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Biotechnology

All articles tagged with #biotechnology

AI-Designed Universal Vaccine Enters Human Trials with Early Safety Signals
biotechnology2 days ago

AI-Designed Universal Vaccine Enters Human Trials with Early Safety Signals

Researchers at the University of Cambridge used AI to identify stable features across the sarbecovirus family and developed a DNA vaccine intended as a broad-spectrum, potentially universal shot. In the first human trial, the vaccine was safe and elicited antibodies recognizing diverse sarbecoviruses, and its needle-free delivery and stability could aid distribution. However, immune responses were modest, and duration of protection, optimal dosing, and real-world efficacy require larger trials; the goal of a universal vaccine remains years away.

via SingularityHub|
#artificial-intelligence#biotechnology#dna-vaccine
Longevity Mogul Faces Incurable Autoimmune Diagnosis, Bets on More Biohacking
technology4 days ago

Longevity Mogul Faces Incurable Autoimmune Diagnosis, Bets on More Biohacking

Bryan Johnson, the longevity-focused tech investor, disclosed an incurable autoimmune gastritis that attacks the stomach lining, diagnosed after a long run of biomarker monitoring. He says he will press on with his intensive biohacking and health regimen to influence the outcome, even as experts warn the prognosis is bleak and no medical cure is currently available beyond management.

via Futurism|
#autoimmune-gastritis#biohacking#biotechnology
science9 days ago

Lab-Built Droplet Signals Growth and Division, Nudging Synthetic Life Forward

University of Minnesota synthetic biologist Kate Adamala and team created SpudCell, a lab-made droplet of 150–200 molecules carrying a 36-gene, 90,000-base-pair genome that can feed, grow, copy DNA, and divide about every 12 hours at 30°C. However ribosomes degrade over time and only about 30% of instances retain the full genome after five divisions, and the system is not yet a living cell. The work led to Biotic, a new initiative with $10 million in seed funding to advance synthetic cell development, with potential future applications in cancer therapies, carbon capture, and chemical manufacturing.

via Ground News|
#artificial-life#biotechnology#cell-replication
2076 and beyond: imagining a tech-forward America
science10 days ago

2076 and beyond: imagining a tech-forward America

A Washington Post piece by Joel Achenbach envisions America in 2076, using Apple’s 1976 origins as a lens for unpredictable tech progress—from moon bases and flying cars to century-long lifespans—highlighting AI, space exploration, and biotech as drivers of society while noting the challenges of steering powerful innovations and the U.S. role in ongoing scientific advancement.

via The Washington Post|
#artificial-intelligence#biotechnology#science
FDA Names Seven Firms for PreCheck Pilot to Grow Domestic Drug Manufacturing
health11 days ago

FDA Names Seven Firms for PreCheck Pilot to Grow Domestic Drug Manufacturing

The FDA selected seven companies to participate in its new PreCheck Pilot Program aimed at accelerating the development of domestic drug manufacturing, expanding capacity, and strengthening the U.S. drug supply chain. The two-phase program will offer early technical guidance (Phase 1: Facility Readiness) and enhanced pre-submission engagement (Phase 2) to bring drugs to market faster; participants include Amneal (Long Island, NY), Cellares (Bridgewater, NJ), Eli Lilly (Lebanon, IN), FUJIFILM Biotechnologies (Holly Springs, NC), Kriya Therapeutics (Durham, NC), Kyowa Kirin (Sanford, NC), and Regeneron (Saratoga Springs, NY).

via fda.gov|
#biotechnology#domestic-production#fda
Biohackers in Silicon Valley chase longer life—yet science remains unsettled
science23 days ago

Biohackers in Silicon Valley chase longer life—yet science remains unsettled

Tech titans and influencers are testing longevity regimens—from Bryan Johnson’s rapamycin experiments (which he stopped in 2024 due to skin infections, high glucose, and lipid changes) to various supplements, plasma infusions, growth hormone, and other compounds—often shared on social media. Researchers caution that these approaches lack robust human data and could be unsafe, describing a “shadow phase two” of self-experimentation that precedes rigorous clinical trials needed to prove any real benefit to healthspan or lifespan.

via Nature|
#aging#biohacking#biotechnology
AI-Designed DNA Vaccine Aims for Broad Coronavirus Protection
science27 days ago

