Interview 5 Jun 2017 What Lies Ahead in Biotech for the UK’s Top Academic Entrepreneur? Despite remaining firmly in academia, Greg Winter is a biotech legend. What’s ahead for the serial entrepreneur, and where does he see biotech going? Sir Greg Winter is one of the biggest names in European biotech. As a Professor of Biochemistry at Cambridge University, he developed phage display technology that became the foundation of his first […] June 5, 2017 - 7 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
In Depth 9 May 2017 Rise of the Superbugs: How is Biotech Fighting Antibiotic Resistance? Fewer antibiotics are produced as development costs rise. We reached out to a few companies addressing the serious issue of antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic resistance is one of the greatest threats to our societies and health systems, and the number of antibiotic-resistant bacteria is growing at a disquieting rate. The estimated number of people killed by […] May 9, 2017 - 8 minutesmins - By External Contributor Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 8 May 2017 French Researchers Discover a Target to Prevent Zika Birth Defects Researchers from the Institut Pasteur and the Inserm have identified a protein target that, when overexpressed, can block Zika infections. The recent Zika epidemics in the Pacific and South America has led the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a state of global emergency. One of the biggest concerns at the moment is that the […] May 8, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 5 May 2017 Forget Chemical Synthesis, Yeast can Now Synthesize Complex Antibiotics A new study presents a novel synthetic biology approach for antibiotic synthesis in yeast that could tackle the huge challenge of antibiotic resistance. Scientists at Imperial College London have hacked their way into introducing complex biosynthesis pathways in the baker’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In particular, they focused on the production of non-ribosomal peptides (Nrp), a group of […] May 5, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 4 May 2017 Solid First-in-Human Results from Vaccine against Birth Defects Hookipa has presented positive data from its first Phase I trial testing its vaccine technology against human cytomegalovirus (hCMV) infections. Hookipa, one of the top 10 biotechs we’re closely following this year, is developing a viral vaccine platform that has attracted big investments from both the private and the public sector. The company just announced […] May 4, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 4 May 2017 Parent Bacteria Resist Antibiotics Better than their Offspring According to a new study, a phenomenon known as biased inheritance protects older bacteria from the wrath of antibiotics in low concentrations. Older bacteria in a mixed population of dividing E. coli cells inherit a larger number of drug-expelling membrane proteins and pump out antibiotics better than their younger counterparts in the presence of low […] May 4, 2017 - 3 minutesmins - By External Contributor Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 12 Apr 2017 Swiss Pharma Clears €37M Funding to Develop a New Class of Antibiotics Swiss Polyphor has closed a €37M (CHF40M) private funding round to finance the development of its most advanced candidate tackling antibiotic resistances. Polyphor is a clinical stage pharma developing a specific class of so called ‘macrocyclic drugs‘, which are chemically defined by a ring structure. The company’s pipeline is covering a broad range of diseases such as […] April 12, 2017 - 3 minutesmins - By Melanie De Almeida Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
More News! 7 Apr 2017 This Biotech Mining Probiotics to Treat the Skin has IPO’d in London SkinBioTherapeutics has raised £4,5M in its IPO on the London Stock Exchange to advance its probiotic technology for skin health applications. SkinBioTherapeutics, a spin-out from the University of Manchester, made its debut this week in AIM, the London Stock Exchange’s market for smaller growing companies. The £4,5M (€5.25M) raised will be used to continue the development […] April 7, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 6 Apr 2017 This New Biotech counts with the Largest Antibiotic Resistance Database Curetis has launched Ares Genetics, a company that will use the biggest antibiotic resistance genetic database to advance the diagnose of infections. Ares Genetics, the new subsidiary of Curetis, will investigate the genetic foundation of antibiotic resistance to develop new approaches for the rapid diagnose of specific resistance in patients with infections, as well as tools to […] April 6, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 3 Apr 2017 New Results Show GM Mosquitoes Keep Dengue and Zika at Bay in Brazil In its second year, Oxitec has reduced the mosquito population in a Brazilian neighborhood by 81%, demonstrating the long-term potential of GM insects. Oxitec is a spin-out from the University of Oxford that fights infectious disease with genetically-engineered mosquitoes that produce inviable offspring. The company has already made field trials in the Cayman Islands, Panama, Brazil, […] April 3, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 24 Mar 2017 New Biochips Quickly Identify the Best Antibiotic for each Bacterial Infection Scientists from Israel have piloted a new silicon biosensor chip that can rapidly identify the best antibiotics for treating a bacterial infection. Antibiotic resistance makes up one of the major health challenges of the 21st century. Some of the major causes of the increasing numbers of resistant bacterial strains are overuse of antibiotics and mistreatment of infections. […] March 24, 2017 - 3 minutesmins - By Melanie De Almeida Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 23 Mar 2017 A Cheaper Heat-Stable Vaccine Could Prevent Child Deaths in Africa An innovative rotavirus vaccine, BRV-PV, which does not require refrigeration, has passed Phase III trials in children living in sub-Saharan Africa. The Research and Epidemiology branch of the humanitarian organization Doctors without Borders (MSF), Epicentre, has published the results of its recent Phase III trial for a new oral vaccine against rotavirus infection. The vaccine, […] March 23, 2017 - 3 minutesmins - By Melanie De Almeida Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email