News and Trends 23 Apr 2020 Sofinnova Invests €20M in Three Italian Rare Disease Biotechs The French VC firm Sofinnova Partners has invested €20M in three Italian biotech companies via its Telethon Fund, which focuses on firms developing treatments for rare diseases. The deals by the Sofinnova Telethon Fund were made over the last several months. The companies the Fund invested in — Genespire, Epsilen Bio, and PinCell — are […] April 23, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 27 Feb 2020 Scientists Connect Brain Cells to Machines Over the Internet An international group of researchers has set up a brain-machine interface between cultured nerve cells and electronic chips linked over the internet, which could lead to the development of AI implants for treating neurological disorders. As described in a study published in Nature Scientific Reports, the team set up a system where cultured rat nerve […] February 27, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 25 Feb 2020 European Researchers to Make Light Bulbs using Bacteria A team of scientists from Austria, Spain, and Italy is working to make LED light bulbs out of proteins produced by bacteria. Light-emitting diodes, or LEDs, are widely seen as a key tool for making lighting eco-friendly because they are more energy-efficient than traditional bulbs. However, the coatings of these devices — designed to absorb […] February 25, 2020 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 17 Jan 2020 International Collaboration on Brink of Resurrecting Northern White Rhinos An international collaboration called BioRescue has taken a step forward in bringing back the Northern White Rhino with the creation of three embryos, which it hopes to bring to term in a surrogate in the coming months. The BioRescue team, including researchers based at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Germany, extracted egg […] January 17, 2020 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
More News! 25 Jul 2019 German Biotech Breath Therapeutics Acquired in Deal Worth up to €500M The Italian company Zambon has acquired the German biotech Breath Therapeutics for up to €500M, getting hold of its treatment for a rare lung disease known as popcorn lung. The deal includes an upfront payment of €140M and up to €360M upon reaching undisclosed regulatory milestones. Zambon will take over the development of a treatment […] July 25, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 10 Jul 2019 Anti-Aging Gene Therapy Treats Cardiovascular Disease in Mice A research group in Italy has reduced cardiovascular disease in mice by expressing an anti-aging gene often seen in centenarians. This could one day lead to a gene therapy treating the same condition in humans. Centenarians have long lives thanks to a mix of their environment, lifestyle, and their genes. In the past, researchers at […] July 10, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 1 Jul 2019 Approval Status of Cancer Cell Therapy at Risk After Halting Phase III Trial Following an unfavorable interim analysis, Milan-based MolMed has suspended a phase III trial of its cell therapy Zalmoxis that could threaten the conditional marketing authorization the treatment received in 2016. The halted clinical trial was evaluating the effects of Zalmoxis on patients with high-risk leukemia that have received a bone marrow transplant. The cell therapy […] July 1, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Startup Scout 17 May 2019 This Biotech Detects Fraudulent Food by Checking its DNA Spun out of the University of Milano-Bicocca, the Italian biotech Fem2-Ambiente aids in the fight against food contamination and fraud by sequencing DNA traces from food samples. Mission: To use DNA barcoding to make sure that foods are free from contamination, such as fraudulent ingredients, microbes or allergenic particles. Food fraud is a crime where […] May 17, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 13 May 2019 ‘Guided Missile’ Cancer Immunotherapy Boosted by €62M Funding The Swiss-Italian biotech company Philogen has raised a private round of €62M to fund the phase III development of cancer immunotherapies that deliver immune cell-stimulating molecules directly to the tumor site. The money will push Philogen’s two lead cancer programs, currently in phase III, to the market. The funds will also help to expand the […] May 13, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 16 Apr 2019 Male-Pattern Baldness Could See First New Treatment in over 10 Years A skin cream developed by the Italian company Cassiopea has reduced male-pattern baldness for up to 12 months in a phase II trial. Androgenetic alopecia, commonly known as male-pattern baldness in men, is a very common condition where excess male hormones (androgens) in hair follicles stop hair growing on the scalp. There are only two […] April 16, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 25 Jan 2019 Swiss-Italian Biotech Bags Antibody Deals with Three Big Pharma The Swiss-Italian company Philogen has announced three different partnerships with Novartis, Celgene, and Janssen to develop new forms of immunotherapy and small molecule drugs. Philogen develops immunocytokines, which are antibodies that are fused with proteins that modify the immune system to fight diseases such as cancer. For example, this treatment can bind to tumors and activate […] January 25, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 19 Dec 2018 Italian Biotech Raises Big Series A for ‘Gene Therapy 2.0’ Altheia Science, based in Milan, has raised €17M to fund the development of gene therapies for autoimmune diseases with the remarkable potential to be curative. “The success of our fundraising campaign is unprecedented over a Series A in Italy,” said Paolo Rizzardi, co-founder and CEO of Altheia. The funds will go towards taking the company’s […] December 19, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email