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Following the FDA granted AMT-130 fast track designation, uniQure NV announced it will start Phase I/II testing of the Huntington’s Disease gene therapy in Q2/2019.

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Metrion Biosciences today announced the appointment of Dr Andrew Southan as Chief Executive Officer, with immediate effect. Dr Southan was previously the Company’s Chief Operating Officer.

Sanofi headquarters. © 123rf.com/ricochet64

Sanofi and Alnylam have agreed to end the research and option phase of the companies’ RNAi therapeutics alliance in rare genetic diseases.

Cell sorting at Medigene labs. © MediGene AG
Roivant Sciences and Sinovant Sciences have launched newco Cytovant Sciences, which licenced two T cell-based cancer immune therapies and two development programmes from Medigene AG for commercialisation in the eastern Asian market.
Picture: Crescendo Biologics

Crescendo Biologics Ltd (Crescendo), the drug developer of novel, targeted T-cell enhancing therapeutics, today announces that Theodora Harold, the current CFO, will be appointed as CEO. She will be succeeding Peter Pack who will be stepping down from the position of CEO on 1 May 2019.

123rf.com/Jarun Ontakrai

Gradientech closes a USD 4.6 million rights issue to progress QuickMIC diagnostic system for ultra-rapid antibiotics susceptibility testing (AST).

Interlocking technologies and flexible business models facilitate global partnerships. Picture: Shutterstock / Pogonici

Small- and medium-size European companies face the challenge of establishing global B2B activities in order to access relevant markets along the drug development value chain. YUMAB’s flexible business model for the development of fully human antibodies attracts corporations overseas and facilitates international partnerships.

AgomAb Therapeutics, a company resulting from a collaboration of argenx SE and growth factor experts from the University of Turin, has completed a €21m Series A financing.
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The 9th edition of the European Biotechnology Science & Industry Guide once more offers an interesting cross-section of the European biotech scene.

Model of inflammasome function: Stress signals trigger a conformal change in NRLP3 sensor proteins that activate their oligomerisation domain (NACHT). Oligomerisation leads to a wheel-shaped signalling hub with LRR domains outside of the wheel and PYD domains forming a disk at the centre. The PYD domains recruit the inflammasome adaptor ASC. ASC binds to the PYD ring. Recruited ASC molecules polymerise and form long helical filaments. The caspase recruitment domain (CARD) of ASC then recruits an inactive caspase-1 precursor, and cleaves it to generate the fully active protease. Caspase-1 then cleaves the precursor molecules pro-IL18 and pro-IL1b to generate the mature secreted proinflammatory cytokines. Caspase also cleaves pro-gasdermin D, generating N-terminal fragments, which assemble to form gasdermin D pores in the plasma membrane. The pores allow cytokine secretion, and water entering the cell leads to cytolysis.  Released alarmins and inflammasome cytokines attract phagocytes to the site, which advance the inflammatory response. © BIOCOM AG

Novartis has aquired all outstanding capital stock and paid US$310m upfront to Boston-based IFM Tre Inc., which commercialises three inflammasome blockers designed to treat chronic inflammatory diseases.