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Credit: Anusorn / Adobe Stock It has been a tough, if interesting, year for the gene therapy space, with many ups and downs culminating in some optimism and increased funding and investment as 2025 drew to a close. A continued financial slump in biotech investment after an all-time high in 2021, combined with financial uncertainty triggered by tariffs and inflation concerns at the beginning of Trump’s second term in January, caused the XBI biotech index, a fund that usually indicates the state of the U.S. biotech industry, to hit a pre-COVID low of $66 in April. Nolan TownsendCEOLexeo Therapeutics Within…
Islet of langerhans, light micrograph. This structure (centre), found in the pancreas, secretes the hormones insulin and glucagon, which control blood sugar levels. Magnification: x200 when printed at 10 centimetres wide. [STEVE GSCHMEISSNER/ Science Photo Library/ Getty Images] Could the same principles behind deep brain stimulation—and even future AI‑guided implants—help pancreatic islet cells mature into the insulin‑producing specialists the body needs? A team from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University thinks so. In a new Science study, they report that an ultrathin, flexible electronic mesh can integrate directly into developing pancreatic tissue and…
Fresh backing from Michael J Fox Foundation and Wellcome expands Lario’s calcium channel platform into Parkinson’s disease and PTSD. In a biotech market that has learned to be cautious – sometimes painfully so – moments of conviction stand out. This week, UK-based biotech Lario Therapeutics announced it has secured a combined $2.4 million in grant funding from The Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research and Wellcome to expand its neuronal calcium channel drug discovery platform across central nervous system disorders [1]. For Lario, the funding is a public endorsement from two of the most respected organizations in biomedical research…
Credit: NEMES LASZLO / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Getty Images For more than three decades, therapeutic antibodies have occupied a central place in modern medicine. Engineered to bind disease-related targets with extraordinary specificity, monoclonal antibodies and their derivatives have reshaped treatment for cancer, autoimmune disease, cardiovascular disorders, and chronic inflammatory conditions. They have transformed once-fatal diagnoses into manageable illnesses and created one of the most commercially successful classes of drugs in pharmaceutical history. Yet, the antibody revolution has always carried a practical burden. Antibodies are powerful but demanding medicines. They must be manufactured outside the body in large-scale bioreactors, purified…
For the genomics community, the Advances in Genome Biology and Technology (AGBT) meeting is a can’t-miss event—bringing together cutting-edge science, breakthrough technologies, and major product launches. Held in Orlando in late February, AGBT sets the tone for the rest of the year.Whether you are attending AGBT or not, a full debrief on the news from the meeting is critical to understanding where the world of NGS, spatial, single cell, and multiomics is heading.On this episode of GEN Live, we break it all down. A quartet of experts join the show to review and dissect this year’s biggest announcements. We will…
Credit: Grandfailure / iStock / Getty Images Plus Ricky Chu, husband and father of two boys, was unprepared for the life-changing news he received in April 2024, when the elder of his two boys, Skyler, was on the cusp of his 5th birthday. Skyler was diagnosed with a mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS)—a family of rare inherited metabolic diseases that can damage physical and mental development. “I got a call from the metabolic doctor here at Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC),” Chu told Inside Precision Medicine. “He said, ‘We did some enzyme testing, and your son Skyler has Hunter syndrome (MPS II).…
A silky-smooth Chocolate Avocado Pudding that’s full of nutrition and takes just 5 minutes to make. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. This Chocolate Avocado Pudding is a rich, silky, and decadent treat that’s perfect when you’re craving something sweet (and good for you, too). It has no refined sugars and packs in around 10 grams of fiber per serving, along with healthy fats from the avocado, making for a blood-sugar-friendly and anti-inflammatory snack or dessert. All you need is a handful of wholesome ingredients to make this recipe: Ripe avocados: a perfectly ripe avocado has dark green skin (or nearly black),…
Isolated antibody drug conjugates (ADCs). [Love Employee/Getty Images] Lonza officials say the company has strengthened its advanced synthesis offering to increase phase-appropriate support for the discovery and development of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) and other bioconjugates. The offering includes the full integration of the ADC technology platform, which will now be offered by Lonza as part of its advanced synthesis portfolio. The platform comprises the proprietary GlycoConnect® antibody conjugation technology, HydraSpace® polar spacer technology, and a portfolio of toxSYN® linker payloads. These site-specific technologies, originally obtained by Lonza through the acquisition of Synaffix in 2023, are aimed at enhancing the efficacy and tolerability of ADCs.…
A seamless pattern created from a single flat design icon, which can be tiled on all sides. File is built in the CMYK color space for optimal printing and can easily be converted to RGB. No gradients or transparencies used, the shapes have been placed into a clipping mask. Scientists have discovered that repeat expansions long thought to sit in noncoding DNA actually produce toxic proteins that drive a several rare muscle and neurodegenerative diseases with genetic similarities and clinical similarities, suggesting a new continuum of neurological diseases. The study, published in Nature Genetics, centers on expansions of a short…
Macrophages remain ready to fight infection thanks to signaling molecules left behind by previous infections. That is according to new research from scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles. The study, published this week in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, sheds new light on how the immune system retains memories of previous infections. It also suggests new ways to reduce the activity of misprogrammed macrophages that contribute to autoimmune diseases such as lupus and arthritis. The paper is titled “IFNγ-induced memory in human macrophages is sustained by the durability of cytokine signaling itself.” In it, the scientists write that…