Tag: preclinical
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Neuro Disease Biotech Raises $20M in Early Funds
3 February 2015. Lysosomal Therapeutics Inc., a biotechnology company developing treatments for inherited neurodegenerative disorders, raised $20 million in its first venture funding round. The Cambridge, Massachusetts enterprise, begun last year, is backed by several venture capital funds and pharmaceutical companies. Lysosomal Therapeutics is based on the research of Dimitri Krainc, a neurologist now at Northwestern…
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Stem Cells Shown Effective with Autism in Lab
26 January 2015. The biotechnology company BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics Inc. reports that tests in laboratory mice show its stem cell technology derived from bone marrow is effective in reducing behaviors associated with autism. The study was conducted by Daniel Offen, a neuroscientist at Tel Aviv University in Israel, but no peer-reviewed publication was cited by…
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Zymeworks, Celgene to Develop Double-Binding Antibodies
21 January 2015. Zymeworks Inc., a biotechnology company in Vancouver, Canada and pharmaceutical maker Celgene Inc. are developing biologic therapies using Zymeworks’ antibody technology. The deal makes Zymeworks eligible for up to $164 million from Celgene for each candidate developed under the partnership, as well as an unspecified initial payment and equity investment. Under the…
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Neuropore, UCB Partner on Parkinson’s Drugs
16 January 2015. UCB, a biopharmaceutical company in Brussels, is licensing an experimental drug to treat Parkinson’s disease developed by Neuropore Therapies Inc., a biotechnology company in San Diego. The agreement gives UCB a worldwide license for the compound and is expected to pay Neuropore as much as $480 million. Parkinson’s disease occurs when the brain…
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RNA Therapies Company Gains $450M in Venture Funds
5 January 2015. Moderna Therapeutics, a developer of medications that use genetic material to produce therapeutic proteins in the body, raised $450 million in its third announced venture financing round. The Cambridge, Massachusetts biotechnology company says existing investors AstraZeneca and Alexion Pharmaceuticals joined with new participants Viking Global Investors LP, Invus, RA Capital Management, and…
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Amgen, Kite Pharma Partner on Personal Cancer Immunotherapy
5 January 2014. The biotechnology companies Amgen and Kite Pharma are developing personalized cancer treatments harnessing the immune system in a deal combining Amgen’s targets with Kite Pharma’s cell therapies. The agreement is expected to bring up to $525 million in milestone payments plus sales royalties to each company, as well as an upfront payment…
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Vaccine Combo Produces Ricin, Anthrax Antibodies
29 December 2014. Tests of a vaccine to prevent ricin and anthrax poisoning shows it produces long-lasting antibodies against both toxins, making a single vaccine against both bioterror agents more feasible. Results of a study by biotechnology company Soligenix Inc. in Princeton, New Jersey are reported in the January 2015 issue of the journal Vaccine…
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Early Trial Underway Testing Brain Cancer Drug
24 December 2014. Kinex Pharmaceuticals, a developer of cancer therapies, began an early-stage clinical trial of an experimental treatment for tumors of support cells in the brain. The Buffalo, New York biotechnology company says the first patient received the drug code-named KX2-361 in the trial taking place at Roswell Park Cancer Institute, also in Buffalo,…
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Chikungunya Virus Antibody Isolated, Tested
10 December 2014. Researchers from biotechnology company Integral Molecular and Blood Systems Research Institute identified and tested with lab animals a human antibody that limits viral activity causing chikungunya, a mosquito-borne disease spreading in the Western hemisphere. The team led by Integral Molecular CEO Benjamin Doranz published its findings in this month’s issue of Journal…
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Peptide Regenerates Muscles Damaged from Spinal Cord Injury
4 December 2014. Researchers at Case Western Reserve University developed a synthetic peptide that in lab animals restores some functions in muscles damaged from spinal cord injuries. The team from the lab of CWRU neuroscientist Jerry Silver in Cleveland, Ohio published its findings yesterday in the journal Nature (paid subscription required). National Institute of Neurological…