September 28, 2023 | Paige and Microsoft aim to build the world’s largest image-based AI models for digital pathology and oncology; the GA4GH Board of Directors has elected Heidi Rehm to succeed Ewan Birney; The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced new details of its agreement with Regeneron to extend its public-private partnership to develop life-saving monoclonal antibodies as part of Project NextGen enhancing our preparedness for COVID-19 strains and variants; and more.
Paige has joined forces with Microsoft in the fight against cancer, making headway in their collaboration to transform cancer diagnosis and patient care by building the world’s largest image-based artificial intelligence (AI) models for digital pathology and oncology. Paige is developing with Microsoft a new AI model that is orders-of-magnitude larger than any other image-based AI model existing today, configured with billions of parameters. This model assists in capturing the subtle complexities of cancer and serves as the cornerstone for the next generation of clinical applications and computational biomarkers that push the boundaries of oncology and pathology. Press release.
The GA4GH Board of Directors has elected Heidi Rehm to succeed Ewan Birney, who will complete his term as Chair of the Global Alliance for Genomics and Health (GA4GH) at the end of 2023. Rehm has served as a GA4GH Vice-Chair since 2018. She is also Chief Genomics Officer at Massachusetts General Hospital and Co-Director of the Program in Medical and Population Genetics at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Rehm has plans to expand support for GA4GH product implementation and strengthen collaboration with clinical communities to ensure GA4GH work benefits the interface of research and clinical care. Press release.
Researchers at The University of Queensland are using Oxford Nanopore Technologies instruments to analyze mRNA vaccines and therapies. This approach promises to simplify and better ensure the quality of manufactured mRNA-based vaccines and therapeutics worldwide. Under the new research partnership, the BASE team at UQ’s Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology will use the latest and improved nanopore-based sequencing technology to optimize performance and reduce the time needed to measure mRNA vaccine quality attributes. Press release.
JURA Bio and Syena, a subsidiary of Replay, are working to develop T cell receptor (TCR) based therapies. The partnership aims to use synthesized T cell repertoires to generate safe and effective libraries to discover antigen specific TCRs at scale. In addition to the partnership with Replay and Syena, JURA Bio also announced a $16.1M financing led by Michael Chambers, John Ballantyne, Fontus Capital, and Josh Elkington. The funding will accelerate the mapping of the adaptive immune system. The funding will be used to accelerate the mapping of the adaptive immune system. Press release.
The Astellas Institute for Regenerative Medicine (AIRM) has licensed Genedata Selector to help confirm the biosafety of cell therapies using NGS-based assays within a validated environment. AIRM aims to shorten the time it takes to reach first-in-human studies and deliver safe and effective cell therapies to the market. AIRM plans to leverage the Genedata Selector to help automate workflows, reduce bottlenecks, and speed up progress toward cell therapies. Press release.
New Day Diagnostics announced that the Extraordinary General Meeting of Epigenomics AG, a molecular diagnostics company focused on blood testing for the early detection of cancer, has approved the acquisition agreement between the two organizations. The agreement's completion will further enhance New Day Diagnostics' ability to improve lives by empowering people with innovative, accessible diagnostics. Press release.
Baylor Genetics announced the availability of a new Neurodevelopmental Disorders Panel for children and other patients affected by a suspected or clinically diagnosed autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, and/or developmental delay. The panel analyzes a clinically curated and targeted set of 236 genes to help healthcare providers and patients achieve a prompt, accurate genetic diagnosis and a better understanding of prognosis and anticipated disease progression. Press release.
Metabolon launched its new Biological Stress Discovery Panel. The Biological Stress Discovery Panel incorporates new visualization tools and allows researchers to compare results across different data sets to identify statistically significant changes in metabolite abundance. Researchers also have access to detailed associations between metabolites and biological pathways that can help uncover biological significance. Press release.
Mission Bio has launched the Tapestri Genome Editing Solution. Designed to meet the pressing need for high-resolution analysis of genome editing, this first-of-its-kind solution addresses a long-standing gap in advanced therapy development, disease modeling, and functional genomics. Already drawing substantial interest from key opinion leaders in pharmaceuticals, academia, and government labs, this much-anticipated solution was initially previewed at The American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy annual conference. Press release.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced new details of its agreement with Regeneron to extend its public-private partnership to develop life-saving monoclonal antibodies as part of Project NextGen enhancing our preparedness for COVID-19 strains and variants. This agreement included a clause where Regeneron committed that if a new product is commercialized, its list price in the United States will be equal to or less than its retail price in comparable markets globally. Inclusion of this clause is the result of HHS’s and Regeneron’s shared interest in ensuring enduring and equitable access to therapeutics developed under public-private partnerships for all Americans. Press release.
Yourgene Health launched the Yourgene MagBench Automated DNA Extraction Instrument and Kit. MagBench solution is available to Sage customers across Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. MagBench offers a simple, fast, and cost-efficient, bench-top robotic cell-free DNA (cfDNA) extraction workstation optimized for Yourgene’s Sage 32 NIPT Workflow. This provides clinical laboratories with a streamlined end-to-end solution, from sample to report, enabling them to provide a more accurate and competitive non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) service. Press release.
The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard announced a new research alliance with Novo Nordisk aimed at addressing critical unmet clinical needs in diabetes and cardiometabolic diseases. The collaboration will focus on advancing three programs over the next three years. Two programs aim to identify drug targets for clinically important subtypes of type 2 diabetes, which affects more than 37 million people in the United States alone, and one program aims to unravel the genetic roots of cardiac fibrosis, or scarring of the heart, which occurs in many cardiovascular diseases that can lead to heart dysfunction and failure. Press release.
Charles River Laboratories International and PathoQuest SAS announced the publication of the results of a seminal study in Vaccine (DOI: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2023.07.019). This unique study demonstrated that PathoQuest’s proprietary, good manufacturing practice (GMP) grade NGS-based assay had a greater capability of detecting viral contaminants when compared to in vivo assays. Press release.
Circular Genomics announced a partnership with leading Alzheimer’s genomics expert Dr. Carlos Cruchaga to explore the role of circRNAs as blood biomarkers for early diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease. The work will expand upon the company’s ongoing primary depression research program. The partnership between Circular Genomics and Dr. Cruchaga will involve quantification of circRNAs in blood to study memory and aging in the largest blood clinical study of its kind—the Memory and Aging Project at the Knight-ADRC at Washington University. The collaboration with Dr. Cruchaga will also involve the co-application of grant proposals to help further advance the research and development of a circRNA-based assay for Alzheimer’s disease. Press release.
Revvity debuted its enhanced imaging portfolio designed to drive innovation across diverse applications in preclinical research with the launch of three systems. These new innovations include the next-generation IVIS Spectrum 2 and the IVIS SpectrumCT 2 imaging systems, further elevating versatility and sensitivity standards in in vivo optical imaging. Also launching is the QuantumTM GX3 microCT structural imaging solution with increased resolution and speed for both in vivo and ex vivo imaging, designed to facilitate researchers studying disease biology or evaluating and fast-tracking therapeutic candidates. And making its global debut is the Vega ultrasound system, originally launched in North America in 2022. Press release.
BioSkryb Genomics announced a partnership with Research Instruments Pte Ltd, a premier distributor for genomic and life science research products in Southeast Asia, to distribute BioSkryb’s ResolveDNA and ResolveOME single cell amplification tools throughout Singapore and Southeast Asia. Research Instruments (“Everlife-RI") is part of Everlife Asia, a leading Asia-focused market access and distribution group with strong capabilities in life sciences, clinical diagnostics, and analytical instrumentation operating in seven countries across Asia. Press release.