Healthcare industry

Press release - 18/09/2012

CureVac Secures €80 Million in Series D Financing

CureVac GmbH, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing a new class of therapies and vaccines based on mRNA, announced on september 18 the completion of an €80 million financing round with its main investor, dievini Hopp BioTech Holding. In the next years, CureVac will use the proceeds mainly to advance the development of its two lead RNActive® cancer vaccines against prostate cancer and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC),…

It is also in the interest of small companies to look beyond their national borders: biotechnology and medical technology specialists in neighbouring European countries offer excellent prospects to German companies – and vice versa. Regional life sciences networks help establish and intensify contacts and collaborative activities between international partners.

Dossier - 10/09/2012

Horizon 2020 – the EU framework programme for research and innovation – a boost for top-level research in Europe

In the face of the ongoing financial crisis Europe is working on a new research strategy that is aimed at creating new economic growth and jobs. The new EU framework programme for research and innovation Horizon 2020 replaces the 7th Framework Programme FP7 and will run from 2014 with a budget of 80 billion. In July 2012 Brussels launched the final FP7 calls for proposals for 2013 that offer numerous market-based instruments designed to bridge…

Article - 06/08/2012

SystemsX.ch to fund systems biology research

SystemsX.ch is currently the biggest research initiative in Switzerland to provide financial support and technologies in the field of systems biology research. It is a consortium of twelve Swiss research institutions and universities but also works with non-Swiss institutions including the Baden-Württemberg-based company KNIME GmbH. The initiative is interested in expanding its cooperation with other life sciences companies and universities.

Press release - 19/07/2012

Subitec GmbH raises 4.5 Mio Euros in second round financing

Subitec GmbH, a manufacturer of fully automated algae photobioreactors, hascloseda second round of financing. The CleantechFonds of eCAPITAL entrepreneurial Partners AG, Fraunhofer Venture, High-Tech Gründerfonds (HTGF) and KfW Bankengruppe’s ERP-Startfonds participated in the capital increase. Subitec funds to the amount of 4.5 Mio Euros will accrue in this round of financing. The raised capital is to be used mainly for launching bioreactors on…

The last round of file ideas for projects within the 7th Research framework program has been started. The European Commission will support innovative projects over eight billion euros to europe for global competition to strengthen and protect jobs. In addition to innovation, the focus is on health, environment, urbanization and waste disposal. The promotion is organizations and companies in all EU-member-states and partner countries open.

Article - 02/07/2012

amcure GmbH is working on a new compound against pancreatic cancer

amcure GmbH has identified a new compound with a new efficacy profile against pancreatic cancer. Animal experiments have shown promising results: the drug candidate successfully prevents tumour growth and destroys existing metastases. The company, which was spun out from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in 2011, is now working on its first financing round and is looking for new investors. At the same time it is carefully planning its…

Article - 29/05/2012

Intestinal bacteria and human gut types

The type of bacteria that colonize the human gut does not just influence our digestion and well-being. Metagenome sequencing has provided an international consortium involving scientists from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory at the University Hospital of Heidelberg with evidence that certain individuals have different gut types with different types of bacteria. Such individuals not only differ in their predisposition to disease, but also…

Press release - 16/05/2012

Ray of hope for millions of patients

The 2012 Innovation Award of the biotechnology regions in Germany was presented to Prof. Ulrich Schraermeyer on 9 May 2012 in Frankfurt am Main. The Tübingen-based researcher received the award in recognition of his idea to use an active substance to treat the dry form of age-related macular degeneration (AMD). This impedes a patient’s ability to see and can ultimately lead to complete blindness. In the interest of those affected by the disease,…

Article - 14/05/2012

Biogas and sustainability

The German Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) has led to a considerable increase in the use of biogas in Germany. However, increasing biogas production must make ecological sense and not generate conflict with the sustainability objectives of environmental conservation schemes. There must therefore be a careful consideration of the overall conditions. An analysis of the ecological impact of the generation and use of biogas in Germany taking into…

Press release - 08/05/2012

BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg: 10 years

More than 120 invited guests came to Stuttgart on 2nd May 2012 to discuss the potential of biotechnology in Baden-Württemberg – and to celebrate! Speakers praised BIOPRO and entertained the audience with anecdotes about the last 10 years as well as congratulating Dr. Ralf Kindervater, CEO of BIOPRO Baden-Württemberg GmbH, for the committed and sustainable work his organization has done over the last ten years.

Novaliq GmbH, a drug delivery company focusing on difficult to dissolve substances for ophthalmic and dermatological applications, announced the conclusion of a round of financing talks resulting in €3.9 million.

