4 Clinical Trials and Anagram announces their merge with the aim to be the first CRO that integrates Imaging Core Lab services with clinical trial management in Spain.

4 Clinical Trials was born in 2016 to provide support to the clinical reach world from different angles and works in partnership with IEC, a imaging CRO that provides integrated image management solutions for clinical trials.

On the other hand, Anagram, founded in 1998, has a solid track record in supporting clinical trials, both with investigational products and medical devices. With deep experience in cardiovascular and stroke, among other therapeutic areas, Anagram ...

Avinent and the Institute for Bioengineering of Catalonia (IBEC), members of CataloniaBio & HealthTech, have managed to print 3D prostheses that are incorporated into the body and become their own after about three years.

It is a disruptive innovation in the fields of regenerative medicine and dentistry that will allow to improve treatments for several diseases.

The research project has been carried out for now on a chicken embryo membrane and mice. The 3D bioprinter that is used is one of the few providing the level of precision and features required in regenerative medicine in southern Europe.

Avinent, managed by ...

Spherium Biomed, specialized in developing biomedical products developed in academia and a member of CataloniaBio & HealthTech, has presented the positive results of the Phase II clinical trial of an innovative treatment for atopic dermatitis at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venerology Congress in Paris.

This is Spherium’s fourth pharmaceutical product in clinical stages and the third to pass the Phase II efficacy studies. The Cyclatop global market is in the 6 billion dollar range worldwide, with an estimated target population of 54 million people for the next decade.

According Luis Ruiz-Ávila, CEO of the biopharmaceutical company: "The next ...

The Government of Catalonia has set up its Health Advisory Council, whose mission is to provide Minister Alba Vergés with its expert advice in defining the country’s health model for the forthcoming years.

The Council is presided over by Manel Balcells, currently the director of the CIMTI and the health commissioner of Leitat. It also includes renowned professionals in the fields of healthcare, medicine, society and economics, such as Pere Joan Cardona, director of the Experimental Tuberculosis Unit at the Germans Trias i Pujol Health Sciences Research Institute and cofounder of the company Manremyc, which is associated with CataloniaBio & ...

The company Sibelmed, member of CataloniaBio & HealthTech, has begun to commercialise the spirometer Datospir AIRA and the posture therapy device Somnibel.

"They are two products designed and manufactured according to the latest market trends”, says Albert Grau, sales director of the company.

Datospir AIRA is the only spirometer equipped with Bluetooth technology, and it comes in three models (single-use, Turbine and Fleisch). Likewise, Somnibel is a small, lightweight class-IIa device which attaches to the forehead as the patient sleeps and helps lower the incidence of sleep apnea and positional snoring. 

Sibelmed was created in Barcelona in 1980 and ...

The company Ability Pharma, member of CataloniaBio & HealthTech, has just launched a round of investment of one million euros via the crowdfunding platform Capital Cell in order to continue development of a drug that eliminates cancerous cells.

The goal of the project is to turn cancer, the second leading cause of death in the world, into a chronic illness and thus forestall the death of cancer sufferers. The drug ABTL0812 is administered in combination with chemotherapy in order to augment the response to treatment, and afterward it is administered by itself to prevent relapses.

"We want to give small ...

Mimetis Biomaterials, a bone regeneration company member of CataloniaBio & HealthTech, has initiated an investment round of 2 million euros which will be raised in two phases. It is hoped to secure around 120,000 euros in the seed capital round through crowdfunding and the rest through a Series A round.

The materials manufactured by Mimetis, a company based in the Vallès Technology Park, facilitate the biological processes that regenerate the lost bone of the patient and can be applied in the dental, craniomaxillofacial and orthopaedic fields. Mimetis’ greatest achievement, however, has been 3D-printed custom implants.

The company previously closed ...

Prof. Lina Badimon, director of the ICCC programme of the Sant Pau Biomedical Research Institute and co-founder of the spin-off Glycardial Diagnostics, has been appointed Chair of the Advocacy Committee and Board Member of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). Badimon will hold the position until 2020.

The ESC represents more than 90,000 cardiology professionals around the world and supports the development of policies for the prevention of cardiovascular disease in the European Union, through the European Heart Agency in Brussels.

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Jordi Naval is the new CEO of Biocat, an organisation created in 2006 by the Government of Catalonia to promote the healthcare and life sciences ecosystem along with other actors such as ACCIÓ and the association of companies CataloniaBio & HealthTech.

He is now taking over the position that was left vacant a year ago by the previous CEO Albert Barberà, current Director General for Research and Innovation in Health.

Jordi Naval has a degree in Pharmacy from the University of Barcelona (UB) and in Biochemistry from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB). He has helped launch several start-ups like ...

The Research Centre for Biomedical Engineering (CREB) of the Polytechnic University of Catalonia (UPC), a CataloniaBio & HealthTech member, inaugurated its new facilities on 6 July with a day of conferences and visits from researchers and members of the UPC governing bodies.

Most of the research groups at the CREB have moved to the offices and laboratories on the fourth floor at the Barcelona School of Industrial Engineering. Previously, they were located in several different buildings at the university.

The CREB has more than 25 years of experience in technology transfer, holds 27 patents and 5 to out-license, and has ...

Devicare, member of CataloniaBio & HealthTech, is moving forward in its international expansion by closing licensing and distribution agreements in Argentina, Uruguay and Peru. Various pharmaceutical companies will introduce the products from the Lit-Control® brand to improve the urinary healthcare of the residents of Latin America. The company had previously announced its entry into Mexico and Colombia.

