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Biomedical/pharma

Biomedical/pharma, Neurology

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.

Lessons learned from COVID-19: how do we prepare for the next pandemic?

Although the crisis has not yet passed, COVID-19 has already taught us many valuable lessons. This past year has tested us all, but governments and companies across the world have come together to tackle this global health challenge. In February, industry leaders from Flanders and Canada joined in a webinar, organized by Flanders Investment and Trade (FIT) and The Embassy of Canada to Belgium and Luxembourg, to discuss how we can already start applying our newfound knowledge to help prepare for the next pandemic.

Record-breaking pollen levels linked to increased risk of COVID-19

Increased pollen concentrations are correlated with higher rates of COVID-19. Hot on the heels of record-breaking European pollen counts, this comes as bad news for a continent struggling with the ongoing health crisis. The large-scale study, conducted by an international team headed by researchers in Germany, suggested people protect themselves by keeping an eye on pollen forecasts and wearing particle filtering masks this spring.

Saving man’s best friend: Volition blood test allows cheap and easy cancer screenings for dogs

A Belgian invention is revolutionizing cancer diagnostics for dogs by making it possible to screen for two common canine cancers with a simple, low-cost blood test. The innovation was developed by the Belgian subsidiary of Volition, a multinational company listed on the New York stock exchange. The company is also developing human blood tests for use in oncology as well as a number of other diseases including COVID-19.

Rejuvenate Biomed Secures EUR 3.2 Million Series A Round to Advance Development of Healthy Aging Products

Heusden-Zolder, Belgium, 2 March 2021 – Rejuvenate Biomed NV (“Rejuvenate”), a biomedical company developing prescription drugs for age-related diseases, announces it has completed a EUR 3.2 million Series A round. The funding is being used to advance the development of Rejuvenate’s lead candidate RJx-01 in both acute and chronic sarcopenia (disuse-induced and age-related muscle failure).

Newton Biocapital invests in Flemish start-up DeuterOncology

Brussels, Belgium, 24 February 2021 – Newton Biocapital I (“Newton Biocapital”), a life sciences investment fund active in Europe and Japan focused on chronic diseases, has announced investment in DeuterOncology. Newton Biocapital’s second investment in Flanders, DeuterOncology is a preclinical-stage biotech company focusing on the development of a first-in-class dual MET and RAS pathway inhibitor for targeted cancer therapies.

Preventive saliva test for detecting the COVID-19 virus is now available to companies and organizations

Ghent, Belgium, 23 February 2021 - The Ghent company Biogazelle and the medical laboratory Labo Nuytinck (Ghent, Evergem), together with several Flemish companies, have developed a PCR platform with which thousands of saliva samples can be tested daily for the COVID-19 virus. The saliva test costs a third of a classic test.

PharmaFluidics Announces Ultra-Sensitive Second Generation µPAC™ Technology for Unbiased Single Cell Proteomics

Micro-chip based µPAC™ LC columns – key component in Vienna IMP study measuring the proteome at picogram level Ghent, Belgium, 15 February 2021 - PharmaFluidics NV, innovative life sciences instruments player, is excited to announce that researchers of Karl Mechtler’s Group at the Research Institute for Molecular Pathology in Vienna have integrated its ultra-sensitive second generation µPAC™ micro-Chip technology as a key enabler in their advanced Single Cell Proteomics workflow.

Onco-immunology Company Pan Cancer T Launched as Spin-off from Erasmus Medical Center

Dutch biotech company developing first-in-class T-cell Receptor (TCR) T-cell therapies. Seed investment by Swanbridge Capital and Van Herk Ventures with support from Health~Holland

DoseVue obtains CE Mark for its first in-vivo dosimetry product for radiation therapy

Diepenbeek, Belgium - January 28, 2021 - DoseVue NV, a privately held medical device company developing in-vivo dosimetry solutions for radiation therapy, today announces the CE marking of its first product: the DoseWire™ Series 200.

One year of COVID-19: a look back at 2020 and where we are now

One year on from the emergence of SARS-COV-2 in Wuhan, China, this novel coronavirus continues to devastate the world. Since then, COVID-19 has reached every continent and touched all of our lives. In this article, we take the chance to assess the situation going into 2021 and look back on the first year of the pandemic.

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?