Author: Radhika Shah
Radhika is a PharmD student at Rutgers University. Her passion for the pharmaceutical industry came from realizing how much innovation there is in this field. She is committed to advocating for technological innovation in the pharmaceutical and biotech fields through her writing.
Hope for Patients Diagnosed with Rare, Aggressive Desmoid Fibromatosis Last month, SpringWorks Therapeutics announced their promising data from the Phase 3 DeFi trial evaluating Nirogacestat at the European Society of Medical Oncology Congress. SpringWorks Therapeutics founded by Lara Sullivan, Danielle Lynch, Stephen Squinito, Saqib Islam, and L. Mary Smith, is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company that takes a precision medicine approach to acquire, develop, and commercialize life-changing medicine. Their current focus is on patients with rare tumors, hematological cancers, and biomarker-defined metastatic solid tumors. Nirogacestat is an oral small molecule gamma-secretase inhibitor (GSI) in Phase 3 development for adult patients with…
More than half of the world population lacked access to essential health services even before the COVID-19 pandemic. People living in rural communities often have to travel far to the nearest medical center. The importance of preventative health care is essential and can eliminate the many consequential diseases that can occur. Some barriers to providing health care include a shortage of healthcare staff and difficulty getting into rural and forested areas. A solution to this problem that has been trialed in several countries is medical delivery drones. A drone is an unmanned ariel vehicle that can fly over long distances.…
June is recognized as World Infertility Awareness Month. As many as 48.5 million couples experience some form of infertility due problems related to female and male fertility. There are several current barriers to healthcare in women which include lack of awareness, cost, and gaps in medical training. Current fertility treatment options include in vitro fertilization (IVF), donor eggs, surrogacy, egg freezing, and hormone therapy. As awareness in infertility is increasing more employers recognizes the medical need for treatment and are offering fertility benefits. Below are six emerging startups focusing on women’s reproductive health to look out for in 2022: 1.…
Intra-Cellular Therapies ended the year 2021 with a big achievement. On December 20, 2021, Dr. Sharon Mates, Chairman, and CEO of Intra-Cellular Therapies announced the FDA approval of their medication, CAPLYTA. CAPLYTA (lumateperone) is currently the only medication approved to treat depressive disorders associated with bipolar I or bipolar II as monotherapy and in adjunct with lithium or valproate. Intra-Cellular Therapies is a biopharmaceutical company headquartered in New York focusing treatment of complex psychiatric and neurologic diseases such as schizophrenia, bipolar depression, major depressive disorder, and Parkinson’s disease. The recent FDA approval makes this Intra-Cellular Therapies’ second approved indication for…
LambdaVision is a biotech company, that is designing and developing a protein-based artificial retina. This retina will utilize a light-activated protein, bacteriorhodopsin to restore function sight to those who are blind due to retinal degenerative diseases, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and retinitis pigmentosa (RP).
In 2021, Cognition Therapeutics completed two important clinical study trials. The first was SNAP which measured the displacement of amyloid beta oligomers into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). This study confirmed the mechanism of action of their lead candidate CT1812. CT1812 is orally delivered and designed to bind selectively to the sigma-2 receptor complex to restore damaged cellular processes. The second trial, SPARC, showed evidence that CT1812 slowed brain atrophy in mild-to-moderate Alzheimer patients. Currently, there are 7 ongoing clinical trials with CT1812. Cognition Therapeutics has also achieved over $117 million in funding from the National Institute on Aging. Lisa Ricciardi, CEO, and president of Cognition Therapeutics reported, “2021 was a transformative year for Cognition Therapeutics. We completed our IPO, secured significant additional non-dilutive funding, and progressed our pipeline creating a product portfolio in addition to our lead candidate CT1812.”
Scientists are exploring the effects of epigenetic modifications and errors on gene function, protein production, and human health.Epigenetic modification opens many doors to new classes of therapeutics. Autoimmune disorders are many times caused by genetic mutations which behave similarly to the epigenome. Developing drugs that can manipulate epigenomic errors will offer a promising cure for cancer and other autoimmune diseases.Currently, companies like Chroma, Vertex, Twenty-Eight Seven are making great advances in epigenetic therapy.
EpiBone’s groundbreaking technology revolves around the bioreactor. Over 20 years of research and experience, the bioreactor was made to cultivate a nourishing and supportive environment for bone scaffolds to grow in. This three-step process consists of imaging and stem cell extraction, graft and bioreactor design, and finally bone growth. Using a CT scan, the exact 3D size and shape of the bone for the patient are determined.
With immense participation from companies dedicating their resources to finding a cure for Covid-19, Aetion has recently partnered with the FDA to use their Evidence Platform to better explore the history of the disease and integrate real world evidence in finding the best treatment. This collaboration will produce fast and real-time results in a time-sensitive situation. With over hundreds of Covid-19 treatments and vaccines in trial, Aetion will be able to use their Evidence Platform to categorize patients, prescribed medications, and adverse effects, then create statistical analysis to decide on the best treatment per patient group. Aetion, headquartered in New York…
Starting a challenging role while under the circumstances of a global pandemic, Kathryn Schubert was announced President and CEO of the Society for Women’s Health Research (SWHR) on April 1, 2020. Paving the way for women representation, Schubert will be succeeding after Dr. Amy Miller who has led the organization as President and CEO for three years. Schubert started her role on April 27, 2020 and is excited to be working with the team and Board of Directors to create a strategic plan to fulfill their vision of normalizing women’s health research. In the heart of DC, SWHR advocates for…
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