In Depth 22 Jun 2020 The Age of Agrochemicals is Ending: It’s Time for Agricultural Biotechnology As Europe moves to reduce its reliance on agrochemicals in the farming system over the next 10 years and beyond, a crucial question emerges: what replaces them? Agricultural biotechnology could provide the answer. The use of agrochemicals — pesticides, fertilizers, and plant growth enhancers — has been crucial to humanity over the last century. They’ve […] June 22, 2020 - 9 minutesmins - By Farhan Mitha Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 19 Jun 2020 Cancer Drug Inspired by Sea Animal Gets FDA Green Light The Spanish company PharmaMar’s stock price has shot up by 30% as its cancer drug lurbinectedin was given accelerated approval for the second-line treatment of metastatic small cell lung cancer in the US this week. Lurbinectedin will be marketed under the brand name Zepzelca and will be made commercially available in the US in early […] June 19, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By Manuela Callari Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 18 Jun 2020 Belgian mRNA Vaccine for Covid-19 Receives €34M Series B Boost Belgian biotech eTheRNA has secured €34M in Series B funding to progress to the clinic its Covid-19 vaccine candidate and cancer immunotherapies made from messenger RNA. The company’s five existing investors contributed to the round, including Dutch VC firm LSP, and the Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund, based in Germany. Four new investors also contributed — […] June 18, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 17 Jun 2020 €30M Series A to Fund Spanish Biotech’s Anti-Metastasis Cancer Drug A Series A round closed by Barcelona-based startup Ona Therapeutics will finance the preclinical development of a drug that prevents cancer from spreading in the body by targeting the metabolism of cancer cells. The round was supported by returning investor Asabys Partners, as well as new European investors including Alta Life Sciences, Bpifrance, Fund+, and […] June 17, 2020 - 2 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 17 Jun 2020 German Government Invests €300M in mRNA Biotech CureVac The Federal Republic of Germany will invest €300M in CureVac, the homegrown biotech that is developing a vaccine for Covid-19 using messenger RNA technology. The unusually large investment will be made through the state-owned bank Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau, which will gain a 23% stake in the company. “CureVac retains complete operational and strategic independence,” Franz-Werner […] June 17, 2020 - 4 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
In Depth 17 Jun 2020 How is European Biotech Rising to the Covid-19 Testing Challenge? Diagnostics have been thrown into the spotlight in the Covid-19 pandemic because of their instrumental role in preventing further infections. However, developing a test for Covid-19 isn’t an easy task. What exactly is needed to make a good Covid-19 test, and how are European biotech companies working to fill this need? While the development of […] June 17, 2020 - 10 minutesmins - By Mark Livingstone Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 16 Jun 2020 UK Startup Bags €37M to Remove Cell Therapy Manufacturing Bottleneck UK biotech startup Bit Bio has received €36.9M in Series A funding to boost the manufacturing efficiency of human cells for use in cell therapy and drug discovery. The impressive deal brings Bit Bio’s total funding to €44.4M since it was spun off from the University of Cambridge in 2016. It’s the second-largest Series A […] June 16, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By External Contributor Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 15 Jun 2020 Chilean Biotech Moves to France to Develop Anti-Mold Food Preservative The startup Protera is moving from Santiago de Chile to Paris following a €5M Series A round that will let the company scale up the production of an antifungal protein food preservative to the pilot scale. The Series A round was led by the European venture capital firm Sofinnova Partners, and will allow the company […] June 15, 2020 - 4 minutesmins - By David Kirk Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 15 Jun 2020 Novo Nordisk Foundation Commits €100M Grant to Developing Green Tech The Novo Nordisk Foundation has awarded a five-year grant of €100M to the DTU Biosustain research center near Copenhagen to support the development of sustainable green technology. DTU Biosustain was founded in 2011 and forms part of the Danish Technical University. The Novo Nordisk Foundation, which is one of the largest charitable foundations in the […] June 15, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
In Depth 15 Jun 2020 Drug Development in Covid-19 Times: Is Going Remote the Answer? With the coronavirus pandemic forcing scientific research labs to close around the globe, it seems almost inevitable that the ongoing crisis will accelerate the growing demand for remote drug development. A number of European companies see this as an opportunity to introduce computer-aided biology and robot-driven labs. In recent years, the pharmaceutical industry has been […] June 15, 2020 - 7 minutesmins - By David Cox Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 11 Jun 2020 AbbVie and Genmab Strike €3.4B Immuno-Oncology Megadeal AbbVie and Genmab have announced a €3.4B collaboration deal that ranks as the second biggest strategic alliance in European biotech in 2020. The partners aim to commercialize three phase I-stage antibody drugs for undisclosed types of solid and liquid cancer. Upfront, the US AbbVie will pay the Danish biotech €659M, with up to €2.77B available […] June 11, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By External Contributor Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 11 Jun 2020 Evox and Lilly Partner to Develop Neuro RNA Drugs in Deal Worth €1.1B British biotech Evox Therapeutics has signed a collaboration deal worth up to €1.1B with US big pharma Eli Lilly to develop RNA drugs that are delivered in exosomes to the brain to treat neurological diseases. As part of the deal, Evox will get €17.6M upfront to fund research for the next three years and Lilly […] June 11, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email