London-based Cell Medica Ltd has raised £50 million from institutional investors to support development of its lead oncology product, CMD-003, for the treatment of patients with advanced lymphomas associated with the Epstein Barr virus.
Promethera Biosciences SA, a Belgian company developing cell-based treatments for in-born errors of metabolism and acquired liver disease, has raised €20.3 million in a Series C venture capital round and €5 million in loans and subsidies from the regional government of Wallonia.
The chief executive of H. Lundbeck A/S, Ulf Wiinberg, has resigned following a breach of the company’s code of conduct for failing to seek approval from the board for his receipt of shares in the biotech company Stratified Medical Ltd from the company’s founder.
Scientists at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Cambridge, UK have sequenced the genome of a very rare tapeworm that went undetected for four years in a UK patient’s brain.
Staphylococcus aureus, a bacteria that is an important cause of skin and soft tissue infections, may undermine the skin’s immune defenses and actually aggravate a skin condition known as neurodermatitis, according to findings by Technische Universität Mϋnchen and the University of Tϋbingen.
Scientists at the Technische Universität Mϋnchen have found that targeting the Malt1 protease as a way of treating lymphoma could do as much harm as good.
Scientists at the University of Edinburgh have discovered a mechanism that permits the body to distinguish between its own RNA and RNA from foreign organisms. Errors in the mechanism are thought to be a cause of autoimmune diseases.
Pfizer Inc has signalled its determination to stay ahead in oncology by agreeing to pay Merck KGaA up to $2.85 billion for rights to the German company’s early-stage checkpoint inhibitor and collaborate on up to 20 other immuno-oncology programmes.
AstraZeneca Plc has identified oncology as a key business segment as the company takes steps to restore revenue growth and maintain its independence. By 2020 it expects to bring six new cancer medicines to patients.
2015 is expected to be the year in which gene and cell therapy companies produce enough clinical data to give investors a steer on the commercialistion prospects for the industry as a whole.