Posts by Sandra Ansanay-Alex
Alzheimer Research: Gliapharm raises CHF 3.65 Million
The Alzheimer’s Drug Discovery Foundation (ADDF) invests CHF 3.64 Million in GliaPharm to advance its lead programme to accelerate the development of GliaPharm’s new drug, with the aim to gain approval for clinical testing in Alzheimer’s disease. GliaPharm SA, a biotech company that specializes in the research and development of novel therapies to…
Read MoreAesyra raises CHF 2.6 Million
The Vaud-based and EPFL spin-off develops oral appliances preventing sleep bruxism and sleep apnea. The seed financing round was led by Supermoon Capital (USA), the world’s first fund focused on sleep technologies, and high-tech investor Creadd Ventures (Switzerland), with the participation of existing investor Zürcher Kantonalbank. The new financing will support the development…
Read MoreVandria Announces a CHF 18 Million Fundraising
The $20.6M (CHF 18M) round was led by ND Capital together with a small syndicate of HNW private investors. The Vaud-based start-up develops mitophagy inducers that rejuvenate cells to treat age-related and chronic diseases Vandria was spun out of Amazentis SA in 2021 with backing by ND Capital to develop first-in-class small molecule mitophagy…
Read MoreWhat all life sciences start-ups should know about fundraising
The Biopôle campus in Lausanne brings together some of the world’s most innovative life sciences companies. But how does an organisation make the leap from ambitious start-up to major multinational? Here are some fundraising tips from Distalmotion and SEED Biosciences, established members of the Biopôle’s community. Focus on sales and revenue Many start-ups…
Read MoreHaleon awarded by the Prix Vaudois des Entreprises Internationales (PVEI)
Haleon, a former division of GSK that became independent in 2022, won the jury’s award in the “Foreign company” category. Haelon was born in July 2022 and is the new company resulting from the spin-off of the consumer healthcare branch of the pharmaceutical laboratory Glaxosmithkline (UK). The young company holds a portfolio of…
Read MoreA CHF 40,000 Grant from Venture Kick to Orio Therapeuthics
Orio Therapeutics has won a CHF 40,000 Venture Kick prize, alongside KIDEMIS and Rheo, with a project designed to reduce drug use, costs and side effects, while improving therapeutic outcomes. Orio Therapeutics is based on a patented technology developed by the two co-founders, Dr. Ziad Julier and Prof. Mikaël Martino, both EPFL alumni…
Read MoreDr. Madiha Derouazi becomes AC Immune’s CSO
Dr. Madiha Derouazi is the founder of the Swiss biotech AMAL Therapeutics and the former CEO of German-based company Speransa Therapeutics. She is an internationally well-known and recognised immunologist, entrepreneur, and vaccine developer. Her experience will help AC Immune become a global leader in precision medicine for neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease. AC…
Read MoreA CHF 2.5 Million Grant for Diatheris
The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust in the United States supports the Diatheris project, a UNIGE spin-off working on an adjunct treatment to boost insulin therapy. This funding will enable Giorgio Ramadori, a researcher in the Department of Cell Physiology and Metabolism and the Faculty Centre for Diabetes in the…
Read MoreEPFL publishes a Large Language Model for medical knowledge
Researchers at EPFL’s Faculty of Computer Science and Communications have developed two large language models (LLMs) specialising in the healthcare sector. Called Meditron 7B and 70B, they are available as open source software, as EPFL points out in its press release. Based on the Llama-2 model supplied by Meta, Meditron has been trained…
Read MoreSiegfried in Evionnaz: 150 years of pharmaceutical innovation
About fifty people from the Swiss Health Valley had the chance to visit the Siegfried production site in Evionnaz, during a BioAlps 4à6. The story of Siegfried began in 1973 in the canton of Aargau. Back then, 12 people were dedicated to manufacturing raw materials for local pharmacies. Today, the group operates 11…
Read More