Dutch ProQR NV has licensed global commercialisation rights to IONIS-RHO-2.5Rx (QR-1123) from Ionis Pharmaceuticals, to treat autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa (adRP)
Reference [1]?Schafer, S. et al. Nature 552, 110115 (2017)

Answering the increasing demand for novel fully human antibodies in immunotherapy, German biotech pioneer YUMAB GmbH accelerates drug discovery and development with a comprehensive and versatile technology platform.

The EIB has agreed to support Italian CNS drug developer Newron Pharmaceuticals with up to €40m to support the development of the company’s late-stage pipeline.

© TES Pharma SRL

TES Pharma has presented a novel treatment approach for acute kidney injury and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in Nature.

Up to now, researchers believed that lung remodeling follows an auto­immune inflammation triggered by components of the extracellular matrix. In August, British scientists provided a more accurate view of the processes in the lung tissue, opening up a way to optimise failed mid-stage clinical candidates.

In mid-October, the European Investment Bank (EIB), the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) and the Agence Française de Developpement launched a five-year €2bn initiative called "Clean Oceans", which is dedicated to sustainable solutions set to reduce the amount of 8 million tons of plastic that are littered into the oceans every year. About 90% of the plastic waste and the resulting microplastic particles come from Asia, Africa and the Middle East. © KfW

The European Parliament has approved measures that could lead to a ban of the top 10 single use plastic products that contribute to marine littering by 2021.
    

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Zelluna Immunotherapy has announced the appointment of Geir Christian Melen as chief financial officer (CFO).

Olav Zilian

Big Pharma’s interest in R&D on anti-infectives declined when other areas like oncology began offering higher returns. A few biotechs mirror pharma (Basilea, Idorsia and Polyphor), but could stay hidden gems.

© Innate Pharma SA

AstraZeneca plc has extended its immunoncology pipeline by an extension of its partnership with French Innate Pharma SA.

Intestinal villi. © fololia.com/fololiaxrender

French Enterome SA has added a second licence agreement with Takeda to its deal portfolio, projecting possible payments of US$640m.