News and Trends 8 May 2017 Immunocore Boosts its Collaboration with GSK with new Lead Compound Immunocore has singled out a new lead candidate in its immuno-oncology discovery program with GSK, triggering an undisclosed milestone payment to Immunocore. Based in Oxford, Immunocore is one of the hottest biotechs in the immuno-oncology space, which was able to raise one of the largest European private funding rounds ever (€300M) and is backed by […] May 8, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Melanie De Almeida Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 4 May 2017 Video Interview: This Biotech Wants to Take Over the NOTCH Space Cellestia, based in Basel, is a biotech spin-off from EPFL, developing new compounds targeting the NOTCH pathway for the treatment of cancer. Its CEO, Michael Bauer, talked to Philip at our recent meetup in Basel and explained what sets Cellestia apart from other players in the field. Cellestia was founded in 2014, based on the […] May 4, 2017 - 3 minutesmins - By Melanie De Almeida Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 3 May 2017 Immuno-oncology Pioneer Enters the Clinic with its RNA-based Therapy Rigontec has announced the start if its first-in-human Phase I/II study with its pioneering RNA-based candidate, RGT100, in solid tumors and lymphoma. Rigontec, based in Munich, is exploring RNA’s applications in immuno-oncology. Since the company was founded in 2014, it has raked in an impressive €30M in series A funding. Now, only 3 years later, the biotech is […] May 3, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Melanie De Almeida Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 3 May 2017 New Immuno-oncology Biotech Gets a €20M Series A Funding Boost Imcheck Therapeutics from Marseille has just completed a €20M Series A funding round, backed by big investors like the Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund (BIVF). The French biotech Imcheck Therapeutics was founded in 2015 as a spin-off from the Paoli-Calmettes Cancer Institute (IPC) in Marseille and is developing next-generation immunomodulatory antibodies for the treatment of cancer and autoimmune diseases. […] May 3, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Melanie De Almeida Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 3 May 2017 Unexpected Side Effects: Are we Ready for the Rise of Immunotherapies? As immunotherapies are moving from large academic centers to clinics across the world, doctors are realizing that releasing the breaks of the immune system comes with serious risks – and that research on its adverse effects is lagging behind. This week, AstraZeneca’s anti-PD-L1 antibody durvalumab received FDA approval to treat patients with metastatic urothelial carcinoma, making […] May 3, 2017 - 4 minutesmins - By Melanie De Almeida Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 2 May 2017 Novartis Gains Access to Celyad’s allogenic CAR-T cell patents Belgian Celyad is giving Novartis access to its IP for the production of allogeneic CAR-T cells in a non-exclusive license agreement, worth up to €88M. Celyad is developing “off-the-shelf” therapies, based on engineering donor-derived allogeneic T cells. Despite a recent public dispute with its key rival Cellectis regarding the validity of Celyad’s US patents, Novartis has now entered a non-exclusive […] May 2, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Melanie De Almeida Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 26 Apr 2017 BRIEF: Dutch Biotech Goes for MAA in the EU with new Immunotherapy Kiadis Pharma has applied for marketing authorization from the EMA for its T cell immune therapy, which could halt graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Kiadis‘ MAA with the EMA doesn’t come as a surprise. After the EMA recently accepted the Biotech’s Pediatric Investigation Plan for its lead product ATIR101, the MAA was just a matter of time. Based in Amsterdam, […] April 26, 2017 - 1 minutemin - By Melanie De Almeida Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 20 Apr 2017 Norway Brings Another Cancer Vaccine to the Clinic Targovax has recruited its first patient in a Phase Ib trial for its new cancer vaccine TG02 targeting mutations of the RAS gene. Mutations of the RAS gene disrupt normal cell division and are a key driver of cancer progression and treatment resistance. The Norwegian biotech Targovax is developing peptide-based anti-cancer vaccines targeting these mutations found […] April 20, 2017 - 3 minutesmins - By Melanie De Almeida Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 20 Apr 2017 Which EU Immuno-Oncology Company are you Cheering for? Immuno-oncology represents a huge breakthrough towards the search for a cancer cure. Biotechs all around Europe are developing innovative ways of helping our own immune system fight tumors, which one do you think is doing it best? The field of immuno-oncology is overcrowded, and there’s plenty of companies pushing to make their cutting-edge technology a […] April 20, 2017 - 1 minutemin - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 19 Apr 2017 Researchers Unmask How a New Diet can help Cure Cancer Researchers from the University of Glasgow and the Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute found that cancer cells are dependent on specific amino acids. In a new study published today in Nature, researchers found that removing two non-essential amino acids – serine and glycine – from the diet of mice slowed the development of lymphoma and intestinal […] April 19, 2017 - 3 minutesmins - By Melanie De Almeida Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 19 Apr 2017 UPDATE: Novartis broadens CAR-T onslaught with FDA endorsement UPDATE (19/04/2017): CTL019 has been granted Breakthrough Designation by the FDA for relapsed/refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). Novartis and Kite have been in a tight race to bring the first CAR-T therapy to market: Novartis has staked out acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) while Kite has gone for DLBCL. With this “tacit endorsement,” Novartis is encroaching on […] April 19, 2017 - 3 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Startup Scout 14 Apr 2017 This Norwegian Biotech Aims to Unlock the Full Potential of Cancer Drugs This week we visited the Norwegian PCI Biotech. Based in Oslo, this company has developed a light-sensitive technology, which allows to activate cancer drugs at specific sites of the body by targeted illumination. Mission: PCI Biotech focuses on the development of new therapies for the treatment of cancer based on its photochemical internalisation (PCI) technology. The PCI technology consists of a photosensitising […] April 14, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Melanie De Almeida Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email