News and Trends 31 Jan 2018 Your Pee Could Be Used to Build an Artificial Adrenal Gland Scientists have started generating artificial glands using cells derived from urine, which will allow the study of adrenal disorders that affect growth, development, and metabolism. Researchers at Queen Mary University of London have used cells in urine to begin generating an artificial adrenal gland that could be used to treat adrenal gland disorders. The study, published in Cell Reports, […] January 31, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Alex Dale Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 31 Jan 2018 Gene Synthesizing Biotech Gets $12M to Boost the Synbio Field Evonetix has closed a Series A fundraising round to support the development of its gene synthesis platform, an important tool in the emerging synbio field. Evonetix, based in Cambridge, UK, is developing a scalable, high fidelity gene synthesis approach that could be a key tool in the growing synbio field. The biotech has closed a […] January 31, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Alex Dale Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
In Depth 31 Jan 2018 Why Does Europe Lag Behind the US and China in the Gene Editing Race? America and China lead the development of new gene editing technologies, producing GMOs and bringing CRISPR-based therapies into the clinic. Could this render European biotechs in this area obsolete? Gene editing technologies have revolutionized genetics and mark a new generation in biomedical and agricultural sciences. There are endless applications for the technology, including gene therapies for […] January 31, 2018 - 6 minutesmins - By Ekaterina Perets Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 30 Jan 2018 The Construction of an Industrial Algae Production Plant Begins in Austria BDI-BioEnergy produces algae for the food, pharma, and cosmetics industries. Now, it will build an industrial production plant to house its technology. BDI-BioEnergy is a specialized plant engineering company based in Styria, Austria. On Saturday, the company signaled the start of the construction of an industrial plant that will use its photobioreactor system to produce algae biomass. […] January 30, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Alex Dale Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 30 Jan 2018 Two Biotechs Team Up to Test their Cancer Antibody Combo in the Clinic Innate Pharma and MedImmune will test the combination of Innate’s cancer antibody and the checkpoint inhibitor durvalumab in patients with solid tumors. Innate Pharma uses antibodies to enhance the immune system’s ability to fight cancer. It has formed a clinical trial collaboration with the MedImmune, an R&D arm of AstraZeneca. The two companies will share the costs […] January 30, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Alex Dale Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 30 Jan 2018 Update: Pocket Device makes its Debut in Whole Human Genome Sequencing Update (30/01/2018): Oxford Nanopore has published a study in Nature Biotechnology outlining the first use of its pocket MinION device to sequence a human genome. The device was able to read sequences of DNA that are “hundreds of times larger than usual,” helping scientists better reconstruct the whole genome sequence. MinION costs less than $1,000 and […] January 30, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 30 Jan 2018 The Female Sex Hormone Estrogen Could Help to Fight Neuroblastoma Estrogen receptors are switched off in aggressive cases of neuroblastoma so scientists have tested boosting estrogen activity to fight the disease. Researchers at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm have found that there could be a role for the female sex hormone estrogen in neuroblastoma, a form of cancer that tends to affect young children. The results […] January 30, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Alex Dale Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 29 Jan 2018 This Italian Biotech Will Sequence 10,000 Genomes in 2 Years Dante Labs will use its DNA testing kit to sequence the DNA of 10,000 Europeans in an effort to improve our understanding of the human genome. Dante Labs developed the first DNA test to be made available in Europe, allowing the public to test their health from the comfort of their own homes. It has now […] January 29, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Alex Dale Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 29 Jan 2018 Another One Gets Snapped Up: Ablynx has been Acquired by Sanofi for €3.9B Sanofi will acquire Ablynx and get its hands on the biotech’s exciting Nanobody technology just months after the biotech joined Europe’s billion-euro biotech club. Despite rejecting the advances of Novo Nordisk earlier this month, a decision that led to a 60% jump in Ablynx’s stock, the biotech has voted unanimously in favor of being acquired Sanofi. Sanofi has […] January 29, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Alex Dale Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 29 Jan 2018 London Tops Europe for Life Sciences Investment in 2017 Investment in London’s life sciences companies reached almost £1B in 2017, beating the likes of Berlin and Paris to top spot. A new study has found that London’s life sciences industry received the most investment out of any city in Europe in 2017. Over the last 5 years, companies in the capital have raised £2.8Bn (€3.2Bn), with £909M […] January 29, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Alex Dale Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 29 Jan 2018 Mapping of the Axolotl’s Genome Boosts the Regenerative Medicine Field Salamanders have long been a useful model for regenerative medicine due to their ability to regrow entire limbs. Now, scientists have found the genes that drive the process. Scientists in Vienna, Dresden, and Heidelberg are the first to completely map the genome of the axolotl salamander. Despite its popularity as a biological model and use for […] January 29, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Alex Dale Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 29 Jan 2018 Meet the CEO of the Other Big Biotech Acquisition Target in 2017 Christian Schetter’s company, Rigontec, was acquired by MSD last year for nearly half a billion euro. How did he and the company do it, with only one early-stage candidate? There were exactly two notable biotech acquisitions in Europe last year: Actelion and a smaller startup based in Munich called Rigontec, which had an RNA candidate […] January 29, 2018 - 9 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email