Canadian biopharma companies are capitalizing on increased government investment stimulated by the recent pandemic to strengthen domestic capabilities and foster multinational partnerships that enhance drug discovery and development worldwide. Canada has long punched above its weight in life sciences and biotechnology, with many of the fundamental discoveries that underpin today’s important blockbuster drugs and therapeutic […]
drug discovery
Nature Outlook: Children’s Health
Most parents want to protect their children from the variety of illnesses and experiences that can occur in the early years of life. Explores some of the biggest issues in children’s health in this Nature Outlook that I edited. Read more in Nature.
‘We’ve never had a technology like Crispr before’: gene-editing moves into the clinic
When Jennifer Doudna and Emmanuelle Charpentier revealed that the bacterial Crispr–Cas9 antiviral defence system could be reprogrammed to edit genomic DNA they could scarcely have imagined the impact their discovery would have. One Nobel prize and a decade later treatments based on the technique are racing towards the clinic. Read more in Chemistry World.
Averting COVID Hospitalizations With Monoclonal Antibodies
The United States has allocated more than 641,000 monoclonal antibody treatments for outpatients to ease pressure on strained hospitals, but officials from Operation Warp Speed report that more than half of that reserve sits unused as clinicians grapple with best practices. Read more in Medscape.
Tofacitinib approved for arthritis treatment in children
On Sept 28, 2020, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Pfizer’s targeted synthetic drug tofacitinib (Xeljanz) for the treatment of polyarticular juvenile idiopathic arthritis. The drug, a Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitor, had previously been approved for use in adults with rheumatoid arthritis, but is the first in its class to be approved to […]
Artificial Intelligence Identifies Potential New Antibiotics
Machine learning turbocharges the process of identifying molecules to test for bacteria-attacking properties. Many dangerous bacteria are evolving resistance to our existing antibiotics faster than we can develop new ones. But now researchers have harnessed the power of artificial intelligence to dramatically speed up the search for new drugs — and found a promising one […]
Cannabis money opens new opportunities, and ethical dilemmas, for medical research
A research partnership between The Lung Association of Ontario and Tetra Bio-Pharma, a drug company focused on medicinal cannabis, has raised questions about whether it is appropriate for health-focused charities and researchers to work with companies selling a product that is smoked. Read more in CMAJ.
Smart insulin: redesign could end hypoglycemia risk
Danish pharma giant Novo Nordisk entered a deal to acquire small biotech Ziylo, gaining access to its next-generation glucose-sensitive insulins for diabetes. The deal signed on 17 August could be worth more than $800 million for the Bristol, UK-based startup if all milestones are met. Read more in Nature Biotechnology.
Zika vaccine development: two years on from the outbreak
Two years after the World Health Organization declared the Zika virus outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern, researchers have made good progress in developing vaccines against the disease, with some candidates now in Phase II trials. However, the brief nature of the outbreak is making wide-scale testing of the new vaccines difficult and some […]
Nature Outlook: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a devastating disease with poorly understood causes and no known cure. But research is slowly beginning to bring hope to those affected. This Outlook discusses topics such as: how genetic and epidemiological research are beginning to reveal the secrets of ALS; new drugs and other treatments that are finally becoming […]