AstraZeneca has bumped up its stake in US biotech Moderna, which is pioneering the development of a new class of drugs made of messenger RNA, to nine percent.
The UK-listed group said it is investing a further $140 million to increase its equity interest in the company, adding to its previous stake garnered through a collaboration agreement signed back in March 2013.
The parties initially hooked up to develop medicines for cardiovascular, metabolic and renal diseases, as well as oncology, and subsequently signed another agreement in January this year solely focused on the development of cancer therapies.
The companies coupling AstraZeneca group MedImmune’s protein engineering and cancer biology expertise with Moderna’s technology platform in the hope of developing new mRNA-based therapies.
These enable the body to produce therapeutic protein in vivo, and thus potentially offer a new treatment approach for a wide range of diseases.
By Selina McKee
Source: Pharma Times
Big Pharma has long seen the potential for AI and machine learning to accelerate drug development. But Novo Nordisk is going a step further by channeling $200 million toward the creation of a computer that will outrun anything in existence.
Current methods for diagnosing Alzheimer’s disease rely on a complex combination of self- and caregiver-reported symptoms, a physical examination and either a PET scan or a spinal tap to look for evidence of amyloid plaque build-ups in the brain. But a new artificial intelligence-based method may make the diagnostic process a much more objective one.
There is lots of talk about diversity and inclusion in business, including in pharma and medtech. A new report by the Open Political Economy Network (OPEN), a think tank focusing on migration and diversity, released its “Minority Businesses Matter: Europe” report highlighting the successes and challenges of ethnic minority-owned businesses in Europe.
