News and Trends 11 Nov 2019 Argenx Raises Whopping €502M in Global Offering The Dutch biotech argenx, which develops antibody drugs to treat autoimmune diseases and cancer, has raised an eye-watering €502M ($557M) in a global offering on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange and Euronext Brussels. Argenx’s global offering was launched last week. It consists of a private placement in Europe as well as a public offering in the […] November 11, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
More News! 11 Nov 2019 Mereo BioPharma’s Brittle Bone Disease Drug Stumbles in Phase II The lead drug of the UK company Mereo BioPharma has achieved mixed results in a phase IIb trial in adults with the genetic condition osteogenesis imperfecta, also known as brittle bone disease. Mereo tested different doses of its antibody drug in 112 adults with osteogenesis imperfecta in a 12-month phase IIb trial. The drug failed […] November 11, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
More News! 7 Nov 2019 Avantium Builds 10-Ton Demonstration Plant to Produce Bioplastics The Dutch bioplastics company Avantium has opened a demonstration plant capable of producing 10 tons per year of mono-ethylene glycol (MEG), a compound used to make plastics, using plants as the starting material. Construction of Avantium’s plant began at Chemie Park Delfzijl, the Netherlands, last year. The plant will extract carbohydrates from agricultural waste and […] November 7, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 7 Nov 2019 €51M Nasdaq IPO Will Fund Centogene’s Rare Disease Diagnostics The German company Centogene has raised €50.6M ($56M) in an IPO on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange to fund the development of diagnostics technology that could improve the treatment of rare diseases. The fundraise fell under Centogene’s target value of €54M ($60M). A part of the proceeds will fuel the development of biomarkers that Centogene will […] November 7, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 6 Nov 2019 UK Biotech Launched to Target ‘Dark Antigens’ with Cancer Vaccines The London-based startup Ervaxx has launched with a €15.8M Series A round to develop cancer vaccines and cell therapies that target ‘dark antigens’ — normally silent genes in the genome that are expressed in cancer cells. Ervaxx’s Series A round was funded by the transatlantic venture capital firm SV Health Investors, as well as an […] November 6, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 5 Nov 2019 UK Scientists Speed up Brain Cancer Diagnosis with AI A technique combining a blood test with artificial intelligence (AI), developed by the UK company ClinSpec Diagnostics, could help to prioritize which patients need to be scanned for brain cancer. A team led by researchers at the University of Strathclyde and the University of Edinburgh, UK, trialed the technology on blood samples from 400 people […] November 5, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 4 Nov 2019 Finnish Genetics Study Provides Clues for Treating Type 2 Diabetes A genetic mutation common to Finnish populations has been found to protect against type 2 diabetes by increasing insulin in the blood, providing a potential target for new drugs. The mutation is found in at least 0.2% of the population in western Finland, whereas it only appears in 0.02% of other European populations. The mutation […] November 4, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Startup Scout 1 Nov 2019 This Biotech Turns Seafood Waste into Packaging Using Microbes The Scottish company CuanTec is developing an energy-efficient way to recycle seafood shells into food packaging via bacterial fermentation, which could reduce plastic waste. Mission: To turn the thrown away shells of langoustines into antimicrobial food packaging. This would cut down both on food waste tipping and modern society’s reliance on plastics. CuanTec was founded […] November 1, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 31 Oct 2019 European Project Launches to Tailor Autoimmune Disease Treatments Public and private organizations across Europe will pool their resources in an €80M project to discover biomarkers that can predict which patients will respond best to treatments for autoimmune diseases. The project is called Taxonomy, Treatments, Targets and Remission, or 3TR for short, and is funded by the EU’s Innovative Medicines Initiative for the next […] October 31, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 30 Oct 2019 Trial Testing Spinal Application of Zolgensma Put on Hold by FDA The FDA has placed a partial hold on clinical trials testing a new application method for Zolgensma, Novartis’ gene therapy for the genetic disease spinal muscular atrophy, after it showed the potential to cause serious side effects in animal models. Spinal muscular atrophy is a life-threatening condition that usually arises when the patient is between […] October 30, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 29 Oct 2019 MorphoSys and Galapagos’ Eczema Drug Abandoned at Phase II Development of MorphoSys, Galapagos, and Novartis’ first-in-class antibody drug has been discontinued during a phase II trial after an interim analysis suggested it wouldn’t meet its main endpoint of reducing eczema symptoms. The drug was being developed to treat the inflammatory skin condition atopic dermatitis, also known as eczema. It arose from a collaboration between […] October 29, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
More News! 28 Oct 2019 UK Company Synthesizes Long DNA Molecules with 85% Accuracy The UK biotech Camena Bioscience has proven it can synthesize long DNA molecules with more accuracy than traditional chemical synthesis. Camena tested its technology’s ability to accurately synthesize DNA molecules with a length of 300 nucleotides — the building blocks of DNA. Using Camena’s technology, 85% of the synthesized DNA molecules were accurate to the […] October 28, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email