Archive: Company News
Company News: Merus Secures €31 Million in Series B Round Extension
– Investment brings Series B to a total of €47.6 million
– Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation joins as new investor; receives board seat
Merus B.V., a biopharmaceutical company focusing on innovative human antibody therapeutics, today announced a €31 million (US$42 million) extension to its Series B financing round, bringing the total round to €47.6 million (US$65 million). Johnson & Johnson Development Corporation (JJDC) joined as a new investor along with existing investors Novartis Venture Fund, Pfizer Venture Investments, Bay City Capital, LSP (Life Sciences Partners), and Aglaia Oncology Fund. A representative of JJDC will join Merus’ Board of Directors. Merus will use the new funds to broaden its portfolio of pre-clinical programs for the treatment of cancer patients and to bring its lead programs into phase I clinical testing.
The investment of JJDC in Merus B.V. was announced at the launch of the Johnson & Johnson Innovation Centre in London today.
Earlier this year, Merus presented encouraging research and preclinical data of MCLA-117, a product candidate to treat acute myeloid leukemia, a disease with very poor long-term prognosis. MCLA-117 is based on Merus’ proprietary Biclonics™ ENGAGE platform and is currently in development.
Company News: ISA Pharmaceuticals Presents Novel Data at the European Cancer Congress 2013 – Strong Synergies Between Cancer Vaccine ISA101 and Chemotherapy
– Chemotherapy improves immune response to therapeutic vaccine against Human Papilloma Virus type 16 (HPV16) –
ISA Pharmaceuticals B.V., a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focusing on rationally designed therapeutic vaccines against cancer and persistent viral infections, today announced that it had presented novel data on its lead compound ISA101 at this year´s European Cancer Congress (ECCO-ESMO-ESTRO) in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
In a preclinical mouse model of cancer, chemotherapy with cisplatin increased the therapeutic response to subsequent vaccination with an HPV16 synthetic long peptide (SLP®). While cisplatin or HPV-SLP® treatment alone increased survival, long-term survival was only achieved by combining chemotherapy with the vaccine.
These findings are further supported by a Phase I toxicity / immunogenicity study in 18 women with advanced or recurrent cervical cancer eligible for chemotherapy. Concurrent with standard chemotherapy (including carboplatin and paclitaxel), 12 patients received ISA101, a therapeutic cancer vaccine consisting of 13 synthetic long peptides from the E6 and E7 oncoproteins of HPV16. The control group (n=6) did not receive vaccination. The study demonstrates that chemotherapy doe s not cause lymphodepletion or suppression of cellular immune responses in patients. Patients showed shifts in leukocyte composition associated with increased dendritic cell function and improved memory T cell responses to common recall antigens. Patients treated with chemotherapy and ISA101 exhibited robust and sustained HPV16-specific proliferative T cell responses.
Company News: Anergis Receives Swiss Life Sciences Prize
– Prestigious annual award under the patronage of the Swiss Biotech Association and BioValley Basel
– Sponsored by BB Biotech Ventures, Novartis Venture Fund and Venture Incubator
Anergis, a company focusing on proprietary allergy vaccines, today announced it has been awarded the Swiss Life Sciences Prize 2013. The prize, which has been granted for the tenth time in 2013, is under the patronage of the Swiss Biotech Association and BioValley Basel. Sponsors of the Swiss Life Sciences Prize are BB Biotech Ventures, Novartis Venture Fund and Venture Incubator. Jury members are Dr. Philippe Dro (CEO, GlycoVaxyn AG), Dr. Reinhard Glück (Former President, Swiss Biotech Association), Dr. Franz Saladin (Director, Chamber of Commerce of Basel), Dr. Dieter Scholer (Member, University Council, University of Basel), Dr. Matthias Staehelin (Head Life Sciences, VISCHER) and Jürg Zürcher (EMEIA Biotechnology Leader, Ernst & Young).
Company News: Curetis and Mediphos to Sponsor Expert Discussion on the Future of Infectious Diseases Testing
– Satellite symposium will be held during the 8th European Meeting on Molecular Diagnostics (EMMD)
– Presentation of Curetis´ Unyvero™ system by distribution partner Mediphos
Curetis AG today announced it will host the satellite symposium “Molecular microbiology – the future of infectious diseases testing?” together with its Dutch distribution partner Mediphos Medical Supplies during the upcoming 8th European Meeting on Molecular Diagnostics (EMMD). The EMDD will be held from October 2 – 4, 2013, in Scheveningen, The Netherlands.
The symposium, which is scheduled for Oct. 2 from 8:30-10am (Adama Zijlstra Rooms 1 & 2), will be chaired by Prof. Paul Savelkoul (Maastricht University, The Netherlands) and Dr. Anne Thews (Curetis, Germany). Following an overview on the expectations for the future of molecular biology by Prof. Savekoul, three lectures will discuss challenges and applications: Dr. Eric Claas (LUMC Leiden, the Netherlands) is to talk about “Benefits and challenges of molecular testing in infectious diseases”. Dr. Jan Weile (Heart and Diabetes Center Bad Oeynhausen, Germany) will present “First clinical experience with the Unyvero™ P50 Pneumonia Application” and Dr. Anne Thews (Medical Director, Curetis AG) is going to discuss “Implant and tissue infections – a need for multiplexed testing?”. The subsequent panel discussion will focus on the question whether fast molecular infectious disease testing will improve patient outcome.
In addition, Mediphos Medical Supplies, the exclusive distribution partner of Curetis for The Netherlands, will present Curetis´ Unyvero™ System during the EMMD.