In summer the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that crops created by biological mutagenesis techniques fall under EU GMO legislation. Germanys government and the European Parliament see no need to take action.
Just in mid-December, antibiotic resistance detection expert Ares Genetics (Vienna, Austria) inked an agreement with Sandoz to use its pathogenome database and bio-IT know-how to develop repurposed and novel antiinfectives that help fight antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Now, the company baged another financing to expand its diagnostic capabilities.
Experts in artificial intelligence (AI) have created another problem for bioethicists and data protection specialists: their algorithm has learned to identify people with rare genetic syndromes from facial images.
Bio-ADM, the very first blood biomarker capable to diagnose when blood vessels become leaky (endothelial dysfunction), is set to make a rapid carrier at intensive care units (ICUs) and emergency departments (EDs) of hospitals. Data from pilot clinical routine testing presented at the 2nd Scientific Symposium on Endothelial Disruption (18. December 2018) in Berlin impressively confirmed results from previous tests on 30,000 patients with acute heart failure (AHF) and severe sepsis indicating that bio-ADM testing improves medical decision making to prevent mortality, organ damage and rehospitalisation. An automated point-of-care (POC) test measuring bio-ADM both as a biomarker and as a companion diagnostic to a therapeutic antibody (adrecizumab) that repairs endothelial dysfunction, will be launched by H1/2019 by Sphingotec GmbH. However, bio-ADM is just the first representative of a full pipeline of diagnostic blood proteins reflecting disturbed signalling pathways underlying disorders of unmet medical need.
Sanofi and Regeneron announced they have "restructured" their US$2,17bn immunoncology collaboration. While the companies will continue co-marketing of the FDA approved (2018) PD1 blocker cemiplimab (REGN2810) as treatment for cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, Sanofi will quit development of early stage antibody discovery programmes under the 2015 agreement.
Cells that line the blood vessels do not behave identically but instead exhibit varied responses to the same biochemical signals, British researchers report in Science.
Differences in microbiome composition can help to distinguish inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), Dutch and US researchers report.
Cancer specialist Cellestia Biotech AG has secured CHF20m through a Series A financing led by FC Capital, and PPF / Sotio, and ETP Ventures, Boston & Beijing.
Staten Biotechnology has signed a dyslipidaemia licence option deal worth US$430m with Novo Nordisk.
Paris-based Kurma Partners announced the first closing of its Kurma Biofund III, a life science fund set to raise 150m.