At the end of February, 200 German clinical trial experts gathered in Frankfurt/Main to discuss with representatives of the German Ministry of Health, how to implement model contract clauses into a law that speeds up clinical trials and translational medicine in Germany. According Model contract clauses have been established before by stakeholders from Deutsche Hochschulmedizin, das KKS-Netzwerk, die Pharmaverbände vfa und BPI sowie der CRO-Verband BVMA. © BVMA
Clinical trials

New law to speed up clinical trials

With a new law, the German government wants to increase the number of clinical trials conducted in Germany and make the country number one in Europe again.

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IgA depostis (green) in glomeruli of humanised mice. © Patrick Gleeson, University College Cork
autoimmune disease

Gut bacteria seed autoimmunity-inducers

A bacterium of the gut microbiome seems to spark an autoimmune disease in the kidneys by leaking antigens that trigger the immune system.

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Myo-satellite cells grown in Innocent Meat's serum-free growth medium. © Innocent Meat
Cultivated Food

Innocent Meat bags €3m financing

Cultivated meat producer Innocent Meat GmbH has cashed in €3m in funding from Venture Capital Fonds MV and an anonymous business angel.

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Group Ferrer is headquartered in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. © Ferrer
Neurology

Spanish Ferrer SA pays €122.5m for ALS candidate

Spanish Ferrer Internacional, SA has aquired the ex-US rights to VRG50635 from Verge Genomics Inc to commercialise the oral Phase I experimental ALS treatment.

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Ion Arocena; General Manager Asebio; © Asebio
Clinical trials

SMEs suffer from CTIS

Born with the aim of harmonising the application, evaluation, and supervision process of clinical trials conducted in EU countries, there is much room for improvement for the Clinical Trial Information System CTIS, particularly with regard to SMEs and translational researchers.

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Claudia Ulbrich, MD, CEO und Prof. Thomas Thum, MD, PhD, CSO/CMO at Cardior Pharmaceuticals. © Cardior Pharmaceuticals
acquisition

Novo Nordisk to acquire Cardior Pharmaceuticals

Novo Nordisk is set to acquire German miRNA blocker specialist Cardior Pharmaceuticals GmbH for up to €1.025bn including milestone payments.

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The specialized region of the muscle where the motor neuron communicates the activation signal is at the neuromuscular junction. This is a specialized synapse between a nerve and muscle. In neuromuscular diseases there are deficits in both the motor neuron side (pre-synaptic) and on the muscle side (post-synaptic). © NDM Pharma
Rare disease

NDM Pharma provides POC for NMD670

Researchers at NDM Pharma A/S and Aarhus University have demonstrated that their oral CIC-1 blocker NMD670 restores crosstalk between neurons and muscles in Myasthenia gravis.

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In future, gene vectors for novel gene therapies will be developed and produced for clinical trials on an industrial scale by around 100 employees in the new gene therapy development centre at Roche in Penzberg, which covers around 2,500 square metres. © Roche
gene therapy

Roche opens €90m gene therapy development centre

Basel-headquartered Roche AG has inaugurated a brand new €90m gene therapy development centre in Penzberg near Munich.

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Canadian Fusion Therapeutics Inc is utilising the advantages of alpha medical isotopes to develop targeted alpha therapies. The company uses targeting molecules, such as antibodies, armed with potent alpha emitting isotopes to precisely and effectively induce cancer cell death by induction of DNA double strand breaks. © Fusion Therapeutics Inc
acquisition

AstraZeneca to take over Fusion Therapeutics Inc

British pharma giant AstraZeneca has announced to acquire radio-conjugate specialist Fusion Therapeutics Inc for US$2bn upfront.

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Primary astrocyte cells. © Dr Eva Latorre, Harries lab/Senisca Ltd
financing

Senisca Ltd raises £3.7m seed money

Exeter-based university spin-out Senisca Ltd has added £3.7m seed money to a £1.1m not dilutive funding to advance its pipeline of drugs targetting RNA splicing dysregulation.

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