CataloniaBio & HealthTech has opened the election process to select the chairperson and board of directors of the association for the next four years, as was agreed in the meeting of the board this Friday, 7 January 2022, following the completion of the current Board of directors’ 4 year mandate, as established by the association’s charter.

Those who wish to run for the one Chairperson and 3 Vice-Chair positions have until 17 January to present their candidacy. At minimum, one representative from a biopharmaceutical company and one representative from a medical technology or digital health company must be included. The ...

CataloniaBio & HealthTech’s board and team wish a very Happy 2022 to the more  than 180 members, and collaborators and healthcare and life sciences professionals that make up the entity. Our greatest desire is that in 2022 we can continue to return to activities and in person meetings, as we have been doing in the last few months of 2021.

Now is a good time to look back and share the work that has been accomplished over  the year and the principal milestones that we have reached. Still subject to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, we in the healthcare ...

Representatives of the Blood and Tissue Bank, the Institute of Bioengineering of Catalonia, Avinent, Reig Jofré and Biorem, all members of CataloniaBio &  HealthTech, have recently formalized the creation of a working group with the aim of promoting a public-private ecosystem to dynamize and facilitate  the translation of bio-printing solutions to clinical and pharmaceutical  practice in Catalonia, and contribute to the achievement of an integrated, resilient and sustainable healthcare model in the context of the Salut 2030 project.

The initiative for the creation of this working group arose after the impressions exchanged in the  last edition of Lessons Learned, which ...

Joan Puig de Dou (Barcelona, 1966). Pharmacist with a degree in Business and Administration, and GM training. He is the CEO of Kymos Pharma, a CRO supporting biopharma companies to develop their products. Last year, 2020, Kymos received the Biosuccess Award.

A short version of the interview was published in the CataloniaBio & HealthTech review.

What have been the most important milestones for Kymos’ growth so far?

The  international agreements that have allowed our strong growth over the last few  years. In particular, the strategic agreement with Ipsen in 2012 under which we  purchased part of the research centre in ...

The pharmaceutical company Laboratorios Rubió, a member of CataloniaBio &  HealthTech, has closed the acquisition of the Spanish company Fisiopharma,  which will allow them to diversify beyond prescription products and enter the  nutraceutical segment. The company did not disclose the figures of the operation.

Acquiring Fisiopharma, Laboratorios Rubió strengthens the line of food supplements, with various products aimed at neuropathies of the central nervous system and muscle and joint tissue. "Fisiopharma products complement many of our medicines as they act on the same therapeutic areas, so we are convinced that we will generate synergies, both in prevention and treatment, which ...

The medical device company USMIMA S.L. (brand name MOWOOT), a CataloniaBio &  HealthTech member, announced that its first product “MOWOOT II Intestinal Transit Management System” has been granted the breakthrough device designation by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). With this important recognition by the USA´s highest authority for medical devices the company joins a select list of companies to receive this designation since the program began in 2016.

"Our clinical results show clear benefits for  severely constipated patients, and we look forward to working with the FDA to introduce  our technology to the US market as ...

FreeOx Biotech, a CataloniaBio & HealthTech member, has signed an exclusive licence agreement to develop and exploit the product patent of the molecule Ox-02 with the Hospital Clinic  Barcelona, the August Pi i Sunyer  Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS) and the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), who own the patent.

Ox-02 is an innovative molecule with neuroprotective properties that are very beneficial for the treatment of ischaemic stroke. It was developed through years of research at the Functional Unit for Cerebrovascular Disease of the Hospital Clinic, led by Dr Ángel Chamorro, and the formulation study run by CIC biomaGUNE.

Recent preclinical ...

The Minister of Economy and Finance, Jaume Giró, and the Minister of Research and Universities, Gemma Geis, met with officials from the university world and the research centers of the Catalan knowledge system, including the  President of CataloniaBio & HealthTech, Jaume Amat. The aim of the meeting was to analyse the different sources of funding for research projects in the country and took the opportunity to present the new venture capital fund, named FITA (Fund for Investment in Advanced Technology, in Catalan), which was approved this Tuesday by the Catalan executive. It is a new venture capital instrument that, with ...

The multinational Grifols, a member of CataloniaBio & HealthTech, has announced the sale to Synthetic Biologics of its entire stake in the Catalan biotechnology company VCN Biosciences, a company specializing in research and development of new agents for the treatment of solid tumors. The sale was made for 75 million dollars, about 66.4 million euros.

Grífols became a shareholder in the company in 2012. The company has stated that its intention is to close the operation during the first quarter of 2022, once the necessary authorizations have been obtained from the Spanish authorities and the regulators. The sale of ...

Integra Therapeutics (Integra Tx), a biotechnology company that is creating next-generation gene writing tools to boost the efficiency and safety of advanced therapies, has completed its first round of funding for €4.5 million with Advent France Biotechnology (France), Invivo Capital (Spain), both CataloniaBio &  HealthTech members, and Takeda Ventures (USA).

The funds  raised in this round will allow Integra Tx to complete the prototype of the new  gene writing technology platform, carry out preclinical validation using in vivo and ex vivo models, and manage its patent portfolio in 2022 and 2023. After that, the company plans to open a ...

