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Pigneys – the Future of Renal Transplantation?
Last week was a big one for the future of kidney transplants – specifically, kidneys grown in pigs. At the Guangzhou Institute of Biomedicine and Health, scientists reported that they have used human pluripotent stem cells to grown part-human, part-porcine kidneys in...
C is for Checkpoint Inhibitors
Immune checkpoints are a normal part of the immune system. They prevent an immune response from being so strong that it destroys healthy cells. Immune checkpoints engage when proteins on the surface of T cells recognize and bind to partner proteins on other cells,...
Ozempic: A Blockbuster Biologic
Semaglutide, the diabetes and weight-loss drug marketed under the names Ozempic, Wegovy, and Rybelsus, has gotten a lot of attention recently due to shortages arising from increased demand. Ozempic and Wegovy are both manufactured by the Danish pharmaceutical company...
Tastes Like Chicken
A new milestone for large scale bioprocessing is FDA’s approval of lab-grown chicken for human consumption earlier this week. Read what the AP has to say. Would we like to try UPSIDE Foods’s product at Bar Crenn, a Michelin-starred restaurant in San Francisco? Indeed,...
Avian flu vaccine for emergency use in California condors
As reported in the journal Nature Federal officials have granted emergency approval to a bird flu vaccine for use in the California condor (Gymnogyps californianus). The move comes after more than a dozen of the birds, which are critically endangered, recently died...
B is for Biosimilars
A biosimilar, per FDA, is a biologic medication that is highly similar to and has no clinically meaningful differences from an existing FDA-approved biologic, called a reference product. Compared with a reference product, biosimilars: are made with the same types of...
Happy National DNA Day
According to Wikipedia, National DNA Day is observed by biologists, science teachers and students, anyone interested in genetics. The day celebrates the discovery and understanding of DNA and the scientific advances that understanding has made possible. National DNA...
A is for Antibodies
Let’s start our series Biologics A – Z very appropriately with A for antibodies. Antibodies, or more specifically immunoglobulins based on the sturdy mouse and human immunoglobulins of the IgG subclass, are a major biologics workhorse. They have found wide application...
Multi-Cancer Early Detection in Blood
Testing blood for the early detection of cancer promises a non-invasive method to find early, treatable cancers in asymptomatic patients at risk of developing cancer. Tests are based on next-generation sequencing of cell-free DNA from blood and have shown success in...
Pfizer to buy Seagen for $43 billion
Pfizer has announced that it intends to buy Seagen, formerly known as Seattle Genetics, for the huge sum of $43 billion. Seagen is pioneer and driving force behind the development of antibody-drug conjugates for the treatment of cancer. In the best of all worlds this...