BBI interviewed Drs. Evan Eichler and Danny Miller, as well as postdoctoral fellow Dr. Glennis Logsdon, on the first complete sequence of the human genome, announced in late March in a series of papers published in Science. BBI: What is the backstory behind this breakthrough paper of the completion of sequencing the human genome? Eichler: When we were finishing the…
IPD scientists report in Nature Biotechnology the design of custom protein-based biosensors that can detect coronavirus-neutralizing antibodies in blood. This research, which builds on prior sensor design technology developed in the Baker lab, was led by Baker lab postdoctoral scholars Jason Zhang, PhD, and Hsien-Wei (Andy) Yeh, PhD. They utilized the de novo designed LOCKR (Latching, Orthogonal Cage/Key pRotein) system as…
BBI’s Dr. Danny Miller and the UW’s Nanopore Sequencing Core are providing both targeted and whole genome long read sequencing on the Oxford Nanopore platform to assist other researchers with their projects. “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 have access to…
One question inspired Erik Wambre, PhD, to dedicate his career to allergy research. “Why can most people eat peanuts without a problem, but some people have a serious reaction to just a small amount?” he says. “What makes one person allergic and not another?” Dr. Wambre’s research focuses on what causes allergies and how to stop them — including a…
Umoja Biopharma, Inc., an immuno-oncology company pioneering off-the-shelf, integrated therapeutics that reprogram immune cells in vivo for patients with solid and hematologic malignancies, announced today the Seattle Children’s activation of the Phase 1 ENLIGHTen clinical trial in patients with osteosarcoma to assess the safety and tolerability of autologous “universal” CAR T cells when administered with UB-TT170, the Company’s proprietary small molecule fluorescein…
Zymeworks, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing next-generation multifunctional biotherapeutics, today announced that it has completed enrollment in its global HERIZON-BTC-01 pivotal clinical trial evaluating the antitumor activity of zanidatamab monotherapy in patients with previously treated advanced or metastatic HER2-amplified biliary tract cancers (BTC), including gallbladder cancer and cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer). Efficacy and safety results from HERIZON-BTC-01 are expected to…
A just-published study provides previously unknown answers about which hospitalized COVID-19 patients are most likely to need mechanical ventilation or to die. Researchers showed that vital signs and lab results at the time of hospital admission are the most accurate predictors of severe COVID-19. “Our models show that chronic conditions, comorbidities, sex, race and ethnicity are much less important in…
A group of rare diseases called ciliopathies — polycystic kidney disease notable among them — emerge from defects in cilia. These are the tiny hairlike structures on the surface of almost every cell type. The specific molecular-level disruptions in cilia that trigger these diseases are poorly understood. In a novel experiment, scientists “knocked out,” or deleted, the cilia in a population of…
BBI Member Alison Paquette, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine and a member of the Seattle Children’s Research Institute’s Center for Developmental Biology and Regenerative Medicine. BBI: Can you tell us about how you got involved in your area of research within precision medicine? Dr. Paquette: I was always…
Pluristyx, an advanced therapy tools and services biotechnology company, and Accelerated Biosciences, a regenerative medicine innovator in the use of proprietary human trophoblast stem cells (hTSCs), announced they signed an agreement for Pluristyx to manufacture clinical grade hTSC banks under Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). Accelerated Biosciences will use and make these stem cell banks available to commercial partners for further…