News and Trends 3 Jul 2019 EU Approves Two-Drug Pill as First-Line Treatment for HIV The two-drug pill Dovato, developed by the UK company ViiV Healthcare, has been approved as a first-line treatment for HIV, potentially causing fewer long-term side effects than current three-drug antiretroviral regimens. HIV patients currently need to take three or more antiretroviral drugs per day to keep the infection at bay. As they get older, these […] July 3, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 3 Jul 2019 Meet the First Company in the Brand New Field of Epitranscriptomics A whole new therapeutic area is taking medical research by storm. In Cambridge, UK, the company Storm Therapeutics is leading the development of the first treatments to target a new layer of genetic information encoded in the RNA. The term ‘epitranscriptomics’ did not exist a decade ago. It was coined in 2012, when scientists started […] July 3, 2019 - 5 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 2 Jul 2019 Microbiome Food Supplement Improves Metabolic Syndrome in Overweight People A food supplement made from bacteria, developed by a Belgian research group, has improved symptoms of the metabolic syndrome including insulin resistance and high blood cholesterol levels in overweight volunteers at risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The metabolic syndrome is a collection of conditions including high blood cholesterol, insulin resistance and high […] July 2, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 1 Jul 2019 Approval Status of Cancer Cell Therapy at Risk After Halting Phase III Trial Following an unfavorable interim analysis, Milan-based MolMed has suspended a phase III trial of its cell therapy Zalmoxis that could threaten the conditional marketing authorization the treatment received in 2016. The halted clinical trial was evaluating the effects of Zalmoxis on patients with high-risk leukemia that have received a bone marrow transplant. The cell therapy […] July 1, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Startup Scout 28 Jun 2019 This Biotech Makes Dyes from Agricultural Waste Using Microbes Welcome to Norwich, UK, where Colorifix converts agricultural waste products into dyes using microbes, reducing the water and energy required to produce the dyes. Mission: To make textile dyes more sustainable by replacing chemical methods with microbial fermentation. Dyes are an essential part of the textile and fashion industries. The majority of dyes today are […] June 28, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
More News! 27 Jun 2019 German Biotech Will Target Parkinsonian Disorders with €12M Series A Modag has developed a candidate drug targeting the neurodegenerative disease multiple system atrophy, which it plans to take to the clinic with €12M in Series A funds. Multiple system atrophy is a rare disorder, with similar symptoms to Parkinson’s disease, that is caused by breakdown of neurons in parts of the brain. The German biotech’s […] June 27, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
More News! 26 Jun 2019 Carbios Raises €14.5M to Build Plant to Make 100% Recycled Plastic The French bioplastics biotech Carbios has raised €14.5M through a placing of shares in order to fund the construction of a demonstration plant that will use enzymes to make 100% recycled plastics. Around 75% of the proceeds will fund the demonstration plant, which is due to be fully operational by the end of next year. […] June 26, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 26 Jun 2019 Biotech Company in Mallorca Receives Spain’s Largest Biotech Fundraise Mallorcan biotech Sanifit has broken the record for the largest private fundraise in the Spanish biotech sector raising a total of €72.2M. The fundraising consists of a €55.2M Series D round plus €17M in convertible bonds. The money will be used by Sanifit to fund an upcoming phase III trial of its lead drug candidate […] June 26, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 25 Jun 2019 US and French Biotech Partnership to Develop Off-the-Shelf Cell Therapies The French biotech Erytech will license its red blood cell drug encapsulation technology to the US cell therapy company SQZ Biotechnologies for up to €50M. The partners plan to develop off-the-shelf cell therapies combining Erytech’s red blood cell drug encapsulation with SQZ Biotechnologies’ technology, which engineers immune cells to attack or protect specific disease targets. […] June 25, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 25 Jun 2019 Genfit’s NASH Drug to Be Developed in China in Deal Worth up to €200M The US-Chinese company Terns Pharmaceuticals will develop and commercialize Genfit’s phase III drug elafibranor for the chronic liver disease NASH in China. As part of the deal, Genfit will receive a €31M ($35M) upfront fee and up to €170M ($193M) in developmental milestone payments. The two companies will also collaborate on other development programs for […] June 25, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 25 Jun 2019 Update: Fund for Late-Stage European Biotechs Closes Final Round With €120M Update (25/06/2019): The Luxembourg-based investor Vesalius Biocapital III has completed the final closing of a €120M fund to boost late-stage life science companies. Around 10-15 companies will receive investments from the fund, including specialists in drug development, med-tech, and diagnostics. Three companies have become beneficiaries so far, including the Finnish women’s health drug company Forendo […] June 25, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 24 Jun 2019 Diagnostic Test Beats ‘Bad’ Cholesterol at Predicting Heart Attacks A study run by the Finnish diagnostics biotech Zora Biosciences has found two biomarkers that are better at predicting heart attacks and deaths in patients with coronary heart disease than the current gold standard — measuring ‘bad’ cholesterol in the blood. To assess the risk of death or heart attacks in people with coronary […] June 24, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email