News and Trends 20 Mar 2018 DNA Sequencing Unicorn Oxford Nanopore Raises £100M Round at £1.5Bn Valuation Undeterred by competitors, Oxford Nanopore, one of the few unicorns in the biotech space, has secured £100M (€113M) to continue growing its unique next-generation sequencing platform. Oxford Nanopore is one of the best-funded biotechs in Europe, having raised £507.3M (€578M) in total, and famous for its “DNA-reading gadget the size of a Mars bar that sells for $1,000.” The company plans to […] March 20, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Alexander Burik Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 19 Mar 2018 Early Research in Bone Marrow Transplants Could Treat ALS Early stage research from Spain could lead to a treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) using adult stem cells from bone marrow to stop progressive muscle paralysis. Researchers from the Neuroscience Institute at the Universidad Miguel Hernández (UMH) in Elche, Alicante, and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) aim to test a stem cell treatment for […] March 19, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Alexander Burik Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
More News! 19 Mar 2018 Could the Microbiome Treat Side Effects of Stem Cell Transplants? MaaT Pharma, based in Lyon, has received authorization to launch a Phase II trial for its therapy, which targets the gut microbiota to treat complications from stem cell transplants. MaaT Pharma will launch a Phase II trial for MaaT013, a therapy for treating acute graft-versus-host disease — a major complication of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation […] March 19, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Alexander Burik Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 19 Mar 2018 This French Device Could Repair Holes in the Heart HoliStick Medical, a Paris-based startup, is developing a novel catheter device that can repair holes in the heart without the use of sutures. HoliStick Medical, has gained the exclusive rights to develop a catheter device created by Harvard University and MIT. The catheter is designed to repair holes and tissue defects in the heart and other […] March 19, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Alexander Burik Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Startup Scout 16 Mar 2018 This Belgian Biotech Could Speed Up Diagnoses for Neurodegenerative Diseases Today we’re in Ghent, Belgium, home to several successful biotechs, including Ablynx, to visit ADx Neurosciences. The biotech specializes in biomarker assays for the detection of neurodegenerative diseases. Mission: Founded in 2011, ADx Neurosciences focuses on the development of antibodies to detect biomarkers in the diagnosis of neurodegenerative conditions from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s to traumatic brain injury. The anitbodies […] March 16, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Alexander Burik Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 15 Mar 2018 This Swedish Discovery Could Change the Way We Treat Diabetes Swedish researchers have found that insulin-producing cells alone are not enough to fine-tune blood sugar levels. This could change the way diabetes treatments are designed. While it is known that certain clusters of cells in the pancreas called pancreatic islets influence the set point for blood sugar, the exact mechanisms are still unknown. The control of […] March 15, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Alexander Burik Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 15 Mar 2018 Can MorphoSys’ Alzheimer’s Treatment Work Where Big Pharma has Failed? Roche has positive clinical data in support of starting a Phase III trial in Alzheimer’s with an antibody initially developed by MorphoSys. However, the field is full of similar approaches that have failed. Roche plans to start a Phase III study to test MorphoSys’ Alzheimer’s treatment gantenerumab later this year, after encouraging preliminary clinical results. The drug […] March 15, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Alexander Burik Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 13 Mar 2018 French Biotech Restores Vision in Humans with Subretinal Implant Pixium Vision has successfully restored vision in three patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) using an implanted wireless device, offering significant improvements to their quality of life. Pixium Vision has restored vision in three patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), using a wireless microchip, named PRIMA, that is implanted under a patient’s retina. The technology marks a […] March 13, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Alexander Burik Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 13 Mar 2018 Danish Biotech Collaborates With US Merck on Combination Therapy for Lung Cancer IO Biotech will test its immune modulator in combination with Merck’s checkpoint inhibitor Keytruda, known for curing former US President Jimmy Carter’s cancer. IO Biotech, based in Copenhagen, has entered an agreement with Merck (the US one) to enter a Phase I/II trial for treating lung cancer with IO’s immune modulator, IO102, and Merck’s checkpoint […] March 13, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Alexander Burik Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 13 Mar 2018 This Oxford Spin-out Could be Printing New Body Parts The Oxford spin-out OxSyBio has secured £10M (€11,26M) to develop a 3D tissue printer that uses liquid droplets to design and regenerate tissues. Founded in 2014, OxSyBio is developing a technology to 3D print living tissues in order to replace body parts that are damaged by disease or injury. The substantial Series A funding was provided by Woodford Investment […] March 13, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Alexander Burik Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 12 Mar 2018 FDA Says Dutch Surgical Sealant Patch Could Save Lives Polyganics has received a Breakthrough Device Designation from the FDA for its biodegradable sealant patch for surgical wounds. Polyganics, based in Groningen, the Netherlands, specializes in medical devices that use natural polymers to help regenerate injured tissue. The FDA granted a Breakthrough Device Designation for its Liver and Pancreas Sealant Patch. The patch uses Polyganics polymer technology to seal […] March 12, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Alexander Burik Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 12 Mar 2018 We Can Now Make Plastics Out of Old Clothes Using Biology Carbios, a French biotech, has developed an environmentally-friendly method to break down the PET plastic fibers in textile waste using enzymes. Carbios has developed a technology which can depolymerize textile waste fibers made of PET plastics into their original monomers. The technology uses enzymes to create biodegradable plastics and recycle existing plastics into their original compounds for […] March 12, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Alexander Burik Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email