{"id":389049,"date":"2023-12-20T09:41:09","date_gmt":"2023-12-20T14:41:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/platohealth.ai\/inhaled-vaccines-could-stop-covid-infections-monkey-studies-show\/"},"modified":"2023-12-20T13:00:12","modified_gmt":"2023-12-20T18:00:12","slug":"inhaled-vaccines-could-stop-covid-infections-monkey-studies-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/platohealth.ai\/inhaled-vaccines-could-stop-covid-infections-monkey-studies-show\/","title":{"rendered":"Inhaled vaccines could stop Covid infections, monkey studies show","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"<div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/platohealth.ai\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/inhaled-vaccines-could-stop-covid-infections-monkey-studies-show.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\"><\/div>\n<p><em>Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today?&nbsp;<a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.statnews.com\/signup\/readout\/\">Sign up<\/a>&nbsp;to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Hey there. Today, we get into why Amy Abernethy is leaving Verily, and why the ongoing reckoning with AI doesn\u2019t necessarily need the voice of Google to chime in. Plus, Jason Mast pops in to give an update on Uniqure\u2019s puzzling approach to presenting trial results.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-in-article dfp-ad-midbreaker-wrap\">\n<p class=\"ad-label\">advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>The need-to-know this morning<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Argenx&nbsp;said&nbsp;its closely watched antibody therapy&nbsp;<a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.statnews.com\/2023\/12\/20\/argenx-pemphigus-efgartigimod\/?utm_campaign=the_readout&amp;utm_source=hs_email&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8W8m3A4F7v4lg8ujLZzJ3AtWCR5jOxqidmJbaujkmLP0huhnKeeP_m9mUw9dgWxAyrpJR4\">failed to outperform<\/a>&nbsp;placebo in a Phase 3 trial in an autoimmune condition that causes the skin to blister \u2014 the second setback in less than a month for the Belgian biotech and its drug.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Bluebird Bio<\/strong>&nbsp;<a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/investor.bluebirdbio.com\/news-releases\/news-release-details\/bluebird-bio-inc-announces-pricing-125-million-public-offering?utm_campaign=the_readout&amp;utm_source=hs_email&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8W8m3A4F7v4lg8ujLZzJ3AtWCR5jOxqidmJbaujkmLP0huhnKeeP_m9mUw9dgWxAyrpJR4\" data-hs-link-id=\"0\">raised $125 million<\/a>&nbsp;in a stock offering priced at $1.50 per share \u2014 50% lower than the value of its shares on Monday. Bluebird recently won approval for a gene therapy to treat sickle cell disease, but a dire need for cash to fund the launch meant it had no leverage with investors.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Verily CMO Amy Abernethy leaving to start nonprofit<\/h2>\n<p>Amy Abernethy, Verily\u2019s chief medical officer, will be leaving at the end of the first quarter to launch a startup focused on how health care systems collect data. It seems like an abrupt move after two and a half years, but Abernathy and Verily insist the company\u2019s in a good position for her to leave: \u201cNow is the time for me to say \u2018you\u2019ve got this,\u2019 because they totally do, and let them keep running, while I go and keep solving some of the other things,\u201d she told STAT\u2019s Matthew Herper exclusively.<\/p>\n<p>Abernethy, an oncologist, used to be second-in-command at the FDA&nbsp;and before that worked at health tech unicorn Flatiron Health. She told STAT that she found that progress at Alphabet might slow because health care is not its primary focus as a business. Soon, she said, big policy decisions will be made about how AI affects real-world evidence in health care, and that her influence would likely wane.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou know, Google\u2019s stamp, or Alphabet\u2019s stamp, on a privacy framework may not be what the whole world wants anyway,\u201d Abernethy said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-in-article dfp-ad-midbreaker2-wrap\">\n<p class=\"ad-label\">advertisement<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.statnews.com\/2023\/12\/19\/amy-abernethy-steps-down-verily-chief-medical-officer\/?utm_campaign=the_readout&amp;utm_source=hs_email&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8W8m3A4F7v4lg8ujLZzJ3AtWCR5jOxqidmJbaujkmLP0huhnKeeP_m9mUw9dgWxAyrpJR4\">Read more.<\/a><\/p>\n<h2>The confusing thing about Uniqure\u2019s data<\/h2>\n<p>A year and a half ago, Uniqure generated excitement in the Huntington\u2019s community and among investors when it announced an experimental gene therapy designed to eliminate the toxic, neuron-killing mutant protein believed to drive the disease appeared to just that: Levels of mutant Huntington protein, mHTT, in patients\u2019 spinal fluid fell 53% and the company\u2019s stock rose 26%.<\/p>\n<p>Data since then have been puzzling. In June, Uniqure announced mHTT levels had returned to near-normal in many patients and, in some, levels actually seemed to increase. Then, yesterday, it declined to release a number in a press release announcing the data, saying only that it believed the mHTT tests may be unreliable. A graph in a presentation indicated mutant protein levels were essentially flat compared to a control group.<\/p>\n<p>There is reason to think mHTT levels in spinal fluid might be unreliable. Huntingtin protein assays can be tricky. And the gene therapy is injected deep in the striatum, the section of the brain where Huntington\u2019s wreaks havoc \u2014 it\u2019s possible levels are falling there but not in other parts of the brain or the spinal fluid, where it can be measured. Meanwhile, other measures indicate the drug could be slowing the disease, compared to natural history. \u201cThere is an initial set of data that is starting to make me feel confident that we are seeing a dose-dependent effect, and that to me is evidence of biological activity,\u201d Chief Medical Officer Walid Abi-Saab told STAT\u2019s Jason Mast.<\/p>\n<p>The result, though, is that Uniqure does not have a direct measure that its gene therapy is doing what it\u2019s intended. It\u2019s stock, already pummeled in June, fell another 24% yesterday.<\/p>\n<h2>Three things we\u2019ll watch in biotech next year<\/h2>\n<p>This coming year, we\u2019ve got our eyes on three trends, in particular, in biotech. As STAT\u2019s Damian Garde writes, 2024 is the year GLP-1 drugs get really real: Demand has outpaced supply pretty dramatically to date, but as that eases up we\u2019ll see whether insurers will actually reimburse for them. We\u2019ll also see new data on how the drugs work in MASH (formerly NASH), sleep apnea, and addiction cessation, among others.