Preclinical Testing News and Research

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Preclinical testing of anti-Ebola antibodies can lead to universal flu vaccine

Does the blood of Ebola virus disease survivors contain antibodies and immune cells that could help doctors fight Ebola infections in other people?

9 Feb 2015

Sensitive toxicity test aims to detect dangerous side effects in pharmaceutical development

Because of undetected toxicity problems, about a third of prescription drugs approved in the U.S. are withdrawn from the market or require added warning labels limiting their use. An exceptionally sensitive toxicity test invented at the University of Utah could make it possible to uncover more of these dangerous side effects early in pharmaceutical development so that fewer patients are given unsafe drugs.

16 Dec 2014

Profectus BioSciences gets funding to develop VesiculoVax Zaire-Ebola virus vaccine

Profectus BioSciences, Inc., a clinical-stage vaccine company developing novel vaccines for the treatment and prevention of infectious diseases, announced today that the Department of Defense through the Medical Countermeasure Systems-Joint Vaccine Acquisition Program, a subordinate command of the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical and Biological Defense, Edgewood, MD, has contracted the manufacture and IND-enabling preclinical testing of the Profectus trivalent Ebola/Marburg vaccine.

31 Oct 2014

Researchers develop DNA-based drug delivery system that targets cancer cells

Biomedical engineering researchers have developed a drug delivery system consisting of nanoscale "cocoons" made of DNA that target cancer cells and trick the cells into absorbing the cocoon before unleashing anticancer drugs. The work was done by researchers at North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

14 Oct 2014

Pitt researchers awarded new $5.8 million NIH grant to develop microfluidic 3D liver model system

With a new $5.8 million, three-year award from the National Institutes of Health, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine will further develop a state-of-the-art, microfluidic 3D model system that mimics structure and function of the liver to better predict organ physiology, assess drug toxicity and build disease models.

25 Sep 2014

Inovio, GeneOne to advance DNA-based Ebola vaccine into phase I clinical trial

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced it will advance its DNA vaccine for Ebola into a phase I clinical trial in a collaboration with GeneOne Life Science Inc., an international DNA vaccine manufacturer in which Inovio holds a minority interest.

24 Sep 2014

TSRI scientists devise new vancomycin-based antibiotic to rout resistant bacteria

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute have devised a new antibiotic based on vancomycin that is powerfully effective against vancomycin-resistant strains of MRSA and other disease-causing bacteria.

18 Sep 2014

Researchers use microengineered device to show how EMT cancer cells migrate

Using a microengineered device that acts as an obstacle course for cells, researchers have shed new light on a cellular metamorphosis thought to play a role in tumor cell invasion throughout the body.

18 Aug 2014

Pfizer to in-license Absorption Systems' BCRP-MDCK cells

Absorption Systems, a leader in novel test systems for drug transporters, announces a license agreement with Pfizer Inc., in which Pfizer will in-license Absorption Systems' BCRP-MDCK cells. This cell line is stably transfected with the human ABCG2 gene, which codes for a protein known as BCRP (breast cancer resistance protein).

15 Jul 2014

New approach for developing personalized gene therapies to treat retinitis pigmentosa

Columbia University Medical Center researchers have created a way to develop personalized gene therapies for patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a leading cause of vision loss.

11 Jul 2014

Bio-Path Holdings reports net loss of $504,876 for first quarter 2014

Bio-Path Holdings, Inc., a biotechnology company developing a liposomal delivery technology for nucleic acid cancer drugs, today announced operational and financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2014.

17 May 2014

Scientists develop microbicide gel that prevents transmission of multiple STIs in vagina/rectum in animals

Population Council scientists and their partners have found that their proprietary microbicide gel is safe, stable, and can prevent the transmission of multiple sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in both the vagina and rectum in animals: HIV, herpes simplex virus 2 (HSV-2), and human papillomavirus (HPV).

18 Apr 2014

Adaptimmune awarded £2.1 million grant to expedite development of engineered T cell therapy

Adaptimmune today announced that it has been awarded a grant of £2.1 million from the Biomedical Catalyst Fund, managed by the UK’s innovation agency the Technology Strategy Board and the Medical Research Council. The prestigious award will expedite the development of Adaptimmune’s second engineered T cell therapy programme into the clinic in triple negative breast cancer.

26 Mar 2014

Promethera Biosciences, EMD Millipore partner to develop ready-to-use microfluidic perfusion liver assay

Promethera Biosciences, a company that develops innovative therapies for the treatment of liver diseases, today announces a collaboration with EMD Millipore to develop an improved ready-to-use microfluidic perfusion liver assay. This new product is designed to perform more robust studies in pre-clinical toxicity and drug metabolism.

11 Mar 2014

TSRI scientists design artificial proteins as a candidate vaccine against RSV

Scientists at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have invented a new method for designing artificial proteins, and have used it to make key ingredients for a candidate vaccine against a dangerous virus, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a significant cause of infant mortality.

6 Feb 2014

AMSilk completes preclinical testing of proprietary silicone breast implant coating

AMSilk has completed preclinical testing of its proprietary silicone implant coating made from spider silk. AMSilk's coating consists of a thin layer of spider silk proteins manufactured by AMSilk.

29 Jan 2014

Scientists start clinical trial of EDP-788 oral antibiotic to treat MRSA infections

Scientists have begun the first human clinical trial of EDP-788, an investigational oral antibiotic intended to treat methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections.

27 Jan 2014

Jackson Laboratory collaborates with Seoul National University to develop new mouse models, tumor repository

The Jackson Laboratory, in collaboration with Seoul National University, will receive a five-year, $7.5 million grant from the South Korean government for a large-scale cancer genomics project employing the latest sequencing technology and special JAX mouse models that can host human tumors.

22 Jan 2014

LSDF announces research and development grants to commercialize health-related technologies

The Life Sciences Discovery Fund (LSDF) today announced $1.1 million in five Proof of Concept grants to Washington for-profit and non-profit organizations to foster the translation of health-related products from the laboratory into the commercial marketplace.

19 Dec 2013

DNA vaccine demonstrates potential to prevent and treat deadly MERS coronavirus

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that preclinical testing of a DNA synthetic vaccine for the virulent Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS) induced robust and durable immune responses, demonstrating the potential for a SynCon DNA vaccine to prevent and treat this deadly virus.

20 Nov 2013