Precision Medicine

To kick off Strata PATH, Pfizer will provide targeted drugs in four study arms at no cost to trial participants. According to a company news release, Strata anticipates other companies will participate in the study after launch.

Cancer-causing leukemic stem cells are present in small numbers in patients and are hard to identify using conventional techniques. A single-cell omics approach can identify mutational status and gene expression in stem cells from acute myeloid leukemia patients and locate disease-causing cells for later targeting.

PRA provides outsourced clinical development and data solution services to biopharma. PRA’s global clinical development operations include more than 75 offices across North America, Europe, Asia, Latin America, Africa, Australia, and the Middle East, and approximately 19,000 employees worldwide.

Researcher have developed a new base-editing system that uses RNA aptamers to position DNA modifying enzymes at genome targets which is adept in performing point-mutation edits and can enhance the therapeutic potential of genome editing.

Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) said today they have begun a new mid-stage study of a “refined” formulation of their adjuvanted recombinant protein-based candidate, with plans to advance to Phase III next quarter and reach the market by year’s end.

The researchers found that the ratio of IL-10 and tumor necrosis factor (TNF) was useful for predicting those at high-risk of kidney rejection. In their study, 91% of the patients classified as high-risk by this biomarker ratio went on to reject the kidney within the first year post-transplantation.

Levels of IL-33 are high in some cancer patients, particularly those with skin or pancreatic cancer. Researchers observed the cellular action of IL-33 in epithelial cell lines from the skin and pancreas and also in a mouse model and found it blocks the action of SMAD6, which causes uncontrolled cell division. This finding could lead to new therapies for these cancer types.

Research led by Scientists at the Translational Genomics Research Institute found that short strands of cell-free DNA in urine are not random and can be used to differentiate between healthy individuals and those with cancer.

Researchers will test a BDNF gene therapy as a possible treatment for Alzheimer's disease and related dementia in a new Phase I study, which hopes to take advantage of new advances in gene therapy and succeed where previous trials in this area have failed.

A specialized hydrogel can not only encapsulate and protect mRNA cancer vaccines from being broken down in the body, but can also target lymph nodes to activate immune cells, shows early stage research.