An investigational HIV vaccine regimen tested among men who have sex with men (MSM) and transgender people was safe but did not provide protection against HIV acquisition, an independent data and safety monitoring board (DSMB) has determined. The HPX3002/HVTN 706, or “Mosaico,” Phase 3 clinical trial began in 2019 and involved 3,900 volunteers ages 18 to 60 years in Europe,…
Jenny Nathans discusses work in cell fate decision-making with BBI Scientific Director Jay Shendure: ‘Jenny has already established herself as someone who is smart, easy to work with, and is an excellent communicator.’ The phrase “kick the tires” refers to inspecting or testing something or someone to ensure that he, she, they, or it “meets the required or expected standard of…
Washington state has always enjoyed a strong research base, a history of developing innovative FDA-approved therapies and excelled in areas such as medical devices as well. Washington is a leader in immunotherapy and other novel cancer therapies and is known as the ultrasound capital of the world. After steady growth for several decades, we have seen a dramatic expansion of…
Advances in understanding the many different genetic causes of childhood-onset hearing loss indicate that genomic testing could assist in treatment planning, including optimal timing of treatment. Even if a child with hearing loss did not receive a diagnosis from genetic testing a few years ago, very rapid recent progress in genomics makes re-testing worthwhile, according to scientists in this field. Hearing…
Tumor DNA floating in our blood offers doctors a way to gain information about cancer even when standard needle-based biopsies aren’t an option. Over the past decade, scientists have refined their ability to get important tumor information from mutations in these DNA snippets. More recently, researchers have been exploring ways to go beyond the DNA sequences to learn about which genes are…
Researchers at Benaroya Research Institute (BRI) and the University of Washington published findings today in the Journal of Experimental Medicine that illustrate a novel mechanism for regulatory T cells’ (Tregs) role in maintaining balance in a healthy immune system. Tregs prevent the immune system from overreacting to harmless substances and from reacting to the body’s own cells, which leads to autoimmunity. While…
Want to eat for science? Recruiting starts this month for the first test in humans of whether higher-caloric diets spur MRI-detectable inflammation in the hypothalamus, the brain structure that regulates body weight. Researchers already know that a “highly energetic” diet causes mice to develop inflammation in this brain region, and that these cellular-level inflammatory changes precede weight gain, said Dr. Ellen…
BBI’s Dr. Danny Miller and the UW’s Nanopore Sequencing Core are providing targeted and whole genome long-read sequencing of both DNA and RNA to assist researchers with projects that could benefit from long-read sequencing technology. As new DNA and RNA sequencing technologies are developed that provide a more comprehensive view of genetic variation, it is imperative that researchers and clinicians…
BioLife Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq: BLFS) (“BioLife” or the “Company”), a leading developer and supplier of class-defining bioproduction products and services for the cell and gene therapy (CGT) and the broader biopharma markets, today announced that the Company was recently named as one of Seattle Business magazine’s Washington’s Best Companies to Work for. This annual program was created by Seattle Business magazine and Best Companies Group to identify,…
When Jessica Hamerman, PhD, was perusing research papers in 2021, one discovery stopped her in her tracks — and ultimately put her on a whole new research path. The study introduced a potential new paradigm in treating lupus-related kidney disease (lupus nephritis). It detailed how researchers at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital found immune cells called patrolling monocytes in the…