Co-founded by Sebastian Nijman and Thijn Brummelkamp in 2017, Scenic Biotech is a spinout of the Netherlands Cancer Institute and Oxford University. It was established with a focus on identifying genetic modifiers, or genes that suppress or block the disease-causing effects of a mutated gene in the body. In Vivo spoke with incoming CEO Oscar Izeboud about the company’s next steps, and the potential for genetic modifiers to address unmet needs in the rare disease space, and beyond.

Respiratory viral infections are a frequent cause of COPD exacerbations and the German major is joining forces with the Austrian biotech and Evotec to find new antivirals to tackle the disease.

Each year, START-UP reviews the sectors of the medical device industry that received private funding to see what will be filling the pipelines of medical device companies in the future. Despite gloomy talk by VCs and strategics predicting a future scarcity of new innovative products, the actual data from 2012 show many categories holding steady and pockets of up-and-coming technologies attracting investment.

Derived from Strategic Transactions, EBI’s premium source for tracking life sciences deal activity, the Dealmaking column is a survey of recent health care transactions listed by relevant industry segment –In Vitro Diagnostics, Medical Devices, and Pharmaceuticals– and then categorized by type –Acquisition, Alliance, or Financing.