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
Startup Scout 31 May 2019 This Biotech Treats a Neurological Autoimmune Disorder Using DNA We’re jumping into Poland this week. Pure Biologics is a biotech based in Wrocław developing DNA molecules that could treat the incurable neurological condition Devic’s disease with fewer side effects than existing treatments. Mission: To develop a treatment that makes an existing treatment for Devic’s disease, plasmapheresis, more targeted and with fewer side effects than […] May 31, 2019 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 30 May 2019 Taking Inspiration from Plants to Prevent Mold from Ruining Crops Olga Dubey founded the Swiss startup Agrosustain with the intention to bring forth a natural alternative to chemical pesticides against mold. She shares how it all started and her company’s plans to end the massive amounts of food waste that mold is responsible for. “Mold is everywhere, so it’s something that is very hard to […] May 30, 2019 - 4 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 29 May 2019 After Unexpected Setback, GenSight Seeks Approval for Blindness Gene Therapy The French biotech GenSight will apply for regulatory approval for its gene therapy despite the treatment unexpectedly resulting in the improvement of the eyes treated with a placebo in a phase III trial. GenSight is developing a gene therapy designed to treat progressive vision loss caused by the rare genetic condition Leber hereditary optic neuropathy. […] May 29, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 29 May 2019 €60M Investment to Boost Oxford Biomedica’s Gene and Cell Therapies The Danish investor Novo Holdings is handing Oxford Biomedica up to €60.6M (£53.5M) to develop gene and cell therapies treating cancer and genetic blindness. The investment will bag Novo Holdings a stake of up to 10.1% in the UK biotech. Oxford Biomedica will use the money to repay a loan totalling €49M ($55M) from the […] May 29, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
More News! 28 May 2019 Nanomedicine Company Launches in France to Improve Drug Safety The French nanomedicine biotech Nanobiotix is spinning out a subsidiary company developing nanoparticles that can enhance a drug’s effectiveness and decrease side effects. Called Curadigm, the spinout will be developing nanotechnology with the potential to make low drug doses more effective at treating different conditions, which could make treatments cheaper and with fewer side effects […] May 28, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email