Startup Scout 20 Sep 2019 This Biotech Targets Mitochondria to Treat Inherited Diseases As we come to the end of the global Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Week, it’s time to visit Khondrion. This Dutch company is developing drugs to treat rare diseases such as MELAS syndrome by targeting defective mitochondria. Mission: To develop small molecule drugs able to treat Mitochondrial Encephalomyopathy, Lactic Acidosis, and Stroke-like episodes (MELAS) syndrome. This […] September 20, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 19 Sep 2019 Dutch ‘Electronic Nose’ Predicts Cancer Immunotherapy Success A diagnostic device measuring chemicals in the breath, developed by the Dutch company Breathomix, was able to identify lung cancer patients that wouldn’t respond to cancer immunotherapy with unprecedented accuracy. Researchers at the University of Amsterdam tested the device on 143 lung cancer patients, who were going to receive immunotherapy in the form of the […] September 19, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 18 Sep 2019 UK Cancer Biotech Raises €11M Series A to Break Up Brain Tumors The Cambridge-based company Divide and Conquer has raised €11.3M (£10M) to develop a treatment that breaks up glioblastoma tumors, exposing them to attack by chemotherapy and radiotherapy. With this Series A round, funded by the UK VC firm Medicxi, Divide and Conquer has exited stealth mode a year after its foundation. The company will use […] September 18, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 18 Sep 2019 Why Communication is Key for Getting Ahead in Biotech Many biotech founders and executives look to VC investors for advice and inspiration, but the attraction can go both ways. After more than a decade of investing in life science companies, Renee Aguiar-Lucander, now CEO of Calliditas Therapeutics, decided it was time to try sitting on the other side of the table. Prior to moving […] September 18, 2019 - 11 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 18 Sep 2019 Themis Raises €40M for First Phase III Trial of a Chikungunya Vaccine Vienna-based Themis Biosciences has raised €40M in a Series D round to fund a phase III trial that could lead to the approval of the world’s first vaccine for chikungunya infection. The round, one of the largest seen in Austrian biotech so far, was co-led by two new investors, Farallon Capital and Hadean Ventures. […] September 18, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
More News! 18 Sep 2019 €15M to Take Swiss Biotech’s Liver Cirrhosis Treatment to Phase II Versantis has raised a Series B of €14.6M (CHF 16M) to advance its treatment for late-stage liver cirrhosis to a phase IIa trial. The money will finance the completion of an ongoing phase I trial of Versantis’ lead candidate for the condition decompensated liver cirrhosis. Following this, the company will use the funds to launch […] September 18, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 17 Sep 2019 UK Biotech to Fight Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria with €8M Grant The UK biotech Procarta Biosystems has received a grant worth up to €8.3M from the nonprofit US partnership CARB-X to develop drugs that kill antibiotic-resistant pathogens while sparing benign bacteria in the gut. The total funding includes €2M upfront and up to an extra €6.3M that Procarta will receive if it hits unspecified milestones. Procarta […] September 17, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 17 Sep 2019 European Biotechs Showcase Multiple Sclerosis Treatments in Stockholm Genmab, GeNeuro and other companies presented their latest data on next-generation treatments for multiple sclerosis at a conference in Stockholm. The European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) gathered experts and companies working on multiple sclerosis in Sweden this year. Companies such as Genmab and GeNeuro revealed the progress of their treatments, […] September 17, 2019 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 16 Sep 2019 Sepsis Diagnosed in 5 Minutes Instead of 24 Hours with Swiss Biotech’s Test A test for sepsis developed by the Swiss diagnostics company Abionic was able to predict within just five minutes which intensive care patients are likely to develop sepsis in a clinical study. In the pivotal study, Abionic trialed the blood test in 300 intensive care patients with a high risk of sepsis. Abionic found that […] September 16, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 13 Sep 2019 Icelandic Company to Sequence 225,000 Genomes from UK Patients The Icelandic genomics company deCODE genetics has joined the UK’s Wellcome Sanger Institute in sequencing 450,000 genomes as part of a massive €224M (£200M) project organized by the UK Biobank initiative. The UK Biobank’s €224M grant includes €56M (£50M) from the UK government, €56M from the UK’s Wellcome Trust charity, and €112M (£100M) from big […] September 13, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Startup Scout 13 Sep 2019 This Biotech Makes Meat Substitutes from Crops Using Fungi We’re traveling to Glasgow, UK, this week. The biotech 3F BIO is using fungi to convert plant sugars into proteins in a process that uses less than half of the water and feed that farming animal meat requires. Mission: To turn plant sugars into proteins using fungi, which could help to feed the growing world’s […] September 13, 2019 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Inside Labiotech 12 Sep 2019 Prost🍺! Labiotech is the Main Media Partner of the 25th Edition of BIO-Europe! This is an extraordinary year for BIO-Europe, because it’s celebrating its 25th anniversary. Congratulations! 🎉 As Europe’s biggest biotech event, Bio-Europe attracted 4,300+ attendees from 2,300+ companies in 2018. What’s even more amazing is that they helped coordinate over 26,000 meetings where biotech professionals gathered around to partner with each other and foster innovation. Labiotech […] September 12, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Yi-Jen Chang Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email