Prophylix Pharma is set to be the first company to begin clinical trials for a prophylactic for fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia, a rare but serious disorder that can cause serious bleeding in babies' brains. Its candidate, NAITgam, is being developed under the auspices of the PROFNAIT consortium, an innovative collaborative project involving 11 Northern European universities, hospitals, research organizations, companies, and blood banks.

Vaccibody AS’ platform can develop vaccines that can drive the immune response in specific directions and thus optimize the vaccine for different diseases – for example, toward the T-cell cell-mediated response for therapeutic vaccines, or the B-cell antibody-mediated response for prophylactic vaccines. The start-up’s lead vaccine is a therapeutic one, targeting precancerous lesions and malignancies in the cervix caused by human papillomavirus. Safety and toxicity studies are under way, and clinical trials are planned for early 2014.

START-UP ’s monthly update on technology transfer deals--licensing agreements between companies and universities or other research institutions—in in vitro diagnostics, pharmaceuticals, research/analytical equipment & supplies, and medical devices.

A roundup of recent medtech mergers & acquisitions, strategic alliances, and financings.