LONDON – A better understanding of the molecular and cellular interactions that help to trigger inflammatory bowel disease in mice could one day lead to new ways of treating conditions such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease in humans.

LONDON – It's where everyone says the funding gap lies, but having announced a €150 million (US$200 million) fund to specialize in bringing early stage compounds out of academia, Index Ventures is now finding it difficult to locate enough "standout" high-quality assets in which to invest.

Merck & Co. Inc.'s tie of the licensing knot with AiCuris GmbH & Co. brought €110 million (US$142.2 million) up front and could mean another €332.5 million in milestone payments for AiCuris, with a cytomegalovirus (CMV) candidate impressive in Phase II trials.

LONDON – The UK's scientific establishment heaped praise on the country's new Nobel Laureate John Gurdon, who on Monday was awarded the prize in medicine, sharing the honor with Japanese scientist Shinya Yamanaka.

LONDON – The discovery of the structure of an enzyme that helps to regulate levels of proteins in the body could lead to new drugs to treat a range of diseases, from Alzheimer's to cancer and inflammation.

LONDON – Affimed Therapeutics AG closed a €15.5 million (US$20 million) Series D funding round, enabling it to advance clinical development of its two leading second-generation TandAb bispecific antibodies.

BRUSSELS – The smooth sounds of Marvin Gaye's '80s classic 'Sexual Healing' greeted delegates filing in for the opening keynote session at BioPartnering Future Europe meeting at the Square Brussels Meeting Centre Monday.

It was an unlikely project, all the way around. First, getting together a syndicate of venture capital investors to bet on vaccines – medicines typically given to healthy subjects, which makes possible toxicity an especially dicey proposition.

• Can-Fite BioPharma Ltd., of Petah-Tikva, Israel, listed and began trading its American depository receipts (ADRs) under the symbol "CANFY" on the Over-the-Counter market.

BRUSSELS, Belgium – Continuing the habit of starting the day's proceedings with unexpected musical choices, the audio-visual technician in charge of the Silver Hall meeting room chose Louis Armstrong's and Ella Fitzgerald's inimitable rendition of "Let's call the whole thing off" to kick off Tuesday's sessions at the BioPartnering Future Europe meeting at the Square Brussels Meeting Centre Tuesday.