News and Trends 11 Jan 2017 Phase II Failure: CureVac’s CEO explains Missed Efficacy Endpoint Money doesn’t guarantee success, even if it’s heavy investment from the likes of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Ingmar Hoerr explains what it means for mRNA therapeutics. In a blow to the field of mRNA, the German billion-euro biotech CureVac has reported the Phase II failure of its lead candidate at JP Morgan. Aimed at prostate cancer, CV9104 did not […] January 11, 2017 - 4 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 11 Jan 2017 Merck expands its Oncology Pipeline beyond Checkpoint Inhibitors Merck is diversifying its oncology portfolio with four new programs licensed from Vertex Pharmaceuticals, including multiple DNA damage and repair drugs. Merck has entered a licensing agreement with Boston-based Vertex Pharmaceuticals for the worldwide rights to four oncology programs. Merck has paid €220M ($230M) upfront for two clinical-stage DNA damage and repair candidates and two additional […] January 11, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Best in Biotech 11 Jan 2017 UPDATE: The 5 Hottest European Biotechs in 2017 according to JP Morgan The world’s biggest biotech investor conference, hosted by JP Morgan, is now underway in San Francisco, and European companies are putting up a strong showing. Here are those (in chronological order) who made the cut to present at this invite-only event. We’ll update the post as companies present! While uniQure has hit a number of rough […] January 11, 2017 - 3 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 11 Jan 2017 Dutch Biotech Takes over Sustainable Coca Cola Bottles Project Avantium has acquired Liquid Light, getting hold of the last piece of technology it requires to create the next generation of sustainable Coca Cola bottles. Avantium, a spin-off from Shell located in Amsterdam, is one of Coca Cola’s choices to develop its next-generation plastic bottles made 100% from plant-based materials. The biotech is now stepping up […] January 11, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 10 Jan 2017 Stem Cells in your Teeth can be Stimulated to Naturally Repair Cavities Researchers from the UK have described a new treatment for cavities that could get rid of fillings and cements by employing an Alzheimer’s drug. Most of us have visited the dentist to fill a cavity. The usual procedure involves removing the damaged area and replacing it with mineral materials. But what if you could let […] January 10, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 10 Jan 2017 Qiagen acquires Multi Omics Company to boost its Bioinformatics services Qiagen is entering the promising field of multi-omics data analysis with the acquisition of a bioinformatics company from the US. Qiagen, an upstart looking to break into the field of next-generation sequencing (NGS), has just announced the acquisition of US-based OmicSoft for an undisclosed amount. This transaction will upgrade Qiagen’s bioinformatics services, which will now include multi-omics data analysis and software […] January 10, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 9 Jan 2017 Top European VC and CRO fund Young Metabolic Disease Biotech Eternygen has received €8M in a Series A round led by Epidarex Capital that will be used to advance its pipeline in collaboration with Evotec. Eternygen is a young biotech in Berlin focusing on the treatment of metabolic diseases. The company has now raised €8M in Series A, led by Scottish biotech VC Epidarex Capital. Among the […] January 9, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 9 Jan 2017 German Immuno-Oncology Biotech partners up with Biotech Giant Amgen Immatics and Amgen have inked a deal to develop bispecific drug candidates for cancer that could reach over €1B in milestones. Immatics, an immuno-oncology biotech in Tübingen, Germany, has signed an agreement with biotech giant Amgen. Immatics will receive €28.5M ($30M) upfront and up to €475M ($500M) per program and Amgen will be responsible for clinical development, manufacturing and […] January 9, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 9 Jan 2017 After a Rough Year, uniQure CMO discusses a Comeback Last year was a bad year for biotech as an industry, but it was particularly bad for uniQure. Here’s what its CMO has to say about the company’s recovery. After giving the world its first gene therapy, uniQure has hit a series of rough patches since it rose to stardom as one of biotech’s success stories. […] January 9, 2017 - 4 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
More News! 7 Jan 2017 Bacon Jewelry and Tissue Engineered Bio Fashion from the Future Biodesigner Amy Congdon envisions a future where biotechnology is essential in all aspects of our lives, from regenerating organs to fashion. Amy Congdon is a designer based in London that uses her art to explore the implications of biotech. In particular, most of her work revolves around the intersection of two fields that might seem utterly unrelated: […] January 7, 2017 - 3 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 6 Jan 2017 Servier offers up to €1.7B for Dual Cancer Checkpoint Inhibitors Servier has signed a deal that could give it access to up to eight bispecific drug candidates with immuno-oncology applications from Pieris Pharmaceuticals. Servier, one of France’s biggest pharma companies, is offering up to €1.7B to US-based Pieris Pharmaceuticals. The team will initially develop five programs that can be later expanded to up to eight. For […] January 6, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 6 Jan 2017 ‘Packaged’ CRISPR Systems to Standardize novel Biomedical Research There’s a growing appetite to refine and standardize CRISPR protocols, as its application expands into different areas of genomic research. The Wellcome Trust and Desktop Genomics have recent advances to make it more efficient and controllable. Outside of the high-stakes world of therapeutic CRISPR, which has enjoyed gambling-like investment and whose legal future is unfolding in court, this […] January 6, 2017 - 3 minutesmins - By Denise Neves Gameiro Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email