News and Trends 7 Jun 2019 CRISPR Therapeutics and Vertex Seal Deal Worth up to €890M The US giant Vertex Pharmaceuticals is expanding an existing collaboration with the Swiss company CRISPR Therapeutics, paying up to €890M ($1B) to develop treatments for genetic diseases causing muscle weakness using the gene editing tool CRISPR/Cas9. The deal includes €155M ($175M) paid upfront, and potential future payments based on achieving developmental milestones. In exchange, Vertex […] June 7, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Startup Scout 7 Jun 2019 This Biotech Transplants Cells into the Eye to Personalize Diabetes Treatments Up north in Stockholm, the Swedish company Biocrine aims to personalize diabetes treatments by screening drugs in pancreatic cells that have been transplanted into the eye. Mission: To test new drugs for type 1 and type 2 diabetes on pancreatic cells transplanted into the eye, where the cells can thrive and be easily monitored with […] June 7, 2019 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
More News! 6 Jun 2019 Shares Drop 90% as Antibody for Inflammatory Skin Disease Fails Phase II The German company InflaRx has seen its shares on the Nasdaq plummet after announcing that its treatment for an inflammatory skin disease failed to beat the placebo in a phase IIb trial. The trial had enrolled 179 patients with hidradenitis suppurativa, an incurable condition causing painful lumps on the skin. By the 16th week of […] June 6, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 5 Jun 2019 Highlights from European Biotech at ASCO 2019 European biotech companies gathered in Chicago, USA, to share the latest advances in cancer research at the biggest cancer conference of the year, ASCO 2019. This year’s conference has drawn fewer big blockbuster headlines than other years, but there was plenty to see nonetheless. There were results from many different clinical trials by big pharma […] June 5, 2019 - 5 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 5 Jun 2019 How Spain is Building a Strong Biotech Ecosystem The biotech sector is rapidly gaining momentum in Spain. At Labiotech Refresh in Barcelona, Raúl Martín-Ruiz, Partner at the venture capital firm Ysios Capital, shared his experience investing in Spain’s biotech industry over the last decade. Ysios Capital made its first investment in 2008. The recipient was a cell therapy company based in Madrid. Then […] June 5, 2019 - 4 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Opinion 5 Jun 2019 Is Going Public in Europe the Kiss of Death? The key for a European biotech is to find the money where it is. And that’s not in Europe for the moment. Going public is obviously a necessary evil for any biotech company looking to become a self-standing entity taking its drugs to market. Doing so provides the funding, the public forum, and the governance […] June 5, 2019 - 6 minutesmins - By Antoine Papiernik Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 4 Jun 2019 Austrian Biotech Raises €19M to Commercialize First Chikungunya Vaccine The market is in sight for the first potential vaccine for the chikungunya virus, as the company Themis Bioscience will receive up to €18.7M ($21M) in non-dilutive funding to finance the vaccine’s phase III development. The money will cover most of the costs of the phase III trial, which Themis expects to begin later this […] June 4, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 4 Jun 2019 First Gene Therapy for Beta Thalassemia Approved in Europe The US biotech company bluebird bio has obtained EU conditional market approval for a gene therapy that could remove the need for blood transfusions for people with the blood disorder beta-thalassemia. Called Zynteglo, the gene therapy is aimed at treating people with beta-thalassemia who are over 12 years of age and have any but the […] June 4, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
In Depth 4 Jun 2019 Ultra-Fast Diagnostics Could Transform Sexual Health Each day more than one million people around the world acquire sexually transmitted infections, with a profound impact on sexual and reproductive health across the globe. Biotechs across Europe are developing rapid diagnostics for some of the most common STIs. It’s difficult to comprehend the sheer scale of the number of people affected by sexually […] June 4, 2019 - 7 minutesmins - By David Cox Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 3 Jun 2019 Belgian and US Biotechs Team up to Reduce CAR T Side Effects The diagnostics company Biocartis is collaborating with Kite Pharma to monitor the progress of CAR T-cell therapies in patients to better manage side effects. CAR T-cell therapies have revolutionized the way we treat cancer. Instead of giving the patient a classical drug, companies can inject them with living, genetically engineered cells that kill cancer cells. […] June 3, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 3 Jun 2019 ‘CRISPR Babies’ Might Be at Risk of Dying Younger Update (01/10/2019): The scientists behind the study have declared that the results were based on erroneous data, meaning the mutation they studied has a weaker effect on mortality than initially reported. A new study highlights the issues that can result from modifying human DNA without sufficient understanding of how it can impact our health. Last […] June 3, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 3 Jun 2019 Dutch Company Raises €28M to Push Cancer Cell Therapy to European Market The Dutch Kiadis Pharma has raised €27.6M in a private placement to fund the clinical development of immune cell therapies treating blood cancer. The money will fund phase III trials of Kiadis’ lead candidate cell therapy for blood cancer, aimed to get European approval by the end of 2019. In addition, the cash will boost […] June 3, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email