Organoid

Harvard Bioscience to Showcase Latest Solutions for Preclinical and Organoid Applications at Society of Toxicology Meeting

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Complementing an already extensive product line, the new innovations provide exciting new opportunities for advancing preclinical and organoid-focused therapy development.

Key Points: 
  • Complementing an already extensive product line, the new innovations provide exciting new opportunities for advancing preclinical and organoid-focused therapy development.
  • The Company’s industry-leading GLP-compliant Ponemah™ preclinical data management platform now includes integrations with the new SoHo™ implantable telemetry solution and the VivaMARS™ high-capacity behavior monitoring system.
  • The integrated platform also opens new opportunities for the use of emerging machine learning-based algorithms to efficiently analyze large data pools.
  • The new Mesh MEA platform is designed for the emerging applications of organoids in research and discovery, safety pharmacology and toxicology.

Sana Biotechnology Reports Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2023 Financial Results and Business Updates

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 29, 2024

The Investigational New Drug Application (IND) cleared in 4Q 2023, and Sana expects to share initial data in 2024.

Key Points: 
  • The Investigational New Drug Application (IND) cleared in 4Q 2023, and Sana expects to share initial data in 2024.
  • The Clinical Trial Application (CTA) cleared in 4Q 2023, and Sana expects initial data to be shared in the first half of 2024.
  • Non-GAAP research and development expense in 2023 excludes an expense related to the impairment of certain lab equipment and leasehold improvements, primarily due to the portfolio prioritization in the fourth quarter of 2023.
  • A discussion of non-GAAP measures, including a reconciliation of GAAP and non-GAAP measures, is presented below under “Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”

AxoSim Appoints Two Biotech Industry Veterans as Co-Chairs of Its Board of Directors

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Dr. Pfost noted, “AxoSim embodies the entrepreneur’s sweet spot--when market need, technological innovation, timing and team all align. The growing prevalence of neurological diseases places enormous burdens on patients, their families and society. Yet despite billions in investment, neurology R&D continues to disappoint. AxoSim’s transformational approach addresses a key contributor to these failures—the lack of relevant disease models—by providing functional human data from its microphysiological system (MPS) organoid technologies early in the process. AxoSim aims to become an industry leader in helping to deliver urgently needed new drugs and I welcome the opportunity to contribute to its success.”

Key Points: 
  • Dr. Pfost and Dr. Weiner have decades of experience in building successful biotechnology companies spanning therapeutics, diagnostics and life science tools and technologies.
  • “Our recent acquisition of a third platform technology positions AxoSim for growth, and we are fortunate to have these two talented industry veterans assuming key leadership roles,” said Lowry Curley, PhD, co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of AxoSim.
  • “Dale and Dave bring successful track records in building life sciences businesses, with broad and complementary skill sets.
  • Dale’s work in life science tools and venture finance is highly relevant, as is Dave’s expertise in leading neurological drug discovery and clinical development.

ATCC and Tissue Dynamics Announce a Strategic Collaboration to Bring a Transformative Heart Organoid Model to Market

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 27, 2024

The collaboration will be done under the Israel-U.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation (BIRD) framework, which awarded both companies a two-year grant.

Key Points: 
  • The collaboration will be done under the Israel-U.S. Binational Industrial Research and Development Foundation (BIRD) framework, which awarded both companies a two-year grant.
  • The BIRD Foundation, established in 1977, bolsters transformative partnerships that stimulate, promote, and support industrial research and development in a wide range of technology sectors.
  • Tissue Dynamics partnered with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem to develop the world’s first mature self-paced multi-chambered cardiac organoid model , using ATCC cells, that emulates critical aspects of human physiology.
  • Tissue Dynamics’ partnership with ATCC aims to advance this cardiac organoid model for industrial use.

Sana Biotechnology Announces Publication of Preclinical Diabetes Data in Cell Stem Cell Demonstrating Insulin Independence Following Transplantation of Hypoimmune Allogeneic Primary Islet Cells Without Immunosuppression in a Diabetic NHP

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 13, 2024

SEATTLE, Feb. 13, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sana Biotechnology, Inc. (NASDAQ: SANA), a company focused on changing the possible for patients through engineered cells, today announced that Cell Stem Cell has published a paper titled “Hypoimmune islets achieve insulin independence after allogeneic transplantation in a fully immunocompetent non-human primate.” The paper evaluated a transplant of Sana’s engineered allogeneic, hypoimmune (HIP)-modified pancreatic islet cells into a fully immunocompetent, diabetic non-human primate (NHP). These modified islet cells, which cluster into effective endocrine organoids, are termed “pseudo islet grafts” (p-islets). The results demonstrated that the HIP-modified p-islets engrafted following intramuscular injection and provided stable endocrine function, enabling insulin independence in the absence of immunosuppression.

Key Points: 
  • These modified islet cells, which cluster into effective endocrine organoids, are termed “pseudo islet grafts” (p-islets).
  • The results demonstrated that the HIP-modified p-islets engrafted following intramuscular injection and provided stable endocrine function, enabling insulin independence in the absence of immunosuppression.
  • This publication, along with the ongoing IST, will provide invaluable insights toward our stem cell derived product candidate, SC451.
  • It was thus demonstrated that the tightly controlled blood glucose levels and insulin independence was entirely due to well-functioning HIP p-islets.

