Search Results

Hello. Welcome to BioFocus, a life science news and insights platform bringing you updates across biotech, pharma, bioprocessing, health, and sustainability. Hello. Welcome to BioFocus. Explore the latest updates from the life science industry. Read more Popular Content. PHARMA Sanofi halts amlitelimab development for atopic dermatitis following pipeline review Despite positive long-term efficacy and safety data, the biopharma has concluded its OX40L antibody would not offer a meaningful improvement over current standards of care and will no longer pursue regulatory approval for the indication. Featured Articles. PHARMA How Automation is Accelerating Drug Discovery Timelines Read More BIOTECH Tecan Brings Agentic AI to the Lab Bench with NVIDIA-powered Introspect Upgrade Read More PHARMA AI in Science Writing and the Imitation of Understanding Read More HEALTH A New Device Could Improve How Progesterone is Delivered in Early Pregnancy Read More BIOTECH Moving research out of the lab is key to UK life science success Read More BIOTECH Basecamp Research Launches the Trillion Gene Atlas Read More BIOPROCESSING Bioreactors and Cell Culture Media: A Practical Comparison for Upstream Bioprocessing Read More HEALTH The Risk AI Poses to Public Health Read More PHARMA Pharma Smart Manufacturing 2026 Read More Latest News. 24th July, 2026 01. Sanofi halts amlitelimab development for atopic dermatitis following pipeline review Despite positive long-term efficacy and safety data, the biopharma has concluded its OX40L antibody would not offer a meaningful improvement over current standards of care and will no longer pursue regulatory approval for the indication. Read More 21st July, 2026 02. Kolon TissueGene's Knee Osteoarthritis Therapy Fails Phase 3 Trial Second late-stage study due in October will decide the fate of the cell-based gene therapy programme. Read More 17th July, 2026 03. Hummingbird Bioscience wins APAC AI Discovery Award Singapore-based Hummingbird Bioscience has been named the Asia Pacific Trailblazer Award winner at the 2026 Nebius AI Discovery Awards, recognising the company's AI-first approach to therapeutic discovery and development. Read More 13th July, 2026 04. ABM secures major multi-site contract supporting Ireland’s manufacturing sector Facilities and engineering provider strengthens presence in regulated environments with technology-enabled approach to compliance and operational support Read More Event Spotlight. Explore the key upcoming industry events. Discover more Editor's Selects. AI in Science Writing and the Imitation of Understanding 01. Read more First Human Egg ‘Rejuvenation’ Offers Hope for Older IVF Patients 02. Read more A Simple Pad Could Transform Cervical Cancer Screening 03. Read more A New Device Could Improve How Progesterone is Delivered in Early Pregnancy 04. Read more Stay up-to-date. Connect with BioFocus on LinkedIn or subscribe to our mailing list. Mail

