News and Trends 26 Jul 2017 Update: Potential Breakthrough Treatment for Deadly Lung Disease Starts Phase IIb Update (26/07/2017): Verona Pharma has dosed the first patients in the PhaseIIb with RPL554 in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Results are expected in the second half of 2018. Published on 27/06/2017 Verona Pharma has secured regulatory approval in five European countries to run a Phase IIb trial with its dual PDE3/4 inhibitor in […] July 26, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Melanie De Almeida Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
In Depth 25 Jul 2017 Trouble in Paradise: How Biotech is Fighting Tropical Diseases Tropical diseases are often neglected until an outbreak causes worldwide panic. Here’s how European biotech is preparing for the next one. “What we really need is a very fast and cheap way to develop vaccines,” biotech godfather Greg Winter told me earlier this year. Such precautionary measures may well be on our minds as Europe […] July 25, 2017 - 6 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 24 Jul 2017 Discussing Open Science with the Head of Translation at The Francis Crick Institute Officially opened less than a year ago, The Francis Crick Institute is already conducting top-level biomedical research, has launched two spin-outs and struck research partnerships with both AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline. I spoke to the Head of Translation, Dr. Véronique Birault, to learn more about the Crick’s unique model of translation and the key for its […] July 24, 2017 - 5 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 19 Jul 2017 Update: British Biotech Starts Phase II Trial in the Second Deadliest Cancer Update (19/07/2017): Tiziana has enrolled its first patient with refractory hepatocellular carcinoma in the Phase IIa trial with milciblib. Results are expected in the fourth quarter of 2018. Published on 24/04/2017 Tiziana Life Sciences has received approval to start Phase II in Israel with its leading compound, a CDK inhibitor targeting one of the deadliest cancers. […] July 19, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
Interview 17 Jul 2017 Pinning Down Elusive Targets: Interviewing the Co-Founder & CSO of Heptares Heptares is expanding into a range of indications with its GPCR platform. I caught up with CSO & co-founder Fiona Marshall to hear more about the strategy. Fiona Marshall has always worked on G-protein coupled receptors, or GPCRs for short. These entities are key to many eukaryotic signaling pathways, and because of their prevalence, they’re […] July 17, 2017 - 6 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 12 Jul 2017 British Researchers “Calm Down” Macrophages to treat Inflammation Imperial College London and Ergon Pharmaceuticals have a new enzyme target to treat inflammatory disease by reducing the activity of macrophages. Researchers at Imperial College London have developed a method to reprogram macrophages and reduce their inflammatory activity. The approach, published in Nature Communications, proved to reduce by more than half inflammation in the joints […] July 12, 2017 - 3 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 12 Jul 2017 Update: France and the Netherlands deem Oxitec’s GM Mosquitoes Safe for Release Update (12/07/2017): France’s High Council for Biotechnology (HCB) has also backed the use, with caution, of genetically modified mosquitoes in France. Oxitec expects the report published by the HCB will help shape the policy to regulate the genetically engineered insects in France and eventually allow testing the technology in the French Caribbean. Originally published on 07/07/2017 A […] July 12, 2017 - 3 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 4 Jul 2017 British Liquid Biopsy for Ovarian Cancer Outperforms the Gold Standard The British company Angle has announced results from a large-scale trial that seem to indicate its liquid biopsy technology could surpass the gold standard in ovarian cancer diagnosis. Angle, in the UK, is developing liquid biopsy tests to replace biopsies in the diagnosis of cancer. The company has announced results from a 400-patient trial in […] July 4, 2017 - 3 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 3 Jul 2017 Scottish AI Biotech Recruits Another Pharma Partner in €37M Deal After Sanofi recruited Exscientia in a €250M deal last May, GSK has taken an interest in the startup and invested in a collaboration of its own. Artificial intelligence has been carving out a niche for itself in biotech, and Exscientia is fast establishing itself as a key player in the field. In May, the company signed a […] July 3, 2017 - 1 minutemin - By Evelyn Warner Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 30 Jun 2017 €40M in Series C for a British Biotech Treating Blindness with Gene Therapy NightstaRx has raised €39.5M that will go towards three clinical programs testing gene therapies for rare diseases that cause blindness. NightstaRx is developing gene therapies for genetic retinal diseases that cause blindness, with technology from the University of Oxford. Now getting closer to the market, the company has closed a Series C round with $45M (€39.5M) […] June 30, 2017 - 3 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 22 Jun 2017 What are the Biggest Cancer Challenges? The UK Offers £20M Prizes for Solutions! Cancer Research UK is taking applications for £20M prizes from research groups worldwide that want to solve the biggest challenges in cancer research. Cancer Research UK is launching today its second round of the Grand Challenge to tear down some of the biggest barriers to the advancement of cancer therapy. The charity will shortlist the most promising […] June 22, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 22 Jun 2017 LAB282 Awards Second Funding Round to 5 Academic Projects at Oxford Evotec and the University of Oxford have announced the academic projects that will receive a financial award to push them towards launching spin-outs. LAB282 is a partnership between the German biotech Evotec, Oxford University Innovation and Oxford Sciences Innovation, the University’s venture fund manager. Set up with the aim to bridge academia and industry in life sciences, LAB282 […] June 22, 2017 - 3 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email