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Biotech funding lifelines: investors counsel strategies to cross ‘valley of death’
Industry panellists at the LSX Investival Showcase Europe outlined practical strategies for biotechs to navigate the funding ‘‘valley of death’’ between seed rounds and commercialization. Speakers...
Kedrion wins EMA orphan tag — aceruloplasminemia plasma therapy
Kedrion SpA secured European orphan drug designation from the EMA for its investigational plasma-derived treatment for congenital aceruloplasminemia. The designation advances Kedrion’s program...
VT-3989 shows preclinical potency — Vivace targets NF2-deficient tumors
Vivace Therapeutics reported preclinical efficacy for VT-3989, a TEAD inhibitor, in in vitro and in vivo models of aggressive NF2‑deficient tumors including meningioma. Company data show tumor...
M-3554 ADC shows strong activity: soft-tissue sarcoma models
Researchers disclosed robust antitumor activity for M‑3554, an antibody–drug conjugate (ADC) targeting GD2 that uses a β‑glucuronide linker and an exatecan payload, in neuroblastoma and...
Fimecs, Astellas expand pact — two new targets added
Raqualia Pharma’s Fimecs subsidiary and Astellas Pharma expanded their 2022 joint research collaboration by adding two new targets focused on targeted protein degradation. The agreement extends an...
Boehringer reveals cGAS inhibitors — pipeline for interferonopathies
Boehringer Ingelheim disclosed discovery of novel cyclic GMP‑AMP synthase (cGAS) inhibitors argued to be useful across a spectrum of inflammatory and fibrotic indications, from autoinflammatory...
Kymera patents STAT6 inhibitors: wide therapeutic claims
Kymera Therapeutics filed and disclosed patents covering new STAT6 inhibitors claimed for cancer, inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular disorders, neurodegeneration and viral...
mRNA engineering upgrades allogeneic MSCs — DC-25 emerges
Researchers reported an mRNA‑engineering approach that enhanced mesenchymal stem cells to create an allogeneic cell therapy candidate named DC‑25. The study describes mRNA modifications that...
CRISPR test spots BK/JC after kidney transplant — rapid viral surveillance
A team led by Liu, Y., Xu JS, and Cao L. developed a CRISPR‑based assay to detect BK virus and JC virus infections in kidney transplant recipients. The assay targets viral nucleic acids with...
Senescent cell vaccine reduces solid tumors: study shows immune clearance
Ichim et al. published preclinical data on a senescent cell immunization approach that primes the immune system to target senescent cells within solid tumors. The Journal of Translational Medicine...
VCs urge maturