In Depth 13 Jun 2017 Will Gene Editing Bypass the GMO Struggle or Worsen Public Distrust? In the US, the first CRISPR-edited crops were able to bypass GMO regulations, but Europe’s plant scientists are still awaiting the final go ahead. In April 2016, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) gave the green light to the first CRISPR-edited crops, a mushroom that has been engineered to resist browning and a waxy corn from […] June 13, 2017 - 6 minutesmins - By Melanie De Almeida Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
In Depth 24 May 2017 What Happens when the Immune System Attacks Life-Saving Drugs? Immunogenicity has been largely disregarded despite its huge impact on the performance of biological drugs. What is it and how can we fight it? Immunogenicity can be a huge problem. Affecting especially protein-based drugs, this process consists in the development of anti-drug antibodies (ADAs) against a molecule that, in most cases, is saving the life […] May 24, 2017 - 4 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
In Depth 10 May 2017 Incentivizing Charity: A New Way to Fund Cancer Research Here’s what we learned from a lecture by finance guru Roger Stein on a new cancer research funding model at the Charité BIH Entrepreneurship Summit in Berlin. “I’m not a scientist. I can’t build a drug. I’m never going to have enough money to fund even one of those [clinical] trials. But…all of us together […] May 10, 2017 - 4 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
In Depth 9 May 2017 Rise of the Superbugs: How is Biotech Fighting Antibiotic Resistance? Fewer antibiotics are produced as development costs rise. We reached out to a few companies addressing the serious issue of antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest threats to our societies and health systems, and the number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is growing at a disquieting rate. The estimated number of people killed by […] May 9, 2017 - 8 minutesmins - By External Contributor Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
In Depth 27 Apr 2017 Spain: An Emerging Star in the European Biotech Community Take note, Spain is becoming a new hotspot for biotech in Europe. More than €400M of venture capital, counting recent fundraising and anticipated closings, is forecasted to be available this year to fund the creation and growth of start-ups in the life sciences sector. Behind the growing interest among investors are novel opportunities with breakthrough potential […] April 27, 2017 - 6 minutesmins - By External Contributor Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
In Depth 11 Apr 2017 Social Impact and Biotech: A Founder Revisits the Business Models A recent article published on Labiotech.eu provided some high-level insight into whether or not non-profit structures are suitable for biotechnology companies. In this article we dig a little deeper, and challenge some of the assumptions and hypotheses presented. Across the globe, there is a new movement of entrepreneurs emerging, which value making a positive impact with their […] April 11, 2017 - 5 minutesmins - By External Contributor Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
In Depth 21 Mar 2017 Rethinking Profits: Can a Socially Conscious Model work in Biotech? As biopharma continues to weather a maelstrom of public scrutiny for its prices and profits, I asked executives about alternative models. Conventional wisdom in biotech is that the non-profit model can’t work in the industry: it takes a decade and billions in cash to develop a drug, with no guaranteed success. No investor would sink […] March 21, 2017 - 7 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
In Depth 31 Jan 2017 Biologicals on the Brain: Biotech in Neurodegenerative Disease Brain diseases are hard to treat, but biotechs are harnessing a variety of techniques, including immunotherapy and gene therapy, to target neurodegenerative disorders. When Eli Lilly announced that solanezumab, a long anticipated Alzheimer’s antibody, failed in their third attempt at a late stage trial last year, it crushed patients’ hopes and raised doubts about whether […] January 31, 2017 - 7 minutesmins - By Diana Kwon Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
In Depth 5 Jan 2017 What to Expect from European Biotech Finance in 2017 The new year comes with uncertainty over the future of the biotech industry, whose finance suffered during 2016. What are the expert predictions for 2017? Last year was the worst for biotech finance in a decade. Despite the struggle, some companies managed to make outstanding deals, fundraising and exits in 2016 and experts seem convinced that the […] January 5, 2017 - 3 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
In Depth 29 Nov 2016 The ABCs of ADCs: A Review of Antibody Drug Conjugates Antibody therapies have a little sister who is catching up in funding – and hype? In light of now five deaths from Juno’s CAR-T therapy, antibody drug conjugates are attracting a lot of interest in a resurgence after their debut 10 years ago. To feel out the field, we talked to two CEOs competing directly […] November 29, 2016 - 8 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
In Depth 2 Nov 2016 Green Waste is Biotech’s New Black Gold: A Review of Biorefineries Replacing petroleum-based products with biobased equivalents is the Holy Grail of the bioeconomy. What are biorefineries doing and how can Biotech help? ‘Biorefinery’ is a buzzword for a cool technological space that draws from GreenTech, Industrial Biotech and SynBio. The core concept behind it is relatively simple: these plants mimic the traditional petroleum refinery, but […] November 2, 2016 - 5 minutesmins - By Denise Neves Gameiro Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email