“These agreements with leading urological pharmaceutical companies confirm our scientific work, our clinical data, as well as the commercial interest in our products” remarks Rosendo Garganta, co-Founder and CEO of the company located at the UAB Research Park.

The company expects to end ...

German multinational corporation Hartmann, a CataloniaBio  & HealthTech member, will invest €10 million between 2019 and 2021 in its two plants in Mataró and Montornès del Vallès (Barcelona), according to financial newspaper Expansión.

The Mataró factory is a global benchmark in developing and manufacturing adhesive healthcare products and is currently responsible for production of the company’s popular plasters.

In 2017, Hartmann acquired the Lindor brand from Procter & Gamble and saw revenue of €175 million in Spain, up 52% from 2016. The company is open to new acquisitions to continue growing in Spain and expects to see sales of €250 ...

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The biomedicine, innovative medical technology and health ecosystem in Catalonia is maturing and there are more and more companies that experience the full business cycle through to success. Licensing deals, selling the company or commercialising the product in different markets are the main paths to this promised land. 

Palobiofarma, STAT-Dx and NEOS Surgery are good examples. CataloniaBio & HealthTech invited their founders and general managers to the Lessons Learned debate forum, on 4 July at the Barcelona Science Park (PCB) to share their experiences and the lessons they've learned with new start-ups and spin-offs. The session ...

ZeClinics, a zebrafish preclinical Contract Research Organisation (CRO) and member of CataloniaBio & HealthTech, has signed a licensing agreement with the Office of Technology Management of the University of California in San Francisco. 

With this, the company located at the Barcelona Biomedical Research Park (PRBB) leads licensing and business development efforts on behalf of the university for the commercialization of drug discovery assays in childhood epilepsy by using scn1Lab mutant zebrafish.

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We recomend the videointerview to Dr Davide d'Amico, co-founder and CEO of ZeClinics, to learn more about this animal model for preclinical research.

Kymos Pharma Services, a CataloniaBio & HealthTech member, has expanded its offices at Parc Tecnològic del Vallès with an additional 1,000 square metres and €500,000 investment. 

Over the coming months, the company led by Joan Puig de Dou expects to begin works to expand the laboratories it launched in 2015.

Kymos is a Contract Research Organisation (CRO) that provides R&D and  quality-control services for the biopharmaceutical and related industries. Since it was founded in 2001, the company has posted sustained growth. Today, the CRO sees revenue of €10 million and has clients in more than 20 countries ...

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CataloniaBio & HealthTech Review (Spring-Summer 2018)

A cohesive, active and growing ecosystem. These were the words heard most yesterday in informal conversations among the nearly 300 entrepreneurs and professionals from the biomedicine, innovative medical technology and health arena at the CataloniaBio & HealthTech summer networking barbecue (#BBQ2018).

#BBQ2018 was organised for the first time by the new association created just five months ago, through the merger of CataloniaBio and Health Tech Cluster. The event, at the Specipig facilities, demonstrated more than ever the diversity of the start-ups, companies and  organisations in the sector in Catalonia. "This diversity, far ...

Dr Daniel López Serrano of the National Centre for Biotechnology (CNB) and Prof Rubén Martín of the Institute of Chemical Research of Catalonia (ICIQ) have won the XIII Banco Sabadell Award for Biomedical Research and II Banco Sabadell Foundation Award for Science and Engineering, respectively.

Biochemist Dr López Serrano has received the recognition for his innovative contribution in the field of bacterial resistance to antibiotics, a topic which is relevant in terms of biomedicine and sanitation on a global scale. 

On the other hand, Prof. Martín has won the award for his innovative and creative vision of chemical ...

The Spanish Bioindustry Association (Asebio) presented the Asebio Report 2017 with the latest data on the Spanish biotechnology sector on 9 July in Madrid.

One of the most noteworthy figures is the investment raised, €150 million, up 17% from 2016. Also, the sector's impact on the economy as a whole, generating 7.8% of the GDP and 108,000 jobs.

The number of companies in the sector has dropped by more than 200, from 2,981 to 2,767 in 2016. By area of activity, 66.8% focus on human health and 23.5% on food. R&D investment totalled €617 ...

Consultancy Eignapharma, member of CataloniaBio & HealthTech, has reached a collaboration agreement with Biogem, an Italian consortium specialised in lab scale development and production of biosimilars, monoclonal antibodies, new biological entities and related preclinical studies.

Under this agreement Eignapharma will use its commercial efforts to put at the industry disposal Biogem’s research and development capabilities consisting on documented small-scale processes and fully protocolised technology transfers procedures to allow a safe scaleup to industrial production.

Biogem is conformed by the Italian National Research Council (CNR),the Area Science Park of Trieste, the University of Naples "Federico II", the University of Milano ...

Biopharmaceutical firm Spherium Biomed has begun phase-I clinical trials on their product Cilakin to prevent acute kidney injury (AKI) based on more than 10 yearsof research conducted by Dr Alberto Tejedor and Dr Alberto Lázaro at Hospital Gregorio Marañón in Madrid. Spherium acquired the licence in 2015 in order to develop an injectable drug suitable for patients (more than 3 million cases each year in Europe, the United States and Japan).

"Cilakin could become the first standardised preventative treatment for this condition," explains Dr Montserrat Cano, head ofthe project at Spherium. The mortality rate can be up to 70 ...