NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH

About half of metastatic melanoma patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors survive cancer-free for 10+ years, according to a 10-year follow-up study from Dana-Farber Cancer Center and Weill Cornell Medicine. The CheckMate 067 trial, involving 945 patients, showed combining nivolumab and ipilimumab significantly improved outcomes. The study found no new safety concerns and suggests long-term treatment success.

Free Narcan vending machines launching in Deep Ellum, aiming to reduce opioid overdoses. By year's end, over 30 machines will be placed. Narcan, an opioid antagonist, temporarily reverses overdoses and is now available over-the-counter. Naloxone, the active ingredient in Narcan, works for 30-90 minutes, requiring immediate medical attention post-use. Fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid, remains a significant threat, with 'rainbow fentanyl' targeting young adults.

New dual-layer nanopore system, GURU, offers precise detection and control of molecules like DNA, enhancing sequencing technology and overcoming limitations of protein-based systems.

Vanderbilt University Medical Center joins ReVAMPP, a $100 million/year NIH program to develop vaccines and antibody therapies against viral threats, with a $13 million/year grant for bunyaviruses and picornaviruses research.

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.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute awarded $355,935 to Blacksburg’s Biotherapeutics, Inc. for asthma research. Biotherapeutics, formed in 2008, integrates nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, and informatics for precision medicine. This follows a $288,986 grant in August.

Nirrin Technologies received a $2 million SBIR Direct Phase II Grant from NIH for developing NIR spectroscopy for biomanufacturing. The HPTLS platform, used in the Atlas product, provides rapid chemical analysis, addressing data-collection challenges in the pharmaceutical industry. The grant will fund upstream bioprocessing applications and expand HPTLS-based product lines.

Ozempic and Wegovy (semaglutide) outperformed Saxenda (liraglutide) in weight loss, with 61% of obese and 23% of diabetic patients losing 10%+ body weight after a year. Saxenda achieved similar results in only 29% of obese and 12% of diabetic patients. Semaglutide users were more likely to lose 10%+ weight if treated for obesity, adhered to the drug schedule, had a higher BMI, and were female. Higher doses produced more weight loss.

Join the 1st Annual Clinical Trials and Translational Science Meeting on September 24-27, 2024, organized by NCTTC and NCGM, supported by AMED, and in collaboration with HERC, Oxford Population Health. The event aims to strengthen clinical trial capacities and establish partnerships, with registration available at bit.ly/nihncttcreg.