Biologics
Status of COVID vaccine approvals and trials
Wanted to share this interesting compilation of the updated status of COVID vaccines world-wide. Published and updated February 5 by Jef Akst in The Scientist.
Somatek looks back at 2020
It goes without saying, 2020 was a year with major challenges and disruptions. However, it was also a year of growth and new opportunities for the biotechnology industry and for Somatek. In the summer of 2020, Somatek moved into newly renovated laboratory facilities...
HAPPY 2021
Somatek wishes all its clients, colleagues, associates and friends a very happy and healthy New Year!!
Cold chain is a hot topic among investors
The Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19 received an emergency use authorization from the FDA last Friday, and thousands of doses are being rolled out across the country this week. But the vaccine, which must be stored at between -80 and -60 degrees Celsius, necessitates the utilization of a “cold chain” to keep it within this temperature range from the moment it leaves the manufacturing site to just before it is administered to a patient.
Positive but perplexing results from Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID vaccine trial
The University of Oxford’s COVID-19 vaccine candidate, developed in partnership with the biotech AstraZeneca, is the third vaccine this week to publicize promising data from its clinical trials. And, in a surprising twist, it appears that a lower dose of the vaccine does a better job at protecting participants from COVID than a higher dose.
Tiny bovine antibody fragments show big potential
In the world of monoclonal antibodies, being small is a big deal. Smaller antibodies and antibody fragments can penetrate solid tumors that would be inaccessible to larger antibodies, and some can even make it across the blood-brain barrier. That’s why it’s exciting that researchers at the University of Bath and UCB (a Belgian biotech company) have designed extra-small antibody fragments from cows.
Novel fusion protein could help hemophilia A patients
Hemophilia A, a rare medical condition that prevents blood from clotting properly, may soon have a new therapy to contend with, courtesy of a team led by hematologist Barbara Konkle of Bloodworks Northwest. A new fusion protein based on factor VIII has shown promising results in a small-scale clinical trial and has some researchers hopeful that this novel therapy could make life easier for hemophilia A patients.
New syringe design facilitates injection of viscous biologics
A research team at MIT, led by Dr. Kripa Varanasi, has figured out a way around one of the major barriers to the delivery of concentrated biologic drugs.
mAbs: The Rory Story
My family’s dog, Rory, has always been weird. He will start screaming if, while running around the house like a maniac, he accidentally stubs his toe. He loves eating carrots. He gets jealous if two people are hugging and he isn’t included. He will only lie down on the softest pillow on the couch. He likes to sit on our laps after we’ve eaten dinner and flops over with wild abandon, confident that someone will catch him before he falls. He has been known to collect items such as books, shoes, and pencils in a particular corner of the living room. He is exceptionally food motivated and sometimes obnoxious in his relentless pursuit of affection.
Super-antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 show promising results in animals
If you’ve been following biomedical news on the novel coronavirus over the last several months, there’s a good chance you’ve heard about the potential for antibodies from recovered COVID-19 patients (convalescent antibodies) to help fight the virus and provide temporary immunity to healthcare workers and other persons at high risk of contracting the virus.