Research Development

Napa Valley, Calif. – October 07, 2026 -- Winegrowers and wineries have pledged $2.5 million to launch Phase One of the Grapevine Red Blotch Virus Research Initiative, a public-private collaboration targeting one of the wine industry's most costly unresolved vineyard threats.

Industry leaders back coordinated three-year research push

The initiative has drawn commitments from Christian Mouiex/Dominus Estate, Darioush Winery, Joseph Phelps Vineyards, Joe Wender and Ann Colgin, Louis P. Ciminelli/Laelius Winegrowing, Opus One Winery, Phillips Family Farming/Vine Hill Ranch, Tom Gamble/Gamble Estates, Pete Richmond/Silverado Farming Company, and The Araujo Family. Phase One is structured as a three-year program funding multiple projects at research institutions, with defined milestones tracking progress from lab discovery to vineyard application.

Shanghai/Hong Kong – – October 03, 2026 -- Antengene Corporation Limited (SEHK: 6996.HK) will present preclinical results of its novel costimulatory T cell engager (Cos-TCE) platform in a Rapid Oral Abstract Presentation at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer Annual Meeting (SITC 2026), running November 4-8 at the Phoenix Convention Center in Arizona.

Chief Scientific Officer to present CD2-based platform data on November 6

Dr. Bing Hou, Antengene's Chief Scientific Officer, will deliver the presentation titled "A CD2-based costimulatory T cell engager platform integrating a novel CD3γε/δε-targeting antibody and steric-hindrance-based CD3 masking," filed under Abstract 15749. The session, categorized as Rapid Oral - Basic 1, is scheduled for 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM Eastern Time on November 6, corresponding to 1:30 AM to 2:30 AM Beijing time on November 7.

New York – – October 03, 2026 -- The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) will honor 16 chemical engineering leaders with its 2026 Institute and Board of Directors' Awards, the organization's highest professional recognition, at the AIChE Annual Meeting in Minneapolis, Minnesota, November 8-12.

Industry and academic sponsors back top honors

Dr. Nicholas Peppas of The University of Texas at Austin will receive the Van Antwerpen Award for Service to AIChE, sponsored by Dow. Dr. Liang-Shih Fan of The Ohio State University earns the Founders Award for lifetime contributions to the field. Dr. Rong Yang of Cornell University will receive the Allan P. Colburn Award, sponsored by DuPont de Nemours, for publications by a young member.

San Diego – October 02, 2026 -- Avimer Bio and structural biologists at Spain's National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO) have published computational methods for building self-assembling protein cages with atomic precision, detailed in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS). The study tackles a long-standing design challenge: predicting protein architecture when building blocks bend during assembly.

Wuxi – September 20, 2026 -- Centron signed an industry-academia-research cooperation agreement with Professor Zhang Xiangyu's team from the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Tsinghua University, targeting process-consistency challenges in adhesive dispensing for manufacturing lines.

Agreement signed at Xishan Technology Transfer Conference in Wuxi

The deal was formalized on Sept. 15, 2026, during the 2026 Xishan Technology Transfer Conference, under the Xishan-Tsinghua industry-academia collaboration program. The framework operates on a model where enterprises raise production-floor questions, universities apply research-based methods, and market application tests the results.

Scottsdale, Ariz. – September 20, 2026 -- CND Life Sciences, Inc. has opened a new Innovation Laboratory in Scottsdale, Arizona, expanding its research and product-development capacity for neurodegenerative disease diagnostics. The facility was inaugurated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by employees, community members, and key stakeholders, and operations are set to begin next week.

New facility separates R&D from clinical testing operations

The Innovation Laboratory operates independently from CND's existing CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited, and CLEP-permitted clinical laboratory, which processes the company's Syn-One Test. The new space is dedicated to assay development, biomarker research, technology evaluation, and translational research programs, allowing the company to pursue early-stage science without disrupting clinical throughput.

San Rafael, Calif. – September 18, 2026 -- BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (Nasdaq: BMRN) has appointed Robert Plenge, M.D., Ph.D., to its Board of Directors, effective September 18, 2026.

Plenge brings nine-site global research oversight from Bristol Myers Squibb

Dr. Plenge currently serves as Executive Vice President, Chief Research Officer and Head of Research at Bristol Myers Squibb, directing scientific operations across nine research sites worldwide. He joined the company in November 2019 through its acquisition of Celgene Corp., where he had led the immunology and inflammation portfolio in research and early development.