Timeline of key events in biotechnology

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The drug is enfortumab vedotin-ejfv, an antibody drug conjugate. It was given accelerated approval for adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic urothelial cancer who failed to respond to PD1 immune checkpoint therapy or platinum-containing chemotherapy. 2019-12-18T00:00:00+00002019-12-23T00:00:00+0000He Jiankui, who used the gene-editing technology to make twin babies immune to HIV by altering gene CCR5, was sentenced to three years in prison by a Chinese court and fined around $430,000. 2019-12-30T00:00:00+0000Wenliang reported the suspected disease to a closed group on WeChat social media platform after he saw seven patients with SARS-like symptoms at Wuhan Central Hospital where he worked. He blew the whistle after learning the patients were being quarantined. Days after raising the alarm, Wenliang was detained by Chinese authorities for 'spreading rumours' and made to sign a statement which forced him to stop publicly talking about the disease otherwise he would face legal punishment. He was one of eight people detained for speaking out. 2019-12-30T00:00:00+0000Several of the people infected worked at the city's Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market. The pneumonia was thought to be caused by an unknown virus. 2019-12-31T00:00:00+0000The application was for use of tucatinib, in combination with trastuzumab and capecitabine, for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced unresectable or metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer, including patients with brain metastases, who have received at least two prior anti-HER2 treatment.2020-01-01T00:00:00+0000Officials were alarmed because more than 40 people were already infected and the number was rising. 2020-01-01T00:00:00+0000The original SARS outbreak started in China and killed more than 770 people around the world between 2002 and 2003.2020-01-05T00:00:00+0000The virus was found to belong to the coronavirus family, a virus that causes the common cold and was associated with SARS.2020-01-07T00:00:00+0000The person who died was a 61 year old man who had bought good from Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market. He had failed to respond to treatment after he was admitted to hospital. He died of heart failure.2020-01-09T00:00:00+0000It related to the 61 year old man who died on January 9 2020. 2020-01-11T00:00:00+0000The case was a woman who had visited Wuhan in China. 2020-01-13T00:00:00+0000The man had visited Wuhan. 2020-01-16T00:00:00+00002020-01-17T00:00:00+00002020-01-17T00:00:00+0000Cases were reported in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. 2020-01-20T00:00:00+00002020-01-20T00:00:00+00002020-01-20T00:00:00+00002020-01-20T00:00:00+0000The experiments were carried out by a team at the US Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense. The treatment used a gene, delivered via a virus, that codes for an enzyme made in the liver called PON1 which enables the body to find and break down toxic nerve agents in the body to make them harmless. All mice injected with the gene therapy developed immunity to nerve agents for five month. Should the treatment prove successful in humans it could help provide immunity to common nerve agents like tabun, sarin, cyclosarin and soman. The research was published in V Betapudi et al, 'Gene therapy delivering a paraoxonase 1 variant offers long-term prophylactic protection against nerve agents in mice', Science Translational Medicine, 12/527, eaay0356, DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.aay0356.2020-01-22T00:00:00+0000
Date Event People Places Sciences
18 Dec 2019FDA granted accelerated approval for Seattle Genetics drug for advanced urothelial cancer Seattle GeneticsMonoclonal antibodies, Oncology
23 Dec 2019Seattle Genetics submitted New Drug Application to FDA for testing tucatinib in patients with locally advanced or metatastic HER2-positive breast cancer Seattle GeneticsMonoclonal antibodies, Oncology
30 Dec 2019Chinese scientist convicted for using CRISPR-Cas9 in human babiesJiankuiSouthern University of Science and Technology of ChinaCrispr-Cas9, Gene editing,
30 Dec 2019Li Wenliang, a doctor working in Wuhan, China, warned fellow doctors of a possible outbreak of a new disease resembling severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)Li WenliangWuhan Central Hospital Covid-19
31 Dec 2019China alerted WHO of several unusual cases of pneumonia in Wuhan  Covid-19
Jan 2020Seattle Genetics submitted marketing application for tucatinib to the European Medicines Agency Seattle GeneticsOncology
1 Jan 2020Wuhan shut down its Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market after several of its workers came down with a strange form of pneumonia  Covid-19
5 Jan 2020Chinese officials ruled out the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus, seen in 2002-2003, was the cause of the new pneumonia outbreak  Covid-19
7 Jan 2020WHO announced that Chinese officials had identified a new virus (2019-nCoV) linked to the outbreak of unusual pneumonia  Covid-19
9 Jan 2020The first person died in Wuhan from symptoms related to Covid-19  Covid-19
11 Jan 2020China officially announced its first Covid-19 death  Covid-19
13 Jan 2020WHO reported the first case of Covid-19 in Thailand - the first one outside China   Covid-19
16 Jan 2020Japan Ministry of Health reported a confirmed Covid-19 case   Covid-19
17 Jan 2020Second Covid-19 death reported in Wuhan, China  Covid-19
17 Jan 2020Three US airports announced they would start screening passengers arriving from Wuhan  Covid-19
20 Jan 2020Third Covid-19 death recorded in Wuhan and more than 200 infections reported outside Hubei province  Covid-19
20 Jan 2020Chinese infectious disease expert confirmed Covid-19 spread by human to human contact  Covid-19
20 Jan 2020Asian countries introduced mandatory screenings at airports for all people arriving from high-risk areas of China to prevent the spread of Covid-19 by in  Covid-19
20 Jan 2020China reported its death toll from Covid-19 had risen to 17 and number of cases to be 550  Covid-19
22 Jan 2020Mice experiments indicate gene therapy could provide long-lasting protection against different chemical nerve agentsBetapudi, Goswami, Silayeva, Doctor, ChilukuriUS Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical DefenseGene therapy

