News and Trends 23 Feb 2021 European Cancer Deals Increasingly Focus on Natural Killer Cells Natural killer cells are becoming a hot topic in the booming cancer cell therapy scene, with the field’s latest big deal being a €640M licensing agreement between the French biotech Cellectis and US company Cytovia. T-cell immunotherapies like CAR T-cell therapy have revolutionized cancer treatment in recent times. However, they have a significant disadvantage. The […] February 23, 2021 - 6 minutesmins - By Kostas Vavitsas Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 22 Feb 2021 How Automation Can Augment Drug Discovery Research Robotics and artificial intelligence are rapidly changing the way we discover drugs. Martin-Immanuel Bittner, CEO and co-founder of Arctoris, discusses the benefits and challenges of introducing automation in drug discovery efforts. The Oxford-based startup Arctoris was established in 2016 with the objective of offering remote access to automated drug discovery. At a time when researchers […] February 22, 2021 - 8 minutesmins - By External Contributor Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 18 Feb 2021 Cannabinoids in Focus after GW Pharmaceuticals Snapped up for €6B This month’s €6B acquisition of the UK heavyweight GW Pharmaceuticals by Jazz Pharmaceuticals has been hailed as a major validation of the medical cannabinoid industry. The deal is the largest to date in the medical cannabinoid field. Jazz’s offer valued GW’s shares nearly 50% higher than their previous day’s close. The acquisition is expected to […] February 18, 2021 - 6 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 16 Feb 2021 Cancer Research UK Cuts Two Biotech Collaborations Amid Pandemic Squeeze The major research funder CRUK and two of the biotech companies it works with have decided to cut development ties as the financial impact of the coronavirus disease pandemic continues to bite. Cancer Research UK (CRUK) is a prolific research charity, running a multitude of collaborations with academics and biotech companies around the world. However, […] February 16, 2021 - 4 minutesmins - By Anita Chakraverty Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Best in Biotech 10 Feb 2021 Top Neurotech Startups Unlocking the Brain in Russia Russia has established itself as a hub for neurotech startups, attracting scientists and business people keen to understand, treat, and repair the human brain. Here are the startups leading the charge of neurotech innovation in Russia. Neurotechnology is a field of research that aims to read and influence the brain. Turns out that neurotech is […] February 10, 2021 - 6 minutesmins - By Carlos de Rojas Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 26 Jan 2021 Oxford’s Covid-19 Vaccine Blazes Trail for Oncolytic Virus Firms Since the debut of Imlygic in 2015, no other oncolytic virus cancer therapies have been approved by the FDA and EMA. However, we’re seeing the first signs that the Covid-19 pandemic may help the field get out of the rut. Earlier this month, the Oxford-based firm Theolytics raised €5.6M in a Series A round. This […] January 26, 2021 - 7 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 17 Dec 2020 Covid-19 Leaves Lasting Impact on Hematology at ASH 2020 Conference Under the heavy shadow of the Covid-19 pandemic, last week’s annual conference of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) displayed the achievements of many innovative treatments for blood conditions, including gene and cell therapies. A sweeping new wave of Covid-19 infections that is forcing new lockdowns across the northern hemisphere is already reshaping the biotech […] December 17, 2020 - 6 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 23 Nov 2020 SynOx Joins Wave of Biotechs Attacking Solid Tumor ‘Comfort Zone’ The newly founded SynOx has become the latest startup to attack solid tumors via their ‘comfort zone’, known as the tumor microenvironment. SynOx was spun out of the UK firm Celleron Therapeutics last week with a huge Series A round of €37M. The fledgling company is developing an antibody drug that Celleron licensed from Roche […] November 23, 2020 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 16 Nov 2020 Innate Immunity in Cancer Gains Recognition with Affimed’s €1.8B Deal Last week’s €1.75B deal between the German biotech Affimed and Swiss giant Roivant backs up an emerging trend of harnessing our innate immune system to treat cancer. According to the deal’s terms, Affimed will receive €51M upfront to license to Roivant a preclinical-stage antibody drug for several undisclosed types of cancer. Roivant will handle the […] November 16, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Reports 11 Nov 2020 Navigating the Immunotherapy Maze Today, the global immunotherapy drugs market is valued at €139B ($163B) and is estimated to reach a staggering value of €149.3B ($174.6B) by 2025. Without a doubt, it is a flourishing field with new research emerging as you read. Discover now how antibodies, T cells, and exosomes are changing the immunotherapy field! While antibodies have […] November 11, 2020 - 2 minutesmins - By Larissa Warneck-Silvestrin Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 3 Nov 2020 Kiadis’ Natural Killer Cell Therapies Earn €308M Acquisition by Sanofi The French big pharma Sanofi has offered €308M to acquire the Dutch firm Kiadis Pharma and get hold of cancer cell therapies based on a type of immune cells called natural killer cells. The offer comes not long after Sanofi inked a deal worth up to €857.5M to license a preclinical-stage cancer cell therapy from […] November 3, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 28 Oct 2020 Do Natural Killer Cells Hold the Key to Treating Blood Cancers? Novel immunotherapies, like T cell therapy, may have shown recent successes but they also come with a number of setbacks, such as long timelines and serious adverse reactions. As CEO of the Dutch biotech Kiadis Pharma, Arthur Lahr has been leading the development of a technology that could overcome these limitations by using natural killer […] October 28, 2020 - 7 minutesmins - By Larissa Warneck-Silvestrin Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email