Each year, Nature Biotechnology highlights companies that have received sizeable early-stage funding in the previous year. Gate Bioscience wants to tailor gates that stop problematic proteins at the source.

Correction to: Nature Biotechnology https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-022-01637-z, published online 19 January 2023.

Wageningen-based agbiotech KeyGene, in collaboration with Chiquita and Wageningen University, develops a banana plant resistant to both Fusarium tropical race 4 (TR4), a fungus capable of devastating entire plantations, and black sigatoka, a widespread leaf disease. The new variety, named Yelloway One, was produced by combining traditional crossbreeding techniques and modern DNA analysis technology

Neoantigen cancer vaccines hold great promise for cancer treatment but are often limited by the immunosuppressive tumor environment. Now, as described in Nature, Redenti et al. have overcome this issue by harnessing the natural capacity of bacteria to colonize tumors and trigger immune responses. They have developed a microbial system that produces and delivers distinct sets of neoantigens to elicit

The first clinical results for an RNA-editing oligonucleotide designed to correct a disease-causing single-base mutation in mRNA have been released. The company, Wave Life Sciences, says the agent WVE-006 restored more than 60% of wild-type functional protein in two individuals with the genetic disorder alpha-1 antitrypsin (ATT; encoded by SERPINA1) deficiency. ATT deficiency affects the liver owing

The US Department of Energy (DOE) in October conditionally committed nearly $3 billion to two companies to scale up the production of sustainable jet fuel made from crops, vegetable oils and animal fats. Gevo in Englewood, Colorado, could receive a loan guarantee of nearly $1.5 billion to build a new jet fuel refinery in Lake Preston, South Dakota. And Montana Renewables could receive about the same

Over 10% of patients with a fatal neurodegenerative disease who received bluebird bio’s FDA-approved gene therapy Skysona (elivaldogene autotemcel) have developed hematological cancers, further highlighting the well-known risks of using lentiviral vectors. The patients were treated with Skysona to slow the progression of cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy (CALD), an X-linked rare inherited neurodegenerative

In this episode, Associate Editor Cláudia Vilhena sits down with Ali Shaib, the lead author of an exciting new study showcasing expansion microscopy and the visualization of individual protein shapes using standard laboratory microscopes. Tune in as Ali and Cláudia explore the “accidental” origins of the study, the importance of mentorship and collaboration, and the democratization of super-resolution

Beer lovers can now enjoy their wildest drink yet thanks to a yeast carried by wasps. AB Biotek from Peterborough in the UK has launched Pinnacle Crisp Sour — a brewer’s ingredient made from Lachancea thermotolerans, a yeast found in the bellies of wasps. Traditional beer uses just four ingredients: grain, hops, yeast and water. Hops add the distinctive bitter flavor, and yeast converts sugar from

Recent patents relating to retroviruses, transposons and other virus-like elements for use in gene transfer and gene therapy.

RNA viruses are omnipresent and can infect a wide range of hosts. Recent efforts to sequence ecological samples have identified tens of thousands of new species, yet uncovering the complete spectrum of RNA virus diversity remains challenging. In a new paper published in Cell, Hou et al. describe a deep learning algorithm, called LucaProt, to advance RNA virus discovery at global scale. LucaProt is

Using insulin to control diabetes can lead to dangerously low blood glucose levels (hypoglycemia). For many years, researchers have worked to engineer an insulin that avoids this risk by adjusting its activity in response to glucose, but so far without success. Writing in Nature, Hoeg-Jensen et al. describe an insulin with a glucose-sensitive switch that reversibly responds to ambient glucose levels

Recent moves of note in and around the biotech and pharma industries.

Amyloid deposits are present in the brains of cognitively impaired individuals, but also accumulate throughout the body. Some biotechs aim to keep these misfolded proteins in check to treat a range of diseases, including heart failure, ALS and Alzheimer’s disease.

Europe’s first field trial of gene-edited vines began in northern Italy on 30 September 2024. Developed by EdiVite, a spinoff from the University of Verona, these Chardonnay vines have undergone gene inactivation to enable them to better defend themselves against downy mildew, a major fungal disease. The trial is being conducted on university land, with plans to expand to another site in the Veneto

A strategic move by lawyers acting for Doudna and Charpentier is the latest twist in the battleground for CRISPR–Cas9 technology.

The Nobel Prize in medicine was awarded for the discovery of miRNA, but miRNA therapeutics have a long way to go before they outcompete other therapies.

Precision genetic methods are enabling more efficient, environmentally friendly pest control methods for agricultural use as well as stopping the spread of disease.

Understanding proteomic diversity at the molecular level is essential for advances in biology and medicine, but sequencing proteins in their full, native form remains challenging. A study in Nature by Motone et al. introduces a nanopore sequencing method that can read single, full-length protein molecules, enabling the detection of single amino acid substitutions and post-translational modifications

In one week, the US Food and Drug Administration approved two treatments for Niemann–Pick disease type C (NPC). One agent, Miplyffa (arimoclomol) from Zevra Therapeutics, is the first drug approved by FDA to treat neurologic symptoms associated with NPC, in combination with the enzyme inhibitor miglustat. The other is IntraBio’s Aqneursa (levacetylleucine), an oral modified amino acid (N-acetyl-l-leucine)

Recent patents relating to the manufacture, preparation and use of T cells in treating cancer.

The misplacement of proteins within a cell can cause various diseases, but no therapeutic intervention can precisely control protein location. Writing in Nature, Ng et al. describe targeted relocalization-activating molecules (TRAMs) that couple misplaced proteins to cellular shuttles, relocating them to their proper places. Ng et al. began by testing a TRAM previously used to bring together two proteins

The new bispecific drug ivonescimab has outperformed Merck’s blockbuster PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor Keytruda (pembrolizumab) in a head-to-head clinical trial of non-small-cell lung cancer. The dual-action VEGF–PD-1 antibody nearly doubled progression-free survival over the PD-1 blocker, according to phase 3 data presented by Summit Therapeutics at the World Conference on Lung Cancer in San Diego in

Most small-molecule drugs that target oncogenic Kirsten rat sarcoma virus (KRAS) mutants rely on interactions with variant-specific amino acid residues. However, a wide range of KRAS mutations are prevalent in human cancers, and undruggable variants pose a great challenge to the clinical treatment of KRAS-mutant tumors. In a paper published in Science, Popow et al. address this issue by designing a

Join us as Cláudia and Chloe touch bases on the advantages of this tool over existing methods, discuss the relevance of phage therapy to the fight against antimicrobial resistance and share their thoughts on the crucial role mentorship plays in empowering early career researchers. If you are interested in phage therapy and astrobiology, then this episode is for you!

1. UNITED KINGDOM Merck opens a new research lab in London on the top floor of the Crick Institute in King’s Cross. As part of Merck’s growing presence in the UK, the lab will focus on preclinical development of neuroscience and immunology therapies. The new site builds on Merck’s $1.3 billion ten-story research center and UK headquarters, also in King’s Cross, scheduled to open in 2027.

Each year, Nature Biotechnology highlights companies that have received sizeable early-stage funding in the previous year. Switch Therapeutics is rethinking cell-type specificity, building precision RNAi therapeutics for the brain.

A chemist pioneering the discovery and engineering of CRISPR-derived gene-editing agents for medical adaptation talks about her scientific journey, the challenges of leading a lab and teaching undergraduates.

Recent moves of note in and around the biotech and pharma industries.

A short course in the fundamentals of academic entrepreneurship is a feasible way to train scientists and physicians from varied backgrounds and experience.

Correction to: Nature Biotechnology https://doi.org/10.1038/s41587-024-02298-w, published online 17 July 2024.