Timeline of key events in biotechnology

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The drug, bebtelovimab, is a neturalising IgG1 monoclonal antibody that binds to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. It was developed by AbCellera and Eli Lilly using a high throughput B-cell screening pipeline. . 2022-02-11T00:00:00+0000The drug, Azeliragon, had previously be shown to be safe in trials exploring its use for Alzheimer’s disease and diabetic nephropathy. Studies with the chip, created by Ingber and his team at the Wyss Institute, revealed the small molecule drug blocked inflammation-causing cytokines including IL-6, IL-8, and IP-10 as well as RANTES, a major proinflammatory cytokine produced by virus-infected lung cells. Based on the results Phase 2 clinical trials were planned to investigate the drug further for patients hospitaled with severe COVID-19, and in other pulmonary inflammatory diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and steroid refractory asthma. 2022-02-23T00:00:00+0000Article: D Aggarwal, et al, 'Using contact tracing and genomics to assess the efficacy of travel restrictions on introduction and transmission in England', Nature Communications, 13/10122022-02-23T00:00:00+0000Altman was a Canadian molecular biologist who shared the 1989 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for discovering the catalytic properties of RNA. This emerged out of some work Altman carried out between 1978 and 1983 on a bacterial enzyme called RNAs-P. His research helped transform the basic understanding of nuclear acids, which up to this moment had been understood to only carry genetic information. It also opened up the possibility of using genetic engineering to develop new forms of therapy against viral infections. 2022-04-05T00:00:00+0000H Bai, L Si, A Jiang, A, et al (8 April 2022) 'Mechanical control of innate immune responses against viral infection revealed in a human lung alveolus chip', Nature Communications, 13/1928.2022-04-08T00:00:00+0000The chip was created by researchers at Hesperos to test therapies for treating rare neuromuscular diseases. It contains two cell types: motoneurons, which transmit messages from the brain to muscles, and Schwann cells which help the signals to move more quickly. The chip was developed to mimic the biology of chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy and multifocal motor neuropathy. It was funded by a research grant from the NIH’s National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences. 2022-04-19T00:00:00+0000An adeno-associated-virus was used to introduce the mouse Kitl gene into the mice's ovaries. The gene helps regulate ovarian function and the formation of oocytes. 8 out of 10 mice became fertile after being injected with the gene. The therapy led the mice to bear offspring after they mated naturally. M Kanatsu et al (2022) 'Adeno-associated-virus-mediated gene delivery to ovaries restores fertility in congenital infertile mice', Cell Reports Medicine, 2022-04-27T00:00:00+0000The vaccine was originally developed by researchers at Scripps Research Institute to stimulate immune system to produce broadly neutralising antibodies against HIV variants. The trial is funded by by the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative.2022-05-19T00:00:00+0000The treatment was developed by Bluebird. Designed to be administered just once, the treatment is created by genetically modifying a patient's own bone marrow stem cells to encourage the production of functional beta-globin, which is a component of haemoglobin. In clinical trials 81% of the 41 patients who received the therapy no longer needed regular transfusions. 2022-08-17T00:00:00+0000The decision was based on clinical evidence from five randomised controlled trials of 274 adults. Four of these trials showed that FMT was more effective than antibiotics in resolving C. diff. infections. 2022-08-31T00:00:00+0000The vaccine, created by Pfizer, was designed to encode World Health Organization recommended strains for the Northern Hemisphere 2022-23 cell culture - or recombinant-based influenza vaccines. 2022-09-14T00:00:00+00002022-09-27T00:00:00+0000CRISP/Cas9 was used to fine tune T cells, isolated from patients, to recognise mutations in cancer cells. The results were published in SP Foy, K Jacoby, DA Bota, et al (2022) 'Non-viral precision T cell receptor replacement for personalized cell therapy', Nature, 2022-11-10T00:00:00+0000A systematic search of viral genomes revealed CRISPR–Cas systems in bacteriophages opening up new possibilities for gene editing. The work was published in B Al-Shayeb, P Skopintsev, KM Soczek et al (23 Nov 2022) 'Diverse virus-encoded CRISPR-Cas systems include streamlined genome editors', Cell, 185-24, 4574-86.2022-11-23T00:00:00+0000The trial used mRNA technology to tailor a vaccine to match the patient's cancer so that it could increase the effectiveness of immunotherapy to prime their immune system to attack their cancerous cells. Tried out in 157 patients with stage 3 or stage 4 melanoma who already had surgery, the therapy showed that patients given both the vaccine and pembrolizumab, an immune checkpoint inhibitor used for treating melanoma, reduced the risk of cancer recurrence by 44%.2022-12-14T00:00:00+0000COG-UK blog: > 50,000 SARS-CoV-2 genomes sequenced from population in Northern Ireland2023-01-16T00:00:00+0000Berg was an American biochemist. He first made his name in 1971 by demonstrating it was possible to insert DNA from a bacterium into the a virus' DNA, creating what is called recombinant DNA. This he did as part of his work to study viral chromosomes. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1980 for this work. His technique paved the way to the development of genetic engineering and the modern biotechnology industry. Berg was also instrumental in the setting up of the Asilomar Conference on Recombinant DNA, in 1975, which drew up the first guidelines for experiments with genetic engineering. 2023-02-15T00:00:00+00002,344,972 SARS-CoV-2 genomes sequenced by Wellcome Sanger Institute (15% of sequences uploaded to GISAID)2023-02-27T00:00:00+0000
Date Event People Places Sciences
11 Feb 2022FDA issued emergency use authorisation for a new monoclonal antibody treatment for COVID-19 that is active against the omicron variant.  AbCellera, Eli LillyMonoclonal antibodies
23 Feb 2022Human Lung Alveolus Chip demonstrated drug to significantly inhibit production of inflammation-causing cytokines triggered by SARS-CoV-2 and other viral infectionsIngberHarvard University, Wyss Institute, Cantex PharmaceuticalsOrgan-on-a-chip
23 Feb 2022Article: D Aggarwal, et al, 'Using contact tracing and genomics to assess the efficacy of travel restrictions on introduction and transmission in England', Nature Communications, 13/1012AggarwalUniversity of CambridgeCovid-19
5 Apr 2022Sidney Altman diedAltmanHarvard University, Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Yale UniversityRNA, genetics
8 Apr 2022Human lung aveolus chip reveals mechanical control of immune responses against viral infectionHaiqing Bai, Longlong Si, Amanda Jiang, Chaitra Belgur, Yunhao Zhai, Plebani, Crystal Yuri Oh, Melissa Rodas, Patil, Nurani, Gilpin, Rani Powers, Girija Goyal, Prantil-Baun, IngberHarvard University, Wyss Institute, University of Chieti-PescaraOrgan-on-a-chip
19 Apr 2022First Organ-on-a-chip used in FDA Investigational New Drug application to get authorisation for testing a drug in a clinical trial Hickman, ShulerHesperos, Cornell UniversityOrgan-on-a-chip
27 Apr 2022Gene therapy shown to restore fertility in congenitally infertile miceKanatsu-Shinohara, Jiyoung Lee, o Miyazaki, Morimoto, ShinoharaKyoto University, Tokyo Medical and Dental UniversityGene therapy, Reproduction
19 May 2022Phase I trial launched with mRNA vaccine against HIV in Africa Scripps Research Institute, ModernamRNA, vaccines
17 Aug 2022FDA approved gene therapy for beta thalassemia treatment BluebirdGene therapy
31 Aug 2022NICE gives green light for FMT to be used to resolve recurrent Clostridium difficile infections   Faecal microbiota transplant
14 Sep 2022First phase 3 efficacy trial launched with mRNA-based influenza vaccine PfizermRNA, vaccines
27 Sep 2022FDA gives Vertex green light to submit rolling application for review of CRISPR based therapy to treat sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia  Crispr-Cas9, Gene editing
10 Nov 2022Small clinical trial shows CRISPR promising tool for editing immune cells to enhance their capacity to destroy cancer cellsFoy, Ribas, MandlPACT PharmaCrispr-Cas9, Gene editing
23 Nov 2022New CRISPR gene editing tools found in thousands of phagesAl-Shayeb, Skopintsev, Soczek, Stahl,Zheng Li, Smock, Eggers, Pausch, Cress, Huang, Staskawicz, Savage,Jacobsen, Banfield, DoudnaUniversity of California BerkeleyCrispr-Cas9, Gene editing, Bacteriophages
14 Dec 2022First randomised-trial testing of mRNA vaccine for cancer to boost immunotherapy reported to be promising in patients with metastatic skin cancer Moderna, MerckmRNA, immune checkpoint inhibitors, cancer immunotherapy
16 Jan 2023COG-UK blog: > 50,000 SARS-CoV-2 genomes sequenced from population in Northern Ireland Northern IrelandCovid-19
15 Feb 2023Paul Berg diedBergStanford UniversityRecombinant DNA
27 Feb 20232,344,972 SARS-CoV-2 genomes sequenced by Wellcome Sanger Institute (15% of sequences uploaded to GISAID) Wellcome Sanger InstituteCovid-19