The discovery of new drugs is vital for improving the lives but can be expensive and time consuming to research, here is how automation is helping to speed up this process. < Back How Automation is Accelerating Drug Discovery Timelines The discovery of new drugs is vital for improving the lives but can be expensive and time consuming to research, here is how automation is helping to speed up this process. A growing constraint for innovation within the pharmaceutical industry is time. However, what once took years can now take months thanks to automation. Once considered a luxury, laboratory automation and advanced technologies are rapidly becoming essential tools for research organisations looking to accelerate discovery. Drug discovery laboratories can use either manual or automated methods when conducting experiments. Manual work requires researchers to carry out each step themselves, often involving hours of repetitive pipetting. Automated workflows, on the other hand, utilise technologies such as liquid handling systems, robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) to perform these tasks with greater speed and consistency. Automated workflows enable laboratories to process far more samples than would ever be possible manually. While throughput varies between instruments, some of the highest-capacity systems can process up to 500,000 samples per day. Having worked in a research laboratory myself, I certainly wouldn't fancy processing that many samples by hand! Many of the tasks performed by automated systems are repetitive and time-consuming, allowing researchers and scientists to focus on higher-value activities such as data interpretation, experimental design and scientific problem-solving. This not only improves productivity but also helps accelerate the drug discovery process. Automation also delivers exceptional precision . Once programmed, instruments can perform the same task repeatedly with a level of consistency that is difficult to achieve manually. As much as we'd like to believe otherwise, humans are not perfect. We make mistakes, miscalculate and occasionally misunderstand instructions. Human error is inevitable, particularly when repetitive tasks are involved. Automation helps minimise these errors , reducing the need to repeat experiments and saving valuable time and resources. Unlike people, automated systems can also operate around the clock, dramatically increasing laboratory productivity. Drug discovery is both time-consuming and expensive, making efficiency critical. AI is increasingly being used to optimise the Design-Make-Test-Analyse (DMTA) cycle , the four-stage framework that underpins modern drug discovery . The first stage is Design. AI algorithms can predict how potential drug candidates are likely to interact with biological targets before laboratory work even begins. These predictions help researchers prioritise the most promising compounds, reducing unnecessary experimentation and avoiding wasted time and expense. Given that many drug candidates fail long before reaching clinical trials, improving decision-making at this early stage can save millions of pounds in development costs. The next stage is Make, where compounds are synthesised. Automated workflows significantly increase throughput, enabling laboratories to produce candidate molecules much more quickly. This stage has traditionally been one of the first major bottlenecks in drug discovery, but automation is helping to alleviate this challenge. Once compounds have been created, they move into the Test phase before the resulting data is Analysed. Here, AI can again play an important role by identifying patterns, interpreting complex datasets and helping researchers make informed decisions about which candidates should progress further. An emerging development in this space is the Self-Driving Laboratory (SDL) . By combining automation with AI, SDLs can explore multiple experimental pathways simultaneously. Machine learning models guide the selection of experiments, interpret results and continuously refine future testing based on previous outcomes. This systematic approach reduces the number of physical experiments required while significantly increasing the speed at which discoveries can be made. SDLs are particularly valuable in research areas such as pharmaceutical development, where experiments are highly complex, multidimensional and expensive. Despite their impressive capabilities, SDLs are not replacing scientists. Researchers remain responsible for defining the hypotheses, setting the objectives, establishing constraints and interpreting the broader scientific significance of the results. Rather than replacing scientists, SDLs act as powerful tools that enable them to work more efficiently and make better-informed decisions. Ultimately, the goal of drug discovery is to develop medicines that improve and save lives. For patients living with serious or debilitating conditions, every day matters. By accelerating research through automation and AI, promising treatments can reach the market faster, giving patients earlier access to potentially life-changing therapies. Thanks to automation, we no longer need to walk the path to drug discovery—we can run it. Author Mia Butterworth-Brooks Previous Next

Pharma Sanofi halts amlitelimab development for atopic dermatitis following pipeline review Despite positive long-term efficacy and safety data, the biopharma has concluded its OX40L antibody would not offer a meaningful improvement over current standards of care and will no longer pursue regulatory approval for the indication. Read More Kolon TissueGene's Knee Osteoarthritis Therapy Fails Phase 3 Trial Second late-stage study due in October will decide the fate of the cell-based gene therapy programme Read More FairJourney Bio Expands End-to-End Antibody Discovery Through New AbTherx Partnership FairJourney Bio has announced a strategic partnership with AbTherx to bring transgenic mouse-based antibody discovery capabilities in-house, creating a fully integrated antibody discovery workflow designed to accelerate therapeutic development. Read More How Automation is Accelerating Drug Discovery Timelines The discovery of new drugs is vital for improving the lives but can be expensive and time consuming to research, here is how automation is helping to speed up this process. Read More Innovent Biologics and Pfizer Forge $10.5 Billion Oncology Partnership Strategic collaboration combines Innovent’s early-stage oncology innovation platform with Pfizer’s global development and commercial capabilities across 12 cancer programs. Read More AI in Science Writing and the Imitation of Understanding As AI becomes more fluent in science writing, the line between sounding right and being right starts to blur. Read More Load more

