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Neurology

Biomedical/pharma, Neurology

The inspiring potential of gene therapy in neurology

Dr. Monica Bennett is Head of Gene Therapy Unit at Novartis, the company behind the world’s only gene therapy approved for a neurological indication. Zolgensma treats children with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a genetic condition where infants with the most severe type rarely survive past their first few years of life. We spoke to Dr. Bennett about her experience working with SMA kids and their families, and the inspiring potential of gene therapy in other neurological diseases.

V-Bio Ventures portfolio company Biodol Therapeutics nominates its first preclinical candidate as a next-generation therapy for neuropathic pain

Augustine Therapeutics: time to reverse nerve damage in patients undergoing chemotherapy or with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease

Augustine Therapeutics is a VIB and KU Leuven spin-off developing innovative therapies for peripheral and central nervous system disorders. The company initially focused on treating Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, and recently added a major indication to their lead program after finding strong evidence that their drug candidate can also reverse nerve damage caused by chemotherapy. Augustine Therapeutics aims to initiate clinical trials by 2024.

Augustine Therapeutics appoints Gerhard Koenig as Chairman of the Board, forms Clinical Advisory Board, and broadens therapeutic indications

Leuven, Belgium, 10 May 2022 – Augustine Therapeutics, a biotech company developing novel therapies for neuromuscular and neurodegenerative disorders, appoints Gerhard Koenig as Chairman of the Board. The company also expands the Scientific Advisory Board with clinical experts to support broader therapeutic applications, exploring the potential of novel HDAC6 inhibitors in Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT), and now also in other indications such as chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Abscint labels antibodies with radioactive material to spot harmful cells

Abscint is one of several Belgian biotech companies using single-domain antibodies. But unlike the others, Abscint is using these antibodies for diagnostic purposes instead of therapeutic ones. After being labelled with a miniscule amount of radioactive material, the antibodies can be used to show on PET/CT scans for example whether breast cancer cells have spread to the brain, or if patients with sarcoidosis are at risk of a sudden cardiac arrest. The company, founded in 2020, is currently looking for funding to bring its solutions to the market as soon as possible.

V-Bio Ventures’ Portfolio Company Syndesi Therapeutics Acquired by AbbVie to Strengthen its Neuroscience Portfolio

Confo-dently into the future!

Confo Therapeutics is a rising star in Belgium, featured on several local and international lists of up-and-coming biotechs. The company, launched in 2015 as a spin-off of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and VIB, is now taking the big step from the preclinical to the clinical stage with a GPCR drug for neuropathic pain.

Biogen’s controversial Alzheimer’s drug approved by the FDA – what now?

It has been three months since the much-discussed FDA approval of Biogen’s Aduhelm, a treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease. The drug has been celebrated by some as a breakthrough for Alzheimer’s patients, but others remain highly sceptical or even openly opposed to the FDA decision. What has caused the furor? And what will this approval mean for other biotech companies developing new drugs for neurodegenerative diseases (and for the VCs backing them)?

Newton Biocapital invests in NeuVasQ: EUR 20 million Series A to develop unique blood-brain barrier therapy

Augustine Therapeutics developing new medicines for neuromuscular diseases

Augustine Therapeutics had a lot of announcements this month: the VIB spin-off just appointed Dr. Sylvain Celanire as CEO, strengthened its Board of Directors, set up a Scientific Advisory Board and received a €1.2 million VLAIO grant. All of the above is going to help the company to develop therapies for rare peripheral neuropathies and neurodegenerative disorders, starting with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. Backed by some major players in the Belgian life sciences ecosystem, this start-up is accelerating fast!

Augustine Therapeutics awarded EUR 1.2 million VLAIO research grant to develop new medicines for neuromuscular diseases

Leuven, Belgium, 23 March 2021 - Augustine Therapeutics, a biotech spin-out company from VIB that focuses on the development of novel innovative therapies for rare peripheral neuropathies and neurodegenerative disorders, has received EUR 1.2 million in funding from the Flanders Agency for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (VLAIO). The grant will be used to support the development of new medicines for peripheral neuropathies through innovative research by elucidating the mode of action of second-generation selective HDAC6 inhibitors developed by Augustine Therapeutics.

Augustine Therapeutics strengthens Board of Directors and sets up Scientific Advisory Board

Leuven, Belgium, 19th March 2021 - Augustine Therapeutics, a biotech company focused on the development of innovative medicines for rare peripheral neuropathies and neurodegenerative diseases, announces the strengthening of the company with seasoned senior executive Dr. Erik Tambuyzer joining the Board of Directors. Tambuyzer brings valuable insights based on his long- lasting work in the biotech industry and with patients’ organizations for rare diseases. Academic researchers Dr. Ludo Van Den Bosch and Dr. Joris de Wit are joining the company’s Scientific Advisory Board. The reinforcement of Augustine Therapeutics’ boards is another important step in strengthening the company to further the development of new medicines treating multiple neurodegenerative diseases with high unmet need.

Augustine Therapeutics appoints Sylvain Celanire as CEO to accelerate development of innovative medicines for rare neuromuscular diseases

Leuven, Belgium, 18th March 2021 - Augustine Therapeutics, a biotech company focused on the development of innovative medicines for rare peripheral neuropathies and neurodegenerative diseases, announces the appointment of Dr. Sylvain Celanire, PhD as its Chief Executive Officer and the opening of drug discovery laboratories at the Leuven Bio-Incubator in Belgium.

Prestigious prize for Belgian breakthrough in brain research

Prof. Dr. Pierre Vanderhaeghen from VIB-KU Leuven has been awarded the Generet Prize for Rare Diseases for his research on human brain development. Vanderhaegen’s team have developed an astonishing model for studying rare neurological disorders by successfully integrating human neurons into a mouse brain. The prestigious prize, managed by the King Baudouin Foundation and presented to Vanderhaeghen by HRH Princess Astrid, includes EUR 1 million in funding for further studies.

Decades-old discoveries cause paradigm shifts in modern medicine

Complete paradigm shifts in medicine are rare, but there have nevertheless been several major examples in the past hundred years. Treatments and approaches that seemed set in stone one decade can easily seem silly the next, as new information about the disease or underlying biology comes to light. Hindsight grants us clarity, but sometimes the factors that lead us down a particular treatment path can be as arbitrary as a feud between colleagues. Might there be paradigm shifts looming in oncology, neurology and more, triggered by a return to previous treatments?