Entries by Thomas Gabrielczyk

Locking malaria parasites into red blood cells

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.

PharmaMar in licence deal with Seattle Genetics

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.

Plasmodium locked in

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.

Roche to pay US$1.9bn for Flatiron Health

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.

Spanish biotech sector attracts investors

Spanish biotech sector:?European investors more and more often take a look at Southern European biotech companies. Spain, in particular, is now harvesting the fruits of long-term public support started a decade ago, which stimulated the establishment of a dynamic ecosystem. Today, foreign investments are at an all-time high and start-ups find a well-prepared basis for growth.

DMD drug aids heart failure patients

Italfarmaco SpA’s Givinostat, a small molecule histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor in clinical testing against several forms muscular dystrophies, is also an option to treat heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), a form of congestive heart failure that affects 50% of heart failure patients.