News and Trends 13 Nov 2019 Mass Layoffs as Dutch Biotech Cancels Phase III Cell Therapy Trial The Dutch company Kiadis Pharma has discontinued the development of a cell therapy in blood cancer, laid off half of its workforce, and switched focus to other, less advanced cell therapy programs. The abandoned phase III trial was testing Kiadis Pharma’s lead cell therapy for the treatment of graft-versus-host disease, a complication of stem cell […] November 13, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 12 Nov 2019 First Results Out for Off-the-Shelf CAR-T Therapy in Solid Tumors The Belgian company Celyad has released the first interim clinical efficacy data for an off-the-shelf CAR T-cell immunotherapy in solid tumors. The interim results come from an ongoing phase I trial in patients with colorectal cancer. Of the 12 patients given Celyad’s CAR T-cell immunotherapy so far, six have seen their tumors shrink. The therapy […] November 12, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 11 Nov 2019 Argenx Raises Whopping €502M in Global Offering The Dutch biotech argenx, which develops antibody drugs to treat autoimmune diseases and cancer, has raised an eye-watering €502M ($557M) in a global offering on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange and Euronext Brussels. Argenx’s global offering was launched last week. It consists of a private placement in Europe as well as a public offering in the […] November 11, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 8 Nov 2019 EU Project Receives €15M to Bring mRNA Therapy to a Wider Audience An EU research project has launched with the aim of bringing mRNA treatments to a wider range of patients and diseases. The EXPERT – Expanding Platforms for Efficacious mRNA Therapeutics – project is a collaboration among academics and industry experts from 11 countries who will work on a novel delivery system for messenger (m)RNA therapeutics […] November 8, 2019 - 4 minutesmins - By External Contributor Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 7 Nov 2019 €51M Nasdaq IPO Will Fund Centogene’s Rare Disease Diagnostics The German company Centogene has raised €50.6M ($56M) in an IPO on the Nasdaq Stock Exchange to fund the development of diagnostics technology that could improve the treatment of rare diseases. The fundraise fell under Centogene’s target value of €54M ($60M). A part of the proceeds will fuel the development of biomarkers that Centogene will […] November 7, 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
News and Trends 5 Nov 2019 UK Scientists Speed up Brain Cancer Diagnosis with AI A technique combining a blood test with artificial intelligence (AI), developed by the UK company ClinSpec Diagnostics, could help to prioritize which patients need to be scanned for brain cancer. A team led by researchers at the University of Strathclyde and the University of Edinburgh, UK, trialed the technology on blood samples from 400 people […] November 5, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 5 Nov 2019 EU Regulations Are Holding Back Gene and Cell Therapy Clinical Trials European regulations might be responsible for lower numbers of advanced therapy clinical trials running in the region when compared to the US and Asia. Europe has historically been a pioneer in advanced therapies, such as cell and gene therapy. Europe was the first region to approve a gene therapy, and it boasts the highest number […] November 5, 2019 - 4 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 4 Nov 2019 Finnish Genetics Study Provides Clues for Treating Type 2 Diabetes A genetic mutation common to Finnish populations has been found to protect against type 2 diabetes by increasing insulin in the blood, providing a potential target for new drugs. The mutation is found in at least 0.2% of the population in western Finland, whereas it only appears in 0.02% of other European populations. The mutation […] November 4, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 31 Oct 2019 European Project Launches to Tailor Autoimmune Disease Treatments Public and private organizations across Europe will pool their resources in an €80M project to discover biomarkers that can predict which patients will respond best to treatments for autoimmune diseases. The project is called Taxonomy, Treatments, Targets and Remission, or 3TR for short, and is funded by the EU’s Innovative Medicines Initiative for the next […] October 31, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 30 Oct 2019 Trial Testing Spinal Application of Zolgensma Put on Hold by FDA The FDA has placed a partial hold on clinical trials testing a new application method for Zolgensma, Novartis’ gene therapy for the genetic disease spinal muscular atrophy, after it showed the potential to cause serious side effects in animal models. Spinal muscular atrophy is a life-threatening condition that usually arises when the patient is between […] October 30, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 29 Oct 2019 MorphoSys and Galapagos’ Eczema Drug Abandoned at Phase II Development of MorphoSys, Galapagos, and Novartis’ first-in-class antibody drug has been discontinued during a phase II trial after an interim analysis suggested it wouldn’t meet its main endpoint of reducing eczema symptoms. The drug was being developed to treat the inflammatory skin condition atopic dermatitis, also known as eczema. It arose from a collaboration between […] October 29, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email