Science and Enterprise

Tag: Europe

  • Early Trial Results Show Venous Leg Ulcer Drug Efficacy

    The biotechnology company Pergamum AB in Solna, Sweden reports an early-stage clinical trial shows its drug to treat venous leg ulcers improved healing among patients taking the drug compared to a placebo. The trial also showed the drug, code-named LL-37, was well-tolerated at lower doses. Venous leg ulcers are shallow wounds appearing on the skin…

  • FDA Giving Roche Leukemia Antibody Priority Review

    An engineered antibody to treat chronic lymphocytic leukemia developed by the pharmaceutical company Roche is receiving priority review from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which sets a goal of six months to complete its evaluation. The therapy is obinutuzumab, code-named GA101, which in May, FDA designated as a “breakthrough” that expedites the review process…

  • University, 23andMe Identify Genetic Allergy Associations

    Two large-scale population studies associating allergies to genomics discovered 16 genetic regions associated with common allergies, including pollen, cats, and dust mites. The findings from the studies that combined databases collected by the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children at Bristol University in the U.K. and the personal genetics company 23andMe in Mountain View,…

  • Celgene, MorphoSys Partner on Multiple Myeloma Antibody

    Celgene Corporation, a biopharmaceutical company in Summit, New Jersey, agreed to license  technology and invest in the biotechnology company MorphoSys AG in Munich, Germany for commercializing a monoclonal antibody developed by MorphoSys to treat multiple myeloma and some forms of leukemia. The total potential value of the deal, if all contingencies are met, is €628…

  • AstraZeneca, Roche to Share Preclinical Research Data

    The global pharmaceutical companies AstraZeneca and Roche agreed to share early-stage drug research data to speed product development and identify candidates with a greater chance of success. Financial aspects of the collaboration were not disclosed. The two companies will furnish their research data on investigational compounds to a third party, MedChemica, a computational chemistry service…

  • Intensive Care Units in U.K. Cut Blood Infection Rates

    Intensive care units at hospitals in England sharply cut their rates of serious blood stream infections over a two-year period, according to researchers at University of Leicester and University of Birmingham in the U.K. The latest results were reported last week in the journal Implementation Science, following up on an evaluation of an infection-reduction program…

  • Late-Stage Trial to Test Biosimilar Psoriasis Treatment

    The Sandoz division of the global pharmaceutical company Novartis started a late stage clinical trial of a treatment for psoriasis biologically similar to the therapy etanercept, marketed by Amgen and Pfizer as Enbrel. The trial is expected to support the company’s application for regulatory approval in the U.S. and Europe. Biosimilars is the name given…

  • 3-D Cellular-Level Brain Atlas and Database Developed

    Neuroscientists at McGill University in Montreal, Canada and Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine in Jülich, Germany, with colleagues from other institutes in Germany, developed a three-dimensional atlas of the brain, providing ultra-high resolution and the ability to zoom into different parts of the brain down to the cellular level. The team led by Alan Evans…

  • Energy-Efficient Process Devised to Convert CO2 to Methanol

    Chemistry researchers at Université Laval in Québec City, Canada and Université de Toulouse in France developed a new process that converts carbon dioxide into the alternative fuel methanol in a single, more efficient step. The team led by Laval professor Frédéric-Georges Fontaine published its findings online earlier this month in the Journal of the American…

  • Stem Cells Generate High-Quality Liver Cells for Drug Tests

    Medical researchers at University of Edinburgh in Scotland created a process for inducing pluripotent stem cells to transform into liver cells with the same consistency and quality needed to test drugs for toxicity. A spin-off company from the university has also formed to take the research to market. The team led by Edinburgh’s David Hay…