Drug Discovery

LegoChem Biosciences, Iksuda collaborate to develop antibody-drug conjugates

LegoChem Biosciences, based in Daejeon, South Korea, announced today that it has entered a research collaboration and license agreement with Iksuda Therapeutics (“Iksuda”) for the development of antibody-drug conjugates in oncology.

Starpharma’s SPL7013 shows significant activity against SARS-CoV-2

Starpharma announced that its proprietary VivaGel active, astodrimer sodium (SPL7013), has been shown in laboratory studies to have significant antiviral activity against the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 (coronavirus disease).

BARDA commits $483m to Moderna for COVID-19 vaccine

Moderna has secured a funding commitment of up to $483m from the US Government agency Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) to advance the development of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine for novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2).

Novartis, TScan collaborate to develop TCR therapies for solid tumours

Novartis has collaborated with TScan Therapeutics for the discovery and development of T cell receptor (TCR) therapies to treat solid tumours.

GSK collaborates with Sanofi to develop COVID-19 vaccine

British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has joined forces with French pharma company Sanofi for the development of an adjuvanted vaccine for COVID-19 disease.

Alnylam to secure $2bn from Blackstone to advance RNAi medicines

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals has entered into a $2bn strategic financing collaboration with Blackstone to advance the commercial potential of RNA interference (RNAi) therapeutics.

Enzychem Lifesciences announces filing of US provisional patent for EC-18 to treat COVID-19

Enzychem Lifesciences announced that it has filed a provisional patent application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) covering treating COVID-19 infections and symptoms using EC-18, the Company's lead compound.

Alnylam and Dicerna form RNAi Therapeutics collaboration on alpha-1 liver disease

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals and Dicerna Pharmaceuticals have formed a development and commercialization collaboration on investigational RNAi therapeutics for the treatment of alpha-1 antitrypsin (A1AT) deficiency-associated liver disease (alpha-1 liver disease).

Gilead Sciences, Second Genome announce strategic collaboration in biomarker and inflammatory bowel disease drug discovery

Gilead Sciences and Second Genome, a leader in microbiome science, announced that the companies have entered into a four-year strategic collaboration to identify biomarkers associated with clinical response in up to five of Gilead’s pipeline compounds in inflammation, fibrosis and other diseases, and to identify potential new targets and drug candidates for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).