AstraZeneca, in collaboration with Novoheart and Medera Biopharmaceuticals, has successfully developed the world’s first human-specific in vitro, functional model of heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).

HFpEF, a steadily worsening condition especially common among the elderly, accounts for approximately 50% of all heart failure cases. Despite this, HFpEF remains poorly understood and previous models of the disease have shown limited ability to mimic its clinical presentation due to the complexities of the condition.

This has meant that drug developers have lacked predictive tools for preclinical testing of drug candidates for HFpEF and clinical outcomes have plateaued over the last several decades.

The partners created the in vitro model using Novoheart’s 3D human ventricular cardiac organoid chamber (hvCOC) tech – mini-Heart – that reproduces key phenotypic characteristics of HFpEF, including relaxation defects, fibrosis and hypertrophy.

Also known as ‘human heart-in-a-jar’, this model, unlike animal models, uses engineered hvCOCs that can be made with specific cellular and matrix compositions as well as patient-specific human-induced pluripotent stem cells that allow control over their physical and mechanical properties to uniquely mimic those observed in HFpEF patient hearts.

Novoheart has also developed human cardiac fibre-like HFpEF cardiac tissue strips that recapitulate the effects of HFpEF on cardiac muscle stiffness and contractility.

Roche is collaborating with Jnana Therapeutics for a second time on the discovery of small molecule drugs to treat challenging-to-drug cancer, immune-mediated and neurological diseases.

Under the terms of the agreement, Roche will pay Jnana $50m upfront. Jnana will also be eligible for significant near-term milestone payments and additional potential future payments that could exceed $2bn, as well as tiered royalties.

The collaboration will see Jnana conduct discovery and preclinical activities against multiple cancer, immune-mediated and neurological disease targets, with Roche responsible for development and commercialisation of any resulting products.

The partnership was announced on the same day Jnana announced the closing of its $107m series C funding to progress JNT-517, its lead candidate in the treatment of phenylketonuria, a rare genetic metabolic disease.

Jnana’s proprietary RAPID chemoproteomics platform enabled the identification of the compound and will be used under the latest Roche/Jnana collaboration.

The earlier collaboration between the companies, announced in July 2020, focused on small molecule drugs directed at SLC transporters, an important class of more than 450 human membrane proteins that are gatekeepers for controlling the movement of metabolites in and out of cells and organs. Roche paid Jnana $40m upfront, with the aggregate value of potential future payments to Jnana exceeding $1bn.

Ahead of World Antimicrobial Awareness Week in November, the EU Parliament hosted an event where members of the European Parliament (MEPs) joined with Japanese pharmaceutical company, Shionogi, the Active Citizenship Network and the MEPs Interest Group on ‘European Patients’ Rights and Cross-Border Healthcare’ to discuss antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the EU and member states.

AMR has been marked as one of the top three priority health threats in the EU by the European Health Union, as calls for action increase, and one of the top ten by the World Health Organization.

It is estimated that AMR could lead to as many as ten million deaths each year by 2050, at a cost of $100tn to global economic output.

The difficulty lies in the reliance on antibiotics as a vital treatment involved in every aspect of modern healthcare, from common surgeries to chemotherapy and organ transplants.

Without significant change and urgent action, a lack of effective antibiotics could make routine medical procedures dangerous, render more complex interventions and procedures impossible and impact the ability to respond to outbreaks of infectious diseases.

Against the backdrop of the revision of the Pharmaceutical Legislation and the planned European Council Recommendations on AMR taking place in Q4 2022, the event brought together high-level European policymakers to discuss the development of new antibiotics and initiatives by national health authorities to fight AMR.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced its plans to convene over 300 scientists in a meeting to discuss evidence for over 25 virus families and bacteria, as well as ‘Disease X’.

Disease X represents an unknown pathogen that could have the potential to cause the next global pandemic.

The first discussions were held on 18 November and WHO plans to bring together experts at future meetings for considerations on public health concerns, which will involve launching a global scientific process to update the list of priority pathogens. These are noted by researchers as being agents that could lead to outbreaks or future pandemics.

By convening experts to update the priority pathogens list, it is hoped such guidelines will support global investment and R&D into areas including vaccines, tests and treatments.

The original list was published in 2017, with the last prioritisation exercise taking place in 2018.

When pathogens are identified as priority, the WHO R&D Blueprint for epidemics develops R&D road maps, which recognise and outline knowledge gaps and research priorities.

Where applicable, target product profiles, which help to inform developers about the necessary specifications for vaccines, treatments and diagnostic tests, are developed. The revised priority pathogens list is expected to be published in the first quarter of 2023.

Researchers from the Institute of Cancer Research (ICR), London, and the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust have revealed joint plans to create a new generation of treatments that target the ecosystems within the body supporting cancer.

As researchers’ understanding of cancer ecosystems increases, the five-year strategy aims to accelerate progress for cancer patients by using the latest advances in scientific knowledge and technology to direct research against the cells, signals and immune response in the tissue environment that nurtures tumours.

The researchers will also use artificial intelligence (AI) to design new ways to combine existing treatments and smart dosing strategies, with the aim of doubling survival rates for patients with advanced cancer within a decade.

The ICR and The Royal Marsden have identified a series of projects as being ‘fundamental’ to the approach of targeting and disrupting the cancer ecosystem. This includes predicting how cancer evolves within different ecosystems, as well as revealing how different types of cells within a tumour can work together to shape their ecosystems.

Also included are projects aiming to find ways to use viruses, together with radiotherapy, to ‘supercharge’ the immune system, and identifying drugs that target the healthy tissue that supports tumours.