News and Trends 27 Nov 2019 Scientists Turn Crop Waste into Fragrances with Microbes A team of researchers in Brazil and the UK has developed a fermentation technique to turn plant waste, such as wheat straw, into a valuable chemical used in the fragrance industry. In a study published in the journal Green Chemistry, the scientists used engineered Escherichia coli bacteria to break down sugar cane and wheat straw, […] November 27, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
More News! 11 Nov 2019 Mereo BioPharma’s Brittle Bone Disease Drug Stumbles in Phase II The lead drug of the UK company Mereo BioPharma has achieved mixed results in a phase IIb trial in adults with the genetic condition osteogenesis imperfecta, also known as brittle bone disease. Mereo tested different doses of its antibody drug in 112 adults with osteogenesis imperfecta in a 12-month phase IIb trial. The drug failed […] November 11, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 6 Nov 2019 UK Biotech Launched to Target ‘Dark Antigens’ with Cancer Vaccines The London-based startup Ervaxx has launched with a €15.8M Series A round to develop cancer vaccines and cell therapies that target ‘dark antigens’ — normally silent genes in the genome that are expressed in cancer cells. Ervaxx’s Series A round was funded by the transatlantic venture capital firm SV Health Investors, as well as an […] November 6, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Startup Scout 1 Nov 2019 This Biotech Turns Seafood Waste into Packaging Using Microbes The Scottish company CuanTec is developing an energy-efficient way to recycle seafood shells into food packaging via bacterial fermentation, which could reduce plastic waste. Mission: To turn the thrown away shells of langoustines into antimicrobial food packaging. This would cut down both on food waste tipping and modern society’s reliance on plastics. CuanTec was founded […] November 1, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
More News! 28 Oct 2019 UK Company Synthesizes Long DNA Molecules with 85% Accuracy The UK biotech Camena Bioscience has proven it can synthesize long DNA molecules with more accuracy than traditional chemical synthesis. Camena tested its technology’s ability to accurately synthesize DNA molecules with a length of 300 nucleotides — the building blocks of DNA. Using Camena’s technology, 85% of the synthesized DNA molecules were accurate to the […] October 28, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Startup Scout 25 Oct 2019 This UK AI Tool Researches Diseases for Drug Discovery Companies The Manchester-based company Biorelate is developing artificial intelligence (AI) technology that can collect biological data from the internet and speed up the drug discovery process. Mission: Develop AI technology that trawls the web for disease and drug data and collects it together like researchers would do manually in drug discovery. Biorelate’s product is able to […] October 25, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 16 Oct 2019 GammaDelta Therapeutics Spins Out Cancer Immunotherapy Biotech The UK biotech GammaDelta Therapeutics has founded Adaptate Biotherapeutics to develop cancer immunotherapies based on antibodies that boost a rare type of immune cell. Adaptate Biotherapeutics is a spin-out of GammaDelta Therapeutics, a London company founded in 2016 that specializes in using a rare type of immune cells, known as gamma delta T-cells, to fight […] October 16, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 16 Oct 2019 UK Firm Raises €51M to Repurpose Drugs for Rare Diseases Using AI The Cambridge-based artificial intelligence company Healx has raised a Series B round of €50.8M to launch an AI tool that reduces the time it takes to develop treatments for rare diseases by five years. The Series B round was led by the UK VC firm Atomico and includes the returning investor Jonathan Milner, the founder […] October 16, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 14 Oct 2019 Mogrify Raises €15M Series A to Chase the ‘Holy Grail’ of Cell Therapy Cambridge-based Mogrify has raised €14.5M to develop a technology that could allow scientists to transform any human cell into another cell type without the arduous process of turning them into a stem cell first. The Series A round was led by Ahren Innovation Capital, an investment firm founded by science entrepreneurs from the UK […] October 14, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Startup Scout 11 Oct 2019 This Biotech Is Developing a Stem Cell Therapy for Deafness Sheffield is one of the UK’s historic industrial bases. It also hosts the biotech Rinri Therapeutics, which is developing a stem cell therapy to treat deaf patients who are not eligible for cochlear implants. Mission: To develop a stem cell therapy for a rare form of deafness where the neuronal wiring underlying the auditory system […] October 11, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 8 Oct 2019 Biotech Hubs: A Tale of Two Cities Life science investors differ widely across biotech hubs in Europe. At Labiotech’s recent Refresh event, two investors from Cambridge and Paris compared the progress of these hubs and discussed the challenges that need to be overcome in biotech investment. Funding is the lifeblood of early biotech startups, and investors are a crucial supplier. For this […] October 8, 2019 - 6 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
More News! 2 Oct 2019 Engineered Crop Plants Produce Fat Molecules for Formula Milk A team from the Rothamsted Research center, UK, has developed plants capable of mass-producing fat molecules resembling those in human breast milk. The scientists modified the way a type of oilseed plant generates fat molecules by introducing a mutation that changed the location within the cell of an enzyme responsible for processing fat. As a […] October 2, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email