AEs and signs of durable efficacy in checkpoint-refractory patients. $SRRK https://t.co/8xsN4wtbMV
Autoimmune Immunotherapy Is Shifting Upstream: AnaptysBio on Targeting Pathogenic Immune Cells
Autoimmune drug development is moving upstream, targeting pathogenic immune cells rather than single cytokines. AnaptysBio’s Chief Medical Officer, Paul Lizzul, highlighted the company’s cell‑selective immunomodulation strategy, including CD122 antagonism that modulates both CD4 helper and CD8 cytotoxic T cells. Early‑phase...
Senate Advances Bill to Fund Psychedelic Trials for Veterans' Mental Health
The U.S. Senate has advanced legislation that would fund expanded clinical trials of psychedelic therapies for veterans suffering from PTSD, depression and traumatic brain injury. The bill, backed by a bipartisan coalition, marks the first federal effort to systematically study...
Eli Lilly’s Triple‑Agonist Retatrutide Cuts A1C 2% and Weight 17% in Phase III
Eli Lilly announced top‑line results from the Phase III TRANSCEND‑T2D‑1 trial, showing its investigational triple‑hormone agonist retatrutide reduced HbA1c by up to 2 percentage points and produced an average 16.8 % weight loss over 40 weeks. The data position retatrutide as a potential...
Atossa Therapeutics Posts Q4 2025 Results, Secures Rare Disease Designations for (Z)-Endoxifen
Atossa Therapeutics released its fourth‑quarter 2025 earnings and announced that the FDA granted Rare Pediatric Disease and Orphan Drug designations to its lead candidate (Z)-endoxifen for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. The company said the designations accelerate its rare‑disease strategy while it...
Prescribing CORT Lifyorli Differs From Cushing’s Experience
Here's prescribing info for $CORT Lifyorli -> https://t.co/i46Whl5lX6 Why so different from the experience in Cushing's? https://t.co/EqvbCApqHn
Dyadic COO Hazelton Steers Modest $3.1M Revenue Rise Amid Grant‑driven Cost Shift
Dyadic (DYAI) posted Q4 2025 revenue of $3.1 million, a modest rise driven by COO Joseph P. Hazelton’s operational focus. The earnings call highlighted new product launches, global distribution deals and a growing reliance on grant‑linked R&D, offsetting a drop in...
Corcept Therapeutics Stock Jumps 19.7% After FDA Approves Lifyorli Combo
Corcept Therapeutics saw its shares climb almost 20% after the U.S. FDA gave the green light to Lifyorli in combination with nab‑paclitaxel for platinum‑resistant ovarian, fallopian tube and primary peritoneal cancers. The approval, based on a 381‑patient Rosella trial, validates...
World-First Living ‘Robots’ Develop Functional Nervous Systems
Researchers at the Wyss Institute have created the first living robots, called neurobots, that develop functional nervous systems from implanted neuronal precursor cells. The neurobots, built from frog embryonic cells, self‑organize neural networks that reshape their morphology, boost motility, and...
Mini Brains Rewire to Balance Digital Pole
🔺 These Mini Brains Just Learned to Solve a Classic Engineering Problem 🧠 In a step toward biological computing, brain organoids rewired their networks as they learned to balance a digital pole on a cart. https://t.co/w2wHDTvIVp https://t.co/h51xTVlR4D
Biogen and Alteogen Partner for ALT-B4 to Advance Subcutaneous Formulations of Biologics
Biogen has signed an exclusive license with South Korean biotech Alteogen for ALT‑B4, a recombinant hyaluronidase enzyme that facilitates subcutaneous administration of biologics traditionally given intravenously. The agreement provides Alteogen with $20 million upfront, a $10 million payment upon initiation of a...
LPBF Prints Zinc–Silver–Copper Alloys For Biodegradable Implants
Researchers used laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) to 3D‑print zinc‑silver‑copper alloys and demonstrated in‑vitro cytocompatibility, indicating the material could serve as a biodegradable implant. Zinc offers a middle‑ground degradation rate between magnesium and iron, while silver and copper add antimicrobial...
Probiotics Drink Reduces Loose Stools Tendency in Healthy Adults - Study
A randomized, double‑blind trial in Japan found that a daily 100 ml drink containing 10 billion CFU of Lactiplantibacillus plantarum 299v reduced bowel‑movement frequency and days with defecation in healthy adults prone to loose stools. After eight weeks, the probiotic group averaged 6.7...
ELMED Life Sciences Raises $2.7 Mn in Series A From NABVENTURES
ELMED Life Sciences secured a $2.7 million Series A round led by NABVENTURES' AgriSURE Fund. The capital will fund new manufacturing capacity in Hyderabad, R&D acceleration, and broader distribution across Indian tier‑2/3 regions and overseas markets. ELMED develops probiotic and microbiome‑based products...
Beyond the Cornfields, Indiana’s Life Sciences Industry Grows Tall
Indiana’s life‑sciences sector is rapidly expanding, now encompassing over 3,300 companies that employ roughly 70,000 workers and generate a $102 billion economic impact. Flagship firms such as Eli Lilly are driving major investments, including a $13 billion Medicine Foundry slated to create 400...
China’s Jiangsu Aidea Eyes Hong Kong Listing as Gateway to US and European Aids Markets
Jiangsu Aidea Pharmaceutical, a Shanghai‑Star Market listed firm specializing in HIV/AIDS therapies, is preparing a Hong Kong IPO to fund its expansion into the United States and Europe. The company projects the global AIDS‑treatment market to exceed $1.45 billion by 2027...
Lenz Therapeutics Shares Drop 11% After Q4 Earnings Miss
Lenz Therapeutics' shares slid 11.2% after the biotech reported a Q4 loss of $1.16 per share on $1.6 million in revenue, well below analyst expectations. The miss stemmed from weaker-than-anticipated uptake of its newly launched VIZZ eye‑drop and a surge in...