Foundation for Neglected Disease Research (FNDR) and DevsHealth, CataloniaBio & HealthTech member, have announced the start of a collaborative project to develop new broad-spectrum antiviral agents for infections caused by flaviviruses such as dengue, Zika, West Nile virus, and Japanese encephalitis, among others.

Laboratorios Gebro Pharma, S.A. and the startup HumanITcare have recently signed a collaboration agreement through which they will launch a connected health solution for patients with asthma. The relationship between the pharmaceutical company and the startup, which began in 2022 under the auspices of the Catalan Government’s Innovation Aid Programme for the Competitiveness of Enterprise (ACCIÓ), is now consolidated in a corporate-startup relationship.

The company, based in Barcelona and a CataloniaBio & HealthTech member, offers CRO (Contract Research Organization) services to main national and international pharmaceutical, biotechnological and medical device companies, is now celebrating its 25th anniversary.

ADmit Therapeutics, a CataloniaBio & HealthTech member, announces a new investment of up to $1,886,058 from the Diagnostics Accelerator at the Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation. The investment represents a continuation of the Diagnostics Accelerator’s support for the clinical validation and regulatory approval of their breakthrough technology based on novel biomarkers related to mitochondrial DNA.

Asabys announces today the first investment of its new fund, SAHII II (Sabadell Asabys Healthcare Innovation Investments II), launched with the support of Banco Sabadell, in DeepUll, a Barcelona-based disruptive medical diagnostics company developing culture-free, affordable diagnostic solutions for the early identification of sepsis and other acute infections. Both companies are CataloniaBio & HealthTech members.

Almirall, a global biopharmaceutical company focused on skin health, today announced anagreement with ZeClinics, a Contract Research Organization (CRO) specialized in zebrafish, to be based at Almirall's R&D centre. Both companies are CataloniaBio & HealthTech members. With this agreement, Almirall reinforces its aim to transform its R&D centre located in Sant Feliu de Llobregat into a uniquely collaborative environment where researchers from biotech companies, start-ups, academia, and other scientist meet with Almirall’s team to enhance research success.

AELIX Therapeutics S.L. (‘AELIX’), a clinical-stage biotechnology company, member of CataloniaBio & HealthTech, specialized in the discovery and development of immunotherapies for HIV infection, today announced positive topline results from the AELIX-003 trial.

Methinks, a digital health Company that specializes in early detection and management of Acute Stroke (AS), using artificial intelligence (AI), announced that it has received CE mark for its medical imaging software, Methinks Stroke Suite following a milestone year of development progress, enabling commercialization in Europe and to assist in emergency settings for the benefit of AS patients.

The biotech, member of CataloniaBio & HealthTech, has just closed a first seed round of €1.3M, led by the European venture Elaia Partners. With this new capital injection, the company, specializing in computational engineering for enzyme discovery and optimization, plans to boost its current portfolio and catalyze widespread use in industry to promote a new generation of products leading the transition towards a more sustainable future. They also opened a laboratory in the Barcelona Science Park.

In February, Newborn Solutions, CataloniaBio & HealthTech members, received official approval from the Moroccan health authorities to carry out its clinical trial in Morocco. The achievement of this milestone allows the inclusion of the Hôpital d’Enfants de Rabat (HER), a reference pediatric hospital in the country.

Uric Acid is a neuroprotectant and cerebral reperfusion enhancer identified by Dr Ángel Chamorro at the Hospital Clínic Barcelona and transferred to FreeOx Biotech for its development as a drug, Ox-01, which has been granted a patent in the USA for its use in combination with Mechanical Thrombectomy in ischaemic stroke.

CataloniaBio & HealthTech's 2023 agenda began with a CEO Council to reflect on the role of health in society and the economy. More than thirty CataloniaBio & HealthTech CEOs met at the cambraDigital HUB (Barcelona Chamber of Commerce) on 6 February to discuss this global vision of our ecosystem

Asabys has announced this week the first closing of its new fund, Sabadell Asabys Health Innovation Investments II (SAHII II), with total commitments of 100 million euros, expecting to reach a size of €200 million this year. SAHII II will invest in healthtech and biopharma companies, that provide novel solutions to unmet medical needs, with solid scientific evidence, and a clear benefit for patients.

CataloniaBio & HealthTech held the Ordinary General Assembly on 14 February at the Barcelona Athenaeum, at a meeting of the Board,the executive team and almost 140 members to discuss and approve the 2023 Action Plan and the Management Report and 2022 Accounts. The admission of 21 new members was also approved, who had the opportunity to introduce themselves to the auditorium.

To put all these new developments and in particular, to observe their effects on the life sciences and health sector, CataloniaBio & HealthTech held an entrepreneurship forum on this subject. It was on 14 February in the Oriol Bohigas Room of the Barcelona Athenaeum, coinciding with the Association’s Ordinary General Assembly.

Ysios Capital invested in Mineralys Therapeutics from its third fund, Ysios BioFund III, participating in a $118 million financing round in July 2022, and has continued to support the company in its IPO. The IPO of Mineralys represents a new milestone for Ysios Capital, being the eighth company from the Ysios funds to go public on the NASDAQ and the second from its third fund, just 8 months after the initial investment.

The Pharmacy Service of the Vall d'Hebron University Hospital, a centre member of CataloniaBio & HealthTech, will launch a study in the coming weeks to test the efficacy, tolerability and level of acceptance of a drug created using a 3D printer in children. This new formulation will help to dose the drug in a personalized way for each patient and hopes to improve the experience of children who have to take medication on a daily basis. This is the first clinical trial with a 3D printed drug in Europe in the pediatric field and is the result of a collaboration between the Pharmacy Service at Vall d'Hebron, the University of Santiago de Compostela and the company FabRx.

HumanITcare announced a new collaboration in healthcare with Garmin, a leading global provider of smartwatches, fitness trackers, and digital health solutions. From now on, clients in Spain, Portugal, Chile, Brazil, Colombia, and Europe will be able to consent to connect their Garmin smartwatch to their platform.

NIMBLE Diagnostics, ha tancat amb èxit una ronda de finançament on han aconseguit més d'un milió d'euros liderada per Grow Ventures amb Namarel Ventures, i la participació d’Inveniam Group, membres de CataloniaBio & HealthTech, que ha actuat com a sindicat de diversos business angels.

Nanomol Technologies announced this January the start of a European project, the Horizon Europe NABIHEAL project, by the hand of the Center for Biomedical Research Network (CIBER) of the Institut de Ciencia de Materiales de Barcelona (ICMAB-CSIC) as coordinator. The company, member of CataloniaBio & HealthTech, participates in the biomaterials scalie up tasks and co-lead the Business Development & Exploitation work package together with Histocell SL.