News and Trends 18 Nov 2019 Update: Single-Shot Vaccine for Chikungunya Lasts for a Year in Phase I Update (18/11/2019): French biotech Valneva has revealed additional phase I results concerning its experimental chikungunya vaccine; all 68 patients that were given a single injection of the vaccine showed sustained protection after 12 months. The company is currently running a phase II study and plans to launch a pivotal phase III trial next year. Update […] November 18, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 14 Nov 2019 Cellectis’ Off-the-Shelf CAR T-Cell Therapy Shows Solid Tumor Potential An off-the-shelf, gene edited CAR T-cell therapy, developed by the French biotech Cellectis, could be used to tackle solid tumors, which have so far been beyond the reach of other CAR T-cell therapies. The approved CAR T-cell therapies Kymriah and Yescarta contain genetically modified immune T-cells that can fight certain types of blood cancer. However, […] November 14, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 21 Oct 2019 Update: Abivax’s Ulcerative Colitis Drug Effective Long-Term Update (21/10/2019): An extension of French biotech Abivax’s phase IIa trial shows its treatment for the inflammatory bowel disease ulcerative colitis has good efficacy after a year of treatment, with 75% of the screened patients remaining symptom-free. Of the 32 patients in the original phase IIa trial, 19 patients were treated with Abivax’s drug in […] October 21, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Startup Scout 18 Oct 2019 This Biotech Fights Autoimmune Disease with Rare Immune Cells We come to the biotech hub of Paris, France, where the biotech Ermium Therapeutics is developing treatments for autoimmune diseases that don’t suppress the whole immune system as current treatments do. Mission: To develop small molecule drugs for autoimmune conditions such as lupus by selectively blocking the activity of a rare type of immune cells […] October 18, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
More News! 17 Oct 2019 Sofinnova Partners Raises €333M for its Newest Life Sciences-Focused Fund Sofinnova Partners, Europe’s largest VC focused on life sciences, has raised €333M to fund early-stage healthcare companies, bringing the total capital managed by the firm to €2B. Sofinnova Partners aims to invest around two-thirds of the new fund, called Sofinnova Capital IX, in European life science companies. The other third will be invested globally, with […] October 17, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 17 Oct 2019 Innate Pharma Raises €62M IPO to Develop Antibody Drugs for Cancer The French company Innate Pharma has raised a Nasdaq IPO of €62.1M ($68.8M) to fund the development of antibody immunotherapies for solid tumors and blood cancer. Innate Pharma’s lead candidate antibody monalizumab is being co-developed in phase II with AstraZeneca for the treatment of head and neck cancer and colorectal cancer. Monalizumab is a member […] October 17, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 8 Oct 2019 Biotech Hubs: A Tale of Two Cities Life science investors differ widely across biotech hubs in Europe. At Labiotech’s recent Refresh event, two investors from Cambridge and Paris compared the progress of these hubs and discussed the challenges that need to be overcome in biotech investment. Funding is the lifeblood of early biotech startups, and investors are a crucial supplier. For this […] October 8, 2019 - 6 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 30 Sep 2019 Update: Mixed Results for Adocia as Legal Fight with Eli Lilly Comes to a Close Update (30/09/2019): A long legal battle between Adocia and Eli Lilly over a fast-acting insulin treatment development deal has finished with mixed results for Adocia. Eli Lilly has now paid €13M to Adocia, after the US Arbitration Association Panel supported Adocia’s claim last year. The payment consists of a milestone payment of €10.1M plus interest. […] September 30, 2019 - 4 minutesmins - By Editorial Team Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 24 Sep 2019 Rare Metal Could Turbocharge Cancer Light Therapies A team of European and Chinese researchers has developed a light-activated cancer therapy containing the rare metal iridium that could potentially activate the immune system against cancer. In a study published in Nature Chemistry, the drug killed multiple types of cancer cells in a dish when activated by red light. The study also revealed that […] September 24, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
More News! 12 Sep 2019 French Biotech to Develop Septic Shock Therapy with €39M Series B The French company Inotrem has raised €39M to fund an immunotherapy for septic shock, an often deadly condition caused by infections in the bloodstream. Led by the Hong Kong investor Morningside Ventures, the Series B round will finance a phase IIb trial of Inotrem’s lead candidate drug nangibotide, expected to start in November this year. […] September 12, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 29 Aug 2019 HiFiBiO’s €60M Series C to Fund Cancer and Autoimmune Disease Antibody Drugs The French biotech HiFiBiO has raised €60M in a Series C round to finance the development of antibody drugs for cancer and autoimmune diseases based on its single-cell screening technology. HiFiBiO will use the money to accelerate the progress of its drugs to clinical trials, though it has not specified when it plans to begin […] August 29, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
More News! 22 Aug 2019 French Biotech Withdraws US Application for its Living Biocide The US Environment Protection Agency (EPA) has stated it cannot grant registration to a biocide developed by Lyon-based company Amoéba for water treatment in cooling towers. Amoéba’s shares on Euronext Paris went down by 30% on Tuesday following the announcement. The biocide treatment consists of a live strain of amoeba called Willaertia magna C2c Maky. This […] August 22, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email