In Depth 1 Jun 2020 How Personal Genomics Companies Are Changing Drug Development In recent years, companies offering direct-to-consumer genomics tests have started switching the business model and venturing into drug development. Amidst criticism on data protection and lack of transparency, personal genomics companies are leveraging their unique position to generate genomics data to strike lucrative deals with pharma companies. Thanks to cheaper data acquisition and convenient analysis, […] June 1, 2020 - 6 minutesmins - By Timothé Cynober Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 29 May 2020 AI Drug Discovery Firm Exscientia Closes €54M Series C UK-based Exscientia has closed a Series C financing round of €54M ($60M) to develop its artificial intelligence (AI) technology to guide drug discovery. The Danish investor Novo Holdings led the round with its first investment in the company. Additional funding also came from existing investors including drug development company Evotec and Chinese VC firm GT […] May 29, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By David Kirk Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 29 May 2020 Argenx Follows up Phase III Success with Giant €785M Global Offering The Dutch biotech argenx has cashed in on recent positive phase III results by launching an enormous €784.7M ($862.5M) global share offering. Argenx’s fundraise swiftly follows the announcement of phase III trial results earlier this week, where its lead candidate antibody drug, efgartigimod, improved motor symptoms of patients with the chronic autoimmune disease myasthenia gravis. […] May 29, 2020 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 29 May 2020 Spanish Neurology Biotech Launches with €7.6M Series A Accure Therapeutics, a neurology biotech targeting central nervous system (CNS) conditions such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease, has launched in Barcelona with a Series A of €7.6M. Alta Life Sciences, a life science venture capital firm based in the same city, and the Spanish governmental institution The Centre for Technological and Industrial Development funded […] May 29, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 28 May 2020 French Startup Secures €2.3M to Advance Cancer RNA Immunotherapy Lyon-based biopharmaceutical company Tollys has closed a Series A funding round of €2.3M to bring its lead RNA immunotherapy candidate to clinical trials in people with bladder cancer. The round was closed on the basis of the company reaching preclinical proof-of-concept for the drug. It brings the total amount raised by Tollys to €6.4M since […] May 28, 2020 - 2 minutesmins - By Laura Cowen Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 28 May 2020 MSD Enters Covid-19 Vaccine Race by Acquiring Themis Bioscience The US-based big pharma MSD has entered the race to be the first to develop an effective vaccine for Covid-19 by acquiring Austrian biotech Themis Bioscience and its vaccine technology for an undisclosed amount. MSD has been a bit slower than some of its contemporaries to announce its plans regarding a potential treatment or vaccine […] May 28, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 27 May 2020 ‘Just Add Water’ GM Mosquitoes Suppress Wild Population by 95% Water-soluble capsules containing the eggs of genetically modified mosquitoes developed by the UK company Oxitec have reduced the mosquito population in a dengue-infected urban environment in Brazil by 95% after 13 weeks. Aedes aegypti mosquitoes carry a number of infections including dengue, Zika, chikungunya, and yellow fever. Dengue has increased almost 15-fold over the last […] May 27, 2020 - 4 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Expert Advice 27 May 2020 Why Listening to Patient Organizations is Key in Drug Development As the biotech industry flourishes and therapies become more targeted and personalized, the need for drug developers to interact with patients is increasing as well. While patient organizations took a backseat in the past, they are continuously gaining importance in drug development today. Nowadays, talking with patient organizations has become paramount for successful drug development, […] May 27, 2020 - 11 minutesmins - By Larissa Warneck-Silvestrin Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 26 May 2020 Argenx’s Rare Disease Treatment Strikes Gold in Phase III The Dutch biotech argenx aims to apply for FDA approval of its lead candidate efgartigimod after the first-in-class drug improved motor symptoms of the autoimmune disease myasthenia gravis in a phase III trial. The phase III trial tested the effect of efgartigimod in 167 patients with generalized myasthenia gravis. In this incurable chronic condition, the […] May 26, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
In Depth 25 May 2020 Could Cell Therapy Target the Symptoms of Severe Covid-19? The excessive inflammatory response seen in the most serious cases of Covid-19, along with shortages of ventilators, has caused a healthcare crisis in many countries around the world. Could cell therapy provide an answer to this dilemma? Most people who become infected with Covid-19 experience symptoms such as a dry cough and mild fever, and […] May 25, 2020 - 5 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 25 May 2020 Evonik and Beiersdorf Team Up to Turn CO₂ into Skin Care Products The German companies Evonik and Beiersdorf will work together on a joint research project to investigate how bacteria can be used to turn carbon dioxide (CO₂) and water into raw materials for skincare products. The process will be built on Evonik’s artificial photosynthesis technology – being developed independently of this project in collaboration with Siemens […] May 25, 2020 - 2 minutesmins - By Laura Cowen Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 22 May 2020 Phase II Fail Ends Swiss-US Drug for Rare Kidney Disease An initially promising drug has failed to show benefits in a phase II trial for the rare kidney disease focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), prompting the US biotech ChemoCentryx and its Swiss collaborator Vifor Pharma to drop it for this indication. Topline results from the phase II trial showed that 12 weeks of treatment with the […] May 22, 2020 - 2 minutesmins - By Anita Chakraverty Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email