Research and development - Today Stories

The Publishing group behind the science magazine New Scientist, has closed its dedicated job portal New Scientist Jobs. The site, once a key place for employers to post science and research-oriented vacancies is no longer operating. This however cements PharmiWeb.jobs position as the primary dedicated job board for Life Sciences in Europe. Recruiters and Hiring Managers   Any organisations looking to promote their vacancies with the broadest reach to Life Science professionals across Europe, the USA and Australasia can reach out to PharmiWeb here - https://phrmwb.com/exnewscientistjobs  Job Seekers If you're a job seekers looking for your next Life Science role, PharmiWeb.jobs remains the best place to look - So if if you've not already, register and upload your CV for the best roles. www.…

The UK government has announced a sweeping package of reforms and investment designed to put artificial intelligence at the centre of the country’s economic renewal. The measures include billions of pounds in additional funding and new initiatives aimed at supporting UK businesses, researchers and workers. Key elements of the plan include the creation of new “AI Growth Zones” such as one in South Wales which is expected to bring in more than 5 000 jobs over the next decade, including roles from construction to long-term AI research. Free access to computing resources will be expanded so British researchers and start-ups can train new AI models and deliver breakthroughs in science and industry. A dedicated “Sovereign AI Unit” will be backed with nearly £500 million to support high-potential…

Global life sciences company Bayer has unveiled its new “Science Delivers” campaign, designed to highlight how science shapes everyday life and fosters progress across society. Launched on World Science Day, the initiative includes a wide-reaching advertising push, a public “Declaration on Science,” and interactive experiences that invite people to share personal stories of how science has made a difference in their lives. A central video montage showcases individuals in diverse settings while a voiceover narrates how scientific discovery powers medical breakthroughs, cleaner water, sustainable agriculture, and better energy solutions. The message is clear: for every community and for every tomorrow, science truly delivers. The campaign also features installations and a digital hub where p…

Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) has secured an exclusive, worldwide licence from Kyowa Kirin for a pre-clinical, first-in-class small molecule targeting fibro-inflammatory diseases, an area that includes many autoimmune conditions. The deal is valued at up to €410 million in upfront, development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments, plus royalties on future sales.  The programme will join BI’s immunology and respiratory research portfolio, supporting its ambition to develop breakthrough therapies in areas of high unmet need. The licence will enable BI to progress the compound globally, building on Kyowa Kirin’s discovery expertise and BI’s clinical development and commercialisation strengths. Meanwhile, Kyowa Kirin retains potential upside via milestone and royalty payments.  Fibro-infl…

Global neuroscience-focused pharmaceutical company H. Lundbeck A/S has entered into a strategic collaboration with OpenAI to deploy enterprise-grade AI tools across its operations. The agreement enables Lundbeck to harness open-artificial intelligence platforms to support its mission of transforming brain health research and therapy development. Under the collaboration Lundbeck will leverage OpenAI’s ChatGPT Enterprise platform to empower teams from discovery of molecules to delivery of treatments. The company expects the AI-driven tools to enhance decision-making, accelerate innovation and streamline processes across research and development and global operations. With brain- and central nervous system-related disorders remaining difficult to treat, the integration of advanced AI capabili…

LGC Group has officially opened a new purpose-built “National Laboratories” facility in Guildford, reinforcing the UK’s leadership in measurement science. The £20 million investment brings together three pivotal national science functions under one roof for the first time: the National Measurement Laboratory (NML), the Office of the Government Chemist (GC) and the chemical laboratories of the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). These teams will deliver trusted measurement science that supports public health, product safety and innovation across medicines, food, environment and manufacturing. Located in The Priestley Building at Surrey Research Park, the facility is designed to connect national capability with academia, industry and the health-service ecosystem in a…

Chemify, a Glasgow-based deep-tech company revolutionising molecular design and synthesis, has raised over $50 million in an oversubscribed Series B round co-led by Wing Venture Capital and Insight Partners. The funding will support global expansion of its Chemputation platform and Chemifarm facilities—fully automated labs integrating AI, robotics, and a vast library of validated chemical reactions. Chemify’s vision is to become the digital backbone of chemistry, enabling rapid, on-demand molecule creation for pharmaceuticals, biotech, and advanced materials. The investment will accelerate the rollout of digital chemistry hubs worldwide, including a new Silicon Valley facility led by CTO Mike Bell. Founded in 2022, Chemify combines automation, computation, and AI to transform chemical synt…

