‘Heart-in-a-Jar’ Could Save Pharma Companies Billions

The Novoheart is a tiny beating heart-like structure composed of stem cells. It's used for drug testing and is changing the way drugs make it to market.

Dec 11th, 2017

Novoheart / Image: Novoheart

Novoheart / Image: Novoheart

Taking a drug from initial concept to clinical trial takes about a decade and a billion dollars. A recent CBC News article discussed a new concept: a ‘heart-in-a-jar’ that’s posed to save pharmaceutical companies years of development and a lot of money. The Novoheart is an actual beating heart-like structure made of stem cells that could revolutionize the path to market for new drugs.

Creating the heart valves is a multi-step process where scientists reprogram blood cells into stem cells that are then manipulated into heart cells. Millions of these heart cells form a Jello-O like solution that grows into a mold taking the shape of the “heart.” Once fully formed, the mini heart beats allowing scientists to measure the pace, similar to a heart rate. Pharmaceutical companies have already expressed interest, but Novoheart must file paperwork with the securities regulator before divulging details.

Gregor Anderson, MD of Pharmacentric Solutions

Pharmapack Expert Recommends Holistic Approach to Sustainability

Encouragingly, the industry might be 30% along its sustainability journey, but greater interoperability is needed from materials to devices for next stage of development.

Peter Buczynsky, Vice President & General Manager of Pharmaworks blister packaging machinery with PPE face shield.

Packaging Industry fights Covid-19

ProMach company launches collaborative packaging industry effort to donate protective face shields

ACG has received a certification of compliance from Clean Label ProjectTM for its ACGcapsTM H+.

ACG Receives Certification for its ‘Clean Label’ Capsules

ACG is the first and the only capsule manufacturer at this time to receive the certification.

Getty Images 1170191165

Healthcare Market Equipment Investments Poised for Growth in 2021

Personal care and pharmaceuticals /medical devices are two markets that, not surprisingly, are holding their own and even expecting growth during COVID-19.

Syntegon Virtuelle Messe

Syntegon Unveils Sustainable, Intelligent Machine Design

Following a major corporate rebranding, the food and pharma packaging OEM launches its first virtual show as a platform to introduce new products and interact with customers.

Midol Before After[1]

Redesign Reverses Course to Reflect Modern Women

Midol®, the venerable OTC menstrual relief brand from Bayer, underwent a striking packaging redesign, reversing course on existing iconography, typography, and messaging.

The coronavirus pandemic is also set to boost the geriatric medicines market.

COVID-19 to Boost Market Prospects for the Global Geriatric Medicines Market

Report foresees positive growth in the geriatric medicines market at a CAGR of 6% from 2020 through 2026.

The state-of-the-art coating line has increased kp’s local South American coating capacity by over 30%

Klӧckner Pentaplast Completes Major Pharma Capacity Expansion in Cotia, Brazil

Expansion provides additional coating capacity and reduces the site’s carbon footprint and overall energy consumption.

In Support of Customers’ Crisis Response, Groninger USA Extends Service to Weekends and Lowers Rates

To support the COVID-19 response, weekend services will help maximize production output and uptime for customers’ production support technicians and prepare for the upcoming catch-up rally.

Getty Images 116406615

Take PDA's COVID-19 Survey in Pharmaceuticals

The Parenteral Drug Association (PDA) is conducting an important assessment to understand industry impacts on operations and supply chains.

The semi-automatic RRA enables PCI to establish a flexible auto-injector assembly process with a minimum of downtime between batches.

Burgeoning Auto-Injector Market Demands Flexible Production Options

Injectable drug delivery is surging, and auto-injectors are helping patients self-administer more easily. PCI Pharma Services turned to an assembly machine from Syntegon Technology to provide the needed flexibility and scalability.

Glass-Like Plastic for Injectables

Day 2 Innovation Stage at PACK EXPO East in Philadelphia introduced a film from Japan that delivers same performance as glass for parenteral drugs.

Gettyimages Pills 1

CPhI Japan to be Postponed on Request of Event Attendees

Rescheduling will ensure all stakeholders can take part in a successful exhibition and conference.

“The rebranding effort showcases our commitment to delivering tailored end-to-end systems that meet each customer’s unique set of challenges.”

TCP Reliable Announces Corporate Name Change to Integreon Global

Corporate name change demonstrates ongoing commitment to integrating technologies, expertise and capabilities offered by Integreon Global and its family of companies.

VR piqued the company’s interest because it seemed to be the only medium that could transcend boundaries in a remote way to enable both instruction and hands-on skill building focused on the “why.”

Machine-Agnostic VR Comes to Sterile Manufacturing Education

You’ve heard of OEMs offering augmented reality tools, but virtual reality has come to pharmaceutical processing training. How does improved critical thinking impact the bottom line?

