Everybody wants green production. Bioeconomy progress, however, must become more visible to consumers and let the civil society get involved to ensure socially robust innovation and perception, according to the BioBioSTEP project.

A new method that determines the mode of action underlying antimicrobial compounds could help overcome a major stumbling block in the ongoing effort to discover new antibiotics. Using it, reseachers from ETH Zurich zeroed in on compounds directed against tuberculosis. 

Since the earliest attempts at genetic engineering, scientists have sought to influence cell behaviour and development through the introduction of foreign genetic material. Synthetic biologists are now taking the idea to a whole new plane with app-like DNA-based software programs that turn cells into diagnostic sensors, therapeutic entities or tissue generators.

Virtual oncology company Cullinan Oncology, LLC has selecteed monoclonal antibody provider MAB Discovery GmbH (Neuried)  to develop the first candidate of a target portfolio of 8-10 novel antibody therapeutics.

Hikma Pharmaceuticals today announces its Board of Directors has appointed Sigurdur (Siggi) Olafsson as Chief Executive Officer. Mr Olafsson will also join Hikma’s Board of Directors as an executive director, subject to election at the next annual general meeting in May 2018.

UK researchers headed by Michael Blackman have found out that a proteolytic cascade regulates release of merozoites of the human malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum from host red blood cells. Inhibitition paves the way to block the parasite’s egress.

Spanish specialist for sea-derived synthetic oncology drugs, PharmaMar SA, has inked a licence agreement with US antibody drug conjugate (ADC) company Seattle Genetics Inc. PharmaMar will provide fully-synthetic toxic payloads.

For decades, researchers have searched without success for a strategy to prevent malaria. Now, two teams of researchers present a solution that circumvents the problem of surface antigen hypervariability of Plasmodium. Their drug candidate blocks the pathogens’ release from blood cells, resulting in prevention of the life-threatening hot stages.

In a strategic acquisition, Roche has completed its capabilities to use Big data to build new business cases in digital diagnostics solutions and personalised healthcare. The pharma major agreed to pay US$1.9bn to take over the US specialist for digital electronic medical records, Flatiron Health Inc.

Santhera Pharmaceuticals has licenced the inhaled neutrophil eleastase blocker POL6014 from Polyphor Ltd for CHF6.5m upfront and CHF121m in potential milestones.