The best news in biotech, July 22-28

We are coming to you a day late this week as I was enjoying some time on vacation! I have to say, in compiling this week's summary of all the good news in biotech, I did find myself trawling through a more less favorable updates than usual in the form of bad clinical readouts and layoffs due to re-prioritizations or company closes altogether.. All the more reason to highlight last weeks' biotech wins, which were still plentiful and in some cases VERY exciting!?

?? New Biotech Launches & Private raises…?

• Third Arc Bio launched with $165M and former JNJ executives to advance a pipeline of autoimmune and oncology biologics into clinic. Link
• Flagship Pioneering unveiled Abiologics with $50M to further develop its AI powered synthetic biology platform for designing protein therapeutics from non-naturally occurring amino acids. Link
• ProMIS? Neurosciences, Inc. announced a PIPE up to $122M to develop a novel antibody for Alzheimer's disease patients. Link
• Oisin Biotechnologies raised $15M from investors including AbbVie Ventures to develop drugs for age related diseases. Link
• Belgium based Confo Therapeutics raised a $60M series B to advance a pipeline of novel GPCR modulating drugs into clinic to treat are endocrine diseases and obesical Devety. Link
• San Diego based Autobahn Therapeutics, Inc. raised $100M to move ahead with a phase 2 psychiatry trial as well as push forward with other CNS programs. Link
• RA Capital Management invested $35M in Cambridge UK cancer startup CellCentric . Link
• Brenig Therapeutics announced a $65M series A, backed by Orbimed, to use its AI/ML platform to develop neurology therapeutics. Link ?

?? Deals deals deals…?

• Day One Biopharmaceuticals , who recently splashed $55M to in-license an ADC from MabCare last month, this time found themselves on the other end of a licensing deal, selling rights to a pediatric brain cancer drug to Ipsen for $111M upfront + milestone payments. Link
• 诺华 has paid Dren Bio, Inc. $150M upfront plus $25M in equity for a pipeline of novel targeted mueloid engager bispecifics. Link
• BioNTech SE has signed a 3D printing deal with Triastek, Inc. with the aim of developing oral RNA drugs made by Triastek's proprietary platform. Link
• 阿斯利康 signs a preclinical pact with PineTree Therapeutics Inc for $45M upfront plus up to $500M in milestone payments to develop EGFR targeting antibodies. Link
• SCYNEXIS, Inc. scored a $10M milestone payment from 荷商葛蘭素史克藥廠 thanks to progress of their drug resistant anti-microbial/fungal collaboration. Link
• Biologics manufacturing continues to drive M&A, with 安捷伦 acquiring CDMO BIOVECTRA for $925M. Link
• Grünenthal Group continues its expansion in the US with a $250M acquisition of Chicago based Valinor Pharma (acquired by Grünenthal) and its lone commercial product Movantik (naloxegol), a treatment for opioid-induced constipation. Link
• Valneva expanded its collaboration with CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations) , securing $41M to support post-manufacturing trials of its chikungunya vaccine. Link ?

?? Other investments and expansions…

• BeiGene is continuing to build biologics manufacturing outside of China, with the opening of its NJ site and has expressed its interest in building its ex-China pipeline with new deals. Link
• 辉瑞 unveiled details of its $740M planned expansion of API manufacturing in Singapore Link ?

?? Positive clinical development updates…?

• Viking Therapeutics, Inc. is planning to expedite its lead obesity program to a phase 3 trial to reach the market faster. Link
• 辉瑞 presented semi-positive phase 3 data for its hemophilia gene therapy, teeing up a potential launch to treat the blood disease. Link
• Calliditas Therapeutics announced positive data for a mid stage trial of its rare liver disease drug, and quickly secured full marketing authorization from the EU commission. Link
• The FDA approved SUN PHARMA 's JAK inhibitor for hair loss in adults. Link
• argenx are to retest their drug in autoimmune platelet disease, hoping that a failure last year does not mean the end of the program. Link
• 默克 has claimed its RSV antibody successfully protected infants, although is yet to share detailed data. Link
• Cellectar Biosciences, Inc. published positive data for its iodine-based radiopharmaceutical in rare blood cancers and will seek FDA approval. Link
• 荷商葛蘭素史克藥廠 claimed that its HIV drug Dovato was as effective as Biktarvy, albeit with reduced side effects of weight gain. Link
• Chinese biotech 甘李药业股份有限公司 | Gan & Lee boasted competitive phase 2 data for its GLP-1 weight loss drug. Link
• Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. published positive mid-stage data for its Angelman syndrome drug, teeing up a phase 3 trial in 2025. Link
• Chemomab Therapeutics announced positive data from a phase 2 liver disease trial, although investors may be expecting more. Link
• OSE Immunotherapeutics reported positive mid-phase data on its IL-7 targeting antibody for the treatment of ulcerative colitis Link ?

?? Cool science of the week…

Our cool science of the week this week goes to Shahar Bracha of 美国麻省理工学院 for the nature paper: Engineering Toxoplasma gondii secretion systems for intracellular delivery of multiple large therapeutic proteins to neurons.

The parasite toxoplasma gondii is famous for how it effects different mammalian hosts, and naturally travels from the gut to the CNS. The team at MIT engineered T. gondii’s endogenous secretion systems, the rhoptries and dense granules, to deliver multiple large (>100?kDa) therapeutic proteins into neurons via translational fusions to toxofilin and GRA16.??

The parasite infiltrates through the BBB via sophisticated mechanisms fine-tuned through their co-evolution with their hosts, and this paper presents a novel way for intracellular delivery or large proteins across the BBB which is not possible by conventional delivery approaches.?

Very excited to see how the research advances in this new paradigm of large molecule BBB delivery!

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That's all for this week, thanks for tuning in. Subscribe for alerts to the latest positive news in the biotech industry delivered to your inbox every Monday ?????

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About the author: Max Robinson is an ex-scientist turned talent leader in the biotechnology industry, and currently Global Head of Discovery & Preclinical Research at Proclinical .