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.

Picture: Tufts University School of Medicine/ Piyush Gupta

90% of all preclinical drug candidates fail to make the grade. Now novel methods that employ miniaturised organs could help overcome this healthcare hurdle. Researchers and CROs are testing a range of models – whether grown from stem cells or spit out by 3D bioprinters – to identify toxicities, simulate cancer development and identify responders to expensive therapies. The field of 3D microtissue-based screening is just a decade old, but it clearly is soon going to play a key role when it comes to improving productivity in drug development.

Christophe Meréchal, © Mithra
Mithra Pharmaceuticals, a Belgian company focused on women’s health, has appointed Christophe Maréchal as Chief Financial Officer. 
Sprayed canola field. © Bayer

Severe economic and environmental damage: A study commissioned by EU industry association Euroseeds says that the ban of a certain class of insecticides to protect bees causes a lot of ecologic and economic burden.