News and Trends 7 Oct 2021 Exscientia IPO Attracts Tech Investor Bets to AI Drug Discovery Exscientia’s lucrative entry onto the Nasdaq last week demonstrated investors are still excited by efforts to use artificial intelligence to fuel drug discovery, with global tech investors often taking the lead. The Oxford, UK-based company Exscientia has one of the most mature artificial intelligence (AI)-focused drug discovery pipelines, alongside companies like BenevolentAI in the UK, […] October 7, 2021 - 5 minutesmins - By Mark Zipkin Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 24 Sep 2021 Breath Testing To Be Tapped by UK Pioneer with €50M Fundraising After years of under-fulfilled promise, breath tests for cancer, liver disease, and respiratory conditions appear to be taking off with UK biotech Owlstone Medical raking in almost €50M (£42M) in an oversubscribed Series D funding round. The round, whose original target was about €43M, was led by the Hong Kong-based Horizons Ventures and was joined […] September 24, 2021 - 3 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 15 Sep 2021 UK Startup Surfs Investment Wave in Microbiome with €18M Series A As increasing attention turns to microbiome-based therapeutics, the Scottish biotech Enterobiotix has closed a Series A fundraising to potentially treat a myriad of medical conditions by improving gut health. Last week, EnteroBiotix raised €18M (£15.5M) in Series A funding to further develop a pill to restore the patient’s gut microbiome to a healthy state using […] September 15, 2021 - 4 minutesmins - By Anita Chakraverty Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 24 Aug 2021 UK Venture Round Shines Spotlight on Europe’s Psychedelics Scene The UK has cemented its position as a European hub for psychedelics research following a €68.5M ($80M) Series B round from the startup Beckley Psytech. The Oxford-based Beckley Psytech — founded in 2019 to develop psychedelic treatments for neurological conditions — had originally set the target of its venture capital financing at €43M ($50M). Earlier […] August 24, 2021 - 4 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 30 Jul 2021 British Diagnostics Biotech Becomes Social Enterprise After Acquisition UK rapid diagnostics company Mologic will convert into a social enterprise after being acquired by a group of philanthropic funds and investors, in what experts predict may become an increasingly popular trend. The British biotech Mologic will entirely reinvest any profits into widening global access to affordable medical technology after being acquired in a deal […] July 30, 2021 - 4 minutesmins - By Anita Chakraverty Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 28 Jul 2021 Microbiome Medicines Could Power Up CAR-T Cell Therapies The microbiome could pave new cancer immunotherapy inroads for European biotechs, bolstered by preclinical findings that gut bacteria metabolites may help CAR-T cell therapies penetrate and kill solid tumors. A recent study conducted by researchers at Philipps-University Marburg, University Hospital Würzburg, and the Leeds-based company 4D Pharma showed that metabolites produced by the gut bacteria […] July 28, 2021 - 5 minutesmins - By Mark Zipkin Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 16 Jul 2021 Multi-Million UK Life Sciences Initiative Welcomed By VC Firms Biotech venture capital firms across Europe have warmly received the launch of a €235M (£200M) UK government initiative to support the growth of promising late-stage life sciences companies. The UK’s Life Sciences Investment Programme opened to applications from fund managers this month, with the aim of providing €235M in late-stage capital and attracting at least […] July 16, 2021 - 4 minutesmins - By Anita Chakraverty Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Best in Biotech 30 Jun 2021 Scotland’s Top 10 Biotech Companies to Watch Out For Scotland has a thriving life sciences ecosystem with strengths in oncology, genetic engineering, and industrial biotech. Let’s pick up the bagpipes as we tour the top 10 biotech companies in Scotland. Scotland is the UK’s second-most populous country, boasting picturesque scenery, a rich history, and a strong focus on sustainability. There is a diverse range […] June 30, 2021 - 11 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 31 May 2021 What’s Ahead for European Biotech Startups After Covid? With a tumultuous year behind us, 2021 is set out to spell change for many startups in the European biotech ecosystem. Following the Covid-19 pandemic and Brexit, the European biotech startup landscape has seen some big changes over the course of the past year. Jason Mellad and Dan Rooke, CEO and COO of the Cambridge-based […] May 31, 2021 - 8 minutesmins - By Larissa Warneck-Silvestrin Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 22 Feb 2021 How Automation Can Augment Drug Discovery Research Robotics and artificial intelligence are rapidly changing the way we discover drugs. Martin-Immanuel Bittner, CEO and co-founder of Arctoris, discusses the benefits and challenges of introducing automation in drug discovery efforts. The Oxford-based startup Arctoris was established in 2016 with the objective of offering remote access to automated drug discovery. At a time when researchers […] February 22, 2021 - 8 minutesmins - By External Contributor Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 18 Feb 2021 Cannabinoids in Focus after GW Pharmaceuticals Snapped up for €6B This month’s €6B acquisition of the UK heavyweight GW Pharmaceuticals by Jazz Pharmaceuticals has been hailed as a major validation of the medical cannabinoid industry. The deal is the largest to date in the medical cannabinoid field. Jazz’s offer valued GW’s shares nearly 50% higher than their previous day’s close. The acquisition is expected to […] February 18, 2021 - 6 minutesmins - By Victor Kotsev Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 16 Feb 2021 Cancer Research UK Cuts Two Biotech Collaborations Amid Pandemic Squeeze The major research funder CRUK and two of the biotech companies it works with have decided to cut development ties as the financial impact of the coronavirus disease pandemic continues to bite. Cancer Research UK (CRUK) is a prolific research charity, running a multitude of collaborations with academics and biotech companies around the world. However, […] February 16, 2021 - 4 minutesmins - By Anita Chakraverty Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email