Fierce Biotech - Research

Amphista's targeted glue sticks the landing in AML test, supporting push into the clinic

Dec 8, 2025 5:17am

Amphista Therapeutics has reported preclinical leukemia data on its protein degrader, positioning the Big Pharma-partnered biotech to target a 2026 start date for a phase 1 clinical trial.

CDC instructs researchers to end all monkey studies by year-end: Science

Nov 21, 2025 12:25pm

The CDC is instructing scientists to end all research involving monkeys by the end of the year, in a move that will impact around 200 macaques and an unknown number of studies, Science reported.

NIH grant cuts have disrupted hundreds of clinical trials, study finds

Nov 14, 2025 3:39pm

The second Trump administration has been defined by widespread cuts to federal spending, including at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). A new analysis reveals that the termination of NIH grants has disrupted at least 383 clinical trials, which collectively include more than 74,000 patients.

Scribe eyes clinic after CRISPR candidates lower lipids in animals

Nov 14, 2025 7:50pm

Gene editing outfit Scribe Therapeutics is racing toward the clinic on the heels of a preclinical data drop for three programs, all of which were able to reduce cardiovascular risk factors in animal models.

'Needle in a haystack' experiments reveal targets for new tuberculosis vaccines

Nov 6, 2025 11:11pm

Painstaking experiments have revealed the cellular signatures that signify a tuberculosis infection, providing a series of targets for new vaccines that could finally subdue one of the world’s leading killers.

In 2 papers, Nobel winner debuts technique to turn rogue T cells into their own treatment

Oct 23, 2025 10:09am

Even for a newly minted Nobel laureate, downtime is hard to find. Just a few weeks after winning the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his discovery of regulatory T cells or Tregs, immunologist Shimon Sakaguchi, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues have published two new papers demonstrating how rogue T cells can be converted into Tregs to treat a suite of autoimmune diseases.

Panacea potential: How Nobel-winning regulatory T cells could become a 'universal drug'

Oct 20, 2025 3:57pm

While presenting this year’s Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to three immunologists who discovered and characterized regulatory T cells, committee chair Olle Kämpe, M.D., Ph.D., told the assembled crowd that, like last year’s prize for microRNA, the award-winning science is still a long way off from translating into new medicines.

Common diabetes drug alleviates brain inflammation in female mice with multiple sclerosis

Oct 15, 2025 5:52pm

A well-established diabetes drug alleviated brain inflammation in a female mouse model of multiple sclerosis, suggesting the long-used medicine could be repurposed to combat MS in people with female sex chromosomes, who are disproportionately affected by the autoimmune disease.

MIT first school to rebuff White House deal: 'Scientific funding should be based on scientific merit alone'

Oct 10, 2025 1:04pm

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has refused the Trump administration’s deal for prioritized funding in exchange for adhering to the president’s ideological views—the first university to publicly do so.

Sanofi inks pact with Canadian tech company to bring AI to preclinical R&D

Oct 8, 2025 11:55am

Sanofi has found a new preclinical research partner in Canadian software company BenchSci, which will provide the French drugmaker an AI copilot as part of a three-year partnership, BenchSci announced in an Oct. 8 release.

Peptide Synthesis and the Hidden Complexities of Scaling Peptide Therapeutics

Oct 1, 2025 2:50pm

Even minor changes—activator choice or solvent ratio—can alter deletion profiles. These risks must be anticipated early and built into the manufacturing process.

3 immunologists win Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovery of regulatory T cells

Oct 6, 2025 7:05am

The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to three pioneering immunologists for their work on regulatory T cells, including two who conducted their winning work at a British biotech.

NIH research grinds to a halt as government shuts down

Oct 1, 2025 10:52am

As the U.S. government shuts down due to a failure of Congress to pass a spending bill, the National Institutes of Health is implementing a contingency staffing plan that will again roil a research apparatus that has already been heavily disrupted during the second Trump administration.

Eye injection of fatty acid restores vision in elderly mice, showing promising results for human use

Sep 26, 2025 1:12pm

Injecting a fatty acid that is used to make very long fat molecules into the eyes of elderly mice improved their vision for up to a month, indicating that the natural compound could potentially be used to treat age-related vision conditions in humans.

'Alternative history' of the NIH shows how a 40% budget cut may thwart new medicines

Sep 25, 2025 12:06pm

An “alternative history” has revealed the potential impacts of a smaller National Institutes of Health on drug development—and the results paint a troubling picture.

Japan biotech inks research pact in effort to develop new RNA meds

Sep 19, 2025 10:21am

Japan biotech xFOREST Therapeutics is teaming up with a drug discovery solutions provider in a research pact that aims to develop new RNA structure-targeted small molecule therapeutics, including mRNA candidates.

What we know about the financial impact of NIH cuts at a state level—and what it could mean for public health

Sep 17, 2025 4:59pm

As the financial ramifications of federal research cuts come into focus, several organizations are warning of the looming threat to Americans’ health.

Leader of NIH's intramural research program to depart agency

Sep 17, 2025 5:40pm

The director of internal research at the National Institutes of Health is stepping away from the agency to return to her academic roots. Nina Schor, M.D., Ph.D., will officially stop serving as head of the NIH’s Office of Intramural Research (OIR) on Sept. 30, the agency announced in a Sept. 17 statement.

Custom gene editor fixes mutation causing deadly ultrarare vascular disease in mice

Sep 11, 2025 1:16pm

Researchers at Mass General Brigham in Boston have designed a custom gene editing technique that corrected the mutation behind a rare blood vessel disease in mice, paving the way for further development of the approach to treat the deadly condition and other genetic vascular diseases.

With 'breathtaking' $2B gift, Oregon's Knight Cancer Institute tightens laces for race to the top

Sep 9, 2025 2:46pm

What’s the best way to spend $2 billion? That’s the pleasant problem facing oncology legend Brian Druker, M.D., as he stewards what is thought to be the largest educational donation in history from Nike co-founder Phil Knight and his wife Penny.

Time to 'stop tolerating women's pain and suffering': Melinda Gates-backed research initiative raises $100M

Sep 10, 2025 10:40am

U.S. nonprofit Wellcome Leap is partnering with the Melinda French Gates-founded coalition Pivotal, raising $100 million to advance women’s health research in areas with the highest need.

Judge rules against Trump admin's 'arbitrary and capricious' Harvard funding freeze

Sep 4, 2025 10:45am

The university sued the government in April over its decision to freeze billions in federal research funds, citing First Amendment and other procedural violations.

New foundation from Microsoft co-founder reveals inaugural research grants, pledges $500M funding

Aug 27, 2025 11:36am

A new foundation from the estate of late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has launched with a set of four research grant recipients and plans to give $500 million over the next four years to support progress in bioscience, environmental science and AI development.

Lineage Cell Therapeutics tunes up hearing loss transplant with $12M research pact

Aug 26, 2025 10:47am

Lineage Cell Therapeutics has found an experienced hearing loss partner to advance a potentially novel transplant for auditory neurons. William Demant Invest, the largest shareholder of Danish hearing aid manufacturer Demant, has earmarked up to $12 million to support preclinical development of Lineage’s ReSonance (ANP1) cell therapy, Lineage announced in an Aug. 26 release.

NIH gene editing therapy fixes mutation in mice that causes adult form of Tay-Sachs disease

Aug 19, 2025 4:26pm

A team of scientists at the National Institutes of Health used gene editing to fix the mutation that causes a form of the rare Tay-Sachs disease in mice, sparking hope that the approach could also work for human patients and other related disorders.