In Depth 30 Oct 2023 The ongoing search for an HIV cure: can CRISPR crack the code? HIV continues to represent a global health burden, with the World Health Organization (WHO) estimating that, in 2022, there were 39 million people living with the virus. But there is still no effective cure for it. The only option patients have is antiretroviral therapy, which, although it represents a major milestone in HIV treatment and […] October 30, 2023 - 7 minutesmins - By Willow Shah-Neville Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Podcast 20 Oct 2023Beyond Biotech podcast 68 – rejuvenation with stem cells This week, our guest on the podcast is Mark Kotter, founder of clock.bio. clock.bio, a sister company to bit.bio, which Kotter also founded and is the CEO of, aims to extend and improve quality of life by reversing the harmful effects of time in our cells, harnessing the regenerative capabilities of human pluripotent stem cells […] October 20, 2023 Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
In Depth 5 Oct 2023 Saving lives with xenotransplantation: how biotechs are solving the transplant shortage crisis On January 7, 2022, a surgery was performed on David Bennett to give him a new heart. But this was no ordinary transplant surgery. Instead of receiving a heart from a human donor, the 57-year-old, who did not qualify for a traditional transplant, received a pig heart. This surgery marked a historic breakthrough, becoming the […] October 5, 2023 - 11 minutesmins - By Willow Shah-Neville Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
In Depth 25 Sep 2023 Base editing hits the clinic in the U.S. Over the past couple of years, base editing, a recent offshoot of the heralded CRISPR/Cas 9 technology, has been doing its rounds in the biotech space. Now, base editing has finally set foot into clinical trials for the first time in the U.S.. American precision medicine company Beam Therapeutics treated its first patient with its […] September 25, 2023 - 7 minutesmins - By Roohi Mariam Peter Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
In Depth 19 Jul 2023 Genetic engineering giants: is China poised to lead the way? For many people, when they hear China and genetic engineering in the same sentence, it is often synonymous with scandal, and gene-edited babies may spring to mind. And, although it is true that nearly five years ago, researcher He Jiankui infamously claimed he had created the first ever gene-edited babies, before going to prison for […] July 19, 2023 - 7 minutesmins - By Willow Shah-Neville Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 28 Jun 2023 New platform cuts time engineering and selecting genome editors A research team from the LKS Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed) has developed a new way to break through the current limited throughput in optimizing precise genome editors at scale, engineer hundreds of base editor variants in parallel instead of current one-by-one testing, and informing users of the most suitable ones […] June 28, 2023 - 4 minutesmins - By Jim Cornall Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 1 Jun 2023 SNIPR Biome sees positive results for first-in-human CRISPR microbial gene therapy CRISPR-based microbial gene therapy company SNIPR Biome ApS has announced positive interim clinical results from its phase 1 clinical trial with SNIPR001. SNIPR Biome’s SNIPR001 is the first CRISPR-armed phage therapeutic developed to specifically target and remove E. coli, including antibiotic-resistant strains, from the human gastrointestinal tract. The work was supported by CARB-X, a global […] June 1, 2023 - 3 minutesmins - By Jim Cornall Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 23 May 2023 HuidaGene Therapeutics creates world’s first ‘G to Y’ DNA base-editor HuidaGene Therapeutics, a clinical-stage genome-editing company, says the National Science Review has published data from its study of the world’s first DNA base editor converting guanine to cytosine/thymine (pyrimidine), or G-to-Y. The company has filed an international patent application for the glycosylase-based guanine base editor (gGBE) and owns the exclusive global rights to the underlying […] May 23, 2023 - 3 minutesmins - By Jim Cornall Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 17 May 2023 Scribe and Prevail to accelerate CRISPR-based genetic medicines for neurological and neuromuscular diseases Scribe Therapeutics Inc., a company creating genetic medicines through its CRISPR by Design approach to genetic modification, has announced a strategic collaboration with Prevail Therapeutics, a wholly owned subsidiary of Eli Lilly and Company. The deal gives Prevail exclusive rights to Scribe Therapeutics’ CRISPR X-Editing (XE) technologies for the development of in vivo therapies directed […] May 17, 2023 - 3 minutesmins - By Jim Cornall Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 10 May 2023 Scientists create first CRISPR-based drug candidate targeting the microbiome A new CRISPR-based drug candidate targeting E. coli in the gut microbiome is in phase 1 clinical trials. According to a new paper published in Nature Biotechnology, it may improve the well-being of blood cancer patients and reduce their mortality rate from E. coli infections. Many people have experienced infections from E. coli, which are […] May 10, 2023 - 6 minutesmins - By Jim Cornall Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 21 Apr 2023 New discovery “an area of cancer research with tremendous promise for breakthroughs” A research team led by Gary Ying Wai Chan from the School of Biological Sciences at The University of Hong Kong (HKU), has revealed the function of a unique enzyme, ANKLE1. ANKLE1 acts on chromatin bridges trapped in the midzone of dividing cells. By cutting these bridges, ANKLE1 prevents damage to the genetic material and […] April 21, 2023 - 4 minutesmins - By Jim Cornall Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 12 Apr 2023 New technique developed for safer gene editing CRISPR-Cas9 is widely used to edit the genome by studying genes of interest and modifying disease-associated genes. However, this process can be associated with potential side effects, including unwanted mutations and toxicity. Researchers at Kyushu University and Nagoya University School of Medicine in Japan have developed an optimized genome-editing method that vastly reduces mutations, opening […] April 12, 2023 - 4 minutesmins - By Jim Cornall Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email