Articles

• Following successful appeals by the Merck-Pfizer Alliance, patient groups and healthcare professional organisations, BAVENCIO® (avelumab) has been recommended by NICE as a maintenance treatment option from 7 April 2022 to all eligible patients on the NHS in England, Wales and Northern Ireland[i] • Avelumab is the first immunotherapy for use as a first-line maintenance treatment for patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial carcinoma who have responded to platinum-based chemotherapy • The approval enables equitable access for all eligible patients in the UK following recommendation by the Scottish Medicines Consortium in August 2021[ii]
Today Merck and Pfizer announce that, following a successful appeal of the prior Final Appraisal Document (FAD), the National Institute f…

Recently, Shionogi Company of Japan reported a non-covalent, non-peptidic, orally bioavailable 3CL protease inhibitor as a clinical candidate for the treatment of COVID-19.
The pathogen causing New Coronavirus pneumonia is a beta genus coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2, which is an RNA virus. After entering cells through the human ACE2 receptor, SARS-CoV-2 translates and expresses the polyprotein pp1a/pp1ab, which is then hydrolyzed by Mpro or 3CLpro or nsp5 to release various nonstructural proteins that are important for virus replication, thus inhibiting the activity of 3CL protease and blocking virus replication.   In order to obtain non-covalent 3CL protease inhibitors as clinical candidates quickly, Shionogi performed docking-based virtual screening and biological screening of its in-…

In the US, 75% of Life Science organisations indicated in a 2021 national hiring survey that they are reconsidering, implementing, or expanding their remote working options. Life Science organisations across the globe including Syneos Health, IQVIA and ICON have already created hundreds of new opportunities for remote working in the industry, but competition for these roles is still tough.
In the US, 75% of Life Science organisations indicated in a 2021 national hiring survey that they are reconsidering, implementing, or expanding their remote working options. Life Science organisations across the globe including Syneos Health, IQVIA and ICON have already created hundreds of new opportunities for remote working in the industry, but competition for these roles is still tough. When applying f…

15 Pharma and Life Science events taking place in April 2022, including events in Gene Therapy, Process Development, Medical Affairs, Translational Medicine, Clinical Project Management, Drug Development and more.
15 Pharma and Life Science events taking place in April 2022, including events in Gene Therapy, Process Development, Medical Affairs, Translational Medicine, Clinical Project Management, Drug Development and more. 2nd Gene Therapy for Muscular Disorders Summit (April 4th-7th) The summit will be returning as an in-person event to Boston in April 2022, to help gene therapy developers targeting muscular disorders to overcome safety and toxicity challenges and effectively translate their programs into the clinic. LNP Formulation and Process Development Summit 2022 (April 12th-14th) Th…

Since Bachem was founded, leadership in the technology and innovation sphere has been the foundation of the business’ success. In order to continually produce high-quality products, taking advantage of new and emerging technologies is key. This is why Bachem is constantly investing in research to inform and refine their manufacturing processes. This has led to their development of highly optimized tools for one of the key methods for covalent modification of peptides and proteins: the thiol-maleimide reaction.
Since Bachem was founded, leadership in the technology and innovation sphere has been the foundation of the business’ success. In order to continually produce high-quality products, taking advantage of new and emerging technologies is key.  This is why Bachem is co…

“I like the excitement of not knowing what’s going to happen and I think I thrive on it.” For the first interview in our Human Strategy Series,  the team recently spoke with Dr Jackie Ameri, CEO of Pancryos, who benefited from our Leadership Assessment service as part of the partnership between Coulter Partners and the BioInnovation Institute (BII). Jackie discusses her early career, her decision to join the BII and highlights the benefits of being part of the BII Creation House Program.
“I like the excitement of not knowing what’s going to happen and I think I thrive on it.” For the first interview in our Human Strategy Series,  the team recently spoke with Dr Jackie Ameri, CEO of Pancryos, who benefited from our Leadership Assessment service as part of the partnership between Coulter P…

With competition for the best Life Science talent still extremely tough, being able to capture and keep the attention of jobseekers is key. In this article, we outline 8 things you can do to achieve this, from using the correct language in your job adverts to how you can use a job board to improve the overall candidate experience.
With competition for the best Life Science talent still extremely tough, being able to capture and keep the attention of jobseekers is key. In this article, we outline 8 things you can do to achieve this, from using the correct language in your job adverts to how you can use a job board to improve the overall candidate experience… Answer ‘What’s in it for me?’ Jobseekers aren’t looking for the job advert with the longest list of responsibilities and expectations –…

