Frédéric Gomez

The surprising election of Donald Trump as the next US President led to a spectacular comeback of biotech shares. The long-term prospects depend on Trump’s healthcare strategy and the (much-desired) return of generalist funds.

Aedes agyptii mosquito. Only blood-sucking female insects transmit viral pathogens when they bite.

Oxford-based Intrexion-subsidiary Oxitec plans to release male GM mosquitoes that produce nonviable offspring in India, in order to limit the spread of dengue and chikungunya fevers transmitted by Aedes aegyptii.

Berliner Klima Schulen 2015

Two biotech CEOs have been selected by the European Commission for the High Level Group. The EU think tank will provide strategic input to Horizon 2020 and a €2.5bn fund to support innovation by 2020 in order to boost disruptive technologies and to address gaps in in the current innovation support landscape. 

Mode of Action of Affimed's immune cell engager platform Tandab, exemplified on the company's lead candidate AFM 13. © Affimed NV

While German Nasdaq company Affimed (AFMD) had an accumulated loss of over €100m, an annual development cost of about €38m for its Tandab pipeline, and an income of only about €8m from collaborations at the end of 2015, the company is trying to bulk up its funds through a public offering of common stock. 

William Linton, © Promega

Promega-founder William Linton has been elected as a member of the Supervisory Board of lab supplier Eppendorf AG.

Belgian start-up company Octimet Oncology NV has secured €11.3m in a series A financing round. The funds will be used to develop two MET kinase blockers to treat solid tumours.

Photo: A third of US diabetics develop fibrosis in the course of diabetic nephropathy (see photo), several millions of US citizens suffer from liver fibrosis and about 100,000 have idiopathic lung fibrosis. © Wikipedia/KGH

Drug screening expert Evotec AG and Ontario-based MaRS Innovation have launched the joint venture company Fibrocor Therapeutics LP to tackle fibrosis, an unmet medical need and multi-billion US dollars market. 

@ Giulio Cerroni
London-based brain health company Ixico has hired Giulio Cerroni as its new Chief Executive Officer. Cerroni replaced co-founder Derek Hill, who will remain on the board and serve as executive director going forward. 
A microfluidics device used for the SMiLE-seq technique © Alina Isakova/EPFL

Scientists at EPFL have developed a technique that can be a game-changer for genetics by making the characterisation of DNA-binding proteins much faster, more accurate, and efficient.

Comparison of computer tomography (right hand side) and PET/CT with Redectane - ccRCC glowing. © Wilex

German Wilex has licensed its clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) antibody Redectane to Australian biopharma company Telix Pharmaceuticals. Redectane is a radiolabeled version of Wilex’ Phase III therapeutic antibody girentuximab.