Drug Discovery

Ligand Pharmaceuticals to buy Pfenex for up to $516m

Ligand Pharmaceuticals has agreed to acquire development and licencing biotechnology company Pfenex in a deal valued at around $516m.

Dissolved Oxygen Measuring Systems

The high performance, inline oxygen sensors from METTLER TOLEDO stand the test of time under challenging operating conditions, whether in the biotechnology, pharmaceutical, brewing or food and beverage industry.

Seismic Bio partners with Twist Bioscience for discovery and optimisation of antibodies

Twist Bioscience Corporation, a company enabling customers to succeed through its offering of high-quality synthetic DNA using its silicon platform, and Seismic Bio, an immuno-oncology company focused on bispecific antibody development, today announced a partnership for the discovery and optimization of antibodies to high-value immuno-oncology targets.

ImmunityBio’s hAd5 vaccine candidate for Covid-19 succeeds in preclinical study

ImmunityBio said that its human Ad5 vaccine candidate (hAd5 vaccine candidate), which is being developed for the prevention of Covid-19, has yielded positive preclinical results.

Pfizer says Covid-19 vaccine may be needed regularly

Pfizer is considering a long-term commercial strategy for its Covid-19 vaccine, anticipating that the novel coronavirus could endure and a one-time vaccine dose may not be enough.

Nura Bio launches to discover and develop neuroprotective drug

Nura Bio, a biopharma company created to discover and develop life-changing neuroprotective drugs, announced its official launch.

Karuna Therapeutics and PsychoGenics announce drug discovery collaboration

Karuna Therapeutics announced that the companies have entered a multi-year drug discovery and development agreement to identify potential novel drug candidates for the treatment of severe neuropsychiatric disorders.

Daiichi Sankyo, AstraZeneca sign $6bn worth deal for DS-1062

Daiichi Sankyo has signed a global development and commercialisation deal worth up to $6bn with AstraZeneca for its cancer drug candidate DS-1062.

Moderna announces expansion of BARDA agreement to support larger phase 3 programme for Covid-19 vaccine

Moderna, a clinical stage biotechnology company pioneering messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines to create a new generation of transformative medicines for patients, today announced a modification to its contract with the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) for an additional commitment of up to $472 million to support late stage clinical development including the expanded Phase 3 study of the Company’s mRNA vaccine candidate (mRNA-1273) against Covid-19.