Drug Discovery + Development

Historically, animal testing has been something of a necessary evil in drug discovery, but a growing number of efforts are underway to do without them. The latest case in point is a newly patented system that integrates 3D cell cultures. These cultures grow human cells on supportive silk scaffolds. This setup better mimics real body…

You’ve just seen your favorite rock band in a packed arena — and as the excitement fades, the worry sets in. Was this a “super spreader” event? When was your last booster? In that moment, wouldn’t it be a relief to know you could just take a pill to protect yourself? A recent study presented…

The R&D World Index (RDWI) for the week ending March 7, 2025, closed at 4,106.42 for the 25 companies in the RDWI. The Index dipped –1.37% (or -56.96 basis points). Seventeen RDWI members gained value last week from 0.08% (Stellantis NV) to 12.51% (Volkswagen AG). Eight RDWI members lost value the previous week from -0.25%…

The R&D World Index saw a slight gain of 0.22% last week, closing at 4,163.38 points. Corporate actions focused heavily on new manufacturing investments, with Apple doubling its Advanced Manufacturing Fund and Eli Lilly announcing plans for four new U.S. drug manufacturing plants. Technology companies continued their push in advanced computing, with Amazon and Google…

The R&D World Index saw a slight gain last week amidst a landscape of innovation and cost-cutting within global industries. Pharma giants Eli Lilly and Merck announced a partnership with Purdue University to launch the Young Institute Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Consortium, aimed at bolstering domestic pharmaceutical production. However, automotive supplier Continental AG revealed further job cuts…

The R&D World Index saw gains this week, driven partly by a surge in Intel’s value amid significant developments across various sectors. Honda and Nissan have ended their merger talks, citing concerns over autonomy and decision-making, while GlaxoSmithKline consolidates its vaccine R&D in Cambridge, MA. Novartis is set to reacquire rights to a blood clot…

Ericsson has introduced Cognitive Labs, a virtual research initiative dedicated to advancing artificial intelligence (AI) technologies such as Graph Neural Networks (GNNs), Active Learning, and Large-Scale Language Models (LLMs). The program operates with teams in Madrid, Málaga, and Cairo. Focus areas include enhancing mobile communications and exploring emerging technology applications in sectors like healthcare. The…

In the early 1990s, the internet seemed poised to improve our lives by democratizing knowledge, publishing, and communication. While it did achieve many of these goals, it also introduced security risks ranging from malware to phishing. The online world of 2024 feels more like a war zone than a digital playground, “If you connect a…

Researchers have made significant strides in predicting a protein’s structure from its sequence using large language models. However, this method hasn’t been as effective for antibodies, primarily due to their hypervariability. This makes it challenging to identify treatments for SARS-CoV-2 and other infectious diseases. MIT researchers have developed a computational technique that more accurately predicts…

In the decades-long search for a “silver bullet” to tackle the U.S. obesity crisis, immense sums have been spent on diets, pills, and intensive workout programs. Now, researchers say GLP-1 — originally a treatment for type 2 diabetes — also addresses obesity, effectively solving two problems at once. But there may be additional benefits. A…

A study led by Professor Petter Brodin, a pediatrician and immunologist at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS) and Imperial College London, analyzed 191 children aged 0 to 18, all diagnosed with various solid tumors at Stockholm’s Astrid Lindgren Children’s Hospital between 2018 and 2024. Researchers examined tumor samples to identify genetic mutations and…

MAVERICK is a platform designed specifically for biologists, using Raman spectroscopy to streamline bioprocess development and optimization. It offers out-of-the-box capabilities for real-time monitoring of variables like glucose, lactate, and biomass, all through an intuitive touchscreen interface. This platform supports automation, remote access, and compliance with cGMP standards for pharmaceutical industry applications. While Raman spectroscopy…

Researchers at the UNC Thurston Arthritis Research Center have pinpointed 13 “high probability risk genes” that directly contribute to osteoarthritis, a condition affecting over 32 million people in the U.S. The findings, published in Cell Genomics, mark a significant step toward developing targeted therapies to prevent disease progression. The challenge of osteoarthritis Osteoarthritis occurs when…