The biotechnology company Archivel Farma, a CataloniaBio & HealthTech member, has promoted the design and implementation of the Phase IIb clinical study CONSTAN to explore the effectiveness and safety of concomitant administration of  RUTI® immunotherapy with standard treatment in patients suffering from  pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) together with Dra. Cristina Vilaplana, head of the Tuberculosis Unit Experimental from the Germans Trias i Pujol Research Institute (IGTP), as a Principal Investigator. The study has been approved by the Spanish Agency of Medicines and Medical Devices (AEMPS), and it is planned to include the first patient (FPFV) in early January 2022.

The clinical ...

The start-up, promoted by a psychologist and a perinatal psychiatrist, launches an app to donate support to the mental health of gifts during maternity leave. It is a company born from Qualud, a CataloniaBio & HealthTech member.

The mental health of the society has become one of the first concerns in public health management and the incidence of mental disorders raised in recent years. The incidence in Spain is double in women than in men and the perinatal stage is a period of high psychic vulnerability for women. In this context, the app Laia Contigo focuses on helping women during ...

ZYMVOL, the biotech company based in Barcelona, specialized in the design, development and application of molecular modelling software to enzyme discovery and optimization, has released ZYMEVOLVER 2.0., a new improvement of its in silico enzyme engineering software.

The company, a CataloniaBio & HealthTech member, developed this new version, which aims to tackle some of the most common challenges scientists face while conducting enzyme engineering projects. “It represents a significant improvement in our technology. Since the simulations are performed quicker, scientists will have more time to broaden the sequence space exploration (including long-range mutations) and suggest more mutations per round ...

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Professionals from Santa Creu and Sant Pau Hospital have shared different clinical needs identified in their day-to-day care with start-ups and companies from CataloniaBio  & HealthTech, to generate synergies and develop joint solutions that reach healthcare professionals. and patients as soon as possible. The meeting took place in the Sala Antic Convent, in the Hospital de Sant Pau, within framework of the Hospital Connection event, on November 30. The conference is an initiative of the Innovation  Working Group of CataloniaBio & HealthTech, this time in collaboration with the IIB Sant Pau.

The presentation of the Technology and Innovation ...

DevsHealth has announced The Hacking Bacteria’s Project, which aims to in kind invest up to one million euros on antibiotics’ R&D projects during next three years. With this project, the new CataloniaBio &HealthTech member will collaborate with biotech and pharma companies as well as academic research groups to use its technology and expertise to boost antibiotic development projects. 

Each year, 330,000 people die from an infection due to bacteria resistant to antibiotics, a number that is expected to grow up to 10 million a year by 2050. Invest in antibiotics development is not profitable for pharmaceutical companies ...

ONA Therapeutics, the biotech member of CataloniaBio & HealthTech which is focused on the discovery and development of therapeutic biologics targeting lipid metabolism to treat advanced cancer, announced the appointment of Dr Michel Detheux as Independent Chair to its Board of Directors.

Dr Michel Detheux is a veteran biotech executive with 25 years’ experience within the industry. He is currently the President and CEO of iTeos Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ITOS), a clinical stage, publicly-traded biotech company developing novel immuno-oncology therapies focused on key mechanisms of immunosuppression. Dr Detheux has spearheaded several capital raises and transactions for iTeos, including an initial public ...

The biotechnology company Oxolife has initiated a triple internacional collaboration with the Energy Balance, Puberty and Reproductive Health research group of the University of Cordoba (UCO, Spain) and the Human Growth and Reproductive Development research group at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. The main objective is to further investigate the direct mechanisms of the drug OXO-001, designed to improve embryo implantation and to treat infertility associated with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).

Oxolife, a CataloniaBio  & HealthTech member, is developing OXO-001, an innovative and pioneering drug for reproductive medicine. Oxolife  has already initiated a Phase II clinical trial ...

2021 is a year of celebration for Sensofar, they have  been in business for 20 years. They are a leading-edge technology group within the surface optical metrology field, and CataloniaBio & HealthTech  members.

 Roger Artigas, president of Sensofar Metrology, said “Our industry has progressed over the past 20 years in all areas out of the academy fields. Sensofar has played a large role in the defining key moments of optical metrology, and we are proud of our achievements. Optical metrology has become one of the most important phases in quality processes, and our profilometers are the most versatile equipment ...

The biotechnology company Vytrus Biotech, member of CataloniaBio &  HealthTech, has officially presented their corporate social responsibility project. The company, specializing in cosmetic active ingredients derived from plant stem cells,  recently received the Ecovadis Platinum Medal for CSR and sustainability.

The Vytrus CSR project, which began with our foundation 12 years ago, goes beyond any current trend and is explained by the awareness of the founders and by our own activity. The raw material, plants, and the technology, biotechnology, gives a focus on respect for nature and the environment, promoting values such as sustainability, social awareness, transparency and honesty, which ...

DyCare, a company specialized in developing medical solutions and a CataloniaBio & HealthTech member, has launched a free version of ReHub aimed at all rehabilitation professionals. ReHub is a telerehabilitation technology platform, designed to help improve the therapeutic results in musculoskeletal injuries.

The platform, now available in a free trial version, allows rehabilitators or physiotherapists to design therapeutic exercises that are 100% adapted to the needs of patients, who are the centre of recovery and offers them the possibility to carry out exercises at any given time and at any given time.

ReHub is currently being used in centres like ...