News and Trends 7 Feb 2017 British Synbio’s Llama Antibodies recruited for Cancer T-Cell Therapy Isogenica has licensed its synthetic llama antibody library to Maverick Therapeutics, which develops cancer T-cell therapies designed to reduce side effects. Isogenica is a synthetic biology company near Cambridge that develops libraries of therapeutic antibodies. The biotech has granted US-based Maverick Therapeutics licenses to its llamdA VHH antibody library for the discovery, development and commercialization of […] February 7, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 6 Feb 2017 French Biotech’s Checkpoint Inhibitor Fails Phase II Leukemia Trial Innate Pharma’s checkpoint inhibitor candidate lirilumab missed its primary endpoint in a Phase II trial, which gave a hard blow to the company’s stock. When the stock market opened this morning, Innate Pharma‘s stock went down by almost 25%. The company had just announced the results of a Phase II trial that failed to prove its […] February 6, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 23 Jan 2017 French Biotech partners with Merck to Fight Tumor Resistance Domain Therapeutics and Merck have partnered up to develop immuno-oncology drug candidates that can boost the performance of checkpoint inhibitors. Domain Therapeutics has entered a collaboration and licensing agreement with German Merck in immuno-oncology. The big pharma is offering over €240M in milestones and will support research activities in exchange for worldwide rights to new drug candidates targeting […] January 23, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 23 Jan 2017 “Senior Staff Snobbery separates Academia from the Biotech Industry” We caught up with Mark Lowdell, Director of Cellular Therapeutics and the RFH/UCL Cancer Biobank. As one of the few successful scientist-entrepreneurs, he has some ideas about bridging academia and industry in biomedicine. Mark Lowdell was introduced to me by his business partner, RJ Tesi. Tesi co-founded INmune Bio, a promising California-based startup, on Lowdell’s […] January 23, 2017 - 6 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 16 Jan 2017 German Antibody for Cancer Diagnostics catches an Australian Eye Wilex is selling Telix Pharmaceuticals its radiolabeled antibody for cancer applications, Redectane, to focus on the development of ADCs instead. The Australian Telix Pharmaceuticals has closed a license agreement with Wilex, in Germany, for the worldwide rights to Redectane, an antibody with diagnostic applications in renal cancer. The antibody, Rencarex (girentuximab), which binds to the […] January 16, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 16 Jan 2017 Merck partners with Big Data Unicorn to help Cancer Patients Merck will use Palantir’s big data software to improve drug development and patient services, starting with cancer treatments. Merck will step up its data analytics capabilities in partnership with Palantir. The US company, co-founded by PayPal billionaire Peter Thiel, provides data integration and analysis software that Merck plans to use to improve patient care and […] January 16, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Startup Scout 13 Jan 2017 The Good, the Bad and the Cancer-Fighting Macrophage We decided to stick around England this week and made a short trip from London to visit the young biotech Macrophage Pharma. The company is developing immuno-oncology technology that could turn ‘bad’ tumor-associated macrophages into ‘good’, cancer-fighting cells. City: Berkhamsted, UK (near London) Founded: 2014 Employees: 1-10 Financial data: €10.38M total raised Mission: Macrophage Pharma develops next-generation immunotherapies […] January 13, 2017 - 1 minutemin - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 11 Jan 2017 Phase II Failure: CureVac’s CEO explains Missed Efficacy Endpoint Money doesn’t guarantee success, even if it’s heavy investment from the likes of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Ingmar Hoerr explains what it means for mRNA therapeutics. In a blow to the field of mRNA, the German billion-euro biotech CureVac has reported the Phase II failure of its lead candidate at JP Morgan. Aimed at prostate cancer, CV9104 did not […] January 11, 2017 - 4 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 11 Jan 2017 Merck expands its Oncology Pipeline beyond Checkpoint Inhibitors Merck is diversifying its oncology portfolio with four new programs licensed from Vertex Pharmaceuticals, including multiple DNA damage and repair drugs. Merck has entered a licensing agreement with Boston-based Vertex Pharmaceuticals for the worldwide rights to four oncology programs. Merck has paid €220M ($230M) upfront for two clinical-stage DNA damage and repair candidates and two additional […] January 11, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 9 Jan 2017 German Immuno-Oncology Biotech partners up with Biotech Giant Amgen Immatics and Amgen have inked a deal to develop bispecific drug candidates for cancer that could reach over €1B in milestones. Immatics, an immuno-oncology biotech in Tübingen, Germany, has signed an agreement with biotech giant Amgen. Immatics will receive €28.5M ($30M) upfront and up to €475M ($500M) per program and Amgen will be responsible for clinical development, manufacturing and […] January 9, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 6 Jan 2017 Servier offers up to €1.7B for Dual Cancer Checkpoint Inhibitors Servier has signed a deal that could give it access to up to eight bispecific drug candidates with immuno-oncology applications from Pieris Pharmaceuticals. Servier, one of France’s biggest pharma companies, is offering up to €1.7B to US-based Pieris Pharmaceuticals. The team will initially develop five programs that can be later expanded to up to eight. For […] January 6, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 3 Jan 2017 New German Immuno-oncology Partnership takes on Solid Tumors TCR2 Therapeutics is initiating a partnership with academia to boost its TCR technology with the aim of overcoming the huge challenges of treating solid tumors. TCR2 Therapeutics, a Boston immuno-oncology startup launched in 2015 and funded by the Munich biotech mafia, is starting the year with a multi-year collaboration with the University Hospital of Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU) in, […] January 3, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email