<\/p>\n<p>There will also be key readouts in CRISPR medicines and in non-opioid pain treatments. And it\u2019s an election year, of course \u2014 which means that political tongue-wagging (recall allegations of \u201cgetting away with murder\u201d) may impact how the public, and the market, perceive the industry.<\/p>\n<p><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.statnews.com\/2023\/12\/20\/biotech-trends-2024-weight-loss-drugs-crispr-pain?utm_campaign=the_readout&amp;utm_source=hs_email&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8W8m3A4F7v4lg8ujLZzJ3AtWCR5jOxqidmJbaujkmLP0huhnKeeP_m9mUw9dgWxAyrpJR4\">Read more<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2>Inhaled vaccines could stop Covid infections, monkey studies show<\/h2>\n<p>Mucosal vaccines, inhaled straight to the nose and lungs, can abruptly stop Covid viruses, a trio of monkey studies published in Nature shows. This is the first real evidence that mucosal vaccines might be effective,&nbsp;<a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/d41586-023-04003-4?utm_campaign=the_readout&amp;utm_source=hs_email&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8W8m3A4F7v4lg8ujLZzJ3AtWCR5jOxqidmJbaujkmLP0huhnKeeP_m9mUw9dgWxAyrpJR4\" data-hs-link-id=\"0\">Nature<\/a>&nbsp;writes. The delivery method could offer \u2018sterilizing\u2019 immunity \u2014 in which an infection is completely blocked.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s not complete science fiction to think about developing vaccines that would stop transmission and infection,\u201d one Yale immunologist told Nature.<\/p>\n<p>Although vaccines softened the pandemic, their potency is short-lived. This is possibly because intramuscular vaccines work best deep in the lungs, but are less effective in the mucosa. So there\u2019s hope that aerosolized vaccines, in particular, might stop infections higher up in the airways. Dozens of mucosal Covid vaccines are still being developed.<\/p>\n<h2>More reads<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Otsuka pays $65 million in cash for European rights to Ionis\u2019 phase 3 rare disease medicine,&nbsp;<a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fiercebiotech.com\/biotech\/otsuka-pays-65m-cash-european-rights-ionis-phase-3-rare-disease-med?utm_campaign=the_readout&amp;utm_source=hs_email&amp;utm_medium=email&amp;_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8W8m3A4F7v4lg8ujLZzJ3AtWCR5jOxqidmJbaujkmLP0huhnKeeP_m9mUw9dgWxAyrpJR4\" data-hs-link-id=\"0\">FierceBiotech<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul class=\"plato-post-bottom-links\">\n<li class=\"plato-post-bottom-link-amplifi\">SEO Powered Content &amp; PR Distribution. <a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amplifipr.com\">Get Amplified Today.<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"plato-post-bottom-link-platodata-network\">PlatoData.Network Vertical Generative Ai. Empower Yourself. <a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/platodata.network\">Access Here.<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"plato-post-bottom-link-platoaistream\">PlatoAiStream. Web3 Intelligence. Knowledge Amplified. <a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/platoaistream.com\">Access Here.<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"plato-post-bottom-link-platoesg\">PlatoESG. <a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/platoesg.com\/aiwire\/carbon\/\">Carbon,<\/a> <a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/platoesg.com\/aiwire\/cleantech\/\">CleanTech,<\/a> <a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/platoesg.com\/aiwire\/energy\/\">Energy,<\/a> <a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/platoesg.com\/aiwire\/environment\/\">Environment,<\/a> <a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/platoesg.com\/aiwire\/solar\/\">Solar,<\/a> <a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/platoesg.com\/aiwire\/waste-management\/\">Waste Management.<\/a> <a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/platoesg.com\">Access Here.<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"plato-post-bottom-link-platohealth\">PlatoHealth. Biotech and Clinical Trials Intelligence. <a href=\"https:\/\/platohealth.ai\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Access Here.<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"plato-post-bottom-link-source\"><span>Source:<\/span> <a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.statnews.com\/2023\/12\/20\/biotech-news-argenx-bluebird-bio-verily-covid-mucosal-vaccine-uniquire-data-otsuka\/?utm_campaign=rss\">https:\/\/www.statnews.com\/2023\/12\/20\/biotech-news-argenx-bluebird-bio-verily-covid-mucosal-vaccine-uniquire-data-otsuka\/?utm_campaign=rss<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Want to stay on top of the science and politics driving biotech today?&nbsp;Sign up&nbsp;to get our biotech newsletter in your inbox. Hey there. Today, we get into why Amy Abernethy is leaving Verily, and why the ongoing reckoning with AI doesn\u2019t necessarily need the voice of Google to chime in. Plus, Jason Mast pops in [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":2,"featured_media":389052,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[50],"tags":[],"acf":[],"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"link","format":"url"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/platohealth.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/389049"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/platohealth.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/platohealth.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platohealth.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platohealth.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=389049"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/platohealth.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/389049\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":389051,"href":"https:\/\/platohealth.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/389049\/revisions\/389051"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platohealth.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/389052"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/platohealth.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=389049"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platohealth.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=389049"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platohealth.ai\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=389049"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}