Credence MedSystems, one of two winners in the “Best Innovation in Drug Delivery Device,” was chosen for its Connect™ Auto-Sensing Injection System, which incorporates real-time monitoring of critical injection data into a reusable ergonomic grip. The Credence app also measures and transmits injection progress in real-time, as well as providing users with reminders and instructions on how to use the auto-injector.

2020 Pharmapack Award Winners Announced

The Pharmapack Awards celebrate the latest innovations from packaging companies within the drugs, medical devices, health products and veterinary drugs sectors.

The vials offer a more attractive physical appearance (no burrs), uniform orifice/drug delivery, flexible closure design and printing capability, ability to mold with barrier materials vs. only one material, more uniform wall thickness, and reclosable features.

Lameplast: line of single, multidose containers and filling equipment at Pharmapack

Higher level of precision, functionality, and quality control with flexible closure design and printing capability as well as other features.

Enercon and Innovation decided on an out-of-the-box configuration: two sealers per line, configured at the two different bottle heights required.

Sealing Two Bottles Sizes on One Line

The Department of Veterans Affairs’ Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy (CMOP) needed a tailor-made system to safely seal two bottle sizes.

Sovereign implemented serialization and aggregation on all three configurations of packaging lines at once.

CDMO Speeds its Line with Open-Source L4 Serialization System

With the serialization deadline approaching, Sovereign Pharmaceuticals implemented open-source software that allows the company to make their own changes and improve packaging efficiency.

Xcelerate optimizes the active packaging development process through end-to-end insight and expedites speed-to-market.

Aptar CSP: Xcelerate Development Services to Fast-Track Active Packaging Systems

From stability challenge to commercial launch, Xcelerate expedites the packaging process for medicines sensitive to moisture, oxygen, and volatile compounds.

More in Pharmaceutical

Emilie Peltre, Senior Principal Packaging Engineer for Abbott opens the Abbott Connected Health Challenge at the AIPIA World Congress.

Live from AIPIA: Abbott Connected Health Challenge

Thirteen smart packaging technology providers pitch their solutions to Abbott to help them create connected packaging that links its consumers to services.

ACGcaps HA have heightened suitability for hygroscopic and moisture-sensitive ingredients

ACG Capsules: ACGcaps HA Meet Global Cultural Requirements and Are Vegan Friendly

The company’s plant-based, GMO-free HPMC capsules are designed for encapsulation and high-speed production environments.

60% of people globally over the age of 50 have purchased products online

E-Com Expanding Convenience, Compliance and Customized Healthcare Packaging for Seniors

The convenience of online ordering, delivery and personalized packaging has the added benefit of increasing senior compliance with medications.

Activ-Blister Packaging / Image: Aptar

FDA Approves Activ-Blister™ Packaging for HIV Drug

The FDA has approved AptarGroup’s packaging solution for oral solid dose HIV prevention medicine.

Metrics completes installation of ACG Engineering high sheer mixer.

CDMO Incorporates New High Shear Mixer

Precision granulator helps manufacturer transition from development to process validation and commercial production.

UPS Collaborates with AmerisourceBergen to Transport Medical Products Via Drone at Multiple U.S. Hospital Systems

Agreement marks first major drug distributor to utilize UPS Flight Forward’s unmanned aerial vehicles to deliver pharmaceuticals and medical supplies to health centers.

vincristine shortage / Image: Getty

U.S. Faces Shortage of Childhood Cancer Drug

Teva Pharmaceuticals stopped production of vincristine, which is used to treat multiple forms of childhood cancer.

Vision-Correcting Eye Drops / Image: Getty

Vision-Correcting Eye Drops Coming Soon

New eye drops proved to improve farsightedness in clinical trials, and will soon be brought to market.

CIPM China 2019: the Marchesini Group showcases the Integra 520, the perfect solution to pack blisters into cartons at high speeds

CIPM China 2019: the Marchesini Group showcases the Integra 520, the perfect solution to pack blisters into cartons at high speeds

Integra 520 combines a thermoformer and a cartoner for higher speeds and higher precision.

Breast Cancer Vaccine / Image: Getty

Mayo Breast Cancer Vaccine Coming Soon(ish)

Mayo’s breast cancer vaccine is in the early phases of research, but could be widely available in as little as eight years.

Digital Network Platform to Further Transform the Global Pharmaceutical Supply Chain

TraceLink: Digital Network Platform to Further Transform the Global Pharmaceutical Supply Chain

The platform is designed to allow users to rapidly design and deploy network orchestration and analytics applications, enabling patient-centric orchestration across the end-to-end life sciences value chain.

Cancer Therapy / Image: Adobe Stock

Yale Team Develops Immune Therapy for Cancer

Researchers at the prestigious university have developed a therapy that stimulates immune cells to attack tumors in mice.