Drug development

Cerevance Appoints Ottavio V. Vitolo, M.D., as Chief Medical Officer

Retrieved on: 
Monday, October 3, 2022

as chief medical officer.

Key Points: 
  • as chief medical officer.
  • We are thrilled to welcome Ottavio whose expertise will help advance our broad portfolio of innovative treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, said Craig Thompson, chief executive officer of Cerevance.
  • Dr. Vitolo most recently served as chief medical officer and global head of R&D at Alcyone Therapeutics.
  • Prior to this position, Dr. Vitolo served as senior vice president, head of R&D and chief medical officer at Relmada Therapeutics Inc.

Rady Children's Institute for Genomic Medicine and PlumCare RWE Partner to Expand Newborn Screening Program to Greece

Retrieved on: 
Monday, October 3, 2022

SAN DIEGO and ATHENS, Greece, Oct. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Rady Children's Institute for Genomic Medicine (RCIGM®) and PlumCare RWE, a Biotechnology and HealthCare data company, today announced a partnership to establish the first international site for BeginNGS™ (pronounced "beginnings"), a pilot program to screen newborns for approximately 400 genetic diseases that have known treatment options using rapid Whole Genome Sequencing (rWGS®).

Key Points: 
  • "Early detection-early intervention-better outcome is becoming a reality through this pioneering program," said Petros Tsipouras, MD, CEO and Co-Founder of PlumCare RWE.
  • "Partnering with RCIGM to bring this program to Greece is an exciting opportunity for PlumCare RWE and its academic partners of the beginnings.gr consortium.
  • As in the United States, BeginNGS Greece aims to supplement existing newborn screening protocols at birthing hospitals.
  • BeginNGS will not replace the current biochemical newborn screening rather, it is designed to complement the newborn screening processes and infrastructure that are already in place.

Duality announced the appointment of Dr. Yver as Chairman of SAB

Retrieved on: 
Monday, October 3, 2022

PRINCETON, N. J. and SHANGHAI, SUZHOU, China, Oct. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --Duality Biotherapeutics, Inc. ("Duality" or "the Company") today announced the appointment of Dr. Antoine Yver as Chairman of SAB.

Key Points: 
  • PRINCETON, N. J. and SHANGHAI, SUZHOU, China, Oct. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ --Duality Biotherapeutics, Inc. ("Duality" or "the Company") today announced the appointment of Dr. Antoine Yver as Chairman of SAB.
  • Dr. Antoine Yver has more than 32 years of oncology development and clinical experience.
  • "We are delighted that Dr. Antoine Yver has joined Duality as Chair of our SAB.
  • These include DITAC (Duality Immune Toxin Antibody Conjugate) with significantly improved therapeutic window and DIMAC (Duality Immune Modulating Antibody Conjugate) with superior efficacy than traditional biologics.

Wave Life Sciences to Highlight Advancements from PRISM Platform at Upcoming Scientific Congresses

Retrieved on: 
Monday, October 3, 2022

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Oct. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wave Life Sciences Ltd. (Nasdaq: WVE), a clinical-stage genetic medicines company committed to delivering life-changing treatments for people battling devastating diseases, today announced it will highlight oligonucleotide chemistry advancements from the company’s PRISMTM discovery and drug development platform at upcoming scientific conferences. The company will also highlight its A-to-I RNA base editing oligonucleotides (AIMers), including WVE-006 for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD), as well as its RNA interference (RNAi) capabilities. The scientific congresses include the 18th Annual Meeting of the Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Society (OTS), taking place October 2-5, 2022, and the European Society of Gene & Cell Therapy 29th Congress (ESGCT), taking place October 11-14, 2022.

Key Points: 
  • Our data at OTS and ESGCT are illustrative of both the evolution and the potential of Waves science, said Chandra Vargeese, PhD, Chief Technology Officer and Head of Platform Discovery Sciences at Wave Life Sciences.
  • PRISM is Wave Life Sciences proprietary discovery and drug development platform that enables genetically defined diseases to be targeted with stereopure oligonucleotides across multiple therapeutic modalities, including silencing, splicing, and editing.
  • Wave Life Sciences (Nasdaq: WVE) is a clinical-stage genetic medicines company committed to delivering life-changing treatments for people battling devastating diseases.
  • Wave undertakes no obligation to update the information contained in this press release to reflect subsequently occurring events or circumstances.

Zymeworks Announces Participation in Upcoming Investor Conferences and Early Research & Development Day

Retrieved on: 
Monday, October 3, 2022

Zymeworks management will participate in one-on-one meetings and present on November 15th 17th in London, United Kingdom.

Key Points: 
  • Zymeworks management will participate in one-on-one meetings and present on November 15th 17th in London, United Kingdom.
  • In addition, Zymeworks will present an update on its preclinical research programs at an Early R&D day on October 20th, 2022, in New York, NY.
  • Zymeworks is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of next-generation multifunctional biotherapeutics.
  • Zymeworks suite of therapeutic platforms and its fully integrated drug development engine enable precise engineering of highly differentiated product candidates.

