The bioinformatics startup Culmination Bio had received financial backing from Merck’s venture arm. Now, the Utah-based company is collaborating directly with the pharmaceutical giant on an autoimmune disease research project. According to Culmination Bio‘s CEO Dr. Lincoln Nadauld, the collaboration highlights the value of the startup’s ability to provide rapid access to high-quality longitudinal patient…
The psychedelic neuroplasticity and safety conundrum: Reaping the rewards of neuroplasticity with caution
Evidence continues to build that serotonergic psychedelics such as psilocybin, DMT, and LSD promote neuroplasticity. Cortical atrophy is involved in the development of a broad swathe of neuropsychiatric conditions ranging from depression to substance use disorder. But it remains unclear how psychedelics may potentially treat mood disorders and other conditions. Despite their therapeutic potential, these…
AstraZeneca announces global R&D postdoctoral program for complex disease research
AstraZeneca (LON:AZN) is looking for final year MD or PhD students and postdoctoral researchers to reach out with ideas to speed drug discovery and development in the company’s core disease areas. The company’s central focus areas include oncology; cardiovascular, renal and metabolism; and respiratory and immunology. Candidates accepted into the program have a fully funded…
Drug discovery CRO Domainex opens facility in UK
Domainex Ltd. has opened a new facility over 7,000 ft2 in size at Unity Campus in Sawston, UK, approximately seven miles from Cambridge. Unity Campus is a science and technology park with business, R&D and lab space. Domainex’s new facilities there house a dedicated suite of labs. Domainex is aiming to hire new staff from…
Moderna debuts fellowship program for young researchers focusing on mRNA therapies
Messenger RNA (mRNA) therapeutics and vaccines may offer significant promise, but few scientists specialize in the technology. Moderna (NSDQ: MRNA) aims to inspire a new generation of scientists and clinicians to focus on mRNA research with a new fellowship program. The program will support a range of applications within medicine, basic research, epidemiology, pharmacology, nursing…
How to get your corporate R&D to operate like a startup
Too much bureaucracy often leaves corporate R&D departments hamstrung. It’s little wonder that biotechs were responsible for 38 of the 59 new therapies approved in 2018 compared with 21 for the big pharmaceutical companies, according to Biotechnology Innovation Organization research cited in a recent Harvard Business Review article. The authors of the HBR article were…
LUNAC Therapeutics develops the next generation anticoagulants and announces fundings
LUNAC Therapeutics (LUNAC), a UK based drug discovery company focused on the identification and development of advanced anticoagulants with minimal bleeding risk, today announced it has spun out of the University of Leeds with £2.65M funding in the first close of a Series A financing round. The investment is being led by Epidarex Capital and…