More News! 7 Nov 2019 Avantium Builds 10-Ton Demonstration Plant to Produce Bioplastics The Dutch bioplastics company Avantium has opened a demonstration plant capable of producing 10 tons per year of mono-ethylene glycol (MEG), a compound used to make plastics, using plants as the starting material. Construction of Avantium’s plant began at Chemie Park Delfzijl, the Netherlands, last year. The plant will extract carbohydrates from agricultural waste and […] November 7, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 7 Nov 2019 €51M Nasdaq IPO Will Fund Centogene’s Rare Disease Diagnostics The German company Centogene has raised €50.6M ($56M) in an IPO on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange to fund the development of diagnostics technology that could improve the treatment of rare diseases. The fundraise fell under Centogene’s target value of €54M ($60M). A part of the proceeds will fuel the development of biomarkers that Centogene will […] November 7, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 6 Nov 2019 UK Biotech Launched to Target ‘Dark Antigens’ with Cancer Vaccines The London-based startup Ervaxx has launched with a €15.8M Series A round to develop cancer vaccines and cell therapies that target ‘dark antigens’ — normally silent genes in the genome that are expressed in cancer cells. Ervaxx’s Series A round was funded by the transatlantic venture capital firm SV Health Investors, as well as an […] November 6, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 5 Nov 2019 UK Scientists Speed up Brain Cancer Diagnosis with AI A technique combining a blood test with artificial intelligence (AI), developed by the UK company ClinSpec Diagnostics, could help to prioritize which patients need to be scanned for brain cancer. A team led by researchers at the University of Strathclyde and the University of Edinburgh, UK, trialed the technology on blood samples from 400 people […] November 5, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 5 Nov 2019 EU Regulations Are Holding Back Gene and Cell Therapy Clinical Trials European regulations might be responsible for lower numbers of advanced therapy clinical trials running in the region when compared to the US and Asia. Europe has historically been a pioneer in advanced therapies, such as cell and gene therapy. Europe was the first region to approve a gene therapy, and it boasts the highest number […] November 5, 2019 - 4 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Expert Advice 5 Nov 2019 How Sweden’s Intellectual Property Law Boosts Biotech Innovation Founding one biotech company and making a success of it is difficult enough, but Mathias Uhlén has founded 20. Not only is he a successful entrepreneur, he is also a professor at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm and has accumulated more than €135M in research funding during his career. After doing a PhD […] November 5, 2019 - 10 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 4 Nov 2019 Finnish Genetics Study Provides Clues for Treating Type 2 Diabetes A genetic mutation common to Finnish populations has been found to protect against type 2 diabetes by increasing insulin in the blood, providing a potential target for new drugs. The mutation is found in at least 0.2% of the population in western Finland, whereas it only appears in 0.02% of other European populations. The mutation […] November 4, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Best in Biotech 4 Nov 2019 Top 10 Biotech Companies Leaving a Mark in Munich These are the top 10 biotech companies in Munich, one of the hottest hubs for the biotechnology industry. One of the largest cities in Germany, Munich is a hub for science and technology. Biotechnology is one of its many strengths, supported by strong academic research at the city’s two top universities: Ludwig Maximilian University and […] November 4, 2019 - 4 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Startup Scout 1 Nov 2019 This Biotech Turns Seafood Waste into Packaging Using Microbes The Scottish company CuanTec is developing an energy-efficient way to recycle seafood shells into food packaging via bacterial fermentation, which could reduce plastic waste. Mission: To turn the thrown away shells of langoustines into antimicrobial food packaging. This would cut down both on food waste tipping and modern society’s reliance on plastics. CuanTec was founded […] November 1, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 31 Oct 2019 European Project Launches to Tailor Autoimmune Disease Treatments Public and private organizations across Europe will pool their resources in an €80M project to discover biomarkers that can predict which patients will respond best to treatments for autoimmune diseases. The project is called Taxonomy, Treatments, Targets and Remission, or 3TR for short, and is funded by the EU’s Innovative Medicines Initiative for the next […] October 31, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 30 Oct 2019 Trial Testing Spinal Application of Zolgensma Put on Hold by FDA The FDA has placed a partial hold on clinical trials testing a new application method for Zolgensma, Novartis’ gene therapy for the genetic disease spinal muscular atrophy, after it showed the potential to cause serious side effects in animal models. Spinal muscular atrophy is a life-threatening condition that usually arises when the patient is between […] October 30, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Opinion 29 Oct 2019 How Culture Impacts Biotech Investment Culture influences your choices about money. This applies in normal life, but also in the business of biotech funding and if you want to build an international business, or invest in one, then you need to have some understanding of local culture. The average US citizen spent 25 times more on credit cards than the […] October 29, 2019 - 8 minutesmins - By External Contributor Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email