In Depth 2 Nov 2020 Synthetic Biology: The Next Step in the Cannabinoid Revolution The recent relaxation of cannabis legislation in Canada, many parts of the US, and several European countries has attracted a lot of investment. While most endeavors focus on extracting cannabinoid compounds from cannabis plants, there’s a growing interest in producing them using engineered microbes. Nehtaji Gallage was first acquainted with cannabinoids when she was a […] November 2, 2020 - 6 minutesmins - By Kostas Vavitsas Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 30 Oct 2020 Bayer’s AskBio Acquisition Strong Statement For Gene Therapy in Europe This week, German big pharma Bayer announced a €3.5B takeover of Asklepios BioPharmaceutical, a well known US gene therapy specialist. This is only one of many examples of the funding windfall experienced by the gene therapy field in 2020. Despite the difficulties posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, 2020 has been a good year for gene […] October 30, 2020 - 6 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 29 Oct 2020 Universal Flu Vaccines Yield Second Clinical Failure This Year In a blow to hopes for better protection from seasonal flu, last week’s phase III failure of BiondVax’s universal flu vaccine follows the phase II flop of Vaccitech’s flu vaccine in January. Last week proved a major setback for the Israeli biotech BiondVax. The company’s vaccine — designed to protect against multiple strains of flu […] October 29, 2020 - 5 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 28 Oct 2020 Do Natural Killer Cells Hold the Key to Treating Blood Cancers? Novel immunotherapies, like T cell therapy, may have shown recent successes but they also come with a number of setbacks, such as long timelines and serious adverse reactions. As CEO of the Dutch biotech Kiadis Pharma, Arthur Lahr has been leading the development of a technology that could overcome these limitations by using natural killer […] October 28, 2020 - 7 minutesmins - By Larissa Warneck-Silvestrin Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Expert Advice 26 Oct 2020 How to Prepare for a Successful Biotech IPO Any biotech company that has reached a certain size and is in need of investment will have to consider the critical question: is it time to go public? Navigating the stock market can be particularly challenging for biotech companies. The biotech industry has some unique requirements that sets it apart from, say, tech or real […] October 26, 2020 - 10 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Best in Biotech 19 Oct 2020 Top 10 Companies Combining AI and Drug Discovery in Europe Rapid advances in artificial intelligence over the last decade have the potential to revolutionize how drugs are developed. These are the top 10 companies in Europe that are working to make AI drug discovery a reality. Drug development is a slow and increasingly expensive process. Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to make the drug […] October 19, 2020 - 8 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 15 Oct 2020 Swiss Biotech Launches Amidst Hot Streak for Rare Autoimmune Disease Swiss biotech Chord Therapeutics launched this week with a €13.7M Series A, becoming the latest company to tackle the rare condition neuromyelitis optica, for which three therapies have been approved in less than a year. Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders, previously also known as Devic disease, affect up to 2 in 100,000 people around the world. […] October 15, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 14 Oct 2020 Spatial Transcriptomics Landscape Shifts With Two Major Acquisitions The Swedish firm Cartana and US-based ReadCoor have recently been snapped up by the US giant 10x Genomics to get hold of their spatial transcriptomics technology. What impact will these acquisitions have on the burgeoning field going forward? Last week, 10x Genomics took over ReadCoor for a smooth €298M ($350M). This followed the acquisition of […] October 14, 2020 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Expert Advice 14 Oct 2020 Everything You Need to Know About Biotech Business Models What’s my business model? Who do I partner with? How do I scale up? These are typical strategic questions a young biotech will regularly face. The business model of a biotech company can determine its long-term trajectory to success. In this article, we’ll focus on a typical ‘platform’ biotech company in the biopharma sector whose […] October 14, 2020 - 6 minutesmins - By External Contributor Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 9 Oct 2020 2020 Chemistry Nobel Prize Awarded to CRISPR-Cas9 Pioneers The biotech community is raving about the long-anticipated recognition of the groundbreaking CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing tool, with the Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded to two of its leading developers this week. The Prize in Chemistry went to Emmanuelle Charpentier, Director at the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin, and Jennifer Doudna, a Professor […] October 9, 2020 - 4 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 7 Oct 2020 Investment Is Pouring Into Neuromodulation Treatments The last month has seen several big investments in European neuromodulation and neurostimulation companies, which aim to treat neurological conditions by zapping nerve cells. What’s the reason for this funding peak? Last week, the Italian firm WISE announced the closing of a €15M Series C round to fund the development of a device that blocks […] October 7, 2020 - 6 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 5 Oct 2020 Galapagos’ Arthritis Drug Approved in EU and Japan Amid US Rejection The recent EU and Japan approvals of the rheumatoid arthritis drug filgotinib contrast with the FDA’s rejection in August. What does this signal for Galapagos, Gilead, and other biotechs working in inflammatory disease? For Galapagos and Gilead, it’s been a rollercoaster few months. In August, the FDA decided against approving their drug filgotinib for treating […] October 5, 2020 - 5 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email