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
News and Trends 6 Mar 2018 French Biotech Uses Natural Peptides to Boost Plant Growth and Immunity Micropep Technologies, a Toulouse-based biotech, has raised €4M to develop peptides that boost plant growth and disease resistance by regulating gene expression. Micropep Technologies has raised a Series A funding with the support of two new investors, Sofinnova Partners, the largest industrial biotech fund in the world, and Irdi Soridec Gestion. The company aims to use the funding […] March 6, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Alexander Burik Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 5 Mar 2018 Danish Biotech Starts Phase III Atopic Dermatitis Trial With Failed Asthma Treatment Danish biotech LEO Pharma started a Phase III trial in atopic dermatitis with an antibody that AstraZeneca dropped after failing two Phase III trials in asthma. LEO Pharma is taking over the development of the antibody tralokinumab from AstraZeneca to treat atopic dermatitis after the drug failed multiple Phase III studies for treating asthma. In […] March 5, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Alexander Burik Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 5 Mar 2018 Swiss Company Hits Another Slump with a Failed Multiple Sclerosis Trial Just months after the EMA rejected its therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, Swiss company Santhera reports negative data for its multiple sclerosis drug. Santhera Pharmaceuticals has reported this morning that a first clinical trial in patients with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) failed to prove the company’s drug to have any effect on the progression of […] March 5, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
In Depth 5 Mar 2018 The Robots are Coming: Is AI the Future of Biotech? AI, or artificial intelligence, has taken root in biotech. In this article, we explore its newfound niches in the industry. Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) have become ubiquitous in tech startups, fueled largely by the increasing availability and amount of data and cheaper, more powerful computers. Now, if you are a new tech startup, […] March 5, 2018 - 7 minutesmins - By External Contributor Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 2 Mar 2018 London Biotech Uses Unique Double Mechanism of Action to Treat Cystic Fibrosis Verona Pharma obtained positive Phase IIa trial results for a unique cystic fibrosis drug that inhibits two disease-related enzymes simultaneously, showing promise for treating a high unmet patient need. Verona Pharma, based in London, UK, aims to improve the lives of people with chronic respiratory diseases. Verona states their Phase IIa data provide grounds to […] March 2, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Alexander Burik Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Startup Scout 2 Mar 2018 This Spanish Biotech Is Developing Stem-Cell Targeted Leukemia Treatments This week, we’re in Barcelona, Spain, to visit Leukos Biotech, whose goal is to develop new treatments and diagnostic tools for Leukaemia. Mission: Founded in 2015 as a spin-off from the Josep Carreras Leukaemia Research Institute (IJC), Leukos Biotech has raised €3.5M in funding and has identified a new therapeutic target against leukemic stem cells in acute […] March 2, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Alexander Burik Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 1 Mar 2018 Biosensors Bring HIV Test to Patients for Instant Results A report on the use of biosensors in molecular disease diagnostics states the technology could significantly reduce the spread of HIV. A report by Cambridge-based IDTechEx analyzed important trends in the field of medical biosensors. Their results suggest the technology could reduce the spread of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases in general by cutting the time taken to send tests to a […] March 1, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Alexander Burik Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 1 Mar 2018 Doudna and Charpentier Get Second CRISPR Patent in Europe Just a month after the European Patent Office revoked a CRISPR patent from the competitors of Doudna and Charpentier, they have been granted a second patent that covers a new form of the popular gene editing tool. The European Patent Office has granted CRISPR co-inventor Emmanuelle Charpentier, together with the University of California and the University […] March 1, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 1 Mar 2018 Could This Parisian Biotech Startup’s Cancer Treatment Compete With Merck and Novartis? Stimunity, a Parisian biotech, secured a 2M€ seed investment to develop a cancer treatment that could compete with that of big players such as Merck and Novartis. Stimunity is a preclinical-stage startup company which develops drugs targeting a new cell signalling pathway to treat cancer. The company secured funding from Portage, a US-Canadian firm that […] March 1, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Alexander Burik Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email