Oncoheroes Biosciences, a CataloniaBio & HealthTech member, announces the investment of Kier’s Kidz, a childhood cancer non-profit from New Jersey.  This the first time Kier’s Kidz invested in a biotech company, that since 2012, has been helping children, adolescents, and young adults with cancer by funding cancer treatments and research. This investment adds to those received at Oncoheroes Biosciences from the non-profit organizations Catalytic Impact Foundation and the Gregory  Foundation for Cancer Research earlier  this year.

The news of the investment coincides with the start of the Childhood Cancer Awareness Month. “What a fantastic way to celebrate Childhood ...

CataloniaBio & HealthTech is launching the seventh edition of its Biosuccess Award, an initiative that will recognise the best business milestone of 2020 in the health and life sciences sector in Catalonia. The deadline for submitting candidacies is 19 September, using this form.

The winner will receive an honorific award at the 2021 UnConference, the annual day of debates and discussions on the future of solutions for healthcare, with over 50 entrepreneurs and C-Level executives. The UnConference will be held on November in a blended format.

The panel of judges will be made up of members of the CataloniaBioHT Board ...

IMIDomics, a Vall d'Hebron spin-off, has completed a 14 million euros Series A financing round led by DNS Capital with additional investment from Bristol Myers Squibb, The Pritzker Organization, TAO Capital and others. 

It is one of the largest investment operations in the biomedicine and health sector in Catalonia to date.

IMIDomics was founded in Barcelona in 2015 by Sara Marsal, head of the Rheumatology Department at the Vall d’Hebron University Hospital and head of the Rheumatology Research Group at the Vall d'Hebron Research Institute (VHIR), and Richard M. Myers, president and Scientific Director at the HudsonAlpha Institute for ...

The journal Arthritis Research & Therapy has published the study Application of systems biology-based in silico tools to optimise treatment strategy identification in Still's disease carried out by Anaxomics Biotech, Novartis and the Münster University Children's Hospital using technology based on systems biology and artificial intelligence. 

Four biologic drugs (Anakinra, Canakinumab, Sarilumab and Tocilizumab) and two non-biologic drugs (Methotrexate and Prednisone) have been analysed.

Anaxomics' TPMS (Therapeutic Performance Mapping System) technology has made it possible to simulate patients with Still's disease or juvenile idiopathic arthritis treated with the drugs under study and to analyse the most efficient treatment. The ...

Next Generation EU funds under the European recovery plan to tackle the economic and social consequences caused by COVID-19 are expected to arrive imminently. Companies and organisations in the biomedicine and healthcare sector are waiting for this opportunity to advance in innovation, digitalisation, ecological transition and reindustrialisation.

CataloniaBio & HealthTech and KPMG organised a webinar on 12 July about the 5 most relevant points to take into account with more than 90 executives and professionals.

Judit Anido, CEO of CataloniaBio & HealthTech, pointed out that "the healthcare sector and its highly innovative component should be key in building a more ...

On 15 July, Barcelona Global presented the second edition of the Scale-Up Monitor to the High Commissioner for Spain Entrepreneurial Nation, Francisco Polo, with a study that highlights Barcelona's strengths and weaknesses as a centre for technology-based scale-ups.

Those taking part in the event included Jordi Nicolau, Director of Retail and Customer Experience at CaixaBank; Aurora Catà, President of Barcelona Global; Mateu Hernández, CEO of Barcelona Global; Cristina H. Valiñani, Director of Projects at Barcelona Global; and around thirty stakeholders in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, such as CataloniaBio & HealthTech, represented by its CEO Judit Anido.

Barcelona is ranked among the ...

The digital health start-up SocialDiabetes, a CataloniaBio & HealthTech member, and the Irish firm Innovation Zed Ltd have signed an agreement to enhance health outcomes for people with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

The companies will pursue joint efforts to sell their products as a single integrated system.

Innovation Zed has developed InsulCheck Connect, an insulin pen add-on technology which automatically collects essential usage data that informs users of their injection history. SocialDiabetes is one of the most established diabetes management software providers.

"Therapy adherence is a serious issue and we are dedicated to making a cumbersome task as ...

Biotechnology firm Gate2Brain, a CataloniaBio & HealthTech member, has won the Barcelona Activa pre-acceleration contest for early stage high-impact entrepreneurial projects.

The programme will allow Gate2Brain to validate its business model with experts, share experiences with similar projects, accelerate access to market and get a €5,000 prize.

Gate2Brain was created in 2020 as a spin-off of the University of Barcelona, IRB Barcelona and Sant Joan de Déu Research Institute. The company has developed a peptide-based technology platform for developing therapies that cross the blood-brain barrier. 

Its R&D pipeline includes a first-in-class drug (G2B-001) that has been shown to ...

Inbrain Neuroelectronics, a CataloniaBio & HealthTech member, announces a collaboration with Merck to co-develop the next generation of graphene bioelectronic vagus nerve therapies targeting severe chronic diseases in Merck’s therapeutic areas.

The collaboration will be carried out through Inbrain’s subsidiary Innervia Bioelectronics.

Inbrain is one of the most advanced and promising neurotechnology companies in the world (created at the crossroads of medical technology, deeptech and digital health). Recently, digital media outlet Sifted.eu (Financial Times) ranked it ahead of Elon Musk’s company Neuralink. 

“Bioelectronic devices have the capability to directly communicate with the nervous system. Recording nerve signals and ...

More than 30 Catalan companies from the biomedical sector took part in the Hospital Connection session on medical needs not covered at Bellvitge, hosted by the CataloniaBio & HealthTech Innovation Workgroup on 28 June.

