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The European Medicines Agency has granted conditional approval for bluebird bio NV’s gene therapy Zynteglo (LentiGlobin BB305) to treat the rare disease transfusion-dependent ?-thalassemia at its first meeting in Amsterdam.

Artist's impression of blood cancer. 
© 123rf.com/Artem Oleshko

Krakow-based Selvita S.A. has announced it will spin out its oncology unit this year resulting in two public companies, a CRO and a cancer therapeutics developer.

 

The CHF22.5m Series A financing round of the Swiss specialist for autoimmune diseases was led by Sofinnova Partners and New Enterprise Associates together with contributions of existing investors.

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French liver disorder specialist Genfit SA has announced the pricing of its Nasdaq IPO of ADS and European private placement.

Ectodomain shedding by shedases. © https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ectodomain_shedding_en.svg
Evotec AG and The Mark Foundation for Cancer Research have inked a R&D collaboration aimed at  developing novel immunooncological drugs

Arenavirus, © 123rf.com/moonnoon

US-Austrian arenavirus-based cancer and infectious diseases specialist Hookipa has  has filed a prospectus for an US$86M Nasdaq IPO.

Treatment with FR promoted cell differentiation and reduced metastatic activity in melanoma cells with mutated G?11. © S. Annala et al., Science Signaling (2019)

A research team from Germany and Mexico has successfully  targeted uveal melanoma (UM), the most common type of eye cancer.

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Pfizer Inc has paid €45m upfront to French gene therapy specalist Vivet Therapeutics in a licence option deal for Vivet’s preclinical Wilson disease candidate VTX-801. 

© Sotio

After positive preliminary results of Sotio’s SOV02 trial in ovarian cancer had been presented last year, the final analysis confirmed the survival benefits. The Czech biotech company now plans to initiate a global Phase III study with its autologous cell-based immunotherapy also in this indication.

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More than 330 experts joined the 2-day AMR Conference 2019 in Berlin. They called for rapid capital investments and economic incentives in the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR).