The European Medicine Agency’s CHMP has rejected a type II extension application to Santhera Pharmaceutical’s coenzyme Q10 analogon idebenone (Raxone) as treatment for patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Raxone was approved under exceptional circucumstances in September 2015 to treat visual impairment in patients with the rare eye disease LHON.

Artificial intelligence (AI) specialist Sophia Genetics SA (St. Sulpice, Switzerland) raised US$30m in a series D round to foster global expansion of its cancer diagnostics annotation platform SOPHiA AI.

Two research team independently report they have identified specific microbes in the gut of mice and of treatment-naive patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) regulating immune responses. Phase I trails with fecal microbial transplants (FMT) are scheduled to begin early next year.

Thermo Fisher Scientific has extended its Next Generation Sequencing Companion Dx Center of Excellence Programme (COEP) in Europe. The next-generation sequencing (NGS) provider added a second agreement with the Institute of Pathology Heidelberg (IPH) to its growing COEP portfolio. On the same day, Merck KGaA announced it will partner with Project Data Sphere LLC to jointly lead the Global Oncology Big Data Alliance (GOBDA). 

A comprehensive sustainability assessment carried out by nova-Institute shows that first and second generation bioethanol is feasible for the EU’s climate strategy. The study challenges the politically hyped "tank or table" paradigm that valued biofuels unsustainable due to competition to food production.

Progress in process engineering and media optimisation has resulted in significant productivity increases in upstream processing driving transformations at drug developers and CDMOs. At BPI Europe in Amsterdam, companies showed strategies and product launches pinpointing the way towards what could become a new industry paradigm: continuous processing and flexible modular production plants, which both address changed production needs.

Smart Tools for Microbiological Quality Control. Because Real Heroes Deserve Only the Best.

Roche is trying to offer a solution for patient selection in immunooncology. At the ESMO congress in Madrid, the theranostics company presented a liquid biopsy test that measures the tumour mutational burden in order to predict the probability  for response to immunotherapy.

Portuguese and Swiss scientists have discovered that neurons located at mucosal tissues can immediately detect an infection in the organism, promptly producing a substance that acts as an "adrenaline rush" for immune cells. 

Belgian diagnostics company MDxHealth SA has appointed Michael K. Brawer, MD as Chief Medical Officer to prepare the company for growth in H2/17 and beyond. The urologist and former professor of urology and pathology has over 25 years of experience in the industry leading clinical affairs in urology for diagnostic and pharmaceutical companies. Before joining MDx Health, Brawer served as Vice President of Medical Affairs, Urology at Myriad Genetics where he led all clinical aspects of development, education and commercialisation of Myriad’s prognostic prostate cancer assay. Prior to that, he held senior positions for GTx Inc, Tokai Pharmaceuticals and Threshold Pharmaceuticals. "Dr. Brawer’s arrival rounds out our 2017 campaign to expand our executive team, alongside our goal to nearly double our US sales force, in preparation for a sustained growth phase", commented Dr. Jan Groen, CEO, MDxHealth.