Biotech Hummingbird Bioscience wins APAC AI Discovery Award Singapore-based Hummingbird Bioscience has been named the Asia Pacific Trailblazer Award winner at the 2026 Nebius AI Discovery Awards, recognising the company's AI-first approach to therapeutic discovery and development. Read More Tecan Brings Agentic AI to the Lab Bench with NVIDIA-powered Introspect Upgrade New capabilities aim to shift laboratories from reactive troubleshooting to proactive problem-solving, but the real test will be whether AI agents can earn scientists' trust. Read More Moving research out of the lab is key to UK life science success Professor Chris Day explores why strengthening university commercialisation and supporting spinouts will be critical to securing the UK's position as a global life sciences leader. Read More Laverock Therapeutics Advances CAR-T and Macrophage Programmes with Solid Tumour Data In-vivo results from both oncology programmes support lead candidate selection, as the UK biotech charts a path toward clinical trials. Read More UK Biotech Cyclana Bio is Trying to Understand Endometriosis From the Tissue Up Cyclana Bio's PEMP study has received NHS ethics approval and begun enrolling women at two UK hospitals. If its tissue-first approach to drug discovery pays off, it could start answering questions that have gone unanswered for decades. Read More AviadoBio Bets on Blood-Brain Barrier Technology in Push for One-Time Alzheimer's Treatment A licensing deal with Apertura Gene Therapy gives the London-based biotech a clinically validated delivery system to pair with its gene-silencing platform, but the hard work is still ahead. Read More Load more

Sustainability Meet the new Carbon Sinks on the Scene: Beavers A comprehensive carbon budget from a Swiss wetland suggests that Eurasian beaver activity can dramatically boost carbon sequestration compared to unmodified stream corridors. Read More Engineering Crops From the Inside Out Manchester spinout Cytotrait raises £3 million to develop organelle based genetic engineering that could boost crop yields, resilience and sustainability. Read More Life on Mars - Science Fiction, or Real-Life Science? The futuristic visions of Mars we see on our movie screens could be closer than we think - but what’s the biology that would make it a reality? Read More Hidden Contrails in Clouds Could Be Worsening Aviation’s Climate Impact New study shows contrails forming inside cirrus clouds may add significantly to aviation-driven warming. Read More Every Breath Counts: Toward Sustainable Respiratory Care New investments and next-generation inhaler technology aim to reduce the climate impact of respiratory care while maintaining treatment access and safety. Read More A Modern Day Noah's Ark? Scientists are proposing a lunar biobank to preserve the world's endangered species. Read More Load more

Bioprocessing Bio-Rad Expands DNA Testing Kits for Cell and Gene Therapy Manufacturers The Vericheck ddPCR range, now compatible with the QX700 platform, targets contamination and vector integrity checks that cell and gene therapy developers can't afford to get wrong Read More ABM secures major multi-site contract supporting Ireland’s manufacturing sector Facilities and engineering provider strengthens presence in regulated environments with technology-enabled approach to compliance and operational support Read More Bioreactors and Cell Culture Media: A Practical Comparison for Upstream Bioprocessing A comparative overview of bioreactor systems and cell culture media, exploring how technology selection impacts scalability, product quality, cost, and manufacturing strategy in modern biologics production. Read More Broughton Expands Accredited Cannabinoid Testing The introduction of ISO/IEC 17025-accredited methods for oils and tinctures reflects rising expectations for analytical robustness as cannabinoid formulations diversify and regulatory scrutiny intensifies. Read More FUJIFILM Biotechnologies Launches UK’s Largest Single-Use Biomanufacturing Facility £400 Million Expansion Strengthens the UK Life Sciences Sector, Enhances Biomanufacturing Capacity, and Supports NHS and Global Pharmaceutical Innovation. Read More Meet the Workhorses Behind Biologics' Next Growth Wave The cell culture vessels industry is projected to grow from USD 5.10 billion in 2025 to USD 8.03 billion by 2030. Read More Load more