Pearl Chemist Group Director and Superintendent Pharmacist, Mayank Patel, is ahead of the curve when it comes to implementing the new pharmacy hub and spoke model. Here he talks about how investing in technology early has allowed him to grow his business and build better relationships with patients.
“It’s no secret that as pharmacists we are navigating a new and more demanding healthcare landscape. Our role has changed significantly since the start of the 21st century due to increased expectations from the public, advances in science and technology and changing workforce pressures. The Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework for England has placed a higher focus on clinical service. In addition, the Covid-19 pandemic resulted in significant acceleration in changing how we work day-to-day a…

Molecular docking technology remains the most popular structure-based drug design method, which takes full advantage of protein-ligand interaction information. However, in virtual screening, compared with molecular docking, pharmacophore-based methods have obvious advantages in terms of computational cost and accuracy, and docking-based virtual screening methods show a higher false positive rate.
Structure-based Pharmacophore Molecular docking technology remains the most popular structure-based drug design method, which takes full advantage of protein-ligand interaction information. However, in virtual screening, compared with molecular docking, pharmacophore-based methods have obvious advantages in terms of computational cost and accuracy, and docking-based virtual screening methods show a…

Protein phosphorylation is one of the most important post-translational modifications of proteins, and phosphorylation occurs in about 1/3 of all proteins in eukaryotic cells. Catalyzed by protein kinases, phosphate groups are transferred from the donor molecule to the side chains of amino acids containing hydroxyl groups of the protein. Protein phosphorylation is reversible, and protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation regulate almost all processes of life activity.
Protein phosphorylation is one of the most important post-translational modifications of proteins, and phosphorylation occurs in about 1/3 of all proteins in eukaryotic cells. Catalyzed by protein kinases, phosphate groups are transferred from the donor molecule to the side chains of amino acids containing hydroxyl groups…

Cytokines are classified according to their different roles in the inflammatory response: pro-inflammatory cytokines and anti-inflammatory cytokines.
Cytokines are classified according to their different roles in the inflammatory response: pro-inflammatory cytokines and anti-inflammatory cytokines.   Pro-inflammatory Cytokines Interleukin-1 (IL-1) IL-1 is a proinflammatory cytokine that activates a variety of immune and inflammatory cells and is secreted mainly by monocytes/macrophages, neutrophils and endothelial cells. IL-1 consists of two genetically encoded peptide molecules, IL-1α and IL-1β, both with a molecular mass of about 17 ku, the former being secreted, while the latter is mostly cell bound.   IL-1β stimulates the production of other CK and inflammatory transmitters th…

Exosomes, a tiny membrane vesicle with a lipid bilayer structure, are secreted by most cells and are approximately 40-200 nm in diameter. exosomes are found in body fluids, including blood, saliva, urine and breast milk. exosomes of different tissue origins differ in content composition and function, and this difference is dynamically regulated by the extracellular matrix and microenvironment. Exosomes secreted by host cells or tumor cells are involved in tumorigenesis, growth, invasion and metastasis. The analysis and detection of exosomes can assist in early diagnosis, efficacy evaluation and prognostic analysis of the disease.
What are exosomes? Exosomes, a tiny membrane vesicle with a lipid bilayer structure, are secreted by most cells and are approximately 40-200 nm in diameter. exosom…

Anyone involved in the UK diagnostics industry will have been dismayed at the recent fortunes of Omega Diagnostics, with perhaps an inevitable sense of ‘there but for the grace of God’. The fate of the Clackmannanshire-based, AIM-listed company –– whose value has fallen by more than 90% in the past 12 months – will, for many chairs and investors, be seen as a cautionary tale for the sector.
Omega Diagnostics was courted by a promiscuous suitor who jilted it at the altar     By Ivor Campbell Anyone involved in the UK diagnostics industry will have been dismayed at the recent fortunes of Omega Diagnostics, with perhaps an inevitable sense of ‘there but for the grace of God’. The fate of the Clackmannanshire-based, AIM-listed company –– whose value has fallen by more than 90% in t…

