Diana Spencer

Edinburgh

Senior Digital Content Editor at Drug Discovery World

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ddw-online.com

Articles

Secure your spot for the DDW Symposium

3 days ago | ddw-online.com | Diana Spencer

Register your interest for the DDW Turning Science into Business Symposium, which will take place at the Francis Crick Institute, one of Europe’s biggest biomedical labs, in London, UK in the afternoon on 4 November 2025. The half day event boasts a stellar line up of speakers sharing their insight on the opportunity and expertise within the drug discovery and development market.
Cell therapy improves visual function in geographic atrophy patients

3 days ago | ddw-online.com | Diana Spencer

Lineage Cell Therapeutics revealed new 36-month results from a Phase I/IIa clinical study of RG6501 (OpRegen) in patients with geographic atrophy (GA) secondary to age-related macular degeneration (AMD) at Clinical Trials at the Summit (CTS) 2025. OpRegen is a suspension of human allogeneic retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells currently in development for the treatment of GA secondary to AMD.
Stem cell therapy gets positive CHMP opinion for blood cancers

3 days ago | ddw-online.com | Diana Spencer

The Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) has adopted a positive opinion recommending granting conditional marketing authorisation for Zemcelpro (UM171 cell therapy). The positive opinion relates to the treatment of adults with haematological malignancies requiring an allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation following myeloablative conditioning for whom no other type of suitable donor cells is available.
‘Smart’ microgel droplets support regenerative medicine research

4 days ago | ddw-online.com | Diana Spencer

Australian researchers have patented a new microfluidics tool that produces ‘smart’ microgel droplets for exploring regenerative medicines. The platform was created by Dr Ruirui Qiao and her team at UQ’s Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN). Dr Qiao said her team’s UQ-Surf microfludics platform could create thousands of microdroplets a minute, each one a temperature-responsive research environment for exploring tissue engineering and cell therapies.
First TROP2-directed therapy approved in the US for lung cancer

4 days ago | ddw-online.com | Diana Spencer

Datroway (datopotamab deruxtecan or Dato-DXd) has been approved in the US for the treatment of adult patients with locally advanced or metastatic EGFR-mutated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). It is approved in patients who have received prior EGFR-directed therapy and platinum-based chemotherapy. The indication was approved under accelerated approval based on objective response rate (ORR) and duration of response (DoR).
DDW is ‘creating cures’ at SLAS2026

4 days ago | ddw-online.com | Diana Spencer

A series of DDW seminars based on the SLAS2026 theme of Catalyze Discovery will be available to visitors of the SLAS2026 International Conference and Exhibition (7-11 February 2026, Boston, USA). The DDW ‘Creating cures: The role of lab automation in successful drug discovery’ programme will highlight innovative research using technology in drug development.
Vertex shares new data for stem cell-derived islet therapy in T1D

4 days ago | ddw-online.com | Diana Spencer

Vertex Pharmaceuticals has shared new Phase I/II data for zimislecel (VX-880), an investigational stem cell-derived, fully differentiated islet cell therapy. The FORWARD-101 clinical trial is investigating the treatment in people with type 1 diabetes (T1D) with impaired hypoglycaemic awareness and severe hypoglycaemic events (SHEs). All 12 participants:Demonstrated engraftment with glucose-responsive endogenous C-peptide production, which was durable through one year of follow-up.
Nanobody-based 3D imaging boosts neuroscience research

5 days ago | ddw-online.com | Diana Spencer

Scientists have created a nanobody-based method that enables ultra-fast, high-resolution 3D mapping of neurons and glia in thick brain tissues. The researchers from Japan have developed a fast, high-sensitivity three dimensional immunohistochemistry (3D-IHC) method using nanobodies fused with peroxidase and a novel signal amplification system.
Virus-like particles enhance effect of mRNA vaccines

5 days ago | ddw-online.com | Diana Spencer

Researchers from Denmark have demonstrated that a simple addition to mRNA vaccines can significantly enhance their effectiveness. mRNA technology is highly effective against viruses and quick to adapt to new variants, but the immunity tends to wane rapidly, leaving people vulnerable to reinfection just months after vaccination.
NICE rejects Alzheimer’s drugs for lack of cost-effectiveness

5 days ago | ddw-online.com | Diana Spencer

The UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has reached its final decision on two Alzheimer’s treatments, denying their use on the NHS due to the therapies not providing “good value for money.”Eli Lilly’s donanemab and Eisai’s lecanemab were under final draft guidance by NICE, which had already rejected both therapies last year due to the lack of cost-effectiveness for both treatments.