In mid-2021, research institute VIB will open its brand-new agbiotech incubator. The new complex will provide entrepreneurs with access to high-tech facilities to work on sustainable agricultural innovations, like solutions to make plants more resistant to drought. The incubator will be housed in the former CropDesign site of multinational BASF in Nevele, Belgium.
In 2019, a delegation of Belgian biotechs participated in an economic mission to China led by H.R.H. Princess Astrid. Co-organized with BioCentury’s annual China Healthcare Summit, the mission was a success: three of the participating companies have already signed deals with Chinese collaborators or investors. We spoke with the CEOs of these companies to find out what kind of deals they obtained, and to hear about their experiences of working with Chinese partners.
Over the past few years, an increasing number of European biotechs have been signing deals with Chinese investors. The Chinese are increasingly interested in European, particularly Belgian, biotech. But it’s not just for money: strategic investments with potential deals seem to be at the forefront of these agreements. How do European venture capitalists feel about this trend? We spoke with Chris Buyse from Fund+ to find out.
Niel, Belgium, 1 December 2020 - eTheRNA immunotherapies NV (“eTheRNA”) announced it has entered into a strategic cooperation and product license agreement with China Grand Pharmaceutical & Healthcare Holdings Ltd (“China Grand Pharma”) to establish a new joint venture company, Nanjing AuroRNA Biotech Co., Ltd. (“AuroRNA Biotech”) in Mainland China to deploy eTheRNA’s proprietary mRNA technology for pharmaceutical research and development and production in the Greater China Region.
Brussels, Belgium / Tokyo, Japan – 1 December 2020 – Newton Biocapital I (“Newton”), a life sciences investment fund active in Europe and Japan and focused on the treatment and prevention of chronic diseases, has announced its third investment in Japan. Newton invested EUR 1.2 million (JPY 148 million) in Perseus Proteomics Inc. as part of a total round of EUR 8.1 million. With this investment, Perseus Proteomics will continue its research and development of PPMX-T003 - a key growth driver antibody - and other antibodies in the pipeline.
Tumors create complex microenvironments where they suppress the normal functioning of the immune system. Blood vessels and macrophages are an important part of this environment. A new VIB-KU Leuven startup called Montis Biosciences is working to enhance anti-tumor immunity by investigating interactions between perivascular macrophages and the tumor vasculature.
Gent, Belgium, 27 October 2020 – Today V-Bio Ventures announces its investment in Animab, a new venture spin-off from VIB, in a EUR 3.4 million Seed financing round. The company develops monoclonal antibodies for oral administration to ensure intestinal health of livestock. The initial focus is on improving the resilience of piglets during the fragile post-weaning period. The start-up will use the seed capital to develop its first oral antibody product for protection against ETEC and initiate a product portfolio for the livestock industry.
For the third year in a row, Belgium has been ranked the number one country in Europe for biotech! Belgium is consistently included in the top five countries on a number of measures. But when it comes to the total market value of all public biotech companies in Europe, Belgium really takes the cake with a huge 24% slice. Furthermore, despite pressure from the pandemic, the value of Belgian biotech companies has increased by no less than 56% in the past year to €42 billion, putting 2020 on course to be a record-breaking year in a positive way. The great news was presented by KBC Securities at the virtual State of the Union organized by flanders.bio and VIB for this year’s Knowledge for Growth.
For decades, researchers have been trying to uncover the cause of nodding syndrome, a mysterious and deadly form of epilepsy that only affects children on the African continent. In a collaboration between Belgian and African scientists, researchers from the University of Antwerp have now discovered the root cause of the disease. In a cascade of events, nodding syndrome is triggered by another disease called river blindness, which in turn is caused by parasitic worms spread by blackfly bites. As complicated as it sounds, this is great news for the children, as it means that nodding syndrome can easily be controlled by administering the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin and exterminating blackflies.
In mid-2021, research institute VIB will open its brand-new agbiotech incubator. The new complex will provide entrepreneurs with access to high-tech facilities to work on sustainable agricultural innovations, like solutions to make plants more resistant to drought. The incubator will be housed in the former CropDesign site of multinational BASF in Nevele, Belgium.
In 2019, a delegation of Belgian biotechs participated in an economic mission to China led by H.R.H. Princess Astrid. Co-organized with BioCentury’s annual China Healthcare Summit, the mission was a success: three of the participating companies have already signed deals with Chinese collaborators or investors. We spoke with the CEOs of these companies to find out what kind of deals they obtained, and to hear about their experiences of working with Chinese partners.
Over the past few years, an increasing number of European biotechs have been signing deals with Chinese investors. The Chinese are increasingly interested in European, particularly Belgian, biotech. But it’s not just for money: strategic investments with potential deals seem to be at the forefront of these agreements. How do European venture capitalists feel about this trend? We spoke with Chris Buyse from Fund+ to find out.
Niel, Belgium, 1 December 2020 - eTheRNA immunotherapies NV (“eTheRNA”) announced it has entered into a strategic cooperation and product license agreement with China Grand Pharmaceutical & Healthcare Holdings Ltd (“China Grand Pharma”) to establish a new joint venture company, Nanjing AuroRNA Biotech Co., Ltd. (“AuroRNA Biotech”) in Mainland China to deploy eTheRNA’s proprietary mRNA technology for pharmaceutical research and development and production in the Greater China Region.
Brussels, Belgium / Tokyo, Japan – 1 December 2020 – Newton Biocapital I (“Newton”), a life sciences investment fund active in Europe and Japan and focused on the treatment and prevention of chronic diseases, has announced its third investment in Japan. Newton invested EUR 1.2 million (JPY 148 million) in Perseus Proteomics Inc. as part of a total round of EUR 8.1 million. With this investment, Perseus Proteomics will continue its research and development of PPMX-T003 - a key growth driver antibody - and other antibodies in the pipeline.
Tumors create complex microenvironments where they suppress the normal functioning of the immune system. Blood vessels and macrophages are an important part of this environment. A new VIB-KU Leuven startup called Montis Biosciences is working to enhance anti-tumor immunity by investigating interactions between perivascular macrophages and the tumor vasculature.
Gent, Belgium, 27 October 2020 – Today V-Bio Ventures announces its investment in Animab, a new venture spin-off from VIB, in a EUR 3.4 million Seed financing round. The company develops monoclonal antibodies for oral administration to ensure intestinal health of livestock. The initial focus is on improving the resilience of piglets during the fragile post-weaning period. The start-up will use the seed capital to develop its first oral antibody product for protection against ETEC and initiate a product portfolio for the livestock industry.
For the third year in a row, Belgium has been ranked the number one country in Europe for biotech! Belgium is consistently included in the top five countries on a number of measures. But when it comes to the total market value of all public biotech companies in Europe, Belgium really takes the cake with a huge 24% slice. Furthermore, despite pressure from the pandemic, the value of Belgian biotech companies has increased by no less than 56% in the past year to €42 billion, putting 2020 on course to be a record-breaking year in a positive way. The great news was presented by KBC Securities at the virtual State of the Union organized by flanders.bio and VIB for this year’s Knowledge for Growth.
For decades, researchers have been trying to uncover the cause of nodding syndrome, a mysterious and deadly form of epilepsy that only affects children on the African continent. In a collaboration between Belgian and African scientists, researchers from the University of Antwerp have now discovered the root cause of the disease. In a cascade of events, nodding syndrome is triggered by another disease called river blindness, which in turn is caused by parasitic worms spread by blackfly bites. As complicated as it sounds, this is great news for the children, as it means that nodding syndrome can easily be controlled by administering the anti-parasitic drug ivermectin and exterminating blackflies.