Best in Biotech 5 Mar 2019 5 Biotech Industry Challenges the EU’s Horizon Program Plans to Tackle While the EU’s Horizon funding program is more often associated with academic research, a sizeable proportion of its funds are invested in the European biotech industry. With a new stage of the program being close to launch, I investigated some challenges for the industry that it hopes to solve. Beginning in 2021, Horizon Europe is […] March 5, 2019 - 9 minutesmins - By David Cox Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
More News! 4 Mar 2019 Swiss Biotech Raises €8.8M to Progress Regenerative Stroke Treatment The Swiss company NovaGo has raised €8.8M (CHF 10M) in Series A funding to develop one of the first therapies to help the nervous system regenerate after a stroke. Novago develops antibodies that inhibit Nogo-A, a key molecule that stops nerve cells from growing new connections in the adult brain and spinal cord. This lets […] March 4, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 4 Mar 2019 Biogen Acquires UK Biotech Developing Gene Therapy for Blindness The big US biotech Biogen has agreed to acquire Nightstar Therapeutics for €773M ($877M), including Nightstar’s candidate gene therapies for inherited blindness. Expected to be complete by mid-2019, Biogen’s acquisition of Nightstar bags it the UK company’s most advanced program. Currently in phase III, the therapy targets choroidemia, an incurable genetic condition which causes progressive […] March 4, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 1 Mar 2019 Rapid Response mRNA Vaccine Facility Gets €30M Funding An mRNA vaccine facility, run by the German biotech CureVac, has received a €30M development grant to rapidly manufacture vaccines for regions hit by outbreaks of rabies, yellow fever and emerging diseases. CureVac is a company that develops vaccines made of mRNA, a molecule that lets cells translate genes into proteins. The company’s drug candidates […] March 1, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 1 Mar 2019 Update: Hansa Biopharma Applies for EMA Market Approval for Kidney Transplant Drug Update (01/03/2019): Hansa Biopharma (previously named Hansa Medical) has filed an application for marketing authorization for imlifidase with the EMA also for use in patients undergoing kidney transplants. Update (18/10/2018): Imlifidase has just been given Fast Track Designation by the FDA for application in transplantation. The designation should accelerate the treatment through the FDA’s regulatory process, with […] March 1, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Startup Scout 1 Mar 2019 This Biotech Uses Bacterial Proteins to Purify Water Faster Aquaporin is a company named after a protein that transports water molecules across a cell membrane. With these water channels, the Danish biotech is able to purify water 50% faster than conventional technology. Mission: To use water channel proteins to purify water in applications such as cleaning drinking water, desalination and industrial wastewater treatment. As […] March 1, 2019 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 28 Feb 2019 Austrian Biotech Raises €33.2M to Fund Cancer Vaccines A Series D round of €33.2M ($37.4M) is to help the biotech Hookipa advance the clinical development of therapeutic vaccines for virus-based cancers, as well as a prophylactic vaccine for cytomegalovirus, which can infect patients undergoing organ transplants. Currently at the preclinical stage, Hookipa’s therapeutic vaccines are designed to tackle cancers that are caused […] February 28, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 27 Feb 2019 UK Biotech Gets Huge Grant to Launch Off-the-Shelf CAR-T Cancer Therapy to Clinic The UK biotech Cell Medica has received a €7.6M ($8.7M) grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas to advance an off-the-shelf CAR-T cell therapy that can work not only in blood cancer but also in solid tumors. The funding will help the company to develop a special type of CAR-T cell therapy […] February 27, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
More News! 27 Feb 2019 Carbios Creates First 100% Recycled Plastic Bottles With Enzymes French biotech Carbios has managed to create plastic bottles from 100% recycled plastic using its specialized enzyme technology. The company’s recycling process focuses on plastic made from polyethylene terephthalate or PET, one of the most commonly used plastics. Importantly, it can be also be used to create customized bottles, a requirement for many brands. Carbios […] February 27, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 27 Feb 2019 How to Make Cancer Drug Resistance Futile For many solid tumors, treatments undergo a cycle: the drugs initially work well, the tumor shrinks, but then becomes resistant again. Stefanie Flückiger-Mangual, CEO of the Swiss biotech Tolremo, believes that this cycle can be stopped. Solid tumors often act like a recurring villain in a TV series. Whatever drug you throw at them, however […] February 27, 2019 - 5 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 26 Feb 2019 Immuno-oncology Biotech Raises €31M to Progress T-Cell Boosting Therapy The Swiss biotech Anaveon closed a very respectable €31M (CHF35M) Series A fundraising round to help progress its T-cell boosting, cancer-fighting treatment to the clinic. The company’s candidate therapy mimics the action of a protein called interleukin 2, which is naturally found in the body. Interleukin 2 stimulates the immune system to produce more infection-fighting […] February 26, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 26 Feb 2019 Swiss Scientists Find ‘Silver Bullet’ Against Bacterial Infections Using the gene editing tool CRISPR-Cas9, researchers in Lausanne have uncovered antimicrobial molecules in the fruit fly that can selectively kill certain bacteria. This could lead to new therapeutics combatting antimicrobial resistance, and even preventing infections before they start. The research shows the antimicrobial molecules, or peptides, have the potential to treat infections of pathogens […] February 26, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email