News and Trends 30 Jul 2020 Llama-Derived Nanobodies Join the Fight Against Covid-19 Newly-launched Belgian startup ExeVir Bio will develop ‘nanobodies’ that bind very precisely to key areas of the Covid-19 virus and other coronaviruses after raking in €23M in Series A. Based in Ghent, Belgium, ExeVir Bio is a spin-out of the research institute VIB established with the help of life sciences investor Fund+. Other investors include […] July 30, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 29 Jul 2020 Covid-19 Forces Gene Therapy Companies to Shift Strategy Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, gene therapy companies are suffering, with clinical trials delayed and investors remaining cautious in an increasingly volatile market. Yet many have set their sights on what could potentially turn into a gold mine: applying their technology to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. The UK’s Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult […] July 29, 2020 - 4 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 29 Jul 2020 Update: DNA Script Raises €80M to Bring Rapid DNA Synthesis to the Lab Update on 29/07/2020: DNA Script has increased the total raised in its Series B round to €80M ($89M). The additional funds will support the commercial launch of the company’s benchtop DNA printer, which is designed to allow same-day DNA synthesis directly in the lab bench. The company is planning to launch a beta testing program […] July 29, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 29 Jul 2020 Medical Cannabis: Regulatory Issues, Patient Demand, and Pricing Changes in Germany While the coronavirus pandemic has shaken many industries to their core, the European medical cannabis industry continues to flourish. A number of recent developments in Germany show that the demand for medicinal cannabis is growing. But the German medical cannabis industry is also facing a number of challenges, including an unmet patient demand and a […] July 29, 2020 - 8 minutesmins - By Larissa Warneck-Silvestrin Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 28 Jul 2020 Record Series A for Italian Biotech Funds Autoimmune Therapy Italian biotech Enthera raised €28M in Series A funding to develop its drug candidate for type 1 diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease and take it to human trials. Enthera was founded in 2016 and is the first company to ‘graduate’ from the BiovelocITA accelerator program in Milan, which is supported by French life science investor […] July 28, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 27 Jul 2020 Biological Fungicide Clears Wheat of Rust Disease in European Field Trial A fungicide derived from amoeba has proven effective at protecting wheat from rust disease and other major fungal diseases at bay. Developed by French company Amoéba, this product could provide an eco-friendly solution to a growing problem in agriculture worldwide. Every year, over 5 million tons of wheat are lost to rust disease globally, which […] July 27, 2020 - 2 minutesmins - By Kostas Vavitsas Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
In Depth 27 Jul 2020 Biosensors: Monitoring Our Health Anywhere, Anytime Biosensors are rapidly becoming part of our everyday life. As technology advances, we may soon be able to monitor many aspects of our health at home, in real time, and without needles. Traditionally used in medical practice to monitor patient status, biosensors have recently started to be broadly marketed for wellness and fitness applications. These […] July 27, 2020 - 6 minutesmins - By Timothé Cynober Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 24 Jul 2020 Swiss Company Raises €23M to Smash Cancer with Bacteria Basel-based T3 Pharmaceuticals has closed its third financing round, worth over €23.3M (CHF 25M), to develop a bacterial cancer therapy. Since T3 Pharma was spun off from the University of Basel in 2015, the firm has raised €37M (CHF 40M). The fundraiser included investors such as Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund, Reference Capital, and Wille Finance. […] July 24, 2020 - 2 minutesmins - By Antara Mazumdar Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 23 Jul 2020 Pharma Giant GSK and mRNA Biotech CureVac Ink €1B Deal GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has struck a deal worth up to €1B with the German biotechnology company CureVac to co-develop messenger RNA drugs for infectious diseases. Under the terms of the deal, GSK will fund the development and manufacturing of up to five mRNA-based vaccines and antibody drugs targeting undisclosed infectious diseases. CureVac’s current rabies and Covid-19 […] July 23, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By David Wilson Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 22 Jul 2020 Inhaled Treatment Reduces Severe Covid-19 Risk by 79% An experimental Covid-19 treatment that is delivered directly to the lungs via a nebulizer reduced the risk of mortality and the need for mechanical ventilation in a phase II trial. In the trial, the lead candidate of UK-based biotech Synairgen drove down by 79% the risk of severe disease symptoms such as requiring mechanical ventilation […] July 22, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
In Depth 22 Jul 2020 Artificial Intelligence: A Superpower in the Fight Against Covid-19 The rapid spread of Covid-19 around the world has left drug developers with limited time to identify drug candidates to fight the virus. Amid this crisis, artificial intelligence has proven its value as a tool to make drug discovery faster and cost-effective. Drug discovery is an expensive, long-winded process. Taking a drug from discovery to […] July 22, 2020 - 8 minutesmins - By David Kirk Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 21 Jul 2020 Global €870M Fund Launched to Address Antimicrobial Resistance A global collaboration including the pharmaceutical industry and public funders such as the European Investment Bank has committed to investing €870M ($1B) in tackling the growing crisis of antibiotic-resistant superbugs. So far, over 20 pharmaceutical companies globally have contributed to the fund, called the AMR Action Fund. They are joined by other organizations such as […] July 21, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By Manuela Callari Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email