Article - 30/04/2012

German Cardiac Society meeting 2012 - Medicine for sick hearts

The recent German Cardiac Society meeting in Mannheim in April 2012 focused on the latest findings related to the prognosis, diagnosis and therapy of heart diseases. While great progress has been made in the therapy of disease symptoms, it will still take a long time before gene and stem cell therapies that target the causes of disease find their way into clinical application. The conference also presented the new German Centre for Cardiovascular…

Article - 26/03/2012

More public attention for exotic diseases - Part 1

An international conference on rare diseases was held in Freiburg Germany in February 2012 where BIOPRO talked with Prof. Dr. Bodo Grimbacher director of the Centre of Chronic Immunodeficiency CCI in Freiburg and Prof. Dr. Maximilian Muenke paediatrician and human geneticist from the National Human Genome Research Institute NHGRI in the USA. Between them the two experts have a great deal of experience in rare diseases amongst other areas. Read in…

Article - 13/02/2012

Emcid Biotech GmbH: mosses as gold mines

Mosses are a great source of molecules that offer protection against microorganisms dehydration and other stress factors but it is a potential that has yet to be fully exploited. Freiburg-based Emcid Biotech GmbH is developing a platform for the identification development and industrial production of natural substances and enzymes of lower plants in particular those of mosses.

Press release - 09/01/2012

Apogenix Raises 7.5 Million Euros to Further Advance APG101 to Treat Glioblastoma and other Tumors

The biopharmaceutical company Apogenix GmbH today announced the successful completion of a € 7.5 million financing round led by dievini Hopp BioTech holding GmbH & Co. KG (dievini). Other investors include the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), the founders and the executive management team of Apogenix. These funds will enable Apogenix to further advance the phase II clinical trial of APG101 to treat Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) and other…

BioRegion STERN is one of the largest and most successful bio-regions in Germany. Its unique selling point is its mix of 120 small and medium-sized medtech companies and 100 up-and-coming biotech enterprises. Around 2,200 staff work in the region's biotech companies alone, representing growth of 30 percent in the past three years. Jobs in the life sciences industry have long been regarded as an engine of growth.

Press release - 15/11/2011

PANATecs GmbH will move into new laboratories in Heilbronn in 2012

In Summer 2012, PANATecs will move its headquarters to Heilbronn, where the firm will have modern and purpose-built laboratories in the Wohlgelegen Research Park.

Press release - 03/11/2011

Curetis AG attracts Forbion and Roche as new investors

Curetis AG, an innovative molecular diagnostics company focusing on the development and commercialization of in-vitro diagnostic products for infectious diseases, announced the expansion of its Series A financing round by € 9.6 million. The additional funds increase the round to a total of € 34.1 million and the total capital raised to date to € 36.6 million.

Article - 17/10/2011

“The only way of keeping competition in the international market at bay”

Biotech companies operate mostly on a global level. This is either because they follow their customers or because their major markets are abroad or because their domestic markets are so small that they are obliged to market their products abroad. Patents do not play a key role in all industries, but are of decisive strategic importance in the biotechnology sector. "However, patents are not always the best," says Ulrike Cremer, a patent…

Dossier - 10/10/2011

Global players in theory but not always in practice

Biotechnology companies have always had international ties: they employ cutting-edge technologies and market the discoveries and developments of researchers around the world. Rapid innovation cycles and rapid technological developments force companies to undertake costly R&D as well as market their products and/or services across national borders.

The Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Finance and Economics presented the results of two studies that evaluated the innovative strength of Baden-Württemberg in comparison to other regions around the world. The studies were carried out by the University of Hohenheim and the independent research institute BAK Basel Economics AG BAK Basel on behalf of the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Finance and Economics and they were financed by the Baden-Württemberg…

Press release - 21/07/2011

Phenex wins the former Head of Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases at Sanofi Aventis as advisor

Phenex Pharmaceuticals AG today announced the engagement of Prof. Dr. Dr. Werner Kramer, the former Head of Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases R&D at Sanofi Aventis, as a senior scientific advisor. At the end of last year, Prof. Kramer has left Sanofi Aventis after 25 years of very successful practice in drug discovery and development to devote himself to new scientific challenges. His long- and outstanding expertise in research and development…

Lipid Therapeutics, a biotechnology company, announced today that it has initiated a Phase IIb clinical trial with its lead product LT-02 in patients with ulcerative colitis. Lipid Therapeutics received approval for this multi-center, international trial from the authorities in Germany and Lithuania and is awaiting approval in Romania. Patient enrollment has already started in Germany and Lithuania.

Press release - 22/06/2011

SYGNIS Pharma AG secures further financial resources with shareholder loan

SYGNIS Pharma AG (Frankfurt: LIOK; ISIN DE000A1E9B74; Prime Standard) today executed a subordinated loan agreement for a total amount of EUR 6 million with its main shareholder dievini Hopp BioTech holding GmbH & Co. KG, Walldorf, Germany (dievini), with an interest-rate at customary market conditions. As a result this loan, which is payable on demand, secures the financing of SYGNIS’ existing operations, according to the present plans, at…