Tony Sedgwick

“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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With the National Cancer Plan expected in the coming months, its contents sparked discussions on the sidelines of the Labour Party Conference.   John McNeill, Oncology Business Unit Director at MSD in the UK, explores in The House Magazine how the Plan can truly improve care and outcomes for cancer patients across England.   From reducing disparity in care to preparing for the next generation of treatments, the National Cancer Plan presents a rare opportunity to address the challenges facing cancer patients in England today and enable the NHS for tomorrow.   See below three elements we believe the Plan should deliver on👇and read the full article here 👉 http://bit.ly/4ogj63z   GB-NON-11930

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If you want to help create a future where: 1️⃣ people with rare diseases have faster diagnoses and better treatment options, and 2️⃣ innovators find a coordinated, sector-wide approach to get new tests and treatments to market, and help them stay there ➡️ read our latest report with Genetic Alliance UK: https://lnkd.in/e8iPr7Xi It recommends 10 actions that government, regulators, industry, academia, funders, clinicians, and patient groups can take to #ChangeTheRareFuture for those living with rare conditions.

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'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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“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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Our Gastroenterology colleagues have successfully introduced another biosimilar medicine (Ustekinumab) for the treatment of patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), as part of ongoing efforts to enhance care and improve value for the NHS. This is the third biosimilar product to be implemented at OUH for IBD, which includes long-term conditions such as Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. The move is part of a nationally-supported approach to safely and effectively expand the use of biosimilar medicines across the NHS. Biosimilars are highly similar versions of already approved biological medicines. They are assessed and authorised according to the same rigorous standards of pharmaceutical quality, safety, and clinical effectiveness that apply to all biological treatments. The move to Ustekinumab, along with previous biosimilar switches, has saved the Trust an estimated £4.9 million – funds which can be reinvested into patient care and service improvements. The changeover to the biosimilar was carefully planned, with the pharmacy team, IBD specialist nurses, and consultant team all integral to the process, and colleagues ensured there was careful communication with and support for affected patients. Those patients who had additional questions or concerns were offered appointments in ad-hoc clinics, where they could discuss the change directly with a consultant and specialist pharmacist. 🗣️ Dr Oliver Brain, Consultant Gastroenterologist at OUH, said: “Good disease control is vital in managing inflammatory bowel disease, and we are pleased to have introduced this additional treatment option safely and smoothly. Biosimilars offer the same clinical benefits as the originator drug, while helping us make best use of NHS resources.” Thank you to all involved – you can read more in our news story ⬇️ 🔗 https://orlo.uk/kJ4cK

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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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Earlier this month, BMS’s Chris Boerner, Guy Oliver, and Richard Robinson sat down with Warren A. Stephens, United States Ambassador to the UK, to discuss the historically challenging commercial environment facing U.S. biopharmaceutical companies in the UK. The discussion centred on enhancing bilateral collaboration, fair reward for innovation, tackling structural trade barriers, and unlocking the full potential of the UK’s life sciences ecosystem. US-UK partnerships in science have been the cornerstone of breakthroughs in medical science for decades. We hope this collaboration will continue for years to come. #BMSUK #NHS #LifeSciences #Investment #UKUSRelations #PharmaInnovation #HealthEconomy

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