News and Trends 25 Mar 2021 Covid-19 Vaccine Approvals Bring Hope and Challenges for Adenoviral Technology The rise of adenoviral Covid-19 vaccines highlights the potential of companies using similar technology in other fields like cancer or gene therapy. However, complex challenges remain, such as circumventing immunity to adenoviral treatments. Earlier this month, Johnson & Johnson’s candidate became the first single-shot Covid-19 vaccine to get the EMA green light. The vaccine is […] March 25, 2021 - 6 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
In Depth 8 Feb 2021 How Next-Generation Gene Therapy Tackles Complex Diseases Gene therapy has traditionally been applied to well-understood diseases where a single genetic mutation was to blame. A new generation of technology is expanding the potential of gene therapy to treat conditions that were previously unreachable. Since the first gene therapy clinical trials in the 1990s, the technology has made its way into the market […] February 8, 2021 - 8 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Best in Biotech 28 Dec 2020 A Year to Remember: The Biggest European Biotech News in 2020 The Covid-19 pandemic caused huge disruption for European biotech in 2020, but the industry pulled through. Let’s look back at some of the top moments in the last 12 months. After the many drug approvals, startup foundations, and venture capital highs we saw in 2019, it looked like 2020 was going to be a comfortable […] December 28, 2020 - 12 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
In Depth 21 Dec 2020 Enemy or Valuable Ally? How Biotech Uses Viruses for Good Taking advantage of the ability of viruses to manipulate life is opening new doors for the biotech industry. Once only seen as our enemies, viruses are fast becoming some of our most valuable allies. Viruses may not have the best public image, but to biotechnologists, there’s a lot to admire about them. These tiny molecular […] December 21, 2020 - 7 minutesmins - By Farhan Mitha Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
In Depth 4 Nov 2020 The Return of Gene Therapy Gene therapy is a hot area in the biotech industry right now, with many treatments in development and a number of recent approvals. However, the path has not always been a smooth one. Gene therapy has been one of the biggest success stories of the 21st century. Genetic diseases were once seen as incurable, etched […] November 4, 2020 - 8 minutesmins - By Farhan Mitha Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 30 Oct 2020 Bayer’s AskBio Acquisition Strong Statement For Gene Therapy in Europe This week, German big pharma Bayer announced a €3.5B takeover of Asklepios BioPharmaceutical, a well known US gene therapy specialist. This is only one of many examples of the funding windfall experienced by the gene therapy field in 2020. Despite the difficulties posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, 2020 has been a good year for gene […] October 30, 2020 - 6 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Expert Advice 24 Aug 2020 Why a US Presence Can Help European Biotechs Get Ahead While there is no doubt that Europe has a thriving biotech scene, it can really help a European company to succeed if it has a US presence. No one knows this better than Patricia Zilliox, CEO of French biotech company Eyevensys, who has lived and worked in the US for many years. Zilliox is French, […] August 24, 2020 - 5 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 14 Aug 2020 Record Funding for Gene and Cell Therapy Accompanies Turbulent Times European companies developing advanced therapies such as gene and cell therapies secured at least €2.2B ($2.6B) in the first half of 2020. While this is encouraging in the face of Covid-19, it hasn’t been smooth sailing for all startups in the field, with many struggling to stay afloat during crippling national lockdowns. The funding received […] August 14, 2020 - 5 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 6 Aug 2020 €112M Fund Launched to Commercialize UCL’s Gene Therapy Research The leading UK institution University College London and the firm AlbionVC have made the first closing of a €112M (£100M) fund with the aim of investing in UCL research and spinouts with a focus on gene and cell therapy. This is the second so-called UCL Technology Fund and could double the size of the first, […] August 6, 2020 - 2 minutesmins - By Antara Mazumdar Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 29 Jul 2020 Covid-19 Forces Gene Therapy Companies to Shift Strategy Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, gene therapy companies are suffering, with clinical trials delayed and investors remaining cautious in an increasingly volatile market. Yet many have set their sights on what could potentially turn into a gold mine: applying their technology to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus. The UK’s Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult […] July 29, 2020 - 4 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 19 May 2020 Update: Novartis’ Gene Therapy Zolgensma Gets Nod from EU Update (19/05/2020): The gene therapy Zolgensma, developed by the big pharma Novartis and approved in the US last year, has received conditional approval in Europe for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). The gene therapy is approved to treat patients with a clinical diagnosis of SMA type 1 or SMA patients that have up […] May 19, 2020 - 5 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 7 May 2020 BioMarin Partners Swiss Biotech to Develop Cardiac Gene Therapies US biotech BioMarin has partnered Swiss startup DiNAQOR to develop gene therapies to treat rare, inherited cardiac diseases. DiNAQOR will initially receive an upfront payment from BioMarin, followed by developmental, regulatory, and commercial milestone payments and a percentage of royalties on later sales. No financial details of the collaboration were revealed by either company. “We […] May 7, 2020 - 2 minutesmins - By Helen Albert Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email