18 Dec 2019

FDA granted accelerated approval for Seattle Genetics drug for advanced urothelial cancer

23 Dec 2019

Seattle Genetics submitted New Drug Application to FDA for testing tucatinib in patients with locally advanced or metatastic HER2-positive breast cancer

30 Dec 2019

Chinese scientist convicted for using CRISPR-Cas9 in human babies

30 Dec 2019

Li Wenliang, a doctor working in Wuhan, China, warned fellow doctors of a possible outbreak of a new disease resembling severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)

31 Dec 2019

China alerted WHO of several unusual cases of pneumonia in Wuhan

Jan 2020

Seattle Genetics submitted marketing application for tucatinib to the European Medicines Agency

1 Jan 2020

Wuhan shut down its Huanan Seafood Wholesale Market after several of its workers came down with a strange form of pneumonia

5 Jan 2020

Chinese officials ruled out the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) virus, seen in 2002-2003, was the cause of the new pneumonia outbreak

7 Jan 2020

WHO announced that Chinese officials had identified a new virus (2019-nCoV) linked to the outbreak of unusual pneumonia

9 Jan 2020

The first person died in Wuhan from symptoms related to Covid-19

11 Jan 2020

China officially announced its first Covid-19 death

13 Jan 2020

WHO reported the first case of Covid-19 in Thailand - the first one outside China

16 Jan 2020

Japan Ministry of Health reported a confirmed Covid-19 case

17 Jan 2020

Second Covid-19 death reported in Wuhan, China

17 Jan 2020

Three US airports announced they would start screening passengers arriving from Wuhan

20 Jan 2020

Third Covid-19 death recorded in Wuhan and more than 200 infections reported outside Hubei province

20 Jan 2020

Chinese infectious disease expert confirmed Covid-19 spread by human to human contact

20 Jan 2020

Asian countries introduced mandatory screenings at airports for all people arriving from high-risk areas of China to prevent the spread of Covid-19 by in

20 Jan 2020

China reported its death toll from Covid-19 had risen to 17 and number of cases to be 550

22 Jan 2020

Mice experiments indicate gene therapy could provide long-lasting protection against different chemical nerve agents

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