News and Trends 14 Dec 2016 Swedish Therapy targeting All Solid Tumors enrolls First Patient Immunicum just received FDA approval to start clinical trials in the US for a therapy that could overcome the challenges of T-cell therapies and target virtually any injectable solid tumor. Immunicum is a biotech from Gothenburg, Sweden, that focuses on immuno-oncology with a different approach from most companies. Instead of T-cells, the company engineers dendritic […] December 14, 2016 - 3 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 14 Dec 2016 UPDATE: Bayer seals deal with Monsanto in Dark Side slide Bloomberg reports that Bayer has increased its bid once more to acquire the world’s least ethical company in order to solidify its position in agrochemicals. Bayer appears hell-bent on a Faustian bargain with Monsanto: the German chemical company has just thrown more money at America’s fourth most hated company in the hope of acquiring it. Despite its […] December 14, 2016 - 3 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 14 Dec 2016 What do the CAR-T Patient Deaths Mean for the Future of the Field? Juno’s JCAR015 study came to a halt for the second time this year after two more patient deaths. But despite the bad news, hopes for CAR-T therapies remain high. Juno Therapeutics again came under scrutiny last month following deaths in its JCAR015 trial. Two patients died from neurotoxicity-triggered cerebral edema, the same condition that killed […] December 14, 2016 - 7 minutesmins - By Diana Kwon Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 13 Dec 2016 Meet the French Seaweed Startup rethinking Bioplastics Algopack is a French startup manufacturing bio-based materials made from brown algae. It is the first to use it to develop a new generation of bioplastics. Founded by Rémy Lucas in 2010 and managed by David Coti, Algopack offers a breakthrough innovation using marine natural resources as a unique renewable biomass. The company hopes to […] December 13, 2016 - 3 minutesmins - By Nicolas Sainte-Foie Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 13 Dec 2016 How Will Biotech Overcome the Huge Challenges of Microbial Resistance? The emergence of multi-drug resistant pathogens is alarming the scientific community since their growth is increasing at an incredibly fast pace. We gathered a group of experts to discuss how biotech is addressing this pressing concern and what the next big thing will be in the field of antimicrobial resistance. Achim Plum, CCO of Curetis, highlighted that […] December 13, 2016 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 13 Dec 2016 European Pharma closes 2016 by launching new Biotech Startups Big pharma is already head on starting 2017 with a bang. Pfizer and Bayer are launching US-based startups in oncolytic virus and stem cell therapies. Pharma is wrapping up 2016 by investing in a pair of new ventures. Bayer and Versant have invested $225M to launch BlueRock Therapeutics, which will focus on CNS and cardiovascular diseases. This comes […] December 13, 2016 - 2 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 12 Dec 2016 French Biotech Puts a New Lyme Disease Vaccine on the Horizon There is currently no vaccine for the fast-growing disease in the US, & treatments cost over $1Bn every year. Valneva might have a vaccine to stem the tide. Valneva, a commercial-stage biotech based in Lyon, France, has just received clearance from the FDA and its European counterpart to begin clinical trials for its experimental Lyme Disease […] December 12, 2016 - 2 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 12 Dec 2016 Meet Photanol: Harnessing Cyanobacteria’s Powers for Green Chemicals Producing fuels and chemicals from CO2 and light has long been a dream of Biotech, and Amsterdam-based Photanol is working on making it an industrial reality with engineered cyanobacteria. I had a chat with Ross Gordon, Director of Business Development, about Photanol’s strategy. Photanol was present at the latest European Bioplastics Conference to present how it uses cyanobacteria, […] December 12, 2016 - 3 minutesmins - By Denise Neves Gameiro Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 12 Dec 2016 A New Antibiotic from Your Nose! Thanks to Functional Genomics Could your nose lead to major discoveries in antibiotic production? Genome mining of nose bacteria has revealed a new powerful antibiotic. Functional genomics offers a powerful tool for the isolation and detection of novel antibiotics, as the data obtained from it can be used to describe gene functions and interactions. The human microbiome has been largely […] December 12, 2016 - 2 minutesmins - By Joachim Eeckhout Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 12 Dec 2016 With a new €120M Infusion, Pocket NGS CEO talks Success and Strategy Seeking to disrupt the NGS market, Oxford Nanopore is rolling in cash. Before we heard the news, we sat down with CEO Gordon Sanghera to talk about the company’s success. December has been a stellar month for Oxford Nanopore. Just over a week ago, Oxford Nanopore’s MinION device was used to sequence the whole genome of a number […] December 12, 2016 - 9 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 9 Dec 2016 Paris takes the lead in Digital Health for Diabetes Type 2 The smell of freshly baked baguettes and good news from the capital have brought us this week to France. Voluntis has received market approval for a device that could change the life of millions of people with diabetes type 2, check out this cool company! City: Paris, France Founded: 2001 Employees: 100 Financial data: Total of €29.8M raised in […] December 9, 2016 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 9 Dec 2016 Galapagos gets another Milestone Payment from Gilead Galapagos is starting a new PhaseIIb/III clinical trial for ulcerative colitis that has triggered a €9.4M milestone payment from Gilead. Can this partnership beat out its many competitors? Galapagos is one of the few billion-euro biotechs in Europe, boasting top-level partnerships with AbbVie for cystic fibrosis and MorphoSys for inflammatory diseases. The company now has news […] December 9, 2016 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email