UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON

AI and machine learning are revolutionizing drug discovery in biotech and pharma. GEN’s virtual summit on October 30th features keynotes by David Baker, Najat Khan, and others, discussing latest advances, challenges, and business landscape of AI in drug discovery. Registration is free.

Federal reclassification of marijuana could impact Washington state's cannabis industry and research, with potential benefits and challenges for consumers and small businesses.

By 2050, antibiotic-resistant infections could cause 8.2 million deaths annually, up from 4.7 million currently, unless new strategies are implemented to combat this threat, according to a study in The Lancet.

Australian researchers found the TSOS collaborative care intervention for PTSD and pain symptoms after major traumatic injury feasible and low-cost in Victoria, Australia, with preliminary evidence suggesting reduced symptoms.

AstraZeneca's Imfinzi shows benefits in event-free and overall survival in muscle-invasive bladder cancer, but faces FDA scrutiny over treatment phase contributions. The NIAGARA study results, published in NEJM, suggest a 32% EFS improvement and 25% reduced risk of death. Despite concerns, the FDA approved Imfinzi for lung cancer, raising questions about its decision-making process for NIAGARA.

NIH establishes pandemic preparedness research network, ReVAMPP, to develop vaccines and monoclonal antibodies for high-priority pathogens, focusing on virus families known to infect humans. NIAID commits $100 million annually to fund the program, aiming to fill knowledge gaps and enhance pandemic response capabilities.

A patient under Dr. Scott Roberts' care tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 for over 500 days due to severe immunocompromise. The FDA authorized pemivibart for preexposure prophylaxis in immunocompromised individuals, and IDSA updated its guidelines to recommend its use. Despite concerns about efficacy against new variants, pemivibart offers a new preventive option for high-risk patients.

University of Washington scientists, in collaboration with Oxford Nanopore Technologies, developed a 'proof-of-concept' method using the Oxford Nanopore sensing platform to read single protein molecules, enabling the analysis of long, intact polypeptide strands and offering new possibilities for understanding complex biological processes and diseases.

Bria-IMT (SV-BR-1-GM) combined with retifanlimab-dlwr or pembrolizumab showed improved overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) in heavily pretreated metastatic breast cancer patients, with median OS of 15.6 months and PFS of 4.1 months in the 2022 cohort, and 13.4 months OS and 3.9 months PFS since study onset. These results support Bria-IMT's potential as a new standard of care.

DeepWell Digital Therapeutics received FDA clearance for its biofeedback SDK to treat stress and high blood pressure, marking a significant advancement in using games for mental health treatment. The company aims to integrate its technology into media products, enabling them to be marketed as FDA-cleared digital therapeutics, potentially leading to new monetization schemes for the gaming industry.