Interested in advertising with BioFocus? We provide bespoke advertising solutions tailored to your goals. Email us for more information. Advertise with BioFocus. Build brand awareness, generate leads, and position yourself as a true thought leader within your industry. Download our media kit below to take a look at how our integrated marketing solutions can elevate your brand. You can also reach out to us directly at info@biofocus.co.uk for bespoke advertising solutions tailored to your goals. Download our media kit. First name Last name Email Company name Industry Job function Job title Country Key areas that are of interest to your work/research or any questions that you would like to ask the BioFocus team. I acknowledge and agree to the use of my contact information to receive messages about offerings by BioFocus, its brands, affiliates and/or third-party partners, consistent with the BioFocus Privacy Policy View privacy policy. Download Click here to download

Despite positive long-term efficacy and safety data, the biopharma has concluded its OX40L antibody would not offer a meaningful improvement over current standards of care and will no longer pursue regulatory approval for the indication. < Back Sanofi halts amlitelimab development for atopic dermatitis following pipeline review Despite positive long-term efficacy and safety data, the biopharma has concluded its OX40L antibody would not offer a meaningful improvement over current standards of care and will no longer pursue regulatory approval for the indication. Sanofi has discontinued the development of its investigational monoclonal antibody amlitelimab for moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD), concluding that the therapy does not offer a sufficient improvement over existing standards of care despite encouraging long-term efficacy and safety data. The French biopharma confirmed it will no longer pursue global regulatory submissions for amlitelimab in AD following an ongoing strategic review of its research and development pipeline. The decision marks a significant shift for a programme that had previously been viewed as a potential next-generation immunology asset. The move comes just months after Sanofi reported mixed Phase III results from its COAST clinical programme. While the studies met key efficacy endpoints in some analyses and demonstrated the potential for infrequent 12-week dosing, the data failed to consistently outperform placebo across all regulatory endpoints and fell short of expectations in an increasingly competitive atopic dermatitis landscape. Strong data, but insufficient differentiation Sanofi said its decision was based on the "totality of efficacy and safety evidence" generated throughout the development programme. The long-term Phase III ESTUARY extension study demonstrated sustained clinical responses without relapse in patients aged 12 years and older with moderate-to-severe AD, alongside an emerging safety profile consistent with previous studies. However, the company concluded that amlitelimab would not represent a meaningful advance over currently available therapies. The findings underline the increasingly high bar facing developers in atopic dermatitis, where established biologics such as Dupixent and a growing pipeline of next-generation immunology medicines have intensified competition. Additional data from the ESTUARY study and the wider clinical programme are expected to be presented at a forthcoming medical meeting. Setback for a once-promising pipeline asset Amlitelimab was acquired as part of Sanofi's $1.1 billion acquisition of Kymab in 2021 and was widely regarded as one of the company's most important late-stage pipeline assets. The fully human monoclonal antibody targets OX40 ligand (OX40L), a key immune regulator involved in the early stages of inflammatory disease, with the aim of reducing T-cell-mediated inflammation without depleting T cells. Earlier this year, Sanofi had indicated it intended to seek regulatory approval based on the overall body of Phase III data. However, following further evaluation, the company has now concluded that the benefit-risk profile does not justify commercialisation in atopic dermatitis. Focus shifts to broader immunology pipeline Despite the setback, Sanofi reaffirmed its commitment to developing new treatments for inflammatory skin diseases, highlighting the ongoing need for additional therapies to address the heterogeneous immune mechanisms underlying atopic dermatitis. The company also confirmed that the Phase II study evaluating amlitelimab in coeliac disease remains ongoing, with results expected during the second half of 2026. Sanofi said it will work closely with investigators, clinical sites and regulators to wind down ongoing atopic dermatitis studies while ensuring appropriate continuity of care for enrolled patients. The company added that the decision will have no impact on its financial guidance for the 2026 financial year. Author BioFocus Newsroom Previous Next

< Back LIVX 2026 8th – 10th December, 2026 Dubai, UAE Hosting the most powerful global ecosystem for longevity, biotech, and investment. ! Widget Didn’t Load Check your internet and refresh this page. If that doesn’t work, contact us. Previous Next

