New Science

The sixth annual edition of In Vivo’s Rising Leaders features entrepreneurs, academics, lawyers, regulators and innovators from around the globe, representing the forefront of creativity in health care.

In this episode of the Over the Counter podcast, HBW Insight speaks to Kerry's RDA senior manager of immune and joint health, Sonja Nodland, about the opportunity for innovation that postbiotics represent for the consumer health industry. 

King’s College London has released a freely available ‘Human Gut Microbiome Atlas’ to help researchers better understand how microorganisms in the gut impact disease. 

A recently-published study funded by the UK National Institute for Health and Care Research finds that use of OTC nasal sprays reduces overall respiratory illness duration by about a fifth. Applied at a population level, self-care could therefore save billions in healthcare and human capital costs, as industry has pointed out elsewhere, as well as redirecting people away from antibiotic treatments that are still widely misprescribed, contributing to the fight against antimicrobial resistance. 

Biopharmaceutical venture capital fundraising is on the rise in 2024. In late June, Formation Bio secured a mega financing, raising $372m via a series D round led by a16z and Sanofi. 

Consumer health companies need to meet consumers where they are in their life-stage journeys, providing healthy aging solutions like dietary supplements that have clearly communicated and science-backed benefits, argued panelists at a recent IQVIA Consumer Health webinar. This is particularly the case for women, who are underserved and want natural support for changes like the menopause, said Haleon's Sheryl Tan. 

Grey Wolf Therapeutics has secured $99m via an expanded series B financing to advance its antigen modulation approach in cancer and to further explore its use in autoimmune disease indications.

Tuyen Ong, a CEO-partner at Flagship Pioneering and CEO of Ring Therapeutics, discusses the importance of balancing short-term wins with a longer-term vision when building a biotech.   

Increased R&D spending, program acquisitions and a soaring headcount – Regeneron has seen significant growth over the past 5 years. The company is focused on marrying its antibody technologies with its expanding cell and gene therapy pipeline. 

According to China Pharmaceutical Innovation and Research Development Association, in the first quarter of 2024 a total of 44 cell therapies in the domestic cell therapy field made clinical application progress, including 28 immune cell therapies and 16 stem cell therapies.  

Citeline analysts offered deep dives into some of the data presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting, including both major highlights and some lesser-known finds.   

Emerging out of a landmark 2023, CRISPR companies and researchers are pushing in vivo therapies and other approaches closer to the clinic and potential approval.

CRISPR pioneer Jennifer Doudna recently co-launched an initiative focused on microbial gene editing, but French biotech Eligo has been diligently working on this for 10 years. 

Real-world data and evidence, for example generated by digital consumer health technology like apps and wearables, could provide crucial support for Rx-to-OTC switch applications, argues Sanofi Consumer Healthcare’s Penny Glover at the Association of the European Self-Care Industry's 60th Annual Meeting in Brussels, Belgium. Recent research by Sanofi indicates that regulators are actually already using RWD and RWE in many cases when assessing switch applications, even if they do not call it that. 

In the emerging field of therapeutic endoscopy, Creo Medical’s Speedboat devices are advancing minimally invasive treatment by combining advanced bipolar radiofrequency and super high frequency microwave energy in a single device, says CTO and founder Chris Hancock.

Computing, including AI, applied to life sciences is undeniably a rapidly growing area, driven by significant investment, recent technological advancements and heightened public interest. A look at published patents from 2014 to 2023 reveals trends in patent filings across various life sciences sectors and highlights geographical hotspots.

Co-founder and CEO of Cellino Biotech, Nabiha Saklayen, discusses the company’s innovative platform which uses automated technologies to overcome challenges in the development of regenerative medicine.

Rezo’s chief technology officer Sourav Bandyopadhyay discusses the company's focus on leveraging AI and machine learning to accelerate drug discovery and its potential for partnerships with big pharma.  

Leveraging the biotech entrepreneurial spirit and global pharma resources is a win-win situation in the race to bring meaningful medicines to patients.  

Advances in synthetic biology are moving biopharma closer to a world where treatments can be tailored while remaining cost-effective.