9/30 Taiwan Life Sciences Biweekly Newsletter
2024-09-30 |
| Taiwan Life Sciences Biweekly |
| Oneness Biotech to apply for US BARDA grant for COVID-19 drug SNS812 27 September, 2024 Oneness Biotech (TW: 4743) announced that it will soon submit an application to the US Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) for a Project NextGen grant for its broad-spectrum nucleic acid-based COVID-19 treatment, SNS812. The total grant for this project amounts to US$5 billion. Project NextGen is a collaboration between the US BARDA and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to foster public-private partnerships in developing new vaccines, treatments, and technologies to combat current and future SARS-CoV-2 variants. Oneness recently completed a successful Phase II trial of SNS812, achieving the best clinical results globally for treating COVID-19 variants and meeting Project NextGen's objectives. The company plans to pursue international collaborations for SNS812, seek BARDA funding, and apply for emergency use authorizations (EUA) from various governments. More... (in Chinese) |
| ITRI and Amicoipet Biotech's Smart Pet Collar Bags Gold Medal at Concours Lepine 27 September, 2024 The Amicoipet smart pet collar, jointly developed by ITRI and Amicoipet Biotech Inc., has won a gold medal at the Concours Lepine International 2024 in Paris, France. Based on ITRI's iPetWeaR smart pet collar technology-recognized as a CES Innovation Award honoree and recipient of the HealthTech Award of the ASOCIO ICT Award in 2022, and licensed to Amicoipet Biotech the same year, this award-winning collar offers continuous non-contact monitoring of pets' heart rates, respiration, activity levels, sleep patterns, and exercise performance. More... |
| Taiwan's NHRI study finds that exosomes can detect breast cancer metastasis 24 September, 2024 Exosomes, once considered cellular waste, have been found to play a crucial role in disease mechanisms. Research by Taiwan's National Health Research Institutes (NHRI) and National Taiwan University Hospital analyzed blood samples from over 200 breast cancer patients, revealing that the interaction between the CAV1 and Ago2 proteins facilitates the release of cancer cell microRNA (miRNA) into the bloodstream through exosomes. This discovery could help detect breast cancer metastasis. Exosomes, which carry proteins, nucleic acids, and metabolites, can influence other cells after being released, challenging the previous belief that they were merely a means of waste disposal. More... (in Chinese) |
| Acer Medical targets Thailand 24 September, 2024 Acer Medical (TW: 6857), a subsidiary of computer maker Acer Group, is accelerating its expansion into the Thailand market, announcing that its AI-powered eye screening software, VeriSee AMD, has received approval from Thailand's Food and Drug Administration. This is the second license Acer Medical has obtained in Thailand. The company, which specializes in AI medical imaging technology, collaborates with medical centers and the healthcare industry. Its VeriSee series is used by nearly 80 percent of Taiwan's medical centers and has received 13 licenses globally. More... (in Chinese) |
| Taichung Veterans General Hospital ranked among the Top 100 smart hospitals worldwide 19 September, 2024 Newsweek announced its 2025 rankings of the World's Best Smart Hospitals, with Taichung Veterans General Hospital confirming its 99th position globally. This makes it the only Taiwanese hospital to be included in the top 100, marking a significant achievement as the first hospital in Taiwan to receive such recognition. The rankings featured 350 hospitals from 28 countries, with Cleveland Clinic, Mayo Clinic, and Johns Hopkins Medicine taking the top three spots. More... (in Chinese) |
| Taiwanese scientist Hsueh Yen-Ping appointed Director of Max Planck Institute for Biology 18 September, 2024 The Max Planck Society in Germany officially announced the appointment of Associate Researcher Hsueh Yan-Ping from Taiwan's Academia Sinica Institute of Molecular Biology as one of the six department heads at the Max Planck Institute for Biology in TŸbingen (MPI Biology TŸbingen). She will leverage her expertise in evolutionary biology and molecular mechanisms to lead the Department of Complex Biological Interactions. More... (in Chinese) |
| Opportunities from US Bio Secure Act: Taiwanese companies looking to secure a foothold 18 September, 2024 Experts believe that the recently-passed Bio Secure Act, which accelerates a US decoupling from China, is poised to create unprecedented opportunities for Taiwanese companies. Gene technology, innovative drugs, vaccines, and biologics are expected to be the most significant areas of advantage. It is reported that Jo Shen, Vice Chairman of the Taiwan Bio Industry Organization (Taiwan BIO), is rallying companies to form a 'Grand Alliance' to take advantage of this opportunity. Well poised is Taiwan Biopharmaceutical Manufacturing Corp (TBMC), which has initiated a strategic partnership with US firm Resilience, while Taiwan Bio Therapeutics will establish a production base in Phoenix, US. Additionally, Bora Pharmaceuticals, Tanvex BioPharma, EirGenix, and YungShin, which already have production bases in the US, stand to benefit from local production advantages. More... (in Chinese) |
