InnovationRx provides a weekly digest of healthcare news, featuring stories such as the breakthrough in gene editing known as base editing, developed by Nicole Gaudelli at the Broad Institute and now being used in clinical trials at Beam Therapeutics. Gaudelli has now joined GV as an entrepreneur-in-residence in life sciences, where she hopes to continue impacting patients’ lives with her technology. GV, a venture capital firm, has invested in companies like Beam and Verve Therapeutics that are utilizing Gaudelli’s base editor technology.
eGenesis, a startup behind the first-ever pig kidney transplant into a living patient, is also developing gene-edited pig hearts and livers for transplant to address the organ donation shortage. CEO Mike Curtis sees this as an opportunity to help patients with limited treatment options and is looking to expand clinical trials for liver and kidney transplants. The company is working towards refining gene editing on organs to eliminate the need for post-transplant medication to prevent rejection.
In other healthcare news, Merck received FDA approval for a new drug, sotatercept, to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension, a rare disease primarily affecting women. This drug, marketed under the name Winrevair, is the first new treatment approved for this condition in almost a decade and has shown promising results in clinical trials. Additionally, there have been updates in nutrition, neurology, oncology, mental health, and pharmaceutical mergers and acquisitions in the industry.
Supreme Court justices have indicated that they are unlikely to reverse federal approvals of the abortion drug mifepristone, Amazon Pharmacy is launching same-day prescription delivery in select cities, searches for cancer information on the U.K.’s public health system surged following news of Kate Middleton’s diagnosis, and Altimmune’s experimental weight loss drug showed positive results in a small trial. RxSense, a company focused on helping consumers find the best deals on medications, is facing competition from billionaire Mark Cuban.
In Forbes, the publication explores topics including the net worth of Donald Trump, the rise of billionaire crypto projects, and a deep-sea mining company seeking battery materials. Other articles from various sources discuss the business implications of vaccine development during the pandemic, the potential of a gene test to improve chemotherapy dosing, and research on rejuvenating the immune system. Overall, the healthcare industry is experiencing significant developments and advancements that aim to improve patient outcomes and drive innovation in the field.
