The only investment fund dedicated to breakthrough diagnostics, Kurma Diagnostics 2, had its first closing at €50m.
Danish fibrosis and cancer specialist Galecto Inc. has raised US$64m in a Series B round led by Soleus Capital.
Maastricht-based cultured meat producer Mosa Meat NV has raised $55m in a Series B financing, bringing its funding to $63.8m.
Newly formed venture capitalist Pureos Bioventures has set up a US$170m fund dedicated to Swiss and European drug developers.
German biotech companies and their industry association BIO Deutschland have called for appropriate investments into clinical COVID-19 therapies.
Swiss auto-immunity specialist Polyneuron Pharmaceuticals AG has received CHF14m from HBM Healthcare Investments.
Polish Mabion SA and Australian Vaxine Pty Ltd to develop Covax-19
Japanese dermatology specialist Maruho Co. Ltd and drug discovery firm 4SC AG have terminated their development agreement related to 4SC’s blockers of Kv1.3 ion channels, which are required for maintenance of activation of T cells. 4SC reacquired all rights to the preclinical development programme, which was aimed at specifically calm down chronically stimulated memory T-cell populations with Kv1.3highIK-1low phenotype as a strategy to treat autoimmune diseases.
The companies gave no reasons for the end of their collaboration. 4SCs CEO Jason Loveridge, however, said that "a good deal of progress has been made" in the three years of the collaboration. Under the terminated colloaboration, 4SC had granted Maruho the exclusive worldwide rights to develop and commercialise two classes of these blockers in exchange for US-$103 in milestones plus royalties.
RNA therapeutics specialist MiNA Therapeutics plc has secured £23m in a Series A financing to push development its first-in-class small activating RNA (saRNA) candidates.
Nine CEOs of COVID-19 vaccines have assured that safety of vaccinated individuals remains their top priority in development of the first COVID-19 vaccines.