Basel-based BioMedPartners announes the first round of BioMedInvest III, its third equity venture capital fund at CHF75m. Up to 16 private Swiss, German and EU early-to-midstage ventures might be selected in the first closing by Q1/2018.

While GMO opponents are protesting, German Research Minister Johanna Wanka has recommended to rely on modern genetic engineering methods such as genome editing to develop the next generation of crops.

Raising €48m by the sale of 5.7 million shares at €8.50, French Inventiva S.A. is set to secure capital to further its late-stage products until H1/2019.

One Nucleus, the Cambridge-based not-for-profit membership organisation for international life science and healthcare companies, announced the appointment of Linda Summerton as a Director. Summerton is Chief Executive of Immodulon and a Senior Partner with TranScrip Partners.

Swiss Galenica subsidiary Vifor Pharma has licensed commercialisation rights for ChemoCentryx Inc’s complement C5a receptor (C5aR ) blocker Avacopan (CCX168) in Asia and the Middle East. The drug is currently undergoing Phase III testing in patients with rare renal diseases.

Swiss antibody specialist Novimmune has entered a R&D collaboration on antibody drug conjugates (ADC) with the South Korean conjugation chemistry expert LegoChem Biosciences.

After having issued a patent on its lead cancer treatment Radspherin, Oslo-based Oncoinvent A/S has bagged the funding needed to go ahead to proof-of-concept.

Vytenis Andriukaitis, Commissioner for Health and Food Safety, has awarded the EU Health Award for NGOs fighting Antimicrobial Resistance to BEUC for lobbying to reduce the threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). 

Merck Serono spin-out Prexton Therapeutics has closed a Series B financing round cashing in US$31m for pushing Phase II testing of its Parkinson’s compound PXT002331.

Life Sciences stakeholders in Europe and abroad are voicing their concerns about the European Patent Offices’ initiative to shorten the time for the examination of patents from up to 56 months to 12 months.