The Science Advisory Board

-- Genomenon on Tuesday said that it has acquired the genomics interpretation and curation firm Boston Genetics. The expanded genomic interpretation team enabled by the acquisition supports its offerings for clinical diagnostic and pharmaceutical drug development programs, Genomenon said. Financial and other terms of the deal were not disclosed.

-- Asep Medical announced Friday that it has been awarded a grant by the NanoMedicines Innovation Network (NMIN) to develop a nanoparticle-formulated peptide solution as a drug delivery vehicle for treating chronic sinus infections caused by biofilms. The Government of Canada funds NMIN through the Networks of Centres of Excellence (NCE) Program.

-- A 3D cellular model has shown that mutations affect neuronal development and may play a large role in the emergence of Alzheimer’s disease. The exact cause of Alzheimer's remains unknown; current treatments focus on tackling the neuropathology associated with the condition, rather than trying to stop the changes from happening. Moving to a preventative model of care will require more information on the root causes of Alzheimer's.

-- The Biden-Harris administration on Monday awarded $50 million to launch the Persistent Poverty Initiative which aims to alleviate the effects of persistent poverty on cancer outcomes in low-income areas. The program, called the Persistent Poverty Initiative, aims to build research capacity, foster cancer prevention research, and promote the implementation of community-based programs.

-- Certain gene mutations could serve as markers to help physicians predict which patients with hepatocellular carcinoma are most likely to develop resistance to the drug lenvatinib. The findings, published in Gastroenterology, could one day help clinicians better identify patients that may benefit from alternative treatments. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 35,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with liver cancer annually.

The study is focused on adult T1D patients with impaired hypoglycemic awareness and severe hypoglycemia. All six patients treated with VX-880 had undetectable insulin secretion and a history of recurrent severe hypoglycemic events in the year prior to treatment.

-- Evidence from a small-scale clinical trial suggests that a variation of the blood cancer immunotherapy chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR-T) could be adapted to treat myasthenia gravis (MG), an autoimmune disorder of the nervous system. The modified CAR-T therapy offers the potential for a longer-lasting reduction in MG symptoms and was well-tolerated without significant adverse effects, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) said.

-- AltPep, a biotech firm developing early detection tests and disease-modifying treatments for amyloid diseases, on Friday announced the closing of a $52.9 million Series B financing round. The round was led by Senator Investment Group with participation from Section 32, Korea-based Partners Investment, and Eli Lilly. Investors in AltPep's Series A round, including Alexandria Venture Investments and Matrix Capital Management Company also participated in the Series B round.

-- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday approved Elevidys, the first gene therapy for the treatment of pediatric patients 4 through 5 years of age with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). The accelerated approval, granted to Sarepta Therapeutics, came with the condition that the patients have a confirmed mutation in the DMD gene and do not have a preexisting medical reason preventing treatment with the therapy.

-- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this week granted approvals of Jardiance (empagliflozin) and Synjardy (empagliflozin and metformin hydrochloride) as additions to diet and exercise to improve blood sugar control in children 10 years and older with type 2 diabetes. The approval, granted to drug manufacturer Boehringer Ingelheim on Tuesday, means a new class of medicines can be taken by mouth to treat pediatric type 2 diabetes.