Page 2 - News

In 2022, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved 37 new drugs, of which 20 were chemical entities and 17 were biologics. In 2023, drug discovery remains strong with many new advancements a result of changing landscapes in both the types of drugs that are being developed and the new and innovative assay that are being launched to evaluate drugs preclinically. Therapeutic development is still highly focused on diseases that affect large populations of people for which there are lack of effective treatments, with 2023’s most anticipated drug launches expected to be in areas of cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease, and ulcerative colitis.

The US FDA Modernization Act 2.0 replaces the 1938 Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act which required animal testing prior to human trials. The new law, sponsored in the Senate by Rand Paul and co-sponsored by 11 other bi-partisan senators, eliminates that requirement. Representatives Vern Buchanan and Elaine Luria introduced the companion bill in the House, with over 105 bi-partisan cosponsors. President Biden signed the bill into law in December 2022.

With the advent of modern research methods, we now have many options available to test the efficacy and safety of new pharmaceuticals without requiring the use of animals. Some of these methods include cell-based assays, microphysiological systems like organ-on-a chip (OOC), and bio-printed or computer models. In 2019, the cost of bringing a new drug to market varied greatly from $161 million up to $4.5 Billion[1]. A 2020 study estimated the median cost at a staggering $985.3 million[2]. It can take up to 18 years to bring a new drug to...more

The Butantan Institute, an agency linked to the State Department of Health of São Paulo and one of the largest biomedical research centers in the world, held the 4th edition of the Zebrafish Creation and Management university extension course in December where they exhibited WPI's Zebrafish Microinjection System.

The training is aimed at professionals and post-graduate students involved in zebrafish research as an animal model. The program addressed the physical characteristics, the environment of origin and the way of reproduction and growth of this fish. The coordinators are the researchers Mônica Lopes Ferreira and Carla Lima, responsible for the Zebrafish Platform of CeTICS Butantan whose current capacity holds 6,000 adult fish.

https://www.redezebrafish.com.br/parceiros

Jonas de Jesus, from WPI Brasil visit the winner of a contest to name a mascot for the Zebrafish Network. Jonas presented the winner with a surgical kit for zebrafish research.

The project "The Zebrafish Network" is a result of the partnership of the Center for Toxins, Immune Response and Cell Signaling (CeTICS) of the Butantan Institute, and aims to promote communication and integration, as well as foster collaborations between researchers studying the fish "Paulistinha ", Which has been used for many scientific studies because of its genetic similarity with humans (70%).

"The idea is that everyone who belongs to the network can divulge their work, interact with other researchers and inform about what is happening, such as publication of articles, lectures and congresses on the subject," explains Mônica Lopes , director of the Special Laboratory of Toxicology and coordinator of the Zebrafish Platform.

Since the Zebrafish Platform opened in the IB in 2015, a network of researchers has formed...more