Latest Lab Talk News in Brief: investment, acquisition, collaboration, R&D, awards, appointments

Published in Cell, it notes that infant-gut species Bifidobacterium infantis (B. infantis), is a ‘missing microbe’ in babies in Europe and North America, though common in Africa and South Asia and identifies bacterial strains adapted to the infant gut not found in commercial probiotic products.

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Sartorius has received validation from the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) and confirmed that new greenhouse gas reduction targets are in line with the Paris Climate Agreement.

For direct emissions from its own operations and vehicle fleet, as well as indirect emissions from purchased energy (scopes 1 and 2), Sartorius said it aims to reduce CO? equivalents in metric tons by 42% by 2030 compared with the base year 2022. The target now covers all relevant emission sources and exceeds the 95% coverage required by the Science Based Targets initiative, it stated.

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Biotech Wisdom Bioscience, which is pioneering non-invasive oral cancer diagnostics, has announced the formation of its Scientific Advisory Board following the close of an initial funding round. The SAB is comprised of leading experts in cell-free DNA, oncology screening, and molecular diagnostics across research, development, and commercialisation.

Members include Drs Giulia Kennedy, Arnold Levine, John Sninsky, Martin Goldberg and Prof Tin Tin Su, who will provide strategic scientific and clinical guidance as the company advances its product pipeline and expands its service offerings.

Wisdom Bioscience has developed a platform for the non-invasive detection of oral cancer, with the aim of a routine oral cancer screening test delivered through standard dental appointments.

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Teijin Group’s flagship healthcare business Teijin Pharma announced today that it has entered into a joint research agreement with specialty pharmaceutical company Tokyo-based Aska Pharmaceutical to jointly develop novel small-molecule drug candidates targeting gynaecological diseases. Aska Pharmaceutical has extensive expertise in obstetrics and gynaecology.

The pair will collaborate to accelerate the early-stage drug discovery process aimed at identifying innovative therapeutic candidates. 

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Biotech Nuclera, focused on rapid access to high-quality proteins and leadXpro, a specialist in structure-based drug discovery for membrane proteins, announced a scientific partnership, combining rapid multiplex membrane protein screening with AI/ML-driven construct design and membrane protein expertise to advance structural studies and therapeutic development.

The firms said membrane proteins remained valuable yet difficult to obtain drug targets: “These proteins are notoriously challenging to express and purify in sufficient quantity and quality for structural biology and biophysical studies, limiting drug discovery programs even when promising biology is well understood.”

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Technical University of Denmark agritech spin-out Mycoverse developing biological crop protection using fungi, has raised €2.4 million in pre-seed equity funding. The round was co-led by Future Food Fund and High-Tech Gründerfonds with participation Paulig venture arm PINC.

It will support the company’s first solution targeting potato late blight, one of Europe’s most destructive crop diseases, as the continent’s states face calls reduce chemical pesticide use. Employing an AI-driven discovery platform, it identifies fungal strains and develops bioactives offering superior crop protection that can align with farming systems.

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Immunology-focused CRO RoukenBio has formed a strategic partnership with global biologics solution provider AVS Bio to support biotherapeutic developers in selecting and progressing antibody candidates “with clearer mechanistic validation and improved translational relevance”.

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Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technologies provider for drug discovery and research Axol Bioscience has acquired the ophthalmology business of drug discovery partner specialising in the development of in vitro models and bespoke assay services, Newcells Biotech.

The acquisition includes Newcells’ specialist team, facilities and intellectual property related to supply of proprietary iPSC-derived products and ophthalmology research services to biopharma, biotechnology and CRO customers across Europe and the United States. The platforms encompass advanced retinal organoids and 2D retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) models supporting preclinical research and translational drug development.

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German life science company specialising in the production and development of Human Platelet Lysate (HPL) PL BioScience GmbH announced an exclusive distribution agreement for the Japanese market with Summit Pharmaceuticals International Corporation (SPI). “We are excited to team up with SPI as this distribution agreement lays the groundwork for PL BioScience’s expansion into the Japanese market”, said PL BioScience VP of Marketing and Sales Jungsoo Park.

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Research from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has been shortlisted for the prestigious STEM for Britain 2026 award in recognition of its work applying artificial intelligence (AI) to improve fracture detection in thoroughbred racehorses. Approximately 10% sustain a fracture during training, with bone injuries occurring at a rate of 1.3 per 1000 starts in flat racing. However, despite their impact, fractures can be difficult to diagnose.

The AI system achieved fracture localisation accuracy of between 71% and 84% without requiring an unrealistically large number of equine images.

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A Vilnius University team led by CRISPR pioneer professor Virginijus Siksnys has uncovered a previously unknown function of Cas9 - the CRISPR ‘gene scissors’ that transformed genome editing. In the journal Molecular Cell, the researchers said Cas9 is not only responsible for cutting viral DNA, but also plays a direct role in the earliest stage of bacterial immune memory formation. Using cryo-electron microscopy, the team identified a previously undescribed Cas9-containing “supercomplex” that selects viral DNA fragments for integration into the CRISPR locus, effectively shaping how bacteria acquire genetic memories of infection. 

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Inceptua Group, provider of clinical trial services and supplies, and early access programmes has appointed Kurt J. Hilzinger as board chairman. The former president, chief operating officer and board director of AmerisourceBergen Corp. (now Cencora Inc.) he has also been chairman of Humana Inc. for the past 12 years.

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A smart, AI functional T-shirt produced by Imperial College London research that could in future detect heart conditions has been awarded more than £340,000 by the British Heart Foundation. The garment will have up to 50 sensors stitched into the fabric to mirror an ECG and be simpler to use, say researchers. Research is led by Zachary Whinnett, Professor of Cardiology at Imperial.Carly Benge, a 38-year-old teacher with the heart rhythm disorder Brugada syndrome is assisting the project. An estimated 340,000 people in the UK have an inherited condition which could put them at risk of dying from a dangerous heart rhythm. 

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Pic (clockwise from top left): Mycoverse team and lab (Thomas Steen SorensonRasmus Christensen), Vilnius university team, RVC