Daily Snap - 28. August 2025

Author

Joachim Eeckhout
August 28, 2025

Good morning! Germany-based biotech startup Detechgene has raised €3.2 million in a second Seed round to advance its portable molecular diagnostics platform, “PCR to Go,” which delivers lab-level accuracy for detecting viruses, bacteria, and fungi in under 30 minutes without specialist equipment. Now, that’s the kind of tool that would’ve been a pandemic hit, bringing lab results to your pocket faster than you could say “nasal swab.”

Enjoy today’s read!

—Joachim E.

SNIPPETS

What’s happening in biotech today?

✅Euro greenlight: ExCellThera’s subsidiary Cordex Biologics has received conditional approval from the European Commission for Zemcelpro, a novel, one-time stem cell therapy designed to treat adults with blood cancers who lack access to suitable donor cells for transplantation. Zemcelpro uses expanded stem cells from umbilical cord blood to provide a curative option following myeloablative conditioning. In clinical studies, 21 of 25 patients achieved neutrophil engraftment—the point when the recipient's body begins producing healthy new blood cells—within 20 days. As the first approved therapy of its kind, it aims to address donor shortages that disproportionately affect certain populations. A phase 3 trial and additional regulatory filings are planned, with early access efforts underway across Europe.

🪟Paul’s legacy: The Fund for Science and Technology (FFST), a new nonprofit foundation established from the estate of Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, has announced its inaugural research grants and a commitment to provide $500 million over the next four years to advance bioscience, environmental science, and AI development. Based in Seattle, FFST's initial recipients include Seattle Children’s Hospital, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Benaroya Research Institute, and the University of Washington’s College of the Environment. FFST aims to make long-term investments in transformative science and technology, with plans to expand its impact nationally and globally amid declining federal research funding.

💉 COVID shot: The FDA has approved updated COVID-19 vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax targeting the LP.8.1 subvariant for the 2025–2026 fall and winter seasons but limited their use to individuals at higher risk of severe illness. Adults 65 and older can broadly access the shots, while those under 65 must meet specific risk criteria, with Moderna’s vaccine being the only option for children under 5. The move, supported by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., includes the revocation of previous emergency use authorizations and reflects his broader policy shifts. Medical organizations, including the Infectious Diseases Society of America, criticized the decision for restricting access and undermining evidence-based policy.

🎯Vaccine gamble:  After losing its partnership with Genentech and cutting up to 60% of its workforce, Nykode Therapeutics is refocusing its efforts on a phase 2 trial of its DNA-based cancer vaccine, VB10.16, targeting HPV16-positive head and neck cancer. The Norwegian biotech, facing financial uncertainty and the potential loss of future income from its Regeneron collaboration, plans to test VB10.16 in combination with Keytruda in up to 100 patients, with an interim analysis expected in 2027. With a cash runway projected to last through 2028 or 2029, Nykode aims to generate pivotal data to attract new partners and stabilize its business.

🌟Second success: RemeGen and Vor Bio have reported a successful phase 3 trial of telitacicept in treating IgA nephropathy (IgAN), marking the therapy’s second late-stage win in two weeks, following success in Sjögren’s disease. In a study involving 318 patients in China, telitacicept achieved its primary endpoint by reducing the 24-hour urine protein-to-creatinine ratio (UPCR)—a key kidney function marker—by 55% over 39 weeks compared to placebo. The companies plan to present full trial results and submit regulatory filings in China. Telitacicept, previously approved in China for SLE, RA, and gMG, is seen as a promising multi-indication autoimmune therapy.

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