News

iBio, a developer of plant-based biotechnology, has announced the completion of expanded product development capacity at its subsidiary, iBio CMO, jointly owned with affiliates of Eastern Capital, for the production of pharmaceutical proteins in hydroponically-grown green plants and the large-scale manufacture of biological pharmaceutical products. iBio is…

Bristol-Myers Squibb has acquired exclusive worldwide rights to Nitto Denko’s antifibrotic drug development efforts with siRNA molecules. In addition to the Japanese company’s lead compound ND-L02-s0201, currently in a Phase 1b clinical trial (NCT02227459) for advanced liver fibrosis, the agreement gives Bristol-Myers the right to obtain licenses for other…

Australian and German companies, AdAlta and  XL-protein, have entered into a collaboration to create a long-acting form of AdAlta’s AD-114, an antibody-based treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and other fibrotic conditions. According to the agreement, XL-protein will contribute with their PASylation technology, attaching a string of amino acids that…

Windtree Therapeutics recently presented preclinical data supporting the potential effectiveness of its KL4 surfactant against acute and chronic lung injury and fibrosis induced by exposure to radiation. The data were presented at the 62nd Radiation Research Society (RRS) Annual Meeting, that took place in Hawaii in October. KL4 is a synthetic, peptide-containing surfactant structurally similar to the…

Jordan Howard, the lead rusher for the Chicago Bears football team whose father died of pulmonary fibrosis (PF), will announced his intent to be a PF advocate and supporter of efforts to better treat and cure the disease today at the 2016 Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) Volunteer Meeting in Chicago. Howard’s father, Dr. Reginald…

An extract from an earthworm reduced inflammation and fibrosis in the lungs of mice exposed to silica, acting through known antioxidant and anti-inflammatory molecular pathways. The findings suggest the extract could be explored as a potential drug therapy for silicosis. The study, “Earthworm extract attenuates silica-induced pulmonary…

Inhibiting PARP-1 protein expression eased several symptoms of lung fibrosis in a mice model of the disease. These results suggest that PARP-1 inhibitors may carry therapeutic potential for patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The study, “HYDAMTIQ, a selective PARP-1 inhibitor, improves bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis by dampening the TGF-β/SMAD signalling…

Mice that produce excessive amounts of an anticoagulant factor are somewhat protected against pulmonary fibrosis development, a finding that highlights the possibility of manipulating natural anti-clotting proteins in the fight against lung fibrosis. Experiments showed that high levels of the anticoagulant protein C caused fewer macrophage inflammatory cells to move…

Veracyte has announced the launch of its non-invasive test to improve the diagnosis of interstitial lung diseases, including  idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The soon-to-be commercially available test, Envisia Genomic Classifier, is reported to offer a faster and more accurate diagnosis than is currently available without the need for a lung biopsy. Data…

Patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) have a high risk of developing other health conditions, according to results of a study presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians (CHEST 2016), held in Los Angeles Oct. 22-26. The results were presented under the title “Longitudinal…