Roundtable Discussion; The Future of Mineral Sands. Watch the video here.
https://twitter.com/conservbiosci/status/1350778882845265923
Early deals and production capacity
‘The U.K. is also developing new clinical trial capability to accelerate vaccine development using human challenge studies, where young healthy volunteers will receive the vaccine prior to being infected with the virus — an approach used to fight other diseases, including typhoid and flu.’
https://www.politico.eu/article/8-reasons-why-uk-leads-europe-coronavirus-vaccination-race/
‘As it is highly likely we will experience further such events through the twenty-first century, we should regard COVID-19 as a training run for something that could be much worse, and organize our governance, global interactions, institutions and practices accordingly….
… Developing this idea in the context of the CoVs, candidate drugs could be tested against the common cold/childhood croup CoVs, both in clinical settings and by deliberate exposure in properly constituted human trial facilities. If we did that, we would have panels of therapeutics that could, under emergency use conditions, be available to combat a novel, ‘high-path’ variant. This would need to be done using public and/or philanthropic funding. We can’t expect private companies to operate in this space if there is no possibility of financial return.
In addition, if we could be sure that a ****tail of specific antivirals will work to stop an infection — which we would learn quickly from clinical application — that could also be used to drive more rapid vaccine development by doing human challenge studies.’
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41577-021-00498-y
Human Challenge Programme
The government has also invested in developing a new clinical trial capability to accelerate vaccine development using human challenge studies. The Human Challenge Programme will carry out controlled testing of new vaccines, where young healthy volunteers will receive the vaccine prior to being infected with the virus.
Human challenge studies have been safely carried out for many years and have played important roles in developing vaccines for diseases including typhoid, and flu. The government’s Human Challenge Programme will likely be the first such study in COVID-19 in the world. The UK is a leader in human challenge studies and has the infrastructure and skilled workforce to deliver this programme, which will develop our long-term research capability in human challenge studies, ready for future pandemics.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-covid-19-vaccines-delivery-plan/uk-covid-19-vaccines-delivery-plan
~ 18 min
https://ukinvestormagazine.co.uk/why-your-portfolio-needs-to-improve-its-esg-exposure/
https://www.theafricareport.com/57779/zimbabwe-lockdown-amid-covid-surge-has-no-support-for-people/
Lubu coal project delayed?
Inhaling away the virus: Is the next generation of COVID vaccines on its way?
https://abcnews.go.com/International/inhaling-virus-generation-covid-vaccines/story?id=75171576
Research Technician x2
Job description
We are looking for two Research Technicians. This is an exciting opportunity to provide technical support to the internationally recognised research laboratory led by Professor Wendy Barclay. You will support the Barclay research group in carrying out processing and characterisation of samples from a SARS-CoV-2 human challenge study...
...This post is full time and fixed term for 12 months, with the possibility of extension depending upon availability of funding.
Seems like the ICL recruitment is ongoing and post holders will be in place for a minimum of twelve months.
https://www.mendeley.com/careers/job/research-technician-x2-1663879
Matt Han**** on Andrew Marr show
0843hrs…. Regular rapid testing for people without coronavirus symptoms will be made available across England this week, the government has said.
The community testing regime - expanded to cover all 317 local authorities - uses rapid lateral flow tests, which can return results in 30 minutes.
Local councils are being encouraged to prioritise tests for those who cannot work from home during the lockdown…
0951hrs …Matt Han**** says the tests being rolled out for mass testing of asymptomatic people in the community are the same ones which "worked effectively in Liverpool".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-55605009
Open Orphan is a rapidly growing specialist pharmaceutical services CRO, listed in Dublin, which, in June 2019, took part in a reverse takeover of Venn Life Services, before merging with world-leading vaccine and antiviral testing firm hVIVO in January of last year.
Comprising these two commercial specialist CRO services businesses, Open Orphan owns the only 24-bedroom quarantine clinic in Europe with an on-site virology lab, leading to its stellar reputation.
It has certainly come a long way since being founded in 2017. In such a short space of time, it has made great strides and key acquisitions to cement its place in the industry.
Now, the company has a portfolio of eight viral challenge studies, made up of flu, RSV, HRV, asthma, cough, and COPD. Also, as announced in early March, Open Orphan is advancing several coronavirus studies to aid vaccine development.
This most recent contract extension comes off the back of a hugely successful last month for the company.
Its Paris branch won a contract to support a European pharma firm’s phase-2 clinical trial on COVID-19, while the Breda office signed another 12-month contract with a big pharma firm.
Given the success last year and the prolific start to 2021, market analysts expect revenues for the group to top out at £38 million, with £7m in net profits.