The pace at which pharmaceutical manufacturers have embraced digitalisation has accelerated over the past two years with many adopting Pharma 4.0 principles in line with the urgent need to drive speed to market and be ready for demand spikes through the pandemic and beyond.
The pace at which pharmaceutical manufacturers have embraced digitalisation has accelerated over the past two years with many adopting Pharma 4.0 principles in line with the urgent need to drive speed to market and be ready for demand spikes through the pandemic and beyond. The rate at which Covid-19 vaccines were developed and manufactured has been impressive thanks to the innovative ways pharmaceutical enterprises and medical bodies, across private and public sectors, have been able to work together. The sector, which…

When applying for your next pharma job, remember that the way you format your CV is just as important as what’s on there. You could be the strongest candidate on paper, but if a recruiter or hiring manager struggles to read it, your application might not make it through the first round. In this article, we give advice on how to format your CV for a job in pharma, with information on what to include in each section on your CV, how to present it, and which order to follow.
When applying for your next pharma job, remember that the way you format your CV is just as important as what’s on there. You could be the strongest candidate on paper, but if a recruiter or hiring manager struggles to read it, your application might not make it through the first round. In this article, we give advice on ho…

The analysis of proteins and peptides and their post-translational modifications is particularly important for the study of diseases where multiple genes are known to be involved, such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes.
Post-translational modification (PTM) is the covalent and generally enzymatic modification of proteins following protein biosynthesis. Proteins are synthesized by ribosomes that translate mRNA into polypeptide chains and then undergo PTM to form the mature protein product. After the protein is compounded, 20 different amino acids participate in protein PTM, such as protein phosphorylation, protein acetylation, as well as protein methylation, which play a significant role in almost all biological processes. Therefore, the synthesis of post-translationally modified peptid…

UK-based international healthcare communications agency, Makara Health, continues to strengthen its offering with the creation of new roles, senior hires and promotions to better support the agency’s next phase of growth. As a result of phenomenal expansion (160% year-on-year growth over the last three years), new Business Unit Director roles have been created to lead and grow the following functions: • Dr (Med) Ekta Rohra has been promoted to Business Unit Director, Digital • Helen Rodway has been promoted to Business Unit Director, Learning and Development • To further support the Learning and Development offering, Kim Bond has been promoted to eLearning Lead • Gurjit Chahal has been promoted to Business Unit Director, PR • Dr Annlou Pendse has joined the team as Business Unit Director, Medical Education

A growing body of evidence now suggests that human microbial dysbiosis has a crucial role in cancer development and progression. Unlikely earlier studies relying on culturing bacteria from the tissue of cancer, high-throughput sequencing methods have enabled genotyping the microbial ecosystem within a cancer tissue from hundreds to thousands of patients in parallel, providing a better overview of the landscape of cancer diseases associated with human microbiome.
  The Microbiome Sequencing in Cancer Research A growing body of evidence now suggests that human microbial dysbiosis has a crucial role in cancer development and progression. Unlikely earlier studies relying on culturing bacteria from the tissue of cancer, high-throughput sequencing methods have enabled genotyping the microbi…

Biomarkers are defined as measurable biological characteristics that associate with normal or pathological conditions. They possess clinical relevance, including diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive values. RNA, not only an essential part of central dogma, is certainly a relatively untapped resource for biomarker discovery of various diseases.
Biomarkers are defined as measurable biological characteristics that associate with normal or pathological conditions. They possess clinical relevance, including diagnostic, prognostic, and predictive values. RNA, not only an essential part of central dogma, is certainly a relatively untapped resource for biomarker discovery of various diseases.   Cumulating data show that RNA molecules, including mRNAs, lncRNAs, miRNAs, siRNAs, piRNAs, snoRNA…

Enzyme engineering is a technology in which enzymes or microbial cells, animal and plant cells, organelles, etc. are placed in a certain biological reaction device, and the corresponding raw materials are converted into useful substances by using the biocatalytic function of enzymes and engineering methods.
Enzyme engineering is a technology in which enzymes or microbial cells, animal and plant cells, organelles, etc. are placed in a certain biological reaction device, and the corresponding raw materials are converted into useful substances by using the biocatalytic function of enzymes and engineering methods. It includes the preparation of enzyme preparations, the immobilization of enzymes, the modification and transformation of enzymes, and the content of enzyme reactors. The application…