11 Feb 2022

FDA issued emergency use authorisation for a new monoclonal antibody treatment for COVID-19 that is active against the omicron variant.

23 Feb 2022

Human Lung Alveolus Chip demonstrated drug to significantly inhibit production of inflammation-causing cytokines triggered by SARS-CoV-2 and other viral infections

23 Feb 2022

Article: D Aggarwal, et al, 'Using contact tracing and genomics to assess the efficacy of travel restrictions on introduction and transmission in England', Nature Communications, 13/1012

5 Apr 2022

Sidney Altman died

8 Apr 2022

Human lung aveolus chip reveals mechanical control of immune responses against viral infection

19 Apr 2022

First Organ-on-a-chip used in FDA Investigational New Drug application to get authorisation for testing a drug in a clinical trial

27 Apr 2022

Gene therapy shown to restore fertility in congenitally infertile mice

19 May 2022

Phase I trial launched with mRNA vaccine against HIV in Africa

17 Aug 2022

FDA approved gene therapy for beta thalassemia treatment

31 Aug 2022

NICE gives green light for FMT to be used to resolve recurrent Clostridium difficile infections

14 Sep 2022

First phase 3 efficacy trial launched with mRNA-based influenza vaccine

27 Sep 2022

FDA gives Vertex green light to submit rolling application for review of CRISPR based therapy to treat sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia

10 Nov 2022

Small clinical trial shows CRISPR promising tool for editing immune cells to enhance their capacity to destroy cancer cells

23 Nov 2022

New CRISPR gene editing tools found in thousands of phages

14 Dec 2022

First randomised-trial testing of mRNA vaccine for cancer to boost immunotherapy reported to be promising in patients with metastatic skin cancer

16 Jan 2023

COG-UK blog: > 50,000 SARS-CoV-2 genomes sequenced from population in Northern Ireland

15 Feb 2023

Paul Berg died

27 Feb 2023

2,344,972 SARS-CoV-2 genomes sequenced by Wellcome Sanger Institute (15% of sequences uploaded to GISAID)

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