News and Trends 16 Jul 2018 CRISPR-Cas9 Shown to Cause Previously Unseen DNA Damage Researchers at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in the UK have found that gene editing with CRISPR-Cas9 can cause significantly more off-target damage to the DNA than previously thought. Published today in Nature Biotechnology, the study is the first to look at unexpected DNA changes caused by CRISPR across large regions of the genome. […] July 16, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 16 Jul 2018 Series A Boost for Swedish Biotech’s Sickle Cell Disease Treatment Modus Therapeutics closed SEK 140M (€13.5M) in Series A financing to complete a Phase II study testing its sickle cell disease drug and to prepare for further clinical trials. The financing round was led by HealthCap, a European venture capital firm focused on life science investments, which will contribute SEK 60M (€5.8M). The remaining funds […] July 16, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Alexander Burik Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 13 Jul 2018 French Biotech Raises €12.5M for Antibiotic Booster Drugs French-biotech Antabio closed €12.5M at series A to fund its pipeline of antibiotic booster drugs that should help in the global fight against antimicrobial resistance. After raising €7.3M last year, Antabio extended its Series A financing round with €5.2M of additional funding raised from private investors. The French biotech will use the funding to continue […] July 13, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Alexander Burik Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 12 Jul 2018 Collaboration Worth Over €1Bn Could Give Rise to New Cancer Immunotherapies Genmab is partnering with the German company Immatics to develop immunotherapies directed against three cancer targets. Genmab has offered Immatics, based in Tuebingen, Germany, an upfront payment of $54M (€46M) in addition to milestone payments worth up to $550M (€470M) for each product. Genmab has a market cap of €60Bn ($70Bn). The funding will be […] July 12, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Alexander Burik Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 11 Jul 2018 Radioactive Nanoparticle Could Improve Cancer Diagnoses Isotopia Molecular Imaging, an Israeli company, is developing a radioactive marker made of gold nanoparticles to detect cancer more accurately than with current diagnostic tools. PET and CT scans are two types of X-ray tests that use small quantities of radioactive materials, called contrast agents, to help visualize and assess organ and tissue function. These […] July 11, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Alexander Burik Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 11 Jul 2018 Gene Therapy for Retinitis Pigmentosa Tested in Humans for the First Time French biotech Horama has treated the first patients with a gene therapy for retinitis pigmentosa that could prevent the progressive loss of vision caused by this genetic condition. A Phase I/II trial with Horama’s gene therapy for retinitis pigmentosa is running at the Nantes University Hospital. The therapy is aimed at fixing genetic defects in a […] July 11, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 9 Jul 2018 Swedish Alzheimer’s Treatment Slows the Disease in Phase II Trial BioArctic, based in Stockholm, has clinical results showing its antibody treatment that targets amyloid plaques, a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease, can slow the disease’s progression. The trial tested the antibody in 856 patients with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease with plaques of amyloid-beta protein in their brains, which is considered a common hallmark of the disease. Results taken at […] July 9, 2018 - 3 minutesmins - By Alexander Burik Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 9 Jul 2018 Abingworth Closes €268M to Invest in Life Science Companies Abingworth has closed $315M (€268M) for its most recent fund, Abingworth Bioventures VII, which invests in European and US life science companies. In the current fundraising, Abingworth surpassed its target of $300M. The new fund will invest in life science companies in all stages of development, including early and late-stage venture deals. The company plans to […] July 9, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Alexander Burik Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 6 Jul 2018 A New HIV Vaccine Could Protect Patients Against Multiple Viral Strains A new HIV vaccine is moving into a Phase IIb trial and could potentially protect patients against multiple HIV strains worldwide. Recent findings from a Phase I/IIa trial published in The Lancet show that a new HIV-1 vaccine was safe and produced an immune response against HIV 393 healthy adults, as well as in a […] July 6, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Alexander Burik Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 5 Jul 2018 Series A Round Could Bring French Microbiome Treatment for Bowel Disease Into the Clinic Netbiotix has raised €7.5M to bring its lead candidate for inflammatory bowel disease into clinical trials. The treatment uses a bacterium found in the gut to prevent and dampen inflammation. The company, based in Paris, develops treatments for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) that consist of a single microbial strain that interacts with cells in the […] July 5, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Alexander Burik Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 4 Jul 2018 Stem Cells Could Help Patients Recover From Heart Attacks Viscofan BioEngineering has a green light in Spain to start clinical testing for its stem cell technology in patients with weakened heart muscles after a heart attack. While Viscofan BioEngineering’s main focus is on making sausage casings out of collagen, its technology could also help patients with weak heart muscles after suffering from a heart […] July 4, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Alexander Burik Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 3 Jul 2018 French Lupus Vaccine Ready to Move Into Phase III Neovacs, a French biotech, has shown its lupus vaccine can be effective in treating this severe autoimmune disease. Its lupus vaccine works by stimulating the patient’s immune system to produce antibodies against a protein called IFNα that regulates the immune system and is involved in the disease. The study enrolled 185 patients around the globe […] July 3, 2018 - 2 minutesmins - By Alexander Burik Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email