News and Trends 11 Jun 2019 Janssen and Genmab Team Up Again for Another Potential Cancer Blockbuster Janssen and the Danish biotech Genmab will collaborate to develop a new antibody that could outperform their blockbuster cancer drug Darzalex in certain types of blood cancer. Genmab will develop the antibody treatment until it completes clinical proof-of-concept studies in the blood cancers multiple myeloma and diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. At that point, Janssen will […] June 11, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 7 Jun 2019 CRISPR Therapeutics and Vertex Seal Deal Worth up to €890M The US giant Vertex Pharmaceuticals is expanding an existing collaboration with the Swiss company CRISPR Therapeutics, paying up to €890M ($1B) to develop treatments for genetic diseases causing muscle weakness using the gene editing tool CRISPR/Cas9. The deal includes €155M ($175M) paid upfront, and potential future payments based on achieving developmental milestones. In exchange, Vertex […] June 7, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 5 Jun 2019 Highlights from European Biotech at ASCO 2019 European biotech companies gathered in Chicago, USA, to share the latest advances in cancer research at the biggest cancer conference of the year, ASCO 2019. This year’s conference has drawn fewer big blockbuster headlines than other years, but there was plenty to see nonetheless. There were results from many different clinical trials by big pharma […] June 5, 2019 - 5 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 4 Jun 2019 Austrian Biotech Raises €19M to Commercialize First Chikungunya Vaccine The market is in sight for the first potential vaccine for the chikungunya virus, as the company Themis Bioscience will receive up to €18.7M ($21M) in non-dilutive funding to finance the vaccine’s phase III development. The money will cover most of the costs of the phase III trial, which Themis expects to begin later this […] June 4, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 4 Jun 2019 First Gene Therapy for Beta Thalassemia Approved in Europe The US biotech company bluebird bio has obtained EU conditional market approval for a gene therapy that could remove the need for blood transfusions for people with the blood disorder beta-thalassemia. Called Zynteglo, the gene therapy is aimed at treating people with beta-thalassemia who are over 12 years of age and have any but the […] June 4, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 3 Jun 2019 Belgian and US Biotechs Team up to Reduce CAR T Side Effects The diagnostics company Biocartis is collaborating with Kite Pharma to monitor the progress of CAR T-cell therapies in patients to better manage side effects. CAR T-cell therapies have revolutionized the way we treat cancer. Instead of giving the patient a classical drug, companies can inject them with living, genetically engineered cells that kill cancer cells. […] June 3, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 3 Jun 2019 ‘CRISPR Babies’ Might Be at Risk of Dying Younger Update (01/10/2019): The scientists behind the study have declared that the results were based on erroneous data, meaning the mutation they studied has a weaker effect on mortality than initially reported. A new study highlights the issues that can result from modifying human DNA without sufficient understanding of how it can impact our health. Last […] June 3, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 3 Jun 2019 Dutch Company Raises €28M to Push Cancer Cell Therapy to European Market The Dutch Kiadis Pharma has raised €27.6M in a private placement to fund the clinical development of immune cell therapies treating blood cancer. The money will fund phase III trials of Kiadis’ lead candidate cell therapy for blood cancer, aimed to get European approval by the end of 2019. In addition, the cash will boost […] June 3, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 29 May 2019 After Unexpected Setback, GenSight Seeks Approval for Blindness Gene Therapy The French biotech GenSight will apply for regulatory approval for its gene therapy despite the treatment unexpectedly resulting in the improvement of the eyes treated with a placebo in a phase III trial. GenSight is developing a gene therapy designed to treat progressive vision loss caused by the rare genetic condition Leber hereditary optic neuropathy. […] May 29, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 29 May 2019 €60M Investment to Boost Oxford Biomedica’s Gene and Cell Therapies The Danish investor Novo Holdings is handing Oxford Biomedica up to €60.6M (£53.5M) to develop gene and cell therapies treating cancer and genetic blindness. The investment will bag Novo Holdings a stake of up to 10.1% in the UK biotech. Oxford Biomedica will use the money to repay a loan totalling €49M ($55M) from the […] May 29, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 28 May 2019 Viral Vaccines Could Be Weapons Against Alzheimer’s Disease Scientists in Sweden have found that some viruses can increase the buildup of protein ‘plaques’ linked to Alzheimer’s disease, a discovery that could lead to new vaccines treating the condition. According to Kariem Ezzat, one of the lead researchers based in Stockholm University, the group is looking for industrial collaborators to develop vaccines against viruses […] May 28, 2019 - 3 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 22 May 2019 Microbiome Companies Unite to Push for EU Regulation Reform European microbiome biotechs have launched a collaboration to streamline the EU’s regulatory pathways for microbiome-based treatments, which have the potential to treat inflammatory disease and bacterial infection. The companies will propose EU regulatory changes that make it easier to commercialize treatments based on targeting a patient’s microbiome bacteria. Microbiome-based treatments form a young field in […] May 22, 2019 - 2 minutesmins - By Jonathan Smith Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email