News and Trends 12 Mar 2018 We Can Now Make Plastics Out of Old Clothes Using Biology Carbios, a French biotech, has developed an environmentally-friendly method to break down the PET plastic fibers in textile waste using enzymes. Carbios has developed a technology which can depolymerize textile waste fibers made of PET plastics into their original monomers. The technology uses enzymes to create biodegradable plastics and recycle existing plastics into their original compounds for […] March 12, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Alexander Burik Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 12 Mar 2018 A Flick of a Switch Can Cause Age-Related Brain Deterioration Switching certain genes on or off causes the premature aging of stem cells that repair the brain. Identifying them could provide a target for new therapeutic approaches against neurodegenerative diseases. Scientists at the Babraham Insitute in Cambridge and the University of Sapienza in Rome have identified a number of genes involved in the aging of […] March 12, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Alex Dale Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 12 Mar 2018 A Dutch Company on the Quest Against Cystic Fibrosis ProQR is the result of a personal quest against cystic fibrosis started by its CEO, Daniel de Boer. Interested in his story and the company’s unique approach to treating the disease using RNA technology, I decided to speak with him. Daniel de Boer founded ProQR in 2012 following a strong determination to improve the lives […] March 12, 2018 - 6 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Startup Scout 9 Mar 2018 This Portugese Biotech is Developing a Vaccine for Life-Threatening Multibacterial Infections This week, we’re in Cantanhede, a small city near the coast in Portugal, to visit Immunethep. The company is developing immunotherapies against life-threatening multibacterial infections using a virulence mechanism common to different types of bacteria. Mission: Founded in 2014, Immunethep is a spin-off from the University of Porto that discovered a novel virulence mechanism by which bacteria suppress the […] March 9, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Alexander Burik Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
More News! 8 Mar 2018 Evotec Takes Over Sanofi’s Infectious Disease Pipeline Evotec will be getting over 10 assets, €60M upfront and about 100 scientists from Sanofi’s infectious disease research unit to work on developing new antimicrobials. Evotec has entered exclusive negotiations with Sanofi to accelerate infectious disease R&D through a new innovation platform located near Lyon, France, that will be open to academia, private companies, foundations and government agencies. Sanofi, […] March 8, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 8 Mar 2018 Belgian Firm Raises €19M to Fix Spinal Fusion with Cell Therapy Bone Therapeutics has raised €19.5M through a private placement that will fund the completion of clinical trials testing its cell therapy for spinal fusion and other bone diseases. Based in Groselies, Belgium, Bone Therapeutics wants to use cell therapy to help people with bone injuries or diseases regenerate healthy bone. In order to complete its […] March 8, 2018 - 1 minutemin - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 8 Mar 2018 French Biotech Targets Gut Microbiome to Treat Diabetes Valbiotis has shown that its treatment restores diversity in a population of gut microorganisms imbalanced by type 2 diabetes in mice. Valbiotis, based in Périgny, France, wants to treat type 2 diabetes by restoring the balance of microbial populations in the gut microbiome. New data from a metagenomic sequencing study in mice has shown that its drug, […] March 8, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Alexander Burik Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Best in Biotech 8 Mar 2018 Say Hello to the Top 14 Entrepreneurial Women in European Biotech Today, March 8, is international women’s day. To celebrate the achievements of women we’re revisiting our list of the women that have founded some of the hottest biotechs in Europe. Once upon a time, you would have been hard pushed to find a woman in a senior position at a top biotech – now, they […] March 8, 2018 - 8 minutesmins - By Alex Dale Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 7 Mar 2018 This Spanish Biotech Might Have the First Effective Treatment for a Rare Blood Condition Sanifit has successfully completed a Phase II trial with what could be the first effective treatment for calciphylaxis, a deadly rare disease caused by calcium accumulation in the blood. Mallorca-based Sanifit is targeting calciphylaxis with its treatment called SNF472. Results from Sanifit’s Phase II trial show that the drug promotes wound healing and reduces pain, though the details […] March 7, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Alexander Burik Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 7 Mar 2018 Oxford Keeps Growing as a Hotspot for Cancer Vaccines with New Fundraising Oxford Vacmedix has secured $12.5M (€10M) to start its first clinical trials, joining other Oxford-based biotechs in the cancer vaccine field such as Vaccitech and SpyBiotech. Oxford Vacmedix has secured Series A financing to continue the development of its two lead cancer vaccines to target cervical cancer and other solid tumors. The financing round represents the […] March 7, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Alexander Burik Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 6 Mar 2018 Oxford Spin-out Moves Gene Therapy For Blindness Into Phase III Trial Nightstar Therapeutics will begin the first Phase III trial for a gene therapy targeting choroideremia, a rare disorder leading to complete blindness. Nightstar will launch the first-ever Phase III trial testing a gene therapy for choroideremia, a genetic disorder characterized by night blindness and gradual loss of vision that eventually leads to complete blindness. The trial, STAR, […] March 6, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Alexander Burik Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 6 Mar 2018 Swiss VC Closes €86M Fund for Medical Biotech in Europe BioMedPartners has raised CHF100M (€86M) that will be invested in medical biotech companies in Switzerland, Germany, and other EU countries. Swiss VC BioMedPartners has managed to gather some big European investors to close its third venture capital fund, called BioMedInvest III and sized at CHF 100M (€86M). Among the investors are the European Investment Fund […] March 6, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email