A study led by UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers has shown that increasing glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor (GIPR) activity in fat cells leads to significant weight loss in obese mice. Published in Cell Metabolism, the research highlights GIPR’s potential as a therapeutic target for obesity and related metabolic diseases. “Our study brings GIPR in fat…

Thermo Fisher Scientific’s Orbitrap Astral mass spectrometer transforms proteomics by enabling rapid and detailed analysis of biological samples. It can identify over 8,000 protein groups from a human cell line digest in just eight minutes, significantly enhancing experimental scale and statistical power. The instrument integrates three advanced technologies: a high-resolution quadrupole mass filter, the Thermo…

MIT researchers have developed AbMap, a computational model that predicts antibody structures with improved accuracy. This could accelerate the development of treatments for infectious diseases like SARS-CoV-2. Unlike existing AI models, AbMap focuses on antibodies’ hypervariable regions — highly diverse segments critical for binding pathogens — and overcomes limitations in previous protein modeling approaches. Using…

The R&D World Index (RDWI) for the week ending December 27, 2024, closed at 3,890.59, rising 1.77% (or 67.68 basis points). Automotive stocks, in particular, drove the uptick, with Honda surging by 20.39% after announcing a merger plan with Nissan. Meanwhile, tech giants showed mixed results, as IBM slid slightly (-0.26%) and Microsoft dropped -1.38%.…

Dozens of ambitious scientific investigations — including projects aiming to improve cancer detection, advance treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, and enhance respiratory therapy — have safely returned to Earth from the International Space Station (ISS). The nearly 50 experiments, sponsored by the ISS National Laboratory, were transported back on SpaceX’s 31st Commercial Resupply Services (CRS) mission…

While the term “biotechnology” was coined in 1919, “techbio” dates back roughly a century after that. Around 2019, the VC firm Artis Ventures set up a venture capital fund named Artis techbio with the aim of uniting software, computational biology, and drug development into a cohesive framework. The ambition behind this idea has sometimes surpassed…

The R&D World Index (RDWI) for the week ending October 25, 2024, closed at 3962.81 for the 25 companies in the RDWI. The Index was down -1.49% (or -60.14 basis points). Seven RDWI members gained value last week from 0.27% (Toyota) to 5.88% (General Motors). Eighteen RDWI members lost value the previous week from -0.27%…

For years, incomplete data and misconceptions have clouded the question of pharmaceutical how much it costs to bring therapies to market. The lack of clarity has led to debates over drug pricing, industry profits, and healthcare policies that are not always rooted in reality. For instance, a common belief persists that drug developers spend more…

The R&D World Index (RDWI) for the week ending October 4, 2024, closed at 4.005.40 for the 25 companies in the RDWI. The Index was up 0.62% (or 24.71 basis points). Eight RDWI members gained value last week from 1.07% (Eli Lilly & Co.) to 6.71% (Alibaba).  Seventeen RDWI members lost value the previous week…

The R&D World Index (RDWI) for the week ending September 27, 2024, closed at 3,980.69 for the 25 companies in the RDWI. The Index was down -0.66% (or -26.26 basis points). Thirteen RDWI members gained value last week from 0.03% (Sanofi SA) to 20.30% (Alibaba). Twelve RDWI members lost value the previous week from -0.21%…

The R&D World Index (RDWI) for the week ending September 13, 2024, closed at 3,924.01 for the 25 companies in the RDWI. The Index was up 2.95% (or 112.59 basis points). Seventeen RDWI members gained value last week from 0.30% (Volkswagen AG) to 14.26% (Oracle). Eight RDWI members lost value the previous week from -0.85%…

The R&D World Index (RDWI) for the week ending August 23, 2024, closed at 3,947.43 for the 25 companies in the RDWI. The Index was up 1.78% (or 68.94 basis points). Twenty-two RDWI members gained value last week from 0.11% (Meta Platforms) to 7.23% (Ford Motor). Three RDWI members lost value the previous week from…