Pharma News

Life is organized on a 24-hour schedule. Central to this regular rhythm is the circadian clock, timekeepers that are present in virtually every organ, tissue and cell type. When a clock goes awry, sleep disruption or a variety of diseases can result.

The tapered cone shell is popular among seashell collectors for its colorful patterns, but the smooth mottled shells are also home to the cone snail which is capable of spewing a potent insulin-like venom that can paralyze its prey. Researchers at the University of New Hampshire have found that variants of this venom, known as cone snail insulin (Con-Ins), could offer future possibilities for developing new fast-acting drugs to help treat diabetics.

In the human brain, the hormone insulin also acts on the most important neurotransmitter for the reward system, dopamine. This was shown by researchers from the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) in Tübingen. Insulin lowers the dopamine level in a specific region of the brain (striatum*) that regulates reward processes and cognitive functions, among other things. This interaction can be an important driver of the brain’s regulation of glucose metabolism and eating behavior.

BioNTech SE announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted Fast Track Designation for BNT111, an investigational cancer immunotherapy for the potential treatment of advanced melanoma. BNT111 is the lead product candidate from BioNTech’s fully owned FixVac platform that utilizes a fixed combination of mRNA-encoded, tumor-associated antigens aiming to trigger a strong and precise immune response against cancer.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Voxzogo (vosoritide) injection to improve growth in children five years of age and older with achondroplasia and open epiphyses (growth plates), meaning these children still have the potential to grow. Achondroplasia is the most common form of dwarfism.  

 Labcorp a leading global life sciences company, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Toxikon , a contract research organization delivering best-in-class nonclinical testing services. Once completed, the transaction will create a strategic footprint for Labcorp to partner with pharmaceutical and biotechnology clients in the Boston, Mass., area and bolster its strong nonclinical development portfolio.

A group of Indian researchers has developed a compound that promises to offer a better treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorder. They have found in studies with a mouse model that it had the potential to improve daily activities like learning and recollecting new tasks in patients suffering from the disorder.

Researchers at the University of Notre Dame discovered a new type of cell in the heart that may help regulate heart rate, and could be an important key in understanding certain types of congenital heart defects and other diseases that involve the heart.

Roche announced the launch of the cobas® 5800 System, a new molecular laboratory instrument, in countries accepting the CE mark. Testing is one of the first lines of defense to protect a patient’s general well-being and is vitally important in quickly guiding their treatment. The cobas 5800 System helps address challenges that laboratories are facing from an increase in patient testing, reimbursement complexities and the need for a more diverse testing menu while providing meaningful and timely results.