Germany’s Evotec SE and Boehringer Ingelheim Venture Fund have acquired equal minority stakes in Quantro Therapeutics GmbH, a recently established research-based biotech company based in Vienna. Evotec also entered into a comprehensive partnership with the Austrian start-up, that strives to discover and develop novel therapeutics interfering with disease-causing transcriptional programmes in cancer and other diseases. The Germans will provide hit identification services for Quantro’s proprietary anti-tumour projects.

Viennese APEIRON Biologics AG raised €17.5m to expand ongoing Phase II trials of its
coronavirus-specific drug candidate APN01 in Europe to the US and Russia. The recombinant angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (rhACE2) mimics the receptor on the human cells that coronaviruses are using to infect these cell. Preclinical and clinical data demonstrate that APN01 is well-tolerated and can stop the overshooting host immune responses that are triggered by virus proliferation.

After leaving the field of antimicrobials 20 years ago because other areas offered better returns, 23 pharma companies and the Novo Foundation have launched a US$1bn fund to fight antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Viennese APEIRON Biologics and MaxCyte Inc have entered into licensing agreement covering the use of Maxcyte’s electroporation platform for APN401 development.

A new insulin formulation allows patients with diabetes to more quickly manage their blood sugar levels during mealtimes.