Biotech
Changes in gene activity may reveal new drug targets for chronic back pain by showing how spinal discs break down, zebrafish research suggests. The changes can cause minerals to build up in the spine, similar to unwanted bone forming in the wrong place, making it harden. Dr Erika Kague, study lead from [...]
GSK plans job cuts as part of a £1.9bn cost-cutting programme funding £400m of UK life sciences investment over the next three years. As reported by The Guardian, the British drugmaker will move more than 1,000 scientists to a new research and development site on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus. It will close its R&D site [...]
DITTO has raised US$6m in seed funding to expand its menstrual health research platform and evidence-based supplement offering. Its flagship product, Premenstrual Daily, targets symptoms linked to premenstrual syndrome and premenstrual dysphoric disorder, including fatigue, mood changes and pain. Premenstrual dysphoric disorder, or PMDD, is a severe form of premenstrual syndrome that can cause significant [...]
A brain switch discovery could improve obesity drugs by explaining why activating and blocking the same receptor can both aid weight loss. Research in mice found that the outcome depends on where the receptor is located in the brain. Activating it in the brainstem reduced appetite, while blocking it in the hypothalamus produced the same [...]
An Ebola vaccine developed in just eight weeks has been cleared for UK human trials, with the first doses due to be given within weeks. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has approved the experimental jab for testing in healthy adults. It is the first of four vaccines being developed against the Bundibugyo [...]
Telum Therapeutics has raised €18m in Series A funding to advance its lead programme targeting hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia. The financing round was led by AMR Action Fund, with participation from new investor Inveready and continued support from existing investors Invivo Partners, CDTI through its SICC Innvierte programme, Clave Capital and Sodena. [...]
TRIMTECH Therapeutics has raised a further €12m, taking its seed round to €41m to develop treatments for neurodegenerative diseases. The Cambridge-based biotechnology company is developing small-molecule therapies designed to target and break down protein aggregates linked to conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease. Protein aggregates are abnormal clumps that can build up in cells and disrupt [...]
Bionyra Pharma has launched with an oversubscribed €143m Series A to develop biologics for immune-mediated inflammatory diseases. The clinical-stage biopharma company, based in Paris and Boston, is developing next-generation antibody treatments for inflammatory bowel disease, atopic dermatitis and other immune-related conditions. Founded in 2025, Bionyra was co-founded with former Sanofi research and development executive Dr [...]
By Aymen Mahmoud, McDermott Will & Schulte The capital model underpinning life sciences innovation is undergoing a significant shift. As scientific ambition grows and market conditions tighten, companies are moving beyond traditional funding pathways toward a broader, more flexible and increasingly strategic approach to capital. This evolution, reflected in discussions at our European Health and [...]
A first-in-human clinical trial of an immune rejuvenation therapy designed to restore the function of worn-out T cells is expected to begin later this year, building on research led by UCL scientists into the mechanisms of immune ageing. The Phase 1 trial will focus on exhausted or senescent T cells, which accumulate with age and [...]
