Neil Miller

'We need to move with the times' - Matthew Durdy, Chief Executive, Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult.   In this Pink Sheet interview, Matthew Durdy, CGT Catapult, discusses how recent changes in UK drug regulations could impact the #cell and #gene therapy industry, and how the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)'s new reforms in decentralised manufacturing are a positive signal for the UK's #CellTherapy ecosystem.   Read the interview: https://lnkd.in/eK4AR8BG   #ATMPs #AdvancedTherapies Citeline

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I’m proud that CPI’s RNA Centre of Excellence in Darlington Science Park will host the UK RNA Biofoundry.   This £29.6m Government-backed facility will help fast-track advanced RNA therapies for diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disease and infectious illness, while strengthening the UK’s preparedness for future pandemics.    Hosting the biofoundry in Darlington validates the Tees Valley and wider North East as a powerhouse for advanced manufacturing and health innovation, reinforcing our region’s role in creating a modern industrial bioeconomy. This emerging cluster is already supporting highly skilled jobs, cutting-edge capabilities and global opportunities, building on our proud industrial heritage.   By giving UK innovators, especially SMEs and start-ups, access to specialist infrastructure and continuous manufacturing technologies, the biofoundry will help overcome scale-up barriers and bring new treatments to patients faster.   At CPI, we will continue to work closely with partners across government, industry and academia to build a resilient, sustainable and investable health-innovation ecosystem, one that ensures the UK maintains its global leadership in life sciences manufacturing.   Congratulations to everyone involved in bringing this vision to life.   Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/e2WwdA_i Stephen Kinnock Jane Wall High Value Manufacturing Catapult Tees Valley Combined Authority Darlington Borough Council National Horizons Centre NEPIC NIHR (National Institute for Health and Care Research) BioIndustry Association (BIA) Arun Harish Brendan Fish Julie Anderson   #RNA #Healthcare #Innovation #AdvancedManufacturing #LetsInnovateTogether

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🎙️ On the latest episode of The Respiratory Catalyst Podcast from Health Data Research UK (HDR UK), hear from UK Biobank Deputy Chief Scientist Dr Adam Lewandowski. Hosted by Prof Jenni Quint, together they discuss how UK Biobank is used by researchers, particularly those exploring respiratory disease and Adam explains how researchers can securely access the data they need for their particular studies. ✅ Listen here: https://ow.ly/coxc50X2OsM

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“It has the potential to stop or slow Parkinson’s.” NRG Therapeutics has secured an impressive £50 million to advance their drug, NRG5051, into clinical trials for people with Parkinson’s. The Parkinson’s UK Virtual Biotech originally invested £1 million in 2019, and is now working in partnership with the Parkinson's Foundation. Dr Lynsey Bilsland is here to tell you more about the drug, how we remain an active founding investor and the next steps.

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Working backwards from a clinical effect might seem an odd approach, but in the case of the deubiquitinase Ubiquitin Specific Protease USP30, this has been the challenge for Darragh O’Brien’s research. USP30 inhibitors had recently advanced to clinic trials, but the mechanism of action (MoA) was still not yet fully established.   At the outset of the study, structural information for USP30 was not available, making it difficult to look at the conformation of the USP30 inhibitor binding pocket. Darragh used a structural proteomics approach to characterise the binding site of different types of USP30 inhibitors on the protein, as traditional crystallography had not yet been successful. Activity-Based Protein Profiling Mass Spectrometry (ABPP-MS), Hydrogen-Deuterium eXchange Mass Spectrometry (HDX-MS) and other supporting biophysical techniques coupled with enzyme kinetics enabled the development of a structural model which showcased the potency, activity, and selectivity of different USP30 inhibitor classes.   The data obtained from the highly integrative approach resulted in a proposed MoA for non-covalent USP30 inhibition. The work has since been extended to include covalent inhibitors, and has been confirmed by others in the field, paving the way for the development of next-generation inhibitors of USP30 targeting neurodegenerative disease and mitophagy-related disorders.   Darragh O'Brien is a Researcher in Neurodegenerative Disease and Head of Structural and Mechanistic Proteomics at the Centre for Medicines Discovery, University of Oxford. His talk ‘Targeting mitochondrial dysfunction in neurodegenerative disease - The advent of potent and selective USP30 inhibitors’ will be presented on Wednesday 22nd October at ELRIG’s Drug Discovery 2025, in the scientific track ‘From bench to brain: Hit-finding approaches in neurodegenerative disease therapeutics in collaboration with Alzheimer’s Research UK’. Register now to hear his presentation: https://lnkd.in/e8c59Ung  #USP30 #ABPP #HDX  #deubiquitinylases #Parkinsonsdisease #mitophagy #drugdiscovery #SAR  #moleculardocking #structuralproteomics

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We are pleased to see the UK government respond to the ACMD’s Barriers to Research Part 2 report with plans to ease restrictions around Schedule 1 drug research. The proposed changes would simplify licensing for research involving compounds like psilocybin and MDMA, particularly in regulated clinical and academic settings. This could help accelerate safe and ethical research into novel therapies. MAC’s MHRA-accredited Early Phase Unit, based within Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, is well-placed to support this kind of work. We conduct First in Human studies across a wide range of therapeutic areas and welcome steps that help bring innovative treatments to patients faster. Read more in the official response: https://lnkd.in/eVt7GKq9 #PsychedelicResearch #DrugDevelopment #clinicaltrials #clinicalresearch #cro

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Athernal Bio, based in Cambridge, UK, is developing targeted immunotherapies for blood cancer precursor conditions. The company has raised £3.5M in funding, led by Delin Ventures, to advance its innovative treatments and accelerate research and development in the hematology and immunotherapy space. Ieuan Walker | Nirupa Desai 🔗 Read full article link in comment #AthernalBio #Immunotherapy #BloodCancer #ClonalHaematopoiesis #HealthcareInnovation #Biotech #StartupFunding #SeriesAFunding #BiotechFunding #Eustartups #newss

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“By understanding how the immune system interacts with triple negative [breast cancer], we hope to find ways to treat the disease and hopefully cure it in the future.” Last month, we headed to the Cancer Research UK Scotland Institute in Glasgow for a special research lab tour. Lucky attendees met with Breast Cancer Now funded researcher Professor Seth Coffelt and got the opportunity to take part in some hands-on science in the lab! Seth and his team are finding ways to train the immune system to recognise and destroy triple-negative breast cancer cells. They believe this research will provide vital information to improve treatments for people living with this aggressive and harder-to-treat form of breast cancer. https://lnkd.in/ebDCg_6h

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