In a period of exponential vaccine development, brought about by the pandemic, the company has many opportunities to support big pharma companies in the future.
https://www.valuethemarkets.com/2021/01/06/open-orphan-has-a-great-start-to-2021-with-key-12-month-contract-renewal/
Research Nurse
'This is an exciting opportunity for nurses to be involved at the forefront of research (including Covid-19 vaccine research) at UHS….
….. We currently have vacancies for Band 5 research nurses within both our Covid-19 vaccine and clinical research facility adult research nurse teams. These roles come with the expectation that all the successful candidates will be able to work “face-to-face” with COVID-19 suspected or positive patients. In addition within the adult nursing team there will be opportunities to work on research studies in haematology, neurology, new advanced therapy treatments, early phase vaccine studies including first in human clinical trials and human challenge studies.'
https://www.jobs.nhs.uk/xi/vacancy/916333312
Is something occurring in Southhampton?
Lots of chatter & comments on Twitter ref ORPH tonight.
https://twitter.com/search?q=%23ORPH&src=recent_search_click&f=live
Thanks for all the ORPH research and positive post's over the previous year.
Happy New Year all, wishing you a healthy and wealthy 2021.
Human Challenge Study to Evaluate the Efficacy of MV-012-968 Vaccine
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04690335?term=hvivo&draw=2&rank=2
Meissa is developing live attenuated vaccine candidates against life threatening respiratory viruses, including respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), and human metapneumoviru¬¬s (hMPV). These vaccine candidates have been developed using the company’s proprietary AttenuBlock synthetic biology and codon deoptimization platform. Meissa’s vaccine candidates are formulated to be delivered as a single, intranasal, adjuvant-free, needle-free dose and are designed to prevent infection and disease and generate a strong, durable immune response.
https://www.meissavaccines.com/
Planned Disposal
‘When Open Orphan acquired hVIVO in January 2020, hVIVO also came with a number of non-core assets including a 62.6% stake in PrEP Biopharm….
….The options for disposal of this unique asset are exciting, numerous and particularly timely given its mode of action.
These options could include a trade sale to a Big-Pharma for cash, reverse the asset into the resurgence of listed SPACs and Cash Shells, or even Spin the asset out into a newly listed entity, such as EKF Diagnostics has done on numerous occasions, delivering investors dividends in specie of newly formed companies.
In any event, OPRH shareholders would do well to remain on the Shareholder register when this transaction takes place as, whilst the valuation of PrEP Biopharm is currently unknown, with little carrying value on the Open Orphan balance sheet, it should advance the share price accordingly.’
https://www.**********.co.uk/articles/open-orphan-shareholders-get-an-early-xmas-gift-1a0b06e/
https://www.dw.com/en/uk-covid-19-challenge-trials-wait-for-approval/av-56038671
https://www.dw.com/en/uk-covid-19-challenge-trials-wait-for-approval/av-56038671
More than 360,000 people have signed up to the UK’s registry of people interested in participating in vaccine trials: the world’s first database of its kind. The UK is also exploring other measures – such as human challenge trials - to boost clinical development of vaccines.
HTTPS://WWW.BIOPHARMA-REPORTER.COM/ARTICLE/2020/12/22/UK-SEEKS-TO-BOOST-CLINICAL-DEVELOPMENT-OF-PANDEMIC-VACCINES
Scientists at top secret government base Porton Down race to find if a new mutant strain is vulnerable to vaccine
'Scientists are racing to find out if the new mutant strain of coronavirus is vulnerable to current vaccines.
Ministry of Defence scientists at the secretive Porton Down laboratory, near Salisbury, Wiltshire, are looking into why the new variation spreads so rapidly, why it has become dominant, and if it can be fought off through current vaccines, the Mirror reports.
Batches have been dispatched to the site to undergo tests as part of a project called 'Human Challenge'.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9072855/Scientists-secret-government-base-race-new-mutant-strain-vulnerable-vaccine.html
Cross reference with below:
Expert partnership to explore and establish Human Challenge studies of COVID-19 in the UK
‘The investment will fund vital equipment and a new, state-of-the-art laboratory facility at PHE Porton Down – this will accelerate essential testing to measure the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines currently in development.?
These tests are an essential component in supporting the development and regulatory approval of vaccine candidates. PHE’s partner, Nexelis, will be providing scientific expertise and also conducting additional testing for the evaluation of COVID-19 vaccines.
The new investment will enable PHE Porton Down scientists to increase testing capacity, including evaluating individuals’ immune responses as part of the Human Challenge project.’
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/expert-partnership-to-explore-and-establish-human-challenge-studies-of-covid-19-in-the-uk
Are hVIVO involved in assessing the new UK Covid strain?