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Merck Acquires Verona Pharma in $10B Respiratory Market Push
Merck & Co. has agreed to acquire London-based Verona Pharma for approximately $10 billion, securing rights to Ohtuvayre (ensifentrine), the first inhaled non-steroidal dual phosphodiesterase...
Center for Pediatric CRISPR Therapies Launched with $20M Funding
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative and the Innovative Genomics Institute announced a $20 million grant to establish the Center for Pediatric CRISPR Cures. This center aims to develop personalized...
Alzheimer’s Risk Genes Mapped to Tau Spread Pathways
Scientists from UCSF and collaborators applied an extended network diffusion model to brain imaging and gene expression data from 196 individuals to understand differential vulnerability to tau...
Liquid Biopsy Using Microbial RNA Modifications Diagnoses Colorectal Cancer
Researchers at the University of Chicago developed a liquid biopsy test that analyzes modification patterns in microbiome-derived cell-free RNA in plasma to detect colorectal cancer. Utilizing...
Advances in Continuous Manufacturing Transform Biologics Production
Continuous bioprocessing technologies, such as the XCell ATF system adopted by Enzene Biosciences, are improving monoclonal antibody manufacturing by enabling higher productivity, reduced costs,...
ProKidney’s Cell Therapy Shows Dose-Dependent Kidney Function Benefits in Phase 2
ProKidney's autologous cell therapy rilparencel demonstrated a significant reduction in kidney function decline by 78% in one cohort of diabetic chronic kidney disease patients. Another cohort...
Jasper Therapeutics Slashes Workforce After Drug Trial Setbacks
Following disappointing clinical trial results with its KIT-targeting antibody briquilimab, Jasper Therapeutics is reducing its staff by approximately 50%. The clinical failures included loss of...
Actithera Raises $75M Series A to Advance Radiopharmaceutical Oncology Pipeline
Radiopharmaceutical biotech Actithera closed a $75.5 million Series A round, despite operating as a single-person company during fundraising. The financing will support clinical development of...
Liquid Biopsy and AI Tools Advance Cancer and Genetic Disease Research
Quanterix completed the acquisition of Akoya Biosciences for $127 million, integrating spatial biology and tissue testing technologies to streamline liquid biopsy biomarker discovery and...
Endometriosis Diagnosis Via Salivary MicroRNA Shows Promise
Researchers led by Sofiane Bendifallah developed a non-invasive diagnostic approach for endometriosis using salivary microRNA signatures. This method may overcome the diagnostic delay associated...
Merck Expands Respiratory Pipeline: $10 Billion Verona Acquisition
Merck & Co. has agreed to acquire London-based Verona Pharma for approximately $10 billion, marking its largest deal since 2023. Verona's FDA-approved inhaled drug Ohtuvayre (ensifentrine) is...
Liquid Biopsy Breakthrough: Microbiome RNA Marks Colorectal Cancer
Researchers at the University of Chicago developed a new liquid biopsy test detecting colorectal cancer through methylation modifications in microbiome-derived cell-free RNA in plasma. Utilizing...
Continuous Biologics Manufacturing: Industry Shift to Cost-Efficiency
Biopharmaceutical manufacturers are increasingly adopting continuous manufacturing techniques over traditional fed-batch methods for monoclonal antibody (mAb) production. Studies demonstrate...
ProKidney's Mixed Phase II Results Boost Kidney Disease Therapy Hope
ProKidney Corp. reported mixed data from its Phase II REGEN-007 trial evaluating rilparencel, a cell therapy for chronic kidney disease (CKD) in diabetic patients. In the two-dose cohort,...
Arvinas CEO John Houston to Retire Amid Protein Degrader Program Progress
Arvinas announced CEO John Houston will retire after over eight years steering the company, as its lead PROTAC (proteolysis-targeting chimera) protein degrader program nears a critical development...
Actithera Secures $75.5M Series A To Develop FAP-Targeted Radiopharmaceuticals
Radiopharmaceutical developer Actithera closed a $75.5 million Series A financing round to advance clinical development of small-molecule therapeutics targeting fibroblast activation protein...
FDA Approvals Target Alzheimer’s and Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Updates
The FDA granted approval for a modified dosing regimen of Eli Lilly’s Alzheimer’s drug Kisunla to reduce risk of brain swelling, aiming to increase physician adoption. Meanwhile, Dizal...
Biopharma Layoffs Surge 32% in First Half 2025 Amid Industry Challenges
The biopharma sector experienced a sharp rise in workforce reductions during the first half of 2025, with 128 reported layoff rounds—32% more than the same period last year. Multiple companies...
New AI Collaborations Accelerate Oncology Drug Discovery
Iambic Therapeutics and Revolution Medicines entered a multi-year partnership integrating Iambic's AI-driven NeuralPLexer platform with Revolution’s proprietary oncology data. The collaboration...
Merck’s $10 Billion Bet on Verona Pharma’s Lung Drug
Merck & Co. has agreed to acquire London-based Verona Pharma for $10 billion, securing the rights to Ohtuvayre, a lung drug recently approved by the FDA for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease...