After one year and hundreds of individual diagnostic authorizations for COVID-19, the FDA is now greenlighting more tests that can be performed or started at home, and on a much broader scale.
Feb 26, 2021 3:20pm Tests for detecting variants have not yet been approved as a diagnostic either by the FDA or under federal rules governing university labs. (Getty Images)
COVID-19 infections from variant strains are quickly spreading across the U.S., but there’s one big problem: Lab officials say they can’t tell patients or their doctors whether someone has been infected by a variant.
Federal rules around who can be told about the variant cases are so confusing that public health officials may merely know the county where a case has emerged but can’t do the kind of investigation and deliver the notifications needed to slow the spread, according to Janet Hamilton, executive director of the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists.
Feb 26, 2021 9:20am Several immuno-oncology combination strategies are being examined for their potential in treating solid tumors. (peterschreiber.media/Gettyimages)
CAR-T cell therapies that involve genetically modifying a patient’s own T cells are used to treat some blood cancers, but they’ve shown limited effect in solid tumors. Scientists believe that s because the tumors can create a hostile environment that significantly suppresses an immune response by T cells.
Canada-based Oncolytics Biotech, in collaboration with Mayo Clinic, has new preclinical data showing that its oncolytic virus, called pelareorep, may be able to overcome that obstacle. CAR-T cells loaded with the nonpathogenic reovirus showed enhanced anti-tumor activities in mouse models of solid tumors, leading to improved survival compared with compared with solo CAR-T, according to data presented at the CAR-TCR Summit Europe conference.
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(Sanofi)
French Big Pharma Sanofi is teaming up with Germany’s Sirion Biotech for its viral-vector-based gene delivery tech.
The pair will work together on developing improved tissue-selective adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors to tee up better gene therapy treatments. Targets have not yet been specifically mentioned, simply for “disorders affecting major human organs.” Financials of the deal were not made public.
This comes two years after Sirion penned a similar pact with Denali Therapeutics, with other partners including Acucela and Orchard Therapeutics.
Sanofi will work with Sirion and the German company’s partner at Heidelberg University Hospital, Dirk Grimm, to develop new and modified AAV capsids. The overall goal is to make safer, better gene therapies.