News and Trends 10 May 2017 Oxford Synbio Startup with Eyes on Therapeutics gets hold of CRISPR Synbio startup Oxford Genetics has licensed CRISPR from Emmanuelle Charpentier’s company, ERS Genomics, to boost its platform. Synthetic biology has so far remained on the fringe of biotech, but one company, Oxford Genetics, is demonstrating its use in therapeutics. To bolster its efforts, the startup has secured a nonexclusive license from ERS Genomics, which represents […] May 10, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Evelyn Warner Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 10 May 2017 Roche’s Checkpoint Inhibitor Misfires in Late-Stage Trials Roche’s drug tecentriq just failed a late-stage Phase III study in bladder cancer, raising questions about its future as an anticipated blockbuster. Roche and Genentech have been pushing their checkpoint inhibitor tecentriq onto the market last year, going for a number of different indications including bladder cancer and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). After the FDA handed out accelerated approval in May 2016, […] May 10, 2017 - 3 minutesmins - By Melanie De Almeida Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 10 May 2017 Experts say the Microbiome could overtake Genetics as the Next Big Thing Yesterday, a panel of experts at BioTrinity discussed the huge possibilities offered by the young microbiome field, which could soon overtake genetics. Scientists and investors worldwide are starting to turn to the microbiome, which many believe hold the key to human health. The microorganisms that live in us and on us have shown to play […] May 10, 2017 - 3 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 9 May 2017 AI-Based Drug Discovery Biotech is Recruited by Sanofi in €250M Deal As part of the deal with Sanofi, Exscientia will tackle the discovery and design of new bispecific drugs using artificial intelligence algorithms. Exscientia, based in Scotland, is a company that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to develop new drugs faster. Its edge-cutting technology has caught the attention of Sanofi, which is offering Exscientia research funding and […] May 9, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 9 May 2017 Hypermutation could be the Key to Biofuels – and Antibiotic Resistance Instead of taking a spa vacation, stressed out bacteria start mutating their DNA fast. This nearly suicidal behavior can yield a lucky survivor in nature. For us, it could mean new strategies for biofuel production and fighting antibiotic resistance, researchers say. Researchers from the Centre of Microbial and Plant Genetics at KU Leuven, in Belgium, are shining […] May 9, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Denise Neves Gameiro Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 8 May 2017 The EU Approves New Treatment for a Rare Pediatric Cancer Update (08/05/2017): The European Commission has granted marketing authorization to Apeiron Biologic’s APN311 in the rare pediatric cancer neuroblastoma. Originally published on 27/03/2017 Apeiron Biologics has announced that the EMA’s CHMP has recommended the approval of APN311 for immunotherapy of high-risk neuroblastoma. Apeiron Biologics is a Vienna-based biotech company developing immunological approaches to treat cancer. […] May 8, 2017 - 3 minutesmins - By Melanie De Almeida Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 8 May 2017 Swedish Biotech Faces Another Phase III Flop in Multiple Sclerosis Teva and Active Biotech have failed Phase III with their Multiple Sclerosis drug laquinimod to treat the relapsing-remitting form of the disease. Teva and Active Biotech have faced another setback with their long-expected successor to Teva’s Copaxone, laquinimod, for the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis (MS). The drug failed to meet the primary endpoint, trying to improve the […] May 8, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Melanie De Almeida Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 8 May 2017 French Researchers Discover a Target to Prevent Zika Birth Defects Researchers from the Institut Pasteur and the Inserm have identified a protein target that, when overexpressed, can block Zika infections. The recent Zika epidemics in the Pacific and South America has led the World Health Organization (WHO) to declare a state of global emergency. One of the biggest concerns at the moment is that the […] May 8, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 8 May 2017 Immunocore Boosts its Collaboration with GSK with new Lead Compound Immunocore has singled out a new lead candidate in its immuno-oncology discovery program with GSK, triggering an undisclosed milestone payment to Immunocore. Based in Oxford, Immunocore is one of the hottest biotechs in the immuno-oncology space, which was able to raise one of the largest European private funding rounds ever (€300M) and is backed by […] May 8, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Melanie De Almeida Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 8 May 2017 Top 5 Mistakes that Will Doom a CRO-Supplier Partnership Before it Starts A healthy relationship between a trial sponsor and the CRO or supplier can be the key to success – here is a list of how to address the biggest challenges. By 2020, 72% of clinical trials are projected to be outsourced to contract research organizations (CROs), compared to just 23% in 2012. The main reason […] May 8, 2017 - 7 minutesmins - By External Contributor Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 5 May 2017 Forget Chemical Synthesis, Yeast can Now Synthesize Complex Antibiotics A new study presents a novel synthetic biology approach for antibiotic synthesis in yeast that could tackle the huge challenge of antibiotic resistance. Scientists at Imperial College London have hacked their way into introducing complex biosynthesis pathways in the baker’s yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. In particular, they focused on the production of non-ribosomal peptides (Nrp), a group of […] May 5, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email
News and Trends 4 May 2017 Solid First-in-Human Results from Vaccine against Birth Defects Hookipa has presented positive data from its first Phase I trial testing its vaccine technology against human cytomegalovirus (hCMV) infections. Hookipa, one of the top 10 biotechs we’re closely following this year, is developing a viral vaccine platform that has attracted big investments from both the private and the public sector. The company just announced […] May 4, 2017 - 2 minutesmins - By Clara Rodríguez Fernández Share WhatsApp Twitter Linkedin Email