Top of the morning to you, and a fine one it is. Crystal clear blue skies and chilly breezes are enveloping the Pharmalot campus, where the official mascot is attempting to intimidate various creatures and the commuter traffic is whizzing by. As for us, we are busy brewing another cup of stimulation. Our choice today is the ever-so-sweet caramel apple. No sugar required. Please feel free to join us. Of course, we are also prowling for items of interest and are passing along the list below to help you get started on your own journey today. With that said, we hope all goes well and that you conquer the world. Best of luck, and do keep in touch. …
An experimental cancer vaccine being developed by Moderna and Merck reduced the risk that melanoma would return after surgery or that patients would die by 44%, STAT notes. The data, made public in a press release, represent the first evidence of an effective individualized cancer vaccine based on mRNA, the same technology used in the Covid-19 shots. Two months ago, Merck announced that it would pay $250 million to secure opt-in rights to the cancer vaccine candidate, called mRNA-4157. The two companies are jointly conducting a mid-stage clinical trial that combines the customized, mRNA-based vaccine with Merck’s cancer drug Keytruda.
Following the recent indictments of several people allegedly involved in a monkey-smuggling operation, Cambodia has halted exports of non-human primates that are widely used in pharmaceutical research, a move that may crimp drug discovery efforts by a wide array of companies and institutions, STAT says. The development was disclosed by Inotiv, a contract research organization subpoenaed in connection with a U.S. government investigation into the importation of wild long-tail macaques. The indictments issued last month by the U.S. Attorney in Florida were directed at the company’s principal supplier of non-human primates, as well as two Cambodian wildlife officials.
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