News and Trends 8 May 2020 €7M Series A To Democratize Genomics with AI-Driven Cloud Software The UK-based bioinformatics firm Lifebit Biotech has closed a €7M Series A funding round, which will help the startup to accelerate the global market expansion of its AI-driven, cloud-based genomics analysis software. The round was led by the Parisian VC firm Idinvest Partners and also included returning investors Pentech Ventures, Beacon Capital, and Connect Ventures. […] May 8, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By Laura Cowen Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 7 May 2020 EU Pitches Into €7.4B Fund Supporting Covid-19 Treatments & Vaccines The European Commission and global donors have pledged €7.4 billion to a fund aimed at ensuring collaborative development and universal deployment of diagnostics, treatments, and vaccines for Covid-19. The Coronavirus Global Response pledging event is the beginning of a global fundraising marathon organized by the European Union and G20 nations in response to a World […] May 7, 2020 - 4 minutesmins - By David Kirk Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 7 May 2020 BioMarin Partners Swiss Biotech to Develop Cardiac Gene Therapies US biotech BioMarin has partnered Swiss startup DiNAQOR to develop gene therapies to treat rare, inherited cardiac diseases. DiNAQOR will initially receive an upfront payment from BioMarin, followed by developmental, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments and a percentage of royalties on later sales. No financial details of the collaboration were revealed by either company. “We […] May 7, 2020 - 2 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 7 May 2020 Lyme Disease Vaccine Gets Pfizer’s Backing in €284M Deal The French biotech Valneva will collaborate with Pfizer to develop and commercialize Valneva’s phase II-stage Lyme disease vaccine candidate. The deal they signed is expected to help compensate for the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Valneva’s financial outlook for 2020. The latest alliance will pool Valneva’s vaccine R&D expertise with Pfizer’s vast drug development […] May 7, 2020 - 4 minutesmins - By Karen O’Hanlon Cohrt Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Expert Advice 4 May 2020 How Are Biotech VC Investments Changing with Covid-19? Covid-19 has been dominating the news for weeks on end, but what impact is the current pandemic having on biotech VC investments? Some key figures working in the field in Europe discussed their recent experiences, as well as advice for startups navigating this new funding challenge. The coronavirus pandemic has impacted us all in ways […] May 4, 2020 - 8 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Startup Scout 1 May 2020 Belgian Company Harnesses Lab-on-a-Chip Technology to Diagnose Disease The Belgian startup miDiagnostics is developing technology to diagnose diseases quickly, accurately, and at the point-of-care using a silicon lab-on-a-chip and nanoscale-precision microfluidics. Having good diagnostics in place can save lives. This principle is especially true in times of crisis, such as the current coronavirus pandemic. However, producing good diagnostics isn’t a simple task. In […] May 1, 2020 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 30 Apr 2020 Update: Kurma Partners’ Third Biofund Closes at €160M Update (30/04/2020): The French VC firm Kurma Partners has completed the final closing of its third therapeutic fund, exceeding its initial target of €150M. The final closing of Kurma Biofund III was supported by Bpifrance, the European Investment Fund, Idinvest Partners, the Pasteur Institute, the German public development bank NRW.BANK, and Servier Laboratories. Kurma managed […] April 30, 2020 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 29 Apr 2020 Update: BioNTech and Pfizer’s mRNA Vaccine for Covid-19 Tested in Humans Update (29/04/2020): A vaccine developed by the German company BioNTech and its big pharma partner Pfizer has become the first European mRNA vaccine for Covid-19 to enter human testing in a phase I/II trial. Since dosing began last week, twelve volunteers in Germany have been given the vaccine. The first part of the trial — […] April 29, 2020 - 5 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 29 Apr 2020 Pluristem Scores €50M From EIB to Develop Covid-19 Cell Therapy Israeli cell therapy biotech Pluristem Therapeutics has secured up to €50M in non-dilutive funding from the European Investment Bank to progress its coronavirus-targeting cell therapy to phase III. The partners plan to sign the funding agreement at the end of April and Pluristem will initially receive €20M followed by two further installments totaling up to […] April 29, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 28 Apr 2020 AskBio Takes Over French Gene Therapy Company to Treat Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s The Paris-based BrainVectis, a biotech developing gene therapies for Huntington’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease, has been acquired by the US clinical-stage gene therapy company AskBio. AskBio’s gene therapy experience and manufacturing capacity will help to accelerate BrainVectis’ lead candidate for Huntington’s into phase I testing. In return, AskBio gets to expand its list of target […] April 28, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By David Kirk Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 28 Apr 2020 Anti-Aging Treatments at Forefront of Astellas’ €80M UK Acquisition Japanese pharma giant Astellas has acquired the UK biotech Nanna Therapeutics for up to €80M (£69.5M) in a deal to boost the development of drugs for unspecified age-related conditions and mitochondrial diseases. Through the acquisition, Astellas gains access to Nanna’s drug discovery technology, which focuses on drugs that target the mitochondria, the energy-producing machinery in […] April 28, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By David Kirk Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 27 Apr 2020 Series A Round Boosts Swedish Synthetic Biology Player by €6.4M The Swedish synthetic biology company EnginZyme has raised a Series A funding round to the tune of €6.4M to develop its cell-free synbio technology for the sustainable production of plastic, rubber, and other synthetic materials. The latest investment, which was led by French venture fund Sofinnova Partners, brings EnginZyme’s total funding to more than €10M […] April 27, 2020 - 4 minutesmins - By Karen O’Hanlon Cohrt Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email