All articles tagged with #pharmaceutical research
Scientists have discovered new insights into the hormone amylin, which could lead to more effective weight-loss medications by better understanding its receptors, potentially speeding up the development of next-generation obesity drugs like amylin-based treatments currently in trials.
Arena BioWorks, funded by wealthy backers including Boston Celtics owner Stephen Pagliuca and technology magnate Michael Dell, is luring nearly 100 researchers from prestigious institutions with seven-figure paydays to pursue pharmaceutical research outside of traditional university settings, aiming to expedite drug discovery and production. This move has sparked controversy as it disrupts the traditional model where universities benefit from drug discoveries, potentially impacting their endowment coffers.
Varda Space Industries, a California-based startup specializing in pharmaceutical research and manufacturing in space, has secured an agreement with a private range operator in Australia for spacecraft landings after being denied reentry approval by the US government. The company's first experimental mission, carrying pharmaceuticals manufactured in orbit, was not granted permission to land at a military test range in Utah. Varda is now exploring other options for future missions and plans to conduct reentry operations in Australia as early as mid-2024. The company aims to launch regular missions into low-Earth orbit for pharmaceutical research experiments and manufacturing.
California-based startup Varda Space Industries has successfully conducted its first space mission, growing crystals of the drug ritonavir in orbit. The miniature lab, launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, completed a 27-hour drug-manufacturing experiment and is now on track for a first-of-its-kind re-entry and landing in Utah. Varda aims to commercialize microgravity and build an industrial park in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). The spacecraft, part of Varda's Winnebago series, will bring pharmaceutical research specimens back to Earth for analysis and eventual commercial use. The re-entry capsule will be protected by an ablative carbon-based heat shield material developed by NASA. The mission's return to Earth is scheduled for later this month.