< Back 16th – 17th November, 2026 Philadelphia, PA U.S Biotech Day 2026 U.S Biotech Day 2026 to Connect the Global Life Sciences Community in Philadelphia. Every breakthrough in life sciences begins with an idea. A conversation that sparked a collaboration. An unexpected meeting that led to a breakthrough. A partnership that transformed promising science into a life-changing solution. Those moments rarely make the headlines, but they shape the future of medicine. That is the premise behind U.S Biotech Day 2026 , taking place on 16–17 November 2026 at Valley Forge Casino Resort, Philadelphia. Created for biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, investors, researchers, scientists, entrepreneurs, innovators, and business executives, the two-day conference is designed to foster collaboration across the industry. Participants will have the opportunity to exchange ideas, identify strategic partners, explore licensing and investment opportunities, and build relationships that support scientific progress and commercial success. As one of the world's leading life sciences markets, the United States continues to drive innovation across biotechnology, therapeutics, diagnostics, and healthcare technologies. U.S Biotech Day offers attendees direct access to this dynamic ecosystem, creating opportunities to engage with emerging companies, established industry leaders, investors, and solution providers while gaining valuable insight into the trends influencing the sector's future. The event is designed to address both scientific innovation and business strategy, recognizing that meaningful progress depends on successfully translating research into real-world impact. Sessions will examine developments across precision medicine, cell and gene therapies, biologics, AI-powered drug discovery, digital health, advanced manufacturing, regulatory developments, commercialization strategies, and the evolving investment landscape. Rather than focusing solely on technological breakthroughs, discussions will explore how organizations can accelerate innovation through collaboration, strategic partnerships, and sustainable growth. Alongside its conference agenda, U.S Biotech Day places a strong emphasis on business engagement. Structured networking sessions, company presentations, and informal discussions will provide an environment where participants can connect with decision-makers, exchange expertise, and explore opportunities that extend well beyond the event itself. Throughout the two days, attendees can expect: Discussions examining the trends transforming biotechnology and healthcare. Networking opportunities designed to encourage productive business conversations. Perspectives on licensing, investment, commercialization, and growth strategies. Company presentations highlighting innovative technologies and emerging solutions. Direct engagement with leaders and professionals representing the global life sciences community. The conference welcomes organizations at every stage of development. Early-stage biotechnology companies can increase their visibility among investors and potential collaborators, while established pharmaceutical organizations can identify promising technologies, research partnerships, and licensing opportunities. Investors will gain exposure to companies developing innovative solutions with commercial potential, and service providers will have the opportunity to connect directly with organizations supporting research, development, manufacturing, and commercialization across the life sciences value chain. In an industry where collaboration often determines how quickly innovation reaches patients, building the right relationships has become just as important as scientific excellence. U.S Biotech Day is designed to create an environment where those relationships can develop naturally, helping participants uncover new opportunities, expand their professional networks, and strengthen their position within the global biotechnology community. Whether the objective is identifying investment prospects, expanding into new markets, establishing research collaborations, or discovering technologies with transformative potential, the conference provides a focused setting for meaningful engagement and long-term business development. Previous Register now Next

< Back LIVX 2026 8th – 10th December, 2026 Dubai, UAE Hosting the most powerful global ecosystem for longevity, biotech, and investment. ! Widget Didn’t Load Check your internet and refresh this page. If that doesn’t work, contact us. Previous Next

< Back 8th – 10th December, 2026 Dubai, UAE LIVX 2026 Hosting the most powerful global ecosystem for longevity, biotech, and investment. Biotech, life sciences, longevity, age tech. One global platform. LIVX is the first-of-its-kind global platform uniting the full healthcare ecosystem from biotech and life sciences to longevity, AI and Age Tech. Designed to break silos, LIVX connects innovators with regulators, investors, healthcare systems, and global markets to accelerate validation, partnerships, and scale. Explore more HERE . Previous Register now Next