News and Trends 27 Nov 2018 Berlin Biotech Raises €24M to Progress Septic Shock Candidate to Clinic Adrenomed closed a €24M Series D round to fund further development of its antibody drug that treats septic shock by preventing excessive fluid loss and preserving the blood vessel walls. Wellington Partners and HBM Healthcare Investments, who specialize in investing in life science companies, joined existing shareholders to lead the fundraising round. Sepsis and resulting […] November 27, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 26 Nov 2018 Smart Asthma Inhaler Fails Phase III It is bad news for asthma sufferers, as a UK biotech has abandoned the development of its smart inhaler after finding that it was no better than placebo in a Phase III trial. Over 52 weeks of treatment, the company Vectura tested whether the inhaler reduced the worsening of asthma symptoms, such as wheezing and […] November 26, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 26 Nov 2018 First Gene Therapy for Inherited Blindness Approved in Europe Novartis has received approval for Luxturna, a gene therapy that can restore vision in people with a specific genetic mutation that causes progressive vision loss. The therapy is indicated for people with mutations in the two copies of a gene, called RPE65, that cause retinal cells to die over time, resulting in progressive loss of […] November 26, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 25 Nov 2018 Would You Wear Human Leather with ‘Designer DNA’? Artist Tina Gorjanc is working on a human leather collection that aims to highlight the shortcomings of laws that allow human biological material to be marketed without permission. Gorjanc has projected a whole fashion line, labeled ‘Pure Human’, that includes jackets and handbags made with lab-grown skin from the renowned fashion designer Alexander McQueen. Originally […] November 25, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Startup Scout 23 Nov 2018 This Biotech Arms Tumor-Busting Cells to Treat Cancer In the medieval city of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, Lava Therapeutics is developing a cancer immunotherapy that arms a rare type of immune cell called gamma delta T cells. Mission: Develop antibodies that recruit innate immune cells near tumors and activate them to kill cancer cells. T cells are immune cells that have a strong potential […] November 23, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
More News! 22 Nov 2018 First Drug for Rare Inflammation Syndrome Approved by FDA The FDA has approved the first drug for the treatment of a rare condition in which the body produces too many active immune cells, developed in a Swiss-Swedish partnership. The antibody drug, emapalumab, is approved to treat primary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. This condition is a rare, often fatal syndrome in which the immune system produces too […] November 22, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 21 Nov 2018 Leo Pharma Enters Partnership to Develop Topical Treatment for Rare Skin Cancer The Danish company Leo Pharma and the US biotech PellePharm have joined forces to develop a topical treatment for rare forms of skin cancer. In the partnership, dermatology specialist Leo Pharma is paying PellePharm €61M. This is to fund a Phase III trial of PellePharm’s topical drug to treat the skin cancer Gorlin syndrome, which has no […] November 21, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
In Depth 21 Nov 2018 5 Challenges to Unlocking the Real Potential of the Human Microbiome The study of the human microbiome — the microorganisms living in our body — is a very young field of research that is making big promises to treat all sorts of human diseases. As we get close to the approval of the first treatment based on microbiome science, it’s important to be aware of the […] November 21, 2018 - 9 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
More News! 20 Nov 2018 Phase I Gives Hope for First Zika Vaccine Results from a Phase I trial showed promising safety and efficacy of a potential first vaccine against the mosquito-borne Zika virus, developed by French biotech Valneva and US biopharma Emergent BioSolutions. In the US-based Phase I trial, 67 participants were injected with either placebo or inactivated forms of the virus as a vaccine. Two months later, […] November 20, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 20 Nov 2018 French Firm Gets Funding to Sell More Precise DNA Quantification System Paris-based Stilla Technologies has raised €16M in a Series A round to sell and develop a high-precision PCR system for DNA quantification with promising applications in diagnostics. The substantial round was led by Illumina Ventures, the investor arm of the gene sequencing giant Illumina. With the funds, Stilla Technologies plans to accelerate sales of its […] November 20, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 20 Nov 2018 Why Denmark Is a Strong Player in Europe’s Biotech Industry Denmark is a rapidly growing hotspot for biotech. During the BIO-Europe conference in Copenhagen, I talked to Mette Kirstine Agger, Managing Partner at the life sciences investor Lundbeckfonden Ventures, to learn more about how the industry is evolving in Europe and Denmark. The US has traditionally been the leader in biotech, but that seems to […] November 20, 2018 - 4 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 20 Nov 2018 Genentech and Immunocore Expand Partnership to Develop Cancer Immunotherapy Immunocore and the US biotech giant Genentech are building on their existing partnership to boost the clinical development of Immunocore’s immunotherapy for treating solid tumors. In the agreement, Genentech, a member of the Roche group, will pay UK-based Immunocore €87.3M ($100M) in an upfront payment and further undisclosed milestone payments as the immunotherapy progresses towards […] November 20, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email