AI-Designed DNA Vaccine Aims for Broad Coronavirus Protection

Cambridge researchers used a machine-learning model to design a DNA-based vaccine targeting the sarbecovirus family (SARS, COVID and related viruses), creating a “super-antigen” and conducting the first human trial of an AI-designed vaccine. In a 39-person study, the vaccine activated virus-fighting antibodies and was well tolerated across four doses, but the immune response was modest and durability is unknown. If successful, the approach could provide broad protection against current and future coronavirus mutations, with the benefits of stability and needle-free administration, though more research is needed.

via Futurism|
#artificial-intelligence#biotechnology#clinical-trial
Parabilis Sets Biotech IPO Record with $670 Million Upsize
business1 month ago

Parabilis Sets Biotech IPO Record with $670 Million Upsize

Parabilis Medicines priced an upsized $670 million IPO (33.5 million shares at $20) — the largest biotech listing on record — with an option to raise up to another $100 million; proceeds will fund zolucatetide, a Wnt/beta-catenin pathway inhibitor for desmoid tumors, plus expanded trials and other assets as Parabilis pursues a Nasdaq listing under the PBLS ticker.

via Fierce Biotech|
#biotechnology#business#desmoid-tumors
First Patient Dosed in Eye Aging Reversal Trial
health1 month ago

First Patient Dosed in Eye Aging Reversal Trial

Life Biosciences has dosed the first patient in an FDA-cleared trial of ER-100, a gene-therapy approach to reverse age-related degeneration of retinal neurons in glaucoma by reprogramming cells with Yamanaka factors activated by doxycycline for eight weeks. The work, building on Harvard's David Sinclair research, aims to rejuvenate vision but faces expert caution about potential runaway cell growth or cancer from cellular reprogramming.

via Gizmodo|
#aging#biotechnology#eye-health
NewLimit raises $435M to launch its first liver-focused clinical trial
business1 month ago

NewLimit raises $435M to launch its first liver-focused clinical trial

NewLimit, a South San Francisco longevity biotech, secured $435 million in a Series C led by Founders Fund (with Thrive Capital, Lilly Ventures, Nat Friedman, and Daniel Gross) valuing the company at about $3.1 billion as it moves toward its first liver-focused clinical trial. Founders include Brian Armstrong, Blake Byers, and Jacob Kimmel, with prior rounds of $130 million in May 2025 and $45 million in October 2025.

via statnews.com|
#biotech-startups#biotechnology#business
Decoded Nicotine Blueprint in Tobacco Sparks New Biotech Possibilities
science1 month ago

Decoded Nicotine Blueprint in Tobacco Sparks New Biotech Possibilities

A UK-Danish team unraveled the genes and enzymes that synthesize nicotine in tobacco, showing nicotine forms from glucose with the help of two enzymes (NaGR and NicGS) and glucose disappearing in the process—a discovery that solves a 200-year mystery and could let researchers suppress nicotine production or retool tobacco plants to manufacture vaccines and other pharmaceuticals. The work highlights new biotech applications for tobacco as a production platform, beyond smoking products, and was published in Nature Communications.

via ScienceAlert|
#biosynthesis#biotechnology#nicotine
Startup Tests Drugs on Fresh Brains Kept Alive on Life Support
science1 month ago

Startup Tests Drugs on Fresh Brains Kept Alive on Life Support

A biotech startup called Bexorg keeps recently donated human brains on its BrainEX life-support system, arguing the preserved brains offer a more realistic testbed for drugs (including Alzheimer’s candidates) than animal models. The brains hover between life and death, show no consciousness, and are dosed with anesthetic; after about 24 hours they’re sliced into hundreds of pieces for analysis. Bexorg aims to process up to 1,600 brains per year, while pharma firms like Biohaven have already used donor brains for drug testing, fueling ethical and philosophical debates over the use of near-living tissue in research.

via Futurism|
#bioethics#biotechnology#brain-research
Funding clamps, doctored data claims, and AI in science dominate Retraction Watch’s Weekend Reads
science1 month ago

Funding clamps, doctored data claims, and AI in science dominate Retraction Watch’s Weekend Reads

Retraction Watch’s Weekend Reads roundup highlights the White House's plan to tighten grant oversight and ban federal funding for open-access fees, sleuths’ claims that Thermo Fisher doctored data to sell antibodies, debates in China about Nature’s reputation amid AI-generated cover edits, and a broad slate of integrity and publishing stories—from peer-review issues and funding incentives to data-management reforms—plus resources like the Retraction Watch Database and the Ctrl-Z Award.

via Retraction Watch|
#biotechnology#research-integrity#science