biointron_monthly

According to Research and Markets, the global market for Fc and glycoengineered antibodies is projected to be worth US$38.8 billion in 2024. Over the next decade, the growth in opportunities for drug developers is expected to be driven by an increasing patient population and rising demand for these

As antibody-drug development accelerates, ensuring consistent binding affinity, stability, and specificity is critical to improving treatment outcomes. Recent advances in antibody sequencing, artificial intelligence, and high-throughput screening have bolstered efforts to produce reliable antibody candidates more efficiently.

This year’s Nobel prize in chemistry was awarded last month for using computationally designing novel proteins and predicting structures! The first half of the prize was awarded to John Jumper and Demis Hassabis, who developed AlphaFold, an artificial intelligence (AI) program that can predict a protein’s shape and function from its chemical sequence.

Bispecific antibodies are rapidly transforming the therapeutic landscape, especially in oncology and autoimmune diseases. Such recombinant molecules can bind to two different antigens at the same time, offering greater specificity in targeting disease pathways. Since their introduction, the area of bispecifics has held tremendous promise in oncological cancers like multiple myeloma and lymphomas.

These past few weeks, several antibody drug startups have progressed from the pre-seed stage to final funding rounds. In the pre-seed stage, the focus is on early research, often funded by founders, grants, or angel investors. As the company progresses to the seed stage, it seeks additional funding to validate its scientific concept and develop initial prototypes, attracting early-stage venture capital.

This month provided not just one, but two FDA approvals for antibody drugs treating patients with paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH)!

Over four years have passed since the first SARS-CoV-2 outbreak, and scientific advancements have reshaped our understanding of immunity and virus dynamics.

Ozempic, a brand name for the drug semaglutide, was originally developed to manage type 2 diabetes by improving blood sugar control. As a GLP-1 receptor agonist, it mimics a hormone that regulates glucose metabolism and appetite. Beyond its success in diabetes treatment, Ozempic has garnered signifi

Antibody drugs for diabetes typically target specific molecules involved in the regulation of blood sugar levels or the immune response against insulin-producing cells, or specific hormones or receptors involved in glucose metabolism. For instance, teplizumab (Tzield), targets CD3 on T cells, thus deactivating immune cells which attack β-cells.

This month heralded the release of groundbreaking news involving the monoclonal antibody tegoprubart, which facilitated the successful transplantation of a genetically edited pig kidney into a 62-year-old man grappling with end-stage kidney disease.

In the realm of combating bacterial infections and antimicrobial resistance, antibodies are beginning to stand out as a therapy with innovative strategies and engineering methods continually being published. This month’s trend will focus on the developments in ‘antibiotic antibodies’, antibody-antibiotic conjugates, and antibody antimicrobials, which are particularly important for immunocompromised patients.

Entering into the new year, the popularity of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) in the biopharma industry shows no signs of slowing down. In 2023, there were a record number of licensing partnerships in the ADC space, particularly Merck’s $22 billion deal with Daiichi Sankyo, Inc.

Research into treatments for Alzheimer's disease (AD) has reached impressive milestones this year.

The last few decades have witnessed an acceleration in the discovery and development of therapeutic antibodies.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) has recently gained much attention due to the approval of several drugs this year.On May 3, 2023, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized Arexvy, the first RSV vaccine for use in the United States.