News and Trends 10 Dec 2018 Scientists Repurpose Skin Cells to Fight Cancer Researchers have reprogrammed skin cells to make them behave like immune cell sentinels called dendritic cells, which can recruit the immune system to fight tumors. This discovery makes a step toward better cancer immunotherapy. “We are merging two different areas of research,” Carlos-Filipe Pereira, from Lund University, Sweden, said to me. “One of them is […] December 10, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 4 Dec 2018 Microbiome Therapy Shows Early Promise in Cancer Patients A clinical trial run by MaaT Pharma has shown that restoring the microbiome of patients undergoing chemotherapy has potential to improve the outcome of patients with the blood cancer acute myeloid leukemia (AML). The microbes living in our gut can have a big influence on the success of cancer treatments. Some microorganisms are known to […] December 4, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 3 Dec 2018 First-in-Class Cancer Drug Gets €50M Boost The biopharmaceutical company Aprea Therapeutics has raised €50M to fund a Phase III trial of its first-in-class cancer drug candidate, which kills tumor cells by restoring the function of a key anti-cancer protein called p53. Aprea’s planned Phase III trial will test the company’s lead candidate small molecule drug combined with the chemotherapy drug azacitidine. […] December 3, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 30 Nov 2018 Update: UK Biotech Scores £5M Series A to Boost Next-Generation Cancer Antibodies Update (30/11/2018): IGEM Therapeutics has increased the total raised in Series A to £5M (€5.6M) with the participation of two new investors, Alsa Holdings and UCL Technology Fund. The funding will go towards the development of a new generation of antibody drugs for cancer. Published on 20/06/2017 IGEM Therapeutics has raised £2M (€2.3M) in Series A […] November 30, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Melanie De Almeida Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Startup Scout 23 Nov 2018 This Biotech Arms Tumor-Busting Cells to Treat Cancer In the medieval city of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands, Lava Therapeutics is developing a cancer immunotherapy that arms a rare type of immune cell called gamma delta T cells. Mission: Develop antibodies that recruit innate immune cells near tumors and activate them to kill cancer cells. T cells are immune cells that have a strong potential […] November 23, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Startup Scout 9 Nov 2018 This Biotech Uses Radioactive Chemicals to Diagnose Brain Cancer In Athens, Greece, we find pro-Actina. This biotech is working on a method to diagnose brain cancer by measuring how ‘leaky’ the brain is. Mission: Founded in 2006, the company is working to improve glioma diagnosis by using a combination of CT scans and an injectable radioactive chemical tracer. Gliomas are the most common forms […] November 9, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 5 Nov 2018 DNA Repair Treatment Shows Early Promise for Treating Cancer Paris-based Onxeo has proved in humans the potential of a cancer treatment that interferes with DNA repair mechanisms. The therapy has potential to work in a wide range of tumors without cancer cells becoming resistant. Onxeo has reported preliminary results from an ongoing Phase I trial in which six different doses will be tested. […] November 5, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
In Depth 30 Oct 2018 Shuttles, Bubbles and Ultrasound: Crossing the Blood–Brain Barrier What do shuttles, bubbles and ultrasound have in common? They are all methods that can all be used to target the blood–brain barrier and make treating brain diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s easier. The blood–brain barrier is the gatekeeper to the brain. This highly selective protective sheath regulates the flow of substances in and […] October 30, 2018 - 7 minutesmins - By External Contributor Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 22 Oct 2018 Innate’s Cancer Immunotherapy Combo Beats Standard Treatment Twofold A combination cancer immunotherapy from French biotech Innate Pharma was twice as effective at treating recurrent squamous cell carcinoma as standard therapy in a Phase II trial. Squamous cell carcinoma is a head and neck cancer that forms lesions in the mucous membranes of body cavities such as the mouth, nose and throat. “Patients are […] October 22, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 8 Oct 2018 Oxford Biotech Launches with €26M to Target ‘Immunometabolism’ Sitryx has launched today with the goal of treating cancer and inflammatory conditions by targeting the metabolism of immune cells, a promising area of research. The new company has kicked off with a €26M Series A round co-led by two specialized investors, SV Health and Sofinnova Partners. Sitryx also has investment from GSK, with […] October 8, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 1 Oct 2018 Cancer-Sniffing Diagnostics Company Secures €43.1M Funding Intoxication is not the only condition that we could diagnose with breathalyzers. The UK-US company Owlstone Medical has secured €43.1M funding to help commercialize its tech that ‘smells’ cancer in your breath. Owlstone’s breathalyzer kit diagnoses conditions by measuring volatile organic compounds in a person’s breath. Disease pathologies affect the types and amounts of these […] October 1, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 20 Sep 2018 RNA Therapy Shows Promise for Treating Liver Cancer British biotech MiNA Therapeutics’ innovative RNA treatment may enhance liver cancer patients’ response to standard cancer therapies, suggest early results from a Phase I/IIa clinical trial. When they received the biotech’s small activating RNA (saRNA) treatment, two patients showed complete responses after being given the cancer treatment sorafenib and one showed a partial response to […] September 20, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email