In Brussels, European Commissioners Jyrki Katainen and Carlos Moedas proposed a budget increase of 25% for the next European Research and Innovation programme Horizon Europe (2021-27) compared to Horizon 2020. Insummer, however, the EC’s High LevelGroup recommended a budget of at least €120bn.

VarmX will use the combination of a €7.5m Series A financing co-led by BioGeneration Ventures (BGV) and Dutch regional development company InnovationQuarter plus an €5m innovation credit from  the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO.nl) to develop a modified blood coagulation factor X to prevent severe bleeding in haemophilia patients.

The EMA’s CHMP recommended nine medicines including six orphan medicines for EU market approval on Friday. 

EuropaBio’s Executive Board and General Assembly of Members this week confirmed the appointment of Tjerk de Ruiter as Chairman of the association.

Symcel has announced the appointment of two new board members; Erik Walldén and Stefan Löfås. Both will play a key role in the company’s corporate strategy to grow business in the research market and develop solutions for clinical diagnostics.

German and US researchers have designed a mouse model that exactly mimics the mechanisms of hepatitis infection in men.

Agribiotech lobby group ISAAA reports that global GMO acreage has grown to 189.8 million hectares in 2017 -3% or 4.7 million hectares more than in 2016.

Roche’s Japanese arm Chugai today returned all rights from a 2016 licence agreement on the RNA polymerase II blocker lurbinectedin to Spanish oncology specialist PharmaMar SA.

How do novel technologies affect the world’s largest enzyme producer? At the GBS, European Biotechnology asked Thomas Videbaeck, PhD, COO and Executive VP Research, Innovation and Supply.

Selvita spin-out NodThera Ltd raised £28 million (€31.8m) in a Series A financing round led by Sofinnova Partners and 5AM Ventures and co-financed by Epidarex Capital and F-Prime Capital Partners.