Shaping the science of oncology
Dr Fiona McLaughlin is the new Chief Scientific Officer of Avacta’s Therapeutics Division. She talks to Karen Southern about her mission to develop first and best-in-class cancer drugs.
From the day that Dr McLaughlin –...
Matching clinical trials with unmet clinical need
A new tool that helps target clinical trials to areas of unmet clinical need has sparked interest in both the National Health Service (NHS) and the commercial clinical research world. Stephen Lock, Head of...
UK ‘Octopus’ trial tackling multiple sclerosis is a world first
A ground breaking mega-trial for progressive multiple sclerosis will be launched in the UK later this year.
Octopus, so called because of its multiple arms, is a revolutionary clinical trial that will transform the way...
Bringing patients and providers together one tweet at a time
As an open forum for human interaction, social media have become the great equalizer of health information – providing a means for patients and health care providers to connect outside of the hospital or...
Automated drug discovery platform brings about paradigm change for research
Bringing a single new drug to market takes years of research and costs billions – with the COVID-19 pandemic highlighting even more how critical it is to accelerate this process. The high costs and...
IBM releases novel AI-powered technology to accelerate medical research for COVID-19
IBM has today released a new set of cloud- and AI-powered technologies to help researchers, doctors and scientists accelerate COVID-19 drug discovery.
These novel resources, from across IBM and available beginning today (Friday 3 April)...
Pioneering technique paves way for fast and cheap fabrication of rapid medical diagnostic tools
Breakthrough promises to democratise microfluidics and lab-on-a-chip technology, benefiting resource-poor countries and settings.
New technology developed by the University of Bristol has the potential to accelerate uptake and development of on-chip diagnostic techniques in parts...
Making clinical trials right for older people
In this issue, we speak to Miles Witham, Professor of Trials for Older People at Newcastle University and consultant geriatrician, about why he’s bringing about a sea change in how clinical trials involving older...
Detecting viruses in a pinprick
A novel method of detecting viruses in very small volumes has been developed in a collaboration between scientists at Swansea University, Biovici Ltd and the National Physical Laboratory.
Their work – published in Advanced NanoBiomed...
Precision breeding for a sustainable future: unpacking the future of genomics
Neil Ward, General Manager of PacBio EMEA, examines the potential impact of the UK’s Precision Breeding Bill.
Genomic sequencing holds the potential to unlock powerful insights that will advance our understanding of all life. In...
Potential breakthrough in treatment of rare disease
Biotech company Actigen has initiated a clinical development programme for GNR-055, a potentially breakthrough treatment for the life-limiting, rare disease mucopolysaccharidosis II (MPS II) (also known as Hunter syndrome). Occurring in around 1 in...
Stay future-ready: Running parallel operations with a CDMO during clinical trials
Bringing a drug candidate through clinical trials is a challenging and high-risk process, since only 10% of candidates actually reach final approval. Both established pharma companies and small startups are often faced with this...
Growing microtumours in a dish hailed as ‘rapid way to identify tumour genes’
Researchers have identified a new way to screen genes that cause several different types of cancers to grow, identifying particularly promising targets for precision oncology in oral and esophageal squamous cancers.
The study, published in...
Antibiotic resistance widespread among bacteria
Genes that make bacteria resistant to antibiotics are much more widespread in our environment than previously known.
A study, from Chalmers University of Technology and the University of Gothenburg in Sweden, shows that bacteria in...
New ‘Clinical Trial in a Dish’ for Alzheimer’s Disease
An extensive panel of consented patient samples and iPSC technology will advance AD drug development and patient stratification.
Pluripotent stem cell technology provider for drug discovery, Axol Bioscience Ltd (Axol), has signed an exclusive agreement...
Protecting the confidentiality of individuals vs. the desire to improve healthcare through data
Wendy Lloyd-Goodwin, Founder of Life Science Law, looks at the implications of a new EU-wide framework for health data, including for research and clinical trials.
The EU is hoping to achieve a quantum leap forward...