News round-up for 9-13 September by DDW Senior Digital Content Editor Diana Spencer. This week, DDW has opened registrations for its webinar ‘The latest advancements driving neuroscience drug discovery research’, so our news highlights focus on developments in neuroscience, including a novel drug that has been shown to reduce neuronal death, and a potential disease-modifying [...] The post This week in drug discovery (9-13 September)  appeared first on Drug Discovery World (DDW ..read more

QL Biopharm, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing biologic drugs for the treatment of metabolic diseases, has shared Phase Ic clinical data for its lead drug candidate ZT002. The data was presented at the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) Annual Meeting 2024, Madrid, Spain. The presentation was titled ‘ZT002, a novel ultra [...] The post QL Biopharm announces new obesity drug results appeared first on Drug Discovery World (DDW ..read more

A Dupixent (dupilumab) pivotal study (ADEPT) in bullous pemphigoid (BP) has met the primary and all key secondary endpoints evaluating its investigational use in adults with moderate-to-severe disease. In the study, five times more Dupixent patients achieved sustained disease remission compared to those on placebo. Sustained disease remission was defined as complete clinical remission with [...] The post First biologic achieves improvements in bullous pemphigoid appeared first on Drug Discovery World (DDW ..read more

Oxford Nanopore Technologies has joined the PROGRESS study to support improved outcomes for childhood leukaemias in Ghana. The consortium so far includes Yemaachi Biotech, Pediatric Oncology Units at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and Greater Accra Regional Hospital, and institutions like Newcastle University, UK. It aims to leverage world-class expertise and technology [...] The post Consortium focuses on childhood cancer in Africa appeared first on Drug Discovery World (DDW ..read more

Glasgow, UK-based ILC Therapeutics has successfully completed a fundraise of £2.5 ($3.2) million. The company develops hybrid interferons, a new drug class engineered for improved therapeutic profiles across multiple indications. The money will support the continued pre-clinical development of the company’s two lead assets, Alfacyte and Dermacyte, as they move towards the clinic. The fundraise [...] The post ILC Therapeutics raises £2.5m to develop hybrid interferons appeared first on Drug Discovery World (DDW ..read more

In the In Conversation With series, a part of the free DDW podcast, DDW speaks with members of the drug discovery industry about their work and how it helps turn science into business.    In this episode, Megan Thomas is in conversation with Dr Friso Postma, Vice President of AI Drug Discovery at BioXcel Therapeutics. Thanks to BioXcel’s AI [...] The post New podcast: Are we close to an AI drug revolution? appeared first on Drug Discovery World (DDW ..read more

In the In Conversation With series, a part of the free DDW podcast, DDW speaks with members of the drug discovery industry about their work and how it helps turn science into business.    In this episode, Megan Thomas is in conversation with Dr Friso Postma, Vice President of AI Drug Discovery at BioXcel Therapeutics. Thanks to BioXcel’s AI [...] The post Are we close to an AI drug revolution? appeared first on Drug Discovery World (DDW ..read more

New research has shown that Ellorarxine, a novel drug compound developed by biotech Nevrargenics, provides a robust neuroprotective effect and reduces neuronal death in cell models of neurodegenerative disease. The peer reviewed study published in Frontiers in Neuroscience was conducted by academics at Aberdeen and Durham Universities in the UK. Based on the results, the company has [...] The post Novel drug reduces neuronal death in neurodegenerative disease appeared first on Drug Discovery World (DDW ..read more

With an initial investment of £28 million in resources and funding, LifeArc and Cancer Research UK have launched a new initiative to develop medicines exclusively for children’s and young people’s cancers. C-Further will bring together researchers, clinicians, scientists and industry to provide support, finance and expertise. Childhood cancers often have a different biology than those [...] The post Research consortium to focus on drug discovery for paediatric cancers appeared first on Drug Discovery World (DDW ..read more

The Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI) at Texas Children’s Hospital, a neuroscience research institute based in Houston, has advanced its research capabilities with the implementation of an automation platform for human cellular model generation, maintenance, and characterisation, in collaboration with Automata Technologies.   As a global leader in paediatric and adult neurological [...] The post Industry/research collaboration to automate human brain studies  appeared first on Drug Discovery World (DDW ..read more