News

Premature birth is the leading cause of infant death and disability in the U.S., and costs billions in dollars and heartache every year. Now, University of Connecticut researchers report a potential treatment that could stop many cases of premature labor and birth in their tracks. UConn Health’s Christopher Nold, an obstetrician who practices maternal-fetal medicine at Hartford Hospital, and Anthony Vella, an immunologist, were curious about the immune system’s role in premature birth. The researchers knew that cytokines, small proteins that alert the body to infection and cause inflammation, had been found in the amniotic fluid of many women who [...]

William Nordhaus, Sterling Professor of Economics at Yale University and the world’s leading economist on climate change, has been awarded the 2018 Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences for “integrating climate change into long-run macroeconomic analysis.” Nordhaus shared the prize with Paul Romer, professor of economics at New York University’s Leonard N. Stern School of Business. more

Biohaven has signed an exclusive, worldwide option and license agreement with the University of Connecticut for the development and commercialization rights to UC1MT, a therapeutic antibody targeting extracellular metallothionein (MT). Extracellular MT has been implicated in the pathogenesis of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. The antibody was discovered in the laboratory of Michael Lynes, PhD, head of the Department of Molecular & Cell Biology at the University of Connecticut Storrs. Professor Lynes worked with PITCH, a Connecticut Bioscience Innovation Fund program that cultivates innovative therapeutics conceived in Connecticut’s universities in order to grow Connecticut’s biotech ecosystem. Within PITCH, the anitbody was scaled for [...]

Cybrexa Therapeutics has appointed Keely Zipp Vice President of Marketing. Ms. Zipp adds nearly 15 years of strategic planning and marketing experience to the Cybrexa team and will lead the company’s marketing, communications, and branding efforts. Cybrexa is an early-stage biotechnology company developing a new class of cancer therapeutics through its tumor-selective technology platform. more

More than one million people die annually from cerebral malaria, the most lethal form of the disease. A recent study, led by Yale investigators, explores the role of glucose metabolism in the development of the disease, and may hold a key to preventing or treating it in humans. Blocking glucose metabolism with glucose inhibitor 2DG appears to help mice tolerate infection-related damage to the brain by decreasing the ability of malaria to cause the blood to clot. more

Nominations are being accepted through November 15 for the BioCT Entrepreneur of the Year Award - 2018.  The award winner will be announced at the BioCT Holiday Party December 11, from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm at Alexion in New Haven. Save the date! The Entrepreneur of the Year Award was established by BioCT and Shipman and Goodwin to acknowledge the importance of showcasing unique accomplishments of entrepreneurs in the community. The award seeks to recognize individuals who are imaginative, passionate and game-changers in Connecticut bioscience and whose accomplishments would be heralded outside of Connecticut. details and nomination forms

The National Institute on Drug Abuse has funded a bold new approach to understanding the biology of substance abuse, with a five-year grant totaling $3,967,656 to Jackson Laboratory researchers exploring the role of the microbiome and genetics in substance use disorders. A number of genes have been associated with addiction, and there is accumulating evidence that the gut microbiome — the vast collection of microbes that inhabit the digestive tract and interact with the host — plays a significant role in behavioral response to addictive drugs, as well as anxiety- and depression-like behaviors, many of which occur with addiction. more

BioCT is pleased to announce the addition of Scientist.com to our cost-saving BIO Business Solutions program - an exclusive BioCT member benefit. Scientist.com is the world’s largest marketplace for outsourced scientific services and products, to offer researchers access to a platform with thousands of pre-qualified suppliers providing custom research services. Immediate savings are realized by sending requests to multiple suppliers in a single click. Signing up is simple, and Scientist.com’s Research Concierge™ — a team comprising experts with decades of scientific experience — can assist with any order no matter how complex the project. more

From airbrushing t-shirts at malls around Connecticut to producing his own scientific illustration and animation studio, Michael Astrachan merged the logical left side of his brain with the creative right to establish XVIVO 17 years ago. The company's highly developed projects are made possible by a team of medical illustrators, PhD-level writers, animators, and more — whose diverse talents blend seamlessly to produce tailored animations and illustrations for a variety of clients, including startups, pharma, biotech, and universities. more (with video)

Alexion plans to acquire Syntimmune, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing antibody therapeutics targeting the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn). Syntimmune's SYNT001 – a humanized monoclonal antibody that inhibits the interaction of FcRn with Immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgG immune complexes – has the potential to improve treatment in a number of rare IgG-mediated diseases ... more Separately, Alexion reports positive topline results from the Phase 3 PREVENT study of Soliris® (eculizumab) in patients with anti-aquaporin-4 (AQP4) auto antibody-positive neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). NMOSD is a rare, devastating, complement-mediated disorder of the central nervous system characterized by relapses ... more