News and Trends 24 Jan 2020 Broad Institute Loses Appeal on European CRISPR Patent A decision from the Boards of Appeal at the European Patent Office has revoked the claim of the Broad Institute to general patents on CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technology, strengthening the position of its opponent UC Berkeley in Europe. The Broad Institute in Cambridge, US, is one of the main contenders in the ongoing battle for […] January 24, 2020 - 4 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 24 Jan 2020 €6M Seed Round to Develop First Urine Test for Kidney Cancer The Swedish biotech Elypta has raised a seed round worth €6.1M to fund a clinical trial of a urine test for signs of recurrent kidney cancer, which could improve patient follow-up after surgery. The seed round was led by the Swedish VC firm Industrifonden. Other investors in the round included the VC impact fund of […] January 24, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Startup Scout 24 Jan 2020 This Company is Using Moths to Make Vaccines Madrid-based company Algenex is using moths as natural bioreactors to improve the speed and scalability of making proteins used in vaccines and diagnostics. Mission: To harness nature for simple, scalable, and cost-efficient recombinant protein manufacture. While many proteins are manufactured using bacteria, some are made using insect cells because these cells are sometimes better […] January 24, 2020 - 4 minutesmins - By External Contributor Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 23 Jan 2020 Merck Spinout Bags €15M Series A to Tackle Cancer and Fibrosis iOnctura, a spinout from Merck KGaA, has raised €15M to take its cancer and fibrosis drugs to phase I clinical trials. The Series A round was co-led by new investors INKEF Capital and VI Partners. The founding investor of iOnctura, M Ventures — the corporate venture arm of Merck — also contributed to the round, […] January 23, 2020 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 22 Jan 2020 FDA Greenlights First Treatment for Rare Autoimmune Eye Disease An antibody drug developed by the Irish biopharma Horizon Therapeutics has been approved by the FDA for the treatment of adults with the rare autoimmune condition thyroid eye disease. The approval of the drug came ahead of schedule, with the decision originally expected in March. The drug, a monoclonal antibody, is branded as Tepezza. Thyroid […] January 22, 2020 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 22 Jan 2020 Off-The-Shelf Lung Cancer Vaccine Clinical Trial Gets €20M Boost The French-Belgian company PDC*Line Pharma has raised a €20M Series B round to fund an ongoing phase I/II trial of its off-the-shelf therapeutic vaccine for lung cancer. The total €20M consists of €13.9M in equity investments and €6.1M in loans and subsidies from the Walloon Region of Belgium. PDC*Line’s current investors took part in the […] January 22, 2020 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 21 Jan 2020 T-Cell Discovery Could Herald Universal Cancer Immunotherapy An international research team has found a new type of T-cell that could lead to cell immunotherapies able to treat cancers beyond the reach of current CAR T-cell therapies. Market-approved CAR T-cell therapies including Yescarta and Kymriah have revolutionized cancer treatment by modifying immune T-cells to hunt down cancer cells. However, these treatments are only […] January 21, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 21 Jan 2020 How Biotech Startups Can Have a Stronger Position When Scaling Up Scaling up the manufacturing process can be a daunting task for any biotech startup. Evelina Vågesjö, CEO of Swedish gene therapy biotech Ilya Pharma, and Jesper Hedberg, Director of the Testa Center facility, explained how testing at innovation facilities such as incubators and biotech accelerators can help avoid big pitfalls in the scaling process later […] January 21, 2020 - 6 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 21 Jan 2020 German Biotech Raises €11M to Regenerate Liver Damage Biotech company HepaRegeniX has raised a Series B round that will allow its first candidate drug for liver disease to enter clinical trials later this year. Based in Tübingen, Germany, HepaRegenix was founded in 2017 with a €9M Series A round. The same investors are now taking part in a Series B round […] January 21, 2020 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 20 Jan 2020 Medical Gel Prepares to Enter Clinical Trials for Replacing Corneal Transplants An international collaboration involving researchers in Europe, Asia, and North America has begun preparations for testing in humans a therapeutic gel that could replace the need for corneal transplants for the treatment of blindness. Corneal transplants are the most common treatment for blindness caused by corneal injury. However, donor shortages and high costs make it […] January 20, 2020 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Best in Biotech 20 Jan 2020 How Much Salary Can You Expect in a Biotech Job? If you’re thinking of taking a job in biotech, you’re probably wondering how much you’ll be paid. Here’s what you can expect depending on how high in the ladder your new position is. Salary is undoubtedly an important factor when searching for a new job position, so it’s important to know what you can expect. […] January 20, 2020 - 7 minutesmins - By Karen O’Hanlon Cohrt Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 18 Jan 2020 DNA Data Storage Project Receives €20.7M from US Intelligence Agency A DNA data storage project, involving French biotech DNA Script, has been awarded a contract worth up to €20.7M from the US Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity agency to develop a prototype instrument able to store and retrieve 1 terabyte of information in 24 hours. The Molecular Encoding Consortium, led by Robert Nicol at the Broad […] January 18, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By External Contributor Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email