Discovery Park in Sandwich, Kent, has announced the launch of a new specialist sixth form for science-focused students aged 16 to 18. Named Carbon 6 Academy of Science, the school will open in September 2026 and will deliver a dedicated STEM curriculum. Located within the Discovery Park innovation campus, Carbon 6 will give students direct access to professional laboratories and real-world scientific environments. The academy will offer A-levels in Biology, Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics, with options for Further Maths and an Extended Project Qualification. Students will benefit from close connections to the science and pharmaceutical companies based at Discovery Park, gaining opportunities for mentoring, guest lectures, and research placements. The programme is designed to prepare lea…

Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC) has been named as a new Innovate UK Knowledge Base in the Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) programme, strengthening the UK’s life sciences innovation ecosystem. MDC will now act as a partner in KTPs — working with businesses and embedding KTP Associates into projects (12 to 36 months) to transfer advanced knowledge in drug discovery and commercialisation.  As a Knowledge Base, MDC offers access to its extensive laboratory infrastructure, technical skills, and translational capabilities. This gives participating firms a path to validate new ideas, reduce development risks, and accelerate bringing therapies to patients.  KTPs combine public and private resources: Innovate UK co-funds projects alongside partner companies. Since 2010, KTP projects have ad…

A new industry and academic consortium has been formed to advance OpenFold3, the latest version of the open-source AI model for molecular structure prediction. The AI Structural Biology consortium brings together leading pharmaceutical companies and research institutions with the goal of improving predictions of protein and small molecule interactions, a critical challenge in drug discovery. OpenFold3 builds on previous versions of the model by integrating broader datasets and advanced cloud computing capabilities. It is designed to expand beyond protein structure prediction and achieve industrial-level accuracy for modeling how drugs interact with their molecular targets. A key feature of the consortium is its federated learning approach. Instead of sharing sensitive data directly, pharma…

Oxford North, a landmark £1.2 billion innovation district, has been officially opened by Lord Hague of Richmond, Chancellor of the University of Oxford. Developed through a joint venture between St John’s College’s Thomas White Oxford, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, and Stanhope, the project aims to transform the UK’s science, technology, and AI infrastructure. Phase 1A has delivered 158,500 sq ft of new workspace, including two lab buildings and The Red Hall, a 33,000 sq ft innovation centre. Units range from 2,000 to 56,000 sq ft, with a further 13,500 sq ft undergoing fit-out by December. Billed as Oxford’s first seven-day science and technology community, the district offers 25,000 sqm of amenities, including a café, town hall, coworking spaces, a public square, and Fallaize Park, whi…

Moderna has opened its Moderna Innovation and Technology Centre at the Harwell Science Campus in Oxfordshire, the first facility of its kind in the UK dedicated to mRNA vaccine manufacturing and research. The centre is part of a 10 year strategic partnership with the UK Government, involving more than one billion pounds of investment. The site has the capacity to produce up to 100 million mRNA vaccine doses each year, with potential to scale to 250 million in a pandemic scenario. It will support NHS vaccination programmes and allow rapid adaptation of vaccines for emerging viral threats. In addition to respiratory illnesses, the centre will focus on research into cancer, rare diseases and immune disorders. It has also secured a manufacturing licence from the UK’s Medicines and Healthcare p…

Sanofi has announced a new commitment of $625 million to Sanofi Ventures, its corporate venture capital division, in a multi year allocation aimed at accelerating investments in biotech and digital health innovation. This infusion expands the fund’s assets under management to more than $1.4 billion. The capital will support emerging companies working in Sanofi’s strategic focus areas including immunology, rare diseases, neurology and vaccines. The company has also signalled an interest in new domains such as ophthalmology, neuropsychiatry and pain biology. Since its founding in 2012, Sanofi Ventures has invested more than $800 million across over 70 companies. Its structure is evergreen, meaning that returns from exits are reinvested to fuel future deals and maintain long term impact. Sano…

MSD (Merck & Co., Inc.) will vacate its laboratories at the Francis Crick Institute in London by end‑2025 as it winds down discovery research in the UK. The move follows the decision to scrap a planned £1bn Discovery Centre at Belgrove House, with about 125 London R&D roles affected and work consolidating in the United States. MSD cited a challenging UK market and policies that under‑value innovative medicines. The company says it will continue UK clinical development and business operations. The Francis Crick Institute and MSD only opened the ‘Skylab’ collaboration space on the institute’s roof in 2024 to expand early‑stage research programmes, underscoring the scale of the reversal.