Medical professionals from Bellvitge University Hospital presented the main challenges that need new technology developed, in order to find joint hospital-business solutions that can reach patients as soon as possible. The event, held online, received collaboration from the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL).

The event was presented by Marta Palicio, third vice-president of CataloniaBio & HealthTech and CIO of Biokit; and Melqui Calzado, secretary general ...

Avinent, Althaia Foundation and Bages–UManresa University Foundation have created MAP+, an innovation and technology hub for personalised medicine and healthcare in Bages county (Barcelona) and Central Catalonia.

The main lines of work at MAP+ are tech experience, to develop, test and validate new technology; collaboration with medical technology companies; teaching and training; research, innovation, attracting and retaining talent; and collaborating with healthcare and dependent care centres to ensure technology is applicable.

The initiative is supported by the Manresa City Council, Bages County Council and the Manresa Chamber of Commerce.

Avinent is a leading international company in dental implantology led by ...

The pharmaceutical firm Almirall, a CataloniaBio & HealthTech member, launches its sixth call for proposals with the aim of establishing collaborations in dermatological research through the open innovation platform AlmirallShare.

The call is addressed to biotech start-ups, pharmaceutical companies, universities and research centres over the world. The submission period is open until October 31, 2021.

“AlmirallShare has increasingly earned recognition from the scientific community since was launched in 2017. We truly believe in groundbreaking innovation and cross collaboration as the way to succeed, and AlmirallShare allows us to strengthen our network to identify new opportunities in medical dermatology" says ...

Moirai Biodesign, a start-up member of CataloniaBio & HealthTech and specialised in the development of RNA-based solutions for new therapies and diagnostic systems has launched MoiRNAiFold, a best-in-class software for the design of complex RNA molecules. 

The application of synthetic RNA is very innovative and has great medical and pharmacological potential, as it opens the door to a new generation of targeted therapies for neurological, oncological or neurodegenerative pathologies as well as for the development of new antibiotics and vaccines. 

“One of the greatest advantages of synthetic RNA therapeutic approaches is the ability to adapt quickly to new ...

After being cancelled due to COVID-19 last year, the international tech startup event 4 Years From Now (4YFN) is back today through 1 July at the Fira Barcelona fairgrounds.

For the first time, 4YFN is part of the core of Mobile World Congress (MWC), maximising interactions between startups, investors and multinational companies.

Also new this year, the event has a special space for health called the Digital Health Hub. This is where the BioRegion of Catalonia pavilion is located, promoted by CataloniaBio & HealthTech, ACCIÓ (Government of Catalonia), Tech Barcelona and Biocat with 27 participating companies and organisations from this ...

Today, CataloniaBio & HealthTech attended the presentation of the 2020 Asebio Report: The year of biotechnology, which took place at the ICEX headquarters in Madrid (with a limited capacity) and was broadcast live on social networks.

Ion Arocena, CEO of the Spanish Bioindustry Association (Asebio), explained the most important figures for the biotechnology sector in Spain:

Arocena also pointed out that the sector "plays a fundamental ...

TIC Salut Social Foundation, a CataloniaBio & HealthTech member, has presented an updated version of its guide on developing mobile apps for health and social care (in Catalan).

The first edition was published in 2018.After these years of experience with various initiatives and networking on apps, the new guide highlights ethics, user experience, interoperability, privacy, security, reliability and clinical evidence.

Collaborators include the UVic-UCC Grífols Foundation Bioethics Chair, i2cat Foundation, Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), Centre for Telecommunications and Information Technologies (CTTI), ONCE Catalunya and Ambit BST.

More information

On 15 June, the Spanish Council of Ministers passed the 2021-2023 State Scientific, Technical and Innovation Research Plan, which comprises a slate of actions and investments in science and innovation and establishes the most strategic sectors (health, ecological transition and digitalisation).

The most noteworthy elements of the plan are more stable scientific degree programmes, new calls for projects, more incentives for knowledge transfer and promoting synergies among the autonomous communities. 

One of the grant programmes for SMEs that will be expanded is Neotec.

More information

Vytrus Biotech, a CataloniaBio & HealthTech member, closed 2020 with record turnover of €1.7 million, up 40% from 2019.

The audited annual accounts of this industrial biotechnology firm based in Terrassa (Barcelona) reflect a 200% increase in operating profit (EBITDA) for a total of €591,000.

This year, Vytrus has continued international expansion of its business based on the development, production and sale of plant-based active ingredients for the cosmetic and healthcare sectors.

Vytrus is one of the 10 companies chosen by CataloniaBio & HealthTech to take part in the first BIOMED ScaleUP corporate growth programme with mentors Xavier ...

Gain Therapeutics, a CataloniaBio & HealthTech member with headquarters in Lugano (Switzerland) and R&D departmant at Barcelona, signed an agreement collaboration with the US firm Zentalis Pharmaceuticals to discover new candidates for the treatment of cancer. 

Zentalis is developing a promising pipeline of oncology best-in-class drugs. To identify new sites on target proteins for potential use in oncology they will use SEE-Tx® computational platform technology. SEE-Tx® applies a proprietary computational algorithm and supercomputer processing to the published 3D structure of proteins to discover new binding sites with the ability to modulate protein function. 

Both Zentalis, which ...

Pharmaceutical company Ferrer, a member of CataloniaBio & HealthTech, announces its continued commitment to digital health with the third edition of its innovation programme Ferrer 4 Future.

Ferrer 4 Future aims to empower entrepreneurs to co-develop disruptive health solutions using digital technology. Start-ups interested in participating in this edition must propose solutions to one of these challenges: