July 27, 2023 | Researchers from around the world are invited to publicly design a shared brain experiment that will run on the Allen Brain Observatory, Angry@Arthritis has announced the first global osteoarthritis clinical trial locator, Indiana Sickle Cell Data Collection program published a paper on persons living with the disease in the state, and Boston Scientific received FDA approval to new software. Plus, new product updates and partnerships from Arrayjet, Critical Path Institute, Clinisys, and more. 

Allen Institute for Neural Dynamics, a division of the Allen Institute, launched the world's first completely open- and crowd-sourced neuroscience experiment—inviting researchers from around the world to publicly design a shared experiment that will run on the Allen Brain Observatory, as part of the Institute's OpenScope program. Experiments will probe the dynamic functions of the brain and how cells interact and communicate to produce thoughts and actions and shed light on how we make complex decisions. The goal is to maximize impact by turning to the combined talent and insight of the broader international neuroscience community. The experiment that is chosen by the community will use two-photon imaging in behavioral tasks, as part of the OpenScope program's Allen Brain Observatory, to shed light into how the brain operates. Press release. 

The Allen Institute for Immunology will collaborate with Eli Lilly and Company to investigate and profile disease state diversity and biomarkers for drug response involving atopic dermatitis (eczema) and rheumatoid arthritis using Allen Institute-developed unique molecular tools and comprehensive bioinformatic analysis techniques. This collaboration will lead to more detailed, molecular understanding of disease, in service of developing new treatments and therapies to improve human health. Press release. 

Angry@Arthritis announced OA Fix ~Trials in the Mix, the first global osteoarthritis developmental treatment analysis and clinical trial locator. Designed to empower patients and developers with new insights, the free interactive chart shows viable OA treatments in development, joints where those treatments apply, associated procedure, position in the clinical trial process, and geography (U.S. or overseas). Press release.   

The Indiana Sickle Cell Data Collection program published a paper that reported on the prevalence and geographic distribution of persons living with sickle cell disease in the state. The program is one of only a handful of sickle cell data collection programs in the U.S. and is believed to be the only one incorporating data from a statewide health information exchange. This baseline information and the program’s future surveillance efforts will help inform clinical care, identify gaps in coverage and access to care and provide guidance for legislators, community-based organizations and others. It may also potentially decrease healthcare deserts, emergency department utilization and other burdens for individuals and the healthcare system. Press release.  

Arrayjet has partnered with Chemspace to augment and streamline the company’s small molecule microarray (SMM) service offering. Chemspace’s curated and deeply annotated compound libraries are now accessible through Arrayjet’s SMM CRO/CMO services for assay development, contract screening, and contract array manufacturing. Press release. 

Critical Path Institute announced that the Coordination of Rare Diseases based at Sanford Research (CoRDS), in partnership with Cure MITO, will contribute its mitochondrial disorders data from its international patient registry to the C-Path-managed Rare Disease Cures Accelerator-Data and Analytics Platform (RDCA-DAP). RDCA-DAP provides a centralized and standardized infrastructure to support and accelerate rare disease characterization targeted to accelerate clinical drug development. Press release. 

Boston Scientific has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for the Vercise Neural Navigator 5 Software, which can provide clinicians with simple and actionable data for efficient programming in the treatment of people living with Parkinson’s disease or essential tremor. Press release. 

Clinisys announced the launch of Clinisys Laboratory Solutions, with four enhanced solutions spanning the Clinisys Environmental Laboratory, Clinisys Water Quality Laboratory, Clinical Toxicology Laboratory, and Clinisys Public Health Laboratory. Clinisys Laboratory Solutions are discipline-specific laboratory information management systems built upon the Clinisys Platform, a shared services architecture and data model for SaaS laboratory informatics. Press release.   

Velocity Clinical Research and Privia Health announced a partnership to open embedded clinical research sites within Privia’s practice network. The partnership is intended to establish integrated research sites within existing Privia Care Center locations that do not currently conduct clinical trials. The partnership gives Velocity access to a network of multi-specialty providers, which will expand its therapeutic base in specialty care and increase the number of physicians becoming Principal Investigators. Press release. 

Synthetica Bio launched their company and new capital as part of its seed funding. Synthetica Bio is focused on meeting the accelerating demand to provide actionable knowledge to biopharma companies to drive drug development, clinical trials, and commercial activity in a safe and efficient manner. Synthetica Bio's venture funding was led by Virtue, with participation from AIX Ventures, Page One Ventures, and additional strategic investors. Proceeds from the financing will support development and expansion of the Synthetica Bio platform. Press release.   

Insilico Medicine has completed the first dose in patients in the Phase II clinical trial of INS018_055, that marks the world's first anti-fibrotic small molecule inhibitor discovered and designed using generative AI, initiating Phase II clinical trials for further evaluation. The study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to assess the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and preliminary efficacy of 12-week oral INS018_055 dosage in subjects with IPF divided into 4 parallel cohorts. Press release.