Vilcek Foundation Awards $500,000 in Prizes to Immigrant Scientists and Designers

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, February 6, 2024

NEW YORK, Feb. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Vilcek Foundation announces the recipients of the 2024 Vilcek Foundation Prizes. Comprising a total of $500,000 in awards, the prizes align with the foundation's mission and vision: To celebrate immigrant professionals in biomedical science and in the arts and humanities, and to recognize immigrant professionals' contributions to intellectual and cultural life in the United States.

Key Points: 
  • NEW YORK, Feb. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Vilcek Foundation announces the recipients of the 2024 Vilcek Foundation Prizes .
  • Vilcek Foundation awards $500,000 in prizes to immigrant professionals in Biomedical Science and Design.
  • In 2024, four prizes are awarded each in Biomedical Science and in Design: one $100,000 Vilcek Prize, and three $50,000 Vilcek Prizes for Creative Promise.
  • "The United States' leadership in biomedical science and research is in no small part due to the contributions of immigrant scientists," says Jan Vilcek, Chairman and CEO of the Vilcek Foundation.

Danaher Launches Collaboration with Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center Aiming to Improve Patient Safety in Early Drug Development

Retrieved on: 
Monday, February 5, 2024

Molecular Devices, a Danaher subsidiary and leading high-performance life science solutions provider, will build on a long-standing relationship with Cincinnati Children's to lead the Beacon's work. Molecular Devices is a pioneer of end-to-end solutions for organoid development, and recently launched the CellXpress.ai™ Automated Cell Culture System – an AI-enabled solution that automates demanding production schedules to produce reliable, reproducible, and streamlined organoids at scale. The Cincinnati Children's Center for Stem Cell & Organoid Medicine (CuSTOM) -- a cross-departmental multi-disciplinary center of excellence leveraging advances in developmental biology and stem cell technologies to create complex, physiologically functioning human tissues – has been producing organoids using Molecular Devices technology since 2019.

Key Points: 
  • Molecular Devices, a Danaher subsidiary and leading high-performance life science solutions provider, will build on a long-standing relationship with Cincinnati Children's to lead the Beacon's work.
  • William Blake, PhD, Chief Technology Officer, Human-Based R&D, Danaher, said: "Predictive, human-relevant drug safety testing is one of the most pressing needs to reduce clinical trial attrition.
  • Takebe said: "Our ongoing commitment to comprehending patient diversity and susceptibility to drug-related adverse events finds a synergistic match in our strategic collaboration with Danaher.
  • The collaboration with Cincinnati Children's is the latest addition to the Danaher Beacons program, which funds product-driven pioneering scientific research with globally recognized academic investigators.

iXCells Biotechnologies Announces Grand Opening and 2024 Rare Disease Month Workshop

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 1, 2024

iXCells Biotechnologies USA, Inc. (“iXCells”), a cell technology company providing innovative cell products and preclinical drug development services to the global academic, biotech, pharmaceutical, and rare disease communities today announced the grand opening celebration of its new San Diego headquarters and Rare Disease Month Workshop.

Key Points: 
  • iXCells Biotechnologies USA, Inc. (“iXCells”), a cell technology company providing innovative cell products and preclinical drug development services to the global academic, biotech, pharmaceutical, and rare disease communities today announced the grand opening celebration of its new San Diego headquarters and Rare Disease Month Workshop.
  • This special event will be attended by invited guests, employees, leading industry scientists, entrepreneurs from the rare disease community, and San Diego’s honorable Mayor, Todd Gloria.
  • iXCells Biotechnologies continues to play a leadership role in providing CRO services and fostering industry collaboration and innovation to support the rare disease community, spearheaded by its Co-Founder and President, Dr. Nianwei Lin.
  • This year’s Rare Disease Workshop will include talks from rare disease patient foundation leaders, scientific presentations covering iPSC derived CNS models, antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) development, industry collaborations in the Nof1 ecosystem, roundtable discussions and networking.

Can the bugs in our guts help us manage inflammation?

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, January 30, 2024

CINCINNATI, Jan. 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Imagine a day when people can enjoy snacking on foods designed to "re-calibrate" their microbiomes—that vast population of friendly bacteria living in our intestines—in order to promote a healthy immune system and decrease infections or chronic inflammation.

Key Points: 
  • Scientists have studied the intestine for many years, but even now they are learning surprising details about how it works.
  • "This study shows that the microbiota—and products made by the microbiota—can dynamically control immune responses in the gut," Alenghat says.
  • The research examines a reaction called type 2 immunity that occurs with chronic inflammatory conditions such as allergy and asthma.
  • Until now, it was not clear if nor how the gut microbiome impacts tuft cells.

Stem Cell-Derived Brain Organoids on Ax-3 Mission Seek to Improve Modeling for Neurodegenerative Diseases

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, January 17, 2024

The mission will mark the fifth flight to the orbiting laboratory for NSCF, which is aiming to study tissue changes within stem cell-derived brain organoids to pinpoint where inflammation begins in the brain.

Key Points: 
  • The mission will mark the fifth flight to the orbiting laboratory for NSCF, which is aiming to study tissue changes within stem cell-derived brain organoids to pinpoint where inflammation begins in the brain.
  • To that end, NSCF will send human brain organoids derived from patients with two different types of degenerative brain diseases— Parkinson's and PPMS —to the orbiting laboratory.
  • Approximately 80 organoids will be studied over the two-week mission before being returned to Earth and to NSCF for further analysis.
  • A follow-on investigation will fly on SpaceX's upcoming 30th Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) mission, currently slated for launch in March.