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The article offers information on a survey of entrepreneurial collaborations among health biotechnology firms in developing countries. According to the survey, though there is a high level of collaboration, there is also a lack of emphasis on new or improved health biotechnology products and processes. Countries included in the survey are Brazil, China, Cuba, Egypt, India, and South Africa and the number of firms surveyed is 467 wherein a total of 288 firms completed the survey. Survey authors recommend the integration of more South-South collaboration in their innovation policies and provide support for firms that want to promote innovation in health biotechnology.

A letter to the editor is presented concerning a survey on collaboration between the Southern and Northern hemispheres in the realm of biotechnology.

Mass spectrometry (MS) plays a crucial role in metabolomics, especially in the discovery of disease biomarkers. This review outlines strategies for identifying metabolites, emphasizing precise and detailed use of MS techniques. It explores various methods for quantification, discusses challenges encountered, and examines recent breakthroughs in biomarker discovery. In the field of diagnostics, MS has revolutionized approaches by enabling a deeper understanding of tissue-specific metabolic changes associated with disease. The reliability of results is ensured through robust experimental design and stringent system suitability criteria. In the past, data quality, standardization, and reproducibility were often overlooked despite their significant impact on MS-based metabolomics. Progress in this field heavily depends on continuous training and education. The review also highlights the emergence of innovative MS technologies and methodologies. MS has the potential to transform our understanding of metabolic landscapes, which is crucial for disease biomarker discovery. This article serves as an invaluable resource for researchers in metabolomics, presenting fresh perspectives and advancements that propels the field forward., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Linaclotide (LINA) is a first-in-class guanylate cyclase agonist used for treating irritable bowel syndrome with constipation (IBS-C) and chronic idiopathic constipation. Stress degradation studies were performed to examine LINA's intrinsic stability, adhering to International Council for Harmonisation of Technical ICH) guidelines Q1A (R2). The current study endeavours to elucidate the stability behavior of LINA by exposing various stress conditions. A simple LC method was developed for effective separation of all LINA degradation products using a Waters Symmetry C18 column (150 ×4.6 mm, 3.5 µm) as the stationary phase. The generated degradation products were identified and characterized by using high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS), MS/MS studies. The mechanistic fragmentation pathway for the seven degradation products was established and the chemical structure for the identified degradation products was elucidated. LINA was susceptible to degrade under acidic, basic, neutral, photolytic, and oxidative conditions. A total of three Pseudo DPs, DP-1, DP-2, and DP-3, were formed under acidic conditions while using methanol as the co-solvent. Additionally, degradation products (DPs) were identified: DP-4 formed under basic stress condition and DP-5 under neutral, thermal, and photolytic conditions. Furthermore, DP-6 and DP-7 were formed under oxidative stress condition. This study established the mechanistic fragmentation pathways and elucidated the chemical structures of the degradation products, offering valuable insights for generics and novel formulation drug development., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The concept of extractables and leachable has introduced a new era for identifying potential impurities in drug products. Pharmaceutical packaging materials encompass a variety of polymers due to their appealing properties for storing the drug product. However, numerous chemical species may leach into the drug product from these polymers, posing significant health hazards in the public domain. Identifying such leachable is crucial for assessing safety and addressing toxicological concerns. Acrylic acids are commonly used materials for adhering needles to the barrel in pre-filled syringes. In this study, we identified acrylic acid leachable impurities in ganirelix drug products available in the market using mass spectrometry as an analytical technique. These impurities leached into the drug product during storage conditions. Characterization of the impurities was carried out through data obtained from HRMS and MS/MS analysis, revealing them as polyacrylic acid-ganirelix adduct impurities. This study offers valuable insights into identifying leachable and susceptible sites, providing a foundation for potential modifications in similar classes of drug products, thereby enhancing their safety and efficacy., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no competing interests to declare., (Copyright © 2024 American Pharmacists Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Rationale: Disulfide bridges (DSB) play an important role in stabilizing three-dimensional structures of biopharmaceuticals, single purified proteins, and various cyclic peptide drugs that contain disulfide in their structures. Incorrect cross-linking known as DSB scrambling results in misfolded structures that can be inactive, immunogenic, and susceptible to aggregation. Very few articles have been published on the experimental annotation of DSBs in proteins and cyclic peptide drugs. Accurate characterization of the disulfide bond is essential for understanding protein confirmation., Methods: Characterizing DSBs using mass spectrometry (MS) involves the chemical and enzymatic digestion of samples to obtain smaller peptide fragments, in both reduced and nonreduced forms. Subsequently, these samples are analyzed using MS to locate the DSB, either through interpretation or by employing various software tools., Results: The main challenge in DSB analysis methods using sample preparation is to obtain a sample solution in which nonnative DSBs are not formed due to high pH, temperature, and presence of free sulfhydryl groups. Formation of nonnative DSBs can lead to erroneous annotation of disulfide bond. Sample preparation techniques, fragmentation methods for DSB analysis, and contemporary approaches for DSB mapping using this fragmentation were discussed., Conclusions: This review presents the latest advancement in MS-based characterization; also a critical perspective is presented for further annotation of DSBs using MS, primarily for single purified proteins or peptides that are densely connected and rich in cysteine. Despite significant breakthroughs resulting from advancements in MS, the analysis of disulfide bonds is not straightforward; it necessitates expertise in sample preparation and interpretation., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Rationale: Enasidenib (EDB) is an orally active selective mutant isocitrate dehydrogenase-2 enzyme inhibitor approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat acute myeloid leukemia. It lacks a reported forced degradation study and a stability-indicating assay method (SIAM). This study addresses this gap by establishing a degradation profile in accordance with the International Council for Harmonisation Q1A and Q1B (R2) guidelines and developing a validated SIAM for EDB., Methods: EDB was exposed to forced degradation under various conditions (hydrolytic, photolytic, oxidative, and thermal stress). Degradation samples were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography on an Agilent ZORBAX Eclipse Plus C18 column with a mobile phase consisting of 0.1% formic acid in Milli-Q water and acetonitrile at a flow rate of 1 mL/min and detection at 270 nm. Liquid chromatography-quadrupole time-of-flight-high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC/Q-TOF HRMS) was used for the identification and characterization of degradation products. Nitrosamine risk assessment was conducted using a modified nitrosation assay procedure (NAP) test due to the presence of a secondary amine group in the drug, which is liable to forming nitrosamine drug substance-related impurities (NDSRI)., Results: The drug exhibited significant degradation under acidic, basic, photolytic, and oxidative conditions in the solution state. A total of nine degradation products (DP) were formed (DP-I, DP-III, and DP-IV: acidic conditions; DP-I and DP-III: basic conditions; DP-II, DP-V, DP-VI, and DP-VII: oxidative stress; and DP-VII, DP-VIII, and DP-IX: photolytic conditions), which were separated and identified using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and characterized using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The mechanism behind the formation of EDB degradation products has been discussed, and this study was the first to develop a degradation pathway for EDB. In addition, the possibilities of NDSRI formation for EDB were studied using a modified NAP test, which can contribute to the risk assessment of the drug., Conclusions: Forced degradation studies were conducted by establishing a SIAM for EDB. All the degradation products were characterized by mass spectral data obtained using LC/Q-TOF-HRMS., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)