Biotech - Today Stories

Cure51, a Paris-based Techbio company decoding the biology of cancer “Outliers” – patients who beat aggressive cancers – has significantly accelerated its genomic data analysis by integrating NVIDIA’s cutting-edge GPU computing. Benchmarking with NVIDIA H100 GPUs and Parabricks tools delivered a 17x speed boost and halved processing costs compared to traditional CPU workflows. This leap is critical to Cure51’s Rosalind Study, launched in 2023, which aims to build the world’s largest dataset of cancer super-responders. With Whole Exome Sequencing (WES) at its core, read alignment was a key bottleneck – until now. GPU acceleration allows Cure51 to process data from thousands of samples efficiently, preserving quality while cutting time-to-insight. By adopting Parabricks, Cure51 seamlessly sc…

Kingston University has secured a Royal Society of Chemistry grant of nearly £10,000 to spearhead a year-long initiative focused on improving sustainability in chemical laboratory research. The project, led by Dr Gemma Shearman from the School of Life Sciences, Pharmacy and Chemistry, involves the development of a web-based app that enables students and researchers to evaluate and enhance the environmental impact of their lab experiments. The innovative tool allows users to input chemicals, consumables, and equipment used in experiments to generate a downloadable sticker summarising the experiment’s sustainability footprint and suggestions for improvement. It addresses a critical gap in undergraduate training by incorporating environmental considerations alongside existing risk assessments…

Northern Gritstone has committed £1.8 million to Apini, a University of Manchester spinout focused on treating chronic inflammatory conditions like Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis. Apini is the first company to emerge from Syncona’s Slingshot Therapeutics accelerator, which launched in November 2024 with £12.5 million to support promising academic research. Apini's therapeutic approach targets eNAMPT, an enzyme linked to inflammation, aiming to treat disease without inducing immune suppression—a significant advancement over current options. The programme was founded by Professor Sam Butterworth, known for developing the globally used cancer drug Tagrisso. The funding from Northern Gritstone, alongside Syncona, will be delivered in three milestone-based tranches. Northern Gritstone’s…

The University of Hull is establishing a £48m internationally leading translational wound research centre in East Yorkshire.  With a consortium of industry partners, the Wound Innovation Centre (WIC) will be at the forefront of global wound research. Research carried out at the centre will transform the quality of life for those impacted by chronic wounds.  The University has been awarded £16m from the UK Research Partnership Investment Fund. The centre will be match funded by industry partners including Polaroid Therapeutics (PTx) and Reckitt, creating a £48m research facility in East Yorkshire.  Currently the NHS spends approximately £8.3 billion per year on wound care, more than both obesity and cancer. There is a real and increasing need for effective wound care treatment, regionally,…

21 May 2025 – Ramsey, Isle of Man – Juvenescence Ltd., a clinical-stage biotech leveraging AI to target age-related diseases, has announced the successful first close of its Series B-1 financing round, raising $76 million. The round was led by Abu Dhabi-based M42, which also enters a strategic partnership with Juvenescence to advance AI-driven therapeutics. The fresh capital will propel Juvenescence’s pipeline of age-related disease therapies into later-stage clinical trials, with the second tranche of the Series B-1 round expected to close in Q3 2025. This financing follows the announcement of a landmark collaboration between Juvenescence and M42, aimed at establishing a cutting-edge drug development hub in Abu Dhabi. The initiative will merge M42’s capabilities in digital health, genomic…

Simris Group's Q1 2025 report released today, highlights a period of significant focus on advancing their ADC payload development, particularly with promising early data for their microcystin variants. While revenue has decreased, operational efficiency shows improvement. The company is actively managing its financial position through various loan agreements and is streamlining operations through the sale of the Hammenhög facility. The positive preclinical data, coupled with the emphasis on further studies and optimisation, positions the company for potential future milestones in targeted cancer therapy. The exploration of broader applications and the strength of their IP portfolio also indicate potential for diversification and long-term growth.

