The GSK-Oxford Cancer Immuno-Prevention Programme was announced at the end of January and will focus on researching the prevention of cancer through vaccination. The programme is an additional development to the existing relationship between Oxford University and GSK, including the GSK-Oxford Institute of Molecular and Computational Medicine in Oxford, UK.

Upperton Pharma Solutions, a contract and development manufacturing organisation (CDMO) based in the north of England, UK, has announced the expansion of its 50,000ft22 site Trent Gateway with the newly-completed £7m sterile manufacturing facility.

Takeda,aglobal biopharmaceutical company, is due to launch a project, INTERCEPT, which will use biomarkers to prevent symptomatic onset of Crohns Disease before the disease begins to affect patients, later in February. The trial is a first in Europe.

Aravax, a biotechnology company specialising in next-generation immunotherapies, has launched a UK subsidiary at the Oxford Science Park.

UK-based SPT Labtech and Chinese CRO ICE Bioscience have announced the development of a joint laboratory to be built in China. The collaboration seeks to create a state-ofthe-art lab for intelligent drug screening and pharma automation.

Developer and supplier of critical raw materials Biosynth, has opened the doors to its Biosynth Biological Technology site in Suzhou, China.

Recipharm and Exela have announced that they have entered into an exclusive strategic alliance. The alliance between the two contract development and manufacturing organisations (CDMOs) aims to enhance sterile manufacturing capabilities in the US. As part of the alliance, Recipharm will be able to take advantage of Exela’s state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Lenoir, NC, US.

Tiziana Life Sciences, a biotechnology company developing immunomodulation therapies, announced that the National Institutes of Health (NIH),'s National Institute on Aging has awarded a $4m grant to Dr Howard Weiner as principal investigator at Brigham and Women’s Hospital to be the key research site to study nasal anti-cd3 for the treatment of alzheimer’s disease (ad).

Liquid biopsy company ANGLE plc has announced a partnership with NuProbe, a genomics and molecular diagnostics company, to utilise the latter’s pan-cancer next-generation sequencing (NGS) panel.

The European Microbiome Innovation for Health (EMIH) association and the Microbiome Therapeutics Innovation Group (MTIG) have announced a new collaborative agreement. The agreement seeks to advance microbiome drug development by improving collaboration between the two microbiome focused coalitions.

Santhera Pharma has announced the results of its LIONHEART study, which evaluated Vamorolone – a corticosteroid – and confirmed its action as a mineralcorticoid receptor antagonist (MRA).

Drug discovery company Cresset has announced the extension of its global collaboration with chemical and biological contract research organisation (cro) Enamine.