Biogen and Denali Therapeutics Announce Initiation of the Phase 3 LIGHTHOUSE Study in Parkinson’s Disease Associated with LRRK2 Pathogenic Mutations

Retrieved on: 
Monday, October 3, 2022

The LIGHTHOUSE study will specifically recruit individuals with a pathogenic mutation in LRRK2, enabling us to test the genetic hypothesis and implicated lysosomal pathway.

Key Points: 
  • The LIGHTHOUSE study will specifically recruit individuals with a pathogenic mutation in LRRK2, enabling us to test the genetic hypothesis and implicated lysosomal pathway.
  • The LIGHTHOUSE study is the largest study ever undertaken in individuals with Parkinsons disease caused by a LRKK2 mutation.
  • Denali and Biogen are co-developing and co-commercializing BIIB122 for the potential treatment of Parkinsons disease.
  • The initiation of the Phase 3 LIGHTHOUSE study marks an important milestone in the BIIB122 development program.

Codexis Announces Appointment of Rahul Singhvi, Sc.D., to Board of Directors

Retrieved on: 
Monday, October 3, 2022

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Oct. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Codexis, Inc. (NASDAQ: CDXS), a leading enzyme engineering company enabling the promise of synthetic biology, today announced the appointment of Rahul Singhvi, Sc.D., to its Board of Directors.

Key Points: 
  • REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Oct. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Codexis, Inc. (NASDAQ: CDXS), a leading enzyme engineering company enabling the promise of synthetic biology, today announced the appointment of Rahul Singhvi, Sc.D., to its Board of Directors.
  • Rahul is a proven leader in the biopharmaceutical industry, with a demonstrated track record of enabling scale and accelerating the growth of innovative product pipelines, said Byron Dorgan, Chair of the Board of Codexis.
  • His insights and guidance across drug development and driving adoption of boundary-pushing technologies will prove invaluable throughout Codexis evolution, and we are fortunate to welcome him to our Board of Directors.
  • Codexis enzymes enable the promise of synthetic biology to improve the health of people and the planet.

Labcorp Establishes Comprehensive Laboratory Relationship With Ascension

Retrieved on: 
Monday, October 3, 2022

Labcorp (NYSE: LH), a leading global life sciences company, today announced the completion of transactions that establish a long-term laboratory relationship with Ascension, one of the leading non-profit and Catholic health systems in the United States.

Key Points: 
  • Labcorp (NYSE: LH), a leading global life sciences company, today announced the completion of transactions that establish a long-term laboratory relationship with Ascension, one of the leading non-profit and Catholic health systems in the United States.
  • We welcome those Ascension associates who will join Labcorp as a part of this strategic collaboration and look forward to working together to provide a smooth transition for patients, clinicians and employees.
  • The new relationship expands access for communities served by Ascension to Labcorps clinical laboratory services, analytics and laboratory network to enhance efficiency and advance health care.
  • Learn more about us at www.Labcorp.com or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter @Labcorp .

Regeneron Elects Dr. Craig B. Thompson to Board of Directors

Retrieved on: 
Monday, October 3, 2022

TARRYTOWN, N.Y., Oct. 3, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) today announced that Craig B. Thompson, M.D., has been elected to the Board of Directors, effective immediately. Dr. Thompson has also been appointed to serve on the Technology Committee of the Regeneron Board. Dr. Thompson is a renowned healthcare business leader with exceptional senior executive experience and scientific expertise in multiple therapeutic areas, including oncology. Regeneron's Board of Directors has been expanded from 12 to 13 members with the addition of Dr. Thompson.

Key Points: 
  • Dr. Thompson has also been appointed to serve on the Technology Committee of the Regeneron Board.
  • Regeneron's Board of Directors has been expanded from 12 to 13 members with the addition of Dr. Thompson.
  • Dr. Thompson has been heavily involved in research throughout his career, particularly in the cutting-edge fields of immunotherapy and precision medicine.
  • "We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Thompson to our Board," said P. Roy Vagelos, M.D., Chairman of the Regeneron Board of Directors.

Incyte Announces Agreement to Acquire Medicxi-backed Villaris Therapeutics and Auremolimab (VM6), an Anti-IL-15Rβ Monoclonal Antibody

Retrieved on: 
Monday, October 3, 2022

Incyte (NASDAQ:INCY) today announced that the Company has entered into an agreement to acquire Villaris Therapeutics, an asset-centric biopharmaceutical company seeded by Medicxi and focused on the development of novel antibody therapeutics for vitiligo.

Key Points: 
  • Incyte (NASDAQ:INCY) today announced that the Company has entered into an agreement to acquire Villaris Therapeutics, an asset-centric biopharmaceutical company seeded by Medicxi and focused on the development of novel antibody therapeutics for vitiligo.
  • Its lead asset, auremolimab (VM6), an anti-IL-15R monoclonal antibody (mAb), is expected to enter clinical development in 2023.
  • View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221003005269/en/
    Under the terms of the agreement, Incyte will acquire Villaris and the exclusive global rights to develop and commercialize auremolimab for all uses, including in vitiligo and other autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
  • People living with immune-mediated dermatologic diseases like vitiligo face significant challenges and we are committed to developing novel therapies like auremolimab, which may address these unmet needs.