Artrya, in collaboration with the University of Western Australia (UWA) and clinical partners, has unveiled a novel AI‑driven calcium scoring tool—CAC‑DAD—aimed at enhancing heart attack risk prediction. Unlike the traditional Agatston coronary calcium score, which solely measures calcified plaque, CAC‑DAD factors in the location and density of each lesion. It assigns lower risk to dense, stable plaques and higher risk to those near the artery’s origin—addressing key limitations of existing models . Fully automated, CAC‑DAD quickly processes CT scans with a one‑click interface and outperforms the Agatston score in predicting cardiac events in vulnerable patients, particularly around the time of surgery. Early studies demonstrate that combining both scores further enhances diagnostic accura…

AstraZeneca has entered a strategic research collaboration with China's CSPC Pharmaceutical Group, aiming to accelerate the discovery of novel oral therapies for chronic diseases. The partnership, valued at up to $5.33 billion, focuses on leveraging CSPC's AI-driven drug discovery platform to identify pre-clinical candidates, including a small molecule oral therapy for immunological disorders . Under the agreement, CSPC will receive an upfront payment of $110 million and is eligible for up to $1.62 billion in development milestone payments and $3.6 billion in sales-based milestones, along with potential royalties on future sales . AstraZeneca will have the option to exclusively license and commercialize any successful candidates globally. The research will be conducted at CSPC's facilities…

The International Photodynamic Association (IPA) is pleased to announce that Dr. Stuart Bond, Consultant Antimicrobial Pharmacist and Director of Innovation at Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, has been awarded the prestigious President’s Award at the 19th World Congress of the IPA, held this year in Shanghai, China. The President’s Award is one of the IPA’s highest honours, reserved for individuals whose work is making a transformational impact on healthcare through photodynamic therapy. Dr. Bond received this distinguished honour in recognition of his leadership in advancing the use of antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT, also known as photodisinfection) for infection prevention within the UK's National Health Service (NHS). His pioneering work led to the first implementation of th…

Kingston University has secured a Royal Society of Chemistry grant of nearly £10,000 to spearhead a year-long initiative focused on improving sustainability in chemical laboratory research. The project, led by Dr Gemma Shearman from the School of Life Sciences, Pharmacy and Chemistry, involves the development of a web-based app that enables students and researchers to evaluate and enhance the environmental impact of their lab experiments. The innovative tool allows users to input chemicals, consumables, and equipment used in experiments to generate a downloadable sticker summarising the experiment’s sustainability footprint and suggestions for improvement. It addresses a critical gap in undergraduate training by incorporating environmental considerations alongside existing risk assessments…

Roche has announced a $50 billion investment in the United States over the next five years, aiming to create over 12,000 jobs. This strategic move is in response to potential tariffs from the Trump administration targeting Swiss pharmaceutical imports. The investment will expand manufacturing and distribution centers in Kentucky, Indiana, New Jersey, and California. New facilities include a gene therapy plant in Pennsylvania, a continuous glucose monitoring site in Indiana, a weight loss drug factory at an undisclosed location, and a cardiovascular, renal, and metabolism research center in Massachusetts. CEO Thomas Schinecker emphasized that this initiative will position Roche to export more medicines from the U.S. than it imports, reinforcing the company's commitment to U.S. innovation an…

Researchers have reported a potential oral treatment for Alzheimer’s disease that slowed its progression over a period of at least 18 months. Developed by Singaporean company TauRx Pharmaceutics Ltd, the scientists based in Aberdeen report that hydromethylthionine mesylate (HMTM) could be the first oral treatment for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) that targets the tau protein pathology – if it is approved by regulators. The findings were revealed at leading international conference AD/PD 2025 in Vienna, which concluded on Saturday. At the event, TauRx Pharmaceuticals CEO and co-founder Professor Claude Wischik outlined work which compared results from HMTM’s recent Phase 3 trial with placebo data from closely matched subjects available from the Critical Path in AD (CPAD) Institute database, whic…