Gene therapy's future | Can iRobot survive? | Mass '100'
Boston Business Journal
The Boston region's source for local business news & events. Part of the American City Business Journals network.
Welcome to the BBJ's LinkedIn Weekly Edition. Here's the local business news you need to know, brought to you by me, Digital Editor Jess Aloe . And if you were listening to WGBH this morning—yes, that was me! If you missed it, tune in next week as the BBJ and WGBH team up to bring some top business news to your Friday morning.
Benched, for now
There are a multitude of diseases that could potentially be cured with gene therapy. But developers of such drugs are having a rough time. Early-stage gene therapy companies have seen a drop in venture capital investment, prompting layoffs, the shelving of promising drugs and, in some cases, company shutdowns.
But rather than give up, biotech leaders, researchers and patient advocates are coming up with creative solutions to continue pushing the field forward. And the companies that have brought gene therapies to market are now bellwethers for if such medicines can forge a sustainable business model.
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The Mass. 100
The Standard and Poor 500 index of the biggest public companies that trade on U.S. exchanges, closed Thursday down 10.1% from its most recent peak — in other words, in correction territory.
But the 100 largest companies in Massachusetts — the “Mass 100”? It’s down even more.
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Can iRobot survive?
iRobot has initiated a formal strategic review to evaluate a potential sale or refinancing of its debt as it faces "substantial doubt" about its ability to continue operating.
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DOGE lease confusion
Elon Musk’s cost-cutting campaign claims it has terminated 17 federal leases in Massachusetts. However, reporting by the Boston Business Journal shows that at least some of the agreements will simply not be renewed rather than outright canceled, and there’s been confusion around a few Internal Revenue Service locations.
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Layoffs hit Mass General Brigham
Mass General Brigham is conducting its second round of layoffs of the year, part of the healthcare system’s plan to avoid a projected quarter-billion revenue shortfall. Read more.