| EirGenix reports on breast cancer biologics progress 18 September, 2024 EirGenix (TW: 6589) held an investor conference where Chairman Liu Li-cheng announced that their first-generation breast cancer biosimilar, Trastuzumab (EG12014), is on track to receive US regulatory approval by year-end, with a high-dose version planned for next year. The second-generation biosimilar, Pertuzumab (EG1206A), is expected to complete licensing by the same time. The company highlighted that the recent passage of the Bio Secure Act has significantly increased collaboration inquiries, with proposed deals doubling in value compared to last year, estimated to exceed NT$1 billion. Also mentioned was that Trastuzumab has already gained market approval in Taiwan and the EU, with US approval expected by the end of the year. More... (in Chinese) |
| Senhwa Biosciences Announces IND Submission to US FDA for Pilot Study of Pidnarulex Pharmacodynamics in Patients with Advanced Solid Tumors sponsored by NCI Press release 18 September, 2024 Senhwa Biosciences, Inc. (TW: 6492), a drug development company focusing on first-in-class therapeutics for oncology, rare diseases, and infectious diseases, today announced that an Investigational New Drug (IND) application for Pidnarulex has been submitted to the US FDA by the NCI. Senhwa's investigational drug, Pidnarulex (CX-5461), has been selected as an experimental drug in the NExT (NCI Experimental Therapeutics) cancer program, sponsored by the Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis (DCTD), National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), for a five-year period. This drug will be used in a pharmacodynamic (PD) pilot study involving patients with advanced solid tumors. More... |
| Researchers find method to predict cancer risk 18 September, 2024 A Taipei Medical University research team has found that the hemoglobin concentration levels resulting from fecal occult blood tests (FOBT) can predict the risk and mortality of colorectal cancer, and could be used to suggest the interval between screenings. The research team was led by the university's College of Oral Medicine associate dean Sam Chen and Amy Yen, and the study was published in May in JAMA Oncology, a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal. More... |
| PlexBio collaborates with Brazil's Biomedica Brazil to target precision medicine market 12 September, 2024 PlexBio (TW: 6572) has announced a strategic partnership with Brazil's Biomedica Equipamentos e Suprimentos Hospitalares Ltda. Through this collaboration, PlexBio's ¹Code patented detection platform and cancer gene mutation molecular testing products will be sold to medical centers and testing institutions across Brazil, increasing the prevalence of cancer gene testing in the country and marking a significant milestone in promoting precision medicine in emerging markets. More... (in Chinese) |
| Foresee Pharmaceuticals administers first dose to patient in Phase III clinical trial for breast cancer treatment FP-001 in China 12 September, 2024 Foresee Pharmaceuticals (TW: 6576) announced that it had received notice from its Chinese licensing partner that the first patient has been dosed in the Phase III clinical trial for FP-001 42 mg (CAMCEVI six-month formulation) for the treatment of premenopausal breast cancer. More... (in Chinese) |
| Bio Preventive Medicine secures another win in ASEAN market with DNlite-IVD103 approved for launch in Singapore 12 September, 2024 Bio Preventive Medicine (TW: 6810) has received official approval from the Singapore Health Sciences Authority (HSA) for the registration of its self-developed innovative test reagent, DNlite-IVD103. The reagent is designed for the risk assessment of diabetic kidney disease (DKD) in type 2 diabetes patients. The approval is significant for Bio Preventive Medicine as statistics show that Singapore has one of the highest diabetes prevalence rates among developed countries, with 1 in 9 people affected by the disease. Furthermore, up to 70 percent of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) cases are caused by DKD, ranking Singapore first in the world. As the population ages and diabetes rates increase, the incidence of late-stage chronic kidney disease continues to rise, imposing a significant healthcare burden on both individuals and society. More... (in Chinese) |
| ========================================= |
| Taiwan Bio Industry Organization (Taiwan BIO) Contact: Daisy Tsai Tel: +886 2 27836028 ext 14 FAX : +886 2 27836027 Mobile: +886 933-139647 | Line ID : daisy222 Email: daisy@taiwanbio.org.tw BIO Asia-Taiwan 2025 (23-27 July, 2025) ========================================= Taiwan Bio Industry Organization (TBIO) Room C229, Bldg. C, No.99, Ln. 130, Sec. 1, Academia Rd., Nangang Dist., Taipei, Taiwan (11571) ========================================= |