FDA’s two designations demonstrate KER-0193’s potential as a treatment for FXS Follows the successful completion of Phase 1 clinical trial Fragile X syndrome is the most common cause of inherited autism London, UK, 14 May 2025 – Kaerus Bioscience (“Kaerus” or “the Company”), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company created by Medicxi for the development of therapeutics for rare genetic syndromes of neurodevelopment, today announces that its lead candidate KER-0193 has been granted both Orphan Drug Designation and Rare Pediatric Drug Designations for the treatment of Fragile X syndrome (FXS) by the U.S. Food and Drugs Administration (FDA). It follows the recent successful completion of a Phase 1 trial of KER-0193 in healthy volunteers, which confirmed the drug to be safe, well tolerated…

France, 30 April 2025 – It is official: Opella is now a standalone company. Sanofi announced today the closing of the sale to CD&R of a 50.0% controlling stake of Opella, Sanofi keeping a significant shareholding with a 48.2% stake and Bpifrance owning a 1.8% stake. Opella is stepping into its next chapter with powerful backing, and a clear mission - “Health in Your Hands” - making self-care as simple as it should be.This is not just a change of ownership. This is a bold move. As the purest and third-largest global player in the €190 billion Over-The-Counter and Vitamins, Minerals and Supplements space, Opella is set to lead in one of the most dynamic,  resilient corners of healthcare – where megatrends like aging populations, digital access, and self-care demand are rewriting the rule…

Asimov, the synthetic biology company advancing the design and manufacture of therapeutics, is collaborating with Cytiva, a global life sciences leader, to provide customers with an integrated offering for optimized biologics production. The new offering will provide seamless access to Asimov’s CHO Edge cell line development platform, Cytiva's HyClone media and feed solutions, and Cytiva’s Fast Trak process development services. Together, these services and technologies enable the expression and development of protein biologics, including complex modalities, that hold the potential to significantly impact human health.  Alec Nielsen, co-founder and CEO of Asimov, says: “Central to this collaboration is the extensive optimization of our CHO Edge System in Cytiva’s HyClone media and feed, en…

Lund, Sweden, 24 April 2025. Hansa Biopharma AB, “Hansa” (Nasdaq Stockholm: HNSA) today announced the appointment of Renée Aguiar-Lucander as Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective immediately. Søren Tulstrup will be stepping down from his position by mutual agreement as CEO after seven years of dedicated service to the Company. “On behalf of the Board of Directors, I would like to extend our gratitude to Søren for his leadership and significant contribution to the company during his tenure. Under his guidance, Hansa has evolved from a clinical-stage company into a commercial-stage biopharmaceutical organization, navigating both transformative progress and substantial challenges. We deeply appreciate Søren’s commitment to the Company and wish him every success in his future endeavors,” s…

In-licensing transforms Mosaic from a research and platform company to a clinical-stage oncology business Mosaic will develop proprietary, targeted combination products, supported by proprietary biomarkers, to realise the full potential of the assets As part of the agreement Astex has taken an equity stake in Mosaic Cambridge, UK, 24 April 2025 – Mosaic Therapeutics, Ltd (‘Mosaic’, or ‘the Company’) a targeted oncology therapeutics company dedicated to resolving cancer’s complexity with new combination therapies for patients, today announces the in-licensing of two clinical-stage oncology programs from Astex Pharmaceuticals (‘Astex’), a wholly owned subsidiary of Otsuka Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. Mosaic has identified proprietary combinations incorporating the licensed products and their ta…

Roche has announced a $50 billion investment in the United States over the next five years, aiming to create over 12,000 jobs. This strategic move is in response to potential tariffs from the Trump administration targeting Swiss pharmaceutical imports. The investment will expand manufacturing and distribution centers in Kentucky, Indiana, New Jersey, and California. New facilities include a gene therapy plant in Pennsylvania, a continuous glucose monitoring site in Indiana, a weight loss drug factory at an undisclosed location, and a cardiovascular, renal, and metabolism research center in Massachusetts. CEO Thomas Schinecker emphasized that this initiative will position Roche to export more medicines from the U.S. than it imports, reinforcing the company's commitment to U.S. innovation an…

Jeanette Rigby is Director Human Resources at Valneva Scotland Ltd Scotland’s life sciences sector is a crucial part of the nation’s economy, contributing groundbreaking innovation in areas such as biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and vaccine manufacture. Recent data shows the sector now contributes almost £10.5bn to the Scottish economy, with life sciences exports worth £4.3bn, and the potential is building. Its strong academic foundation, coupled with a robust talent pool and the Scottish Government’s life sciences strategy, makes Scotland a prime destination for innovation and investment. However, if we are to remain competitive globally, Scottish companies must invest in their people. Read the full article here

Akiram Therapeutics, a Swedish biotech company specializing in targeted radiotherapy, today announces the launch of PRE-CISE, a Eurostars-funded research collaboration with Danish PreTT and TetraKit Technologies. The aim of the project is to develop a new generation of targeted alpha-therapeutics by expanding Akiram’s proprietary CD44v6-targeting antibody platform using advanced pre-targeting strategies and radiolabeling chemistry. The PRE-CISE project combines Akiram’s CD44v6-targeting antibody platform with PreTT’s expertise in pre-targeting technology and TetraKit’s radiolabeling chemistry. Using a two-step approach—where the antibody first binds to the tumor, followed by the separate delivery of a radioactive payload—the collaboration aims to unlock access to alpha-emitting radionuclid…

Biogen signs lease for Kendall Common as part of multi-year real estate optimization plan to modernize its facilities and consolidate its Massachusetts real estate footprint New building will be designed to foster collaboration and spark innovation; Biogen plans to relocate Cambridge-based employees to the new site in 2028 CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 24, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Biogen Inc. (Nasdaq: BIIB) announced plans for its new global headquarters at Kendall Common, located at 75 Broadway in Cambridge, as part of a multi-year real estate consolidation plan in Massachusetts. The move centralizes Biogen’s presence in Kendall Square, integrating Biogen’s research and development and technical operations teams alongside its global and North American commercial organizations into a co-locate…

Acquisition to strengthen key pillar of BioNTech’s oncology strategy aimed at establishing BNT327 as a pan-tumor technology platform for the treatment of advanced cancers With the closing of the transaction, BioNTech will expand its capabilities to develop, manufacture and commercialize novel BNT327 combinations and next-generation bispecific antibodies Biotheus will become a new indirect Chinese subsidiary of BioNTech, adding a local research and development hub and an advanced biologics manufacturing facility to the Company’s network MAINZ, Germany, February 3, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioNTech SE (Nasdaq: BNTX, “BioNTech” or “the Company”) announced today the completion of the acquisition of Biotheus (“Biotheus”), a clinical-stage biotechnology company dedicated to the discovery and d…

Since 2021, Moderna has launched 23 clinical trials across 110 UK sites One in five of participants in industry-sponsored clinical research are enrolled in Moderna trials LONDON, UK—(ACCESS WIRE)— 31 January, 2024—Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) has announced updates demonstrating substantial R&D investment and progress in the UK, two years since signing its strategic partnership with the UK government, at a milestone event at the Harwell Campus in Oxfordshire. The milestone event brought together stakeholders from across the UK life sciences ecosystem to mark the completion of the construction of the Moderna Innovation and Technology Centre (MITC) – the company’s state-of-the-art research, development and manufacturing facility. Subject to licensure, the first product manufactured at scal…

Chiesi Group is making a strategic investment of €400 million to establish its new Biotech Center of Excellence in Parma. The Center is designed to integrate the entire supply chain, enhancing innovation and production, while its seamless research-production integration will accelerate product development and autonomous production capacity. Chiesi’s strategy aligns with EU priorities on innovation, security, and private R&D investment. Parma (Italy), 30th September 2024 - Today, Chiesi Group, an international biopharmaceutical company focused on research, celebrates the operational launch of its Biotech Center of Excellence. This state-of-the-art facility is dedicated to developing and producing monoclonal antibodies, enzymes, and other proteins. This facility is anticipated to be ou…

The funding will support Theolytics’ Phase 1 clinical trial for THEO-260 in ovarian cancer and incorporates comprehensive biomarker studies to showcase the candidate's differentiated dual tumour-lytic (cancer cells and CAFs) and immunotherapeutic mechanism of action Oxford UK September 2nd 2024. Oxford UK September 2nd 2024. Theolytics, a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing next-generation oncolytic viral therapies, has been awarded £2M from Innovate UK’s prestigious Transforming Cancer Therapeutics grant funding competition to support the clinical development of its lead candidate THEO-260. This non-dilutive funding adds to the £19M raised earlier this year from a strong investor syndicate comprising M Ventures, Taiho Ventures, Epidarex Capital, Oxford Science Enterprises…

New campaign aims to inform and educate the public about the ongoing risks of COVID-19 and the impact the virus continues to have on day-to-day life Updated vaccines targeting KP.2 variant have been approved by the U.S. FDA and are now available across the country CAMBRIDGE, MA / ACCESSWIRE / August 29, 2024 / Moderna, Inc. (NASDAQ:MRNA) today announced the launch of its new awareness campaign, "Do It For You & Them." The initiative is part of Moderna's broader efforts to drive vaccination rates in the United States as COVID-19 infection rates continue to be elevated across the country. "COVID-19 remains a significant health risk and is a leading cause of respiratory illness-related hospitalization, regardless of age or health condition," said Francesca Ceddia, Chief Medical Affairs Of…