#73 – Superbug Turkeys, Venom Cures and Camel Antibodies

The coffee break biotech roundup, by SomX.

Hello my fellow poultry lovers,

It’s been a rough week for our festive favourite, with scientists discovering AMR superbugs in them for the first time. Meanwhile, pharma giant Nxera is swinging the axe with fresh job cuts, a major new initiative is turning to AI to curb the spread of antimicrobial resistance, scorpion venom is being tested as a potential cancer therapy, and camel antibodies are showing early promise in reversing Alzheimer’s.

With superbugs in livestock rising fast, some turkeys really might end up voting for Christmas!

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Discover 🔍

🦃 Superbugs found in British turkeys for first time (The Telegraph): Two drug-resistant troublemakers – colistin-resistant E. coli and vancomycin-resistant Enterococci (VRE) – have been spotted in British turkeys for the first time. Picked up during routine abattoir screening, officials stress your Christmas centrepiece isn’t about to become a public health disaster. Still, with superbug strains of salmonella spreading globally, it’s a reminder that AMR isn’t confined to far-flung farmyards.

Our take: Superbugs flourish where disease risk and heavy antibiotic use collide. The UK is, for now, in a strong position: more than half of salmonella in British turkeys remains fully susceptible to antibiotics, suggesting the worst global strains haven’t broken through. The appearance of VRE and colistin resistance is, however, a warning shot. If those tougher salmonella strains do reach the UK, treatment options narrow quickly. The festive takeaway: cook your turkey properly. No one needs a salmonella side dish.

🪓 Nxera Will Cut 15% of Japan, UK Workforce (Fierce Biotech): Nxera is trimming 15% of its staff across Japan and the UK, and reducing its executive team, in a push to meet its 2030 profitability goals. The cuts will hit the UK and Japan, where most of its 384 employees sit, with R&D spend at the UK site set to drop by ¥3.5 billion in 2026. Nxera is also narrowing its R&D focus, pulling back from an IBD programme and doubling down on next-generation therapies in obesity, metabolic and endocrine disease.

Our take: Nxera is hoping that fewer people equals deeper focus. By slimming down its global workforce and leadership, Nxera is concentrating its resources on areas where its GPCR platform can make the biggest impact. In a year when biopharma layoffs have become background noise, Nxera’s reset looks less like panic and more like disciplined pruning.

🦠 Major UK project launched to tackle drug-resistant superbugs with AI (BBC News): The £45m collaboration between the Fleming Initiative and GSK will use advanced AI models, trained on novel chemical and biological data, to speed up the discovery of new antibiotics and map how resistance spreads. The project will focus on notoriously hard-to-treat Gram-negative bacteria like E. coli and Klebsiella, whose double defences can block or eject most drugs, and will expand into deadly fungal infections such as Aspergillus.

Our take: AMR is often called the silent pandemic for a reason. Drug-resistant infections are already thought to directly kill around a million people a year and contribute to millions more — and the numbers are rising. The UK’s ambitious initiative won’t solve that overnight, but it is exactly the kind of serious, long-term push the field has lacked, and the kind we’ll need if we want new ways to stop both bacteria and fungi from outsmarting us.

🦂 Amazon scorpion venom shows stunning power against breast cancer (Science Daily): Amazonian scorpion venom is emerging as an unlikely weapon against breast cancer, with molecules extracted from the venom of Brotheas amazonicus showing potency comparable to the chemo drug paclitaxel. The peptide – named BamazScplp1 – triggers necrosis in tumour cells, mirroring effects seen in other scorpion-derived molecules.

Our take: A new wave of research is turning venom components, radioisotopes and engineered proteins into next-generation biopharmaceutical tools. It’s very early days, but harnessing venom’s stinging precision to both detect and destroy tumours could offer an alternative to traditional cytotoxics. As scientists learn to clone, engineer and scale these molecules, we may see a fresh class of precision therapies emerge – less “scorpion’s curse” and more “scorpion’s contribution” to future cancer care.

And finally…

🐫 Alzheimer’s antibody from camels and alpacas shows promise as a treatment (The Valley Vanguard): Scientists are turning to our hump-shaped friends for a new class of brain-targeting therapies. These animals produce tiny “nanobodies” – heavy-chain antibody fragments roughly one-tenth the size of a conventional antibody – that can slip through the blood–brain barrier, a feat many drugs struggle with. Early studies suggest they could offer a new way to tackle Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases, with improved stability and fewer off-target effects.

Our take: Nanobodies could fill the long-promised gap between small molecules and bulky biologics in neurology. Their size, stability and ability to reach the brain make them especially attractive for conditions like Alzheimer’s, where drugs often fail to get where they’re needed. Preclinical studies already show improved outcomes in mouse models using brain-penetrant nanobodies. So this is one treatment that definitely won’t give you the hump!

Tune in 🎧

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🥼 How Nimbus CEO Abbas Kazimi Builds Resilient Pipelines Through Culture, Rigour & Smart Bets: A deep dive into how Nimbus balances discipline and smart risk-taking to build a focused, durable biotech pipeline.

🧑‍⚕️ The Faceless Middleman Between You and Your Doctor: A patient, a clinician and a biotech leader unpack how ‘fail-first’ insurance rules delay treatment, strain care and block access to innovative therapies.

💊 Dan Jamieson from Biorelate: How AI is Discovering New Drugs Faster Than Ever: Biorelate CEO Dan Jamieson discusses how AI is transforming biomedical research and accelerating the discovery of hard-to-find drug insights.

Apply ✍️

🔬GMP Production Scientist, eXmoor Pharma: Want to help turn cutting-edge cell and gene therapies into clinical reality? You’ll run cleanroom operations, support tech transfer from PD to GMP suites, and execute manufacturing campaigns that bring complex biologics and novel ATMPs closer to patients.

🧫 Biosciences Account Manager, ThermoFisher Scientific: Make an impact across Scotland (remotely) by joining Thermo Fisher’s Biosciences team, working with advanced products that help scientists tackle complex research challenges.

🧪 Senior Scientific Project Manager, LabConnect: Interested in leading biopharmaceutical analytical testing projects under GLP? In this role, you’ll oversee method development, validation, and data review while managing vendor and CRO performance.

🧠 Operations Associate, Prima Mente: Passionate about building the systems behind the next frontier of brain–AI science? Join a fast-moving team split between London and San Francisco, working with founders Hannah and Ravi to streamline operations and manage logistics for global events. Psst...the deadline is Monday, so get your skates on!

RSVP 📆

🧬 25-27 Nov | bioProcessUK Conference | Newcastle, UK: An opportunity to hear the latest bioprocessing news from leading voices across the UK biomanufacturing community.

🦀 27 Nov | Bionow Oncology Conference in Alderley Park | Macclesfield, UK: A deep dive into the evolving oncology landscape – with keynotes, expert panels, poster sessions, exhibitions and plenty of networking.

🐝 03 Dec | Co-created Future Conference with The University of Manchester | Manchester, UK: A one-day event bringing together researchers, policymakers, industry and community partners to share collaborative sustainability research across materials, energy and nature.

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