Entries by Thomas Gabrielczyk

Biotech for breaking down a sea of waste

While bio-based polymers have been a hot topic for some years now, it’s grown increasingly clear that where plastics end up is at least as important as how they’re made. Current recycling technologies are limited, bringing either low-quality recyclates or high processing costs. But enzymes now offer a glimmer of hope. Working with the common plastic PET, a French firm is trying to prove biotech approaches can close the loop in the material’s life cycle. They hope they’ll soon be able to recycle the plastic endlessly and affordably. 

Bioeconomy: Germany to lose pole position

The German Bioeconomy Council said policymakers would risk Germany’s leadership in bioeconomy if they don’t capitalise on new technology options resulting from the ongoing merger of digital and bio-technologies. 

Lundbeck acquiring Prexton in €905m deal

H. Lundbeck A/S has announced it will acquire Dutch Prexton Therapeutics B.V., a one-programme company developing the allosteric metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 4 (mGluR4) modulator foliglurax (PXT002331) in Parkinson’s Disease.

Stroke alarmin spurs further embolies

Researchers from Sweden, Switzerland, France, Italy, and Germany report that expression of a post-stroke factor boost arterial plaque formation. The identification of the new target might open up an avenue to prevent embolism and further complications in stroke patients.

Making an impact on AMR R&D

At the 11th Berlin Conference, Novo Holdings outlined details of a new €135m investment fund launched to push the development of new drug classes urgently needed to fight antimicrobial resistance. European Biotechnology editors were the first to talk with Aleks Engel, Partner at Novo Holdings, and George Griffin, Chair of the Repair Impact Fund’s Scientific Advisory Board, about the construction and the goal of the fund.

Algorithm tracks cancer type down to methylation pattern

Researchers have applied a self-learning algorithm to distinguish the almost 100 brain cancer types through their methylation pattern in a routine diagnostic setting. The method eliminates inter-pathologist variation in histopathological diagnosis and resulted in a change of diagnoses in up to 12% of prospective cases.

Business as usual in Amsterdam

The tremendous success of last year’s BIO Europe Spring in Barcelona was hard to beat. But the follow-up this year in Amsterdam organised by EBD Group together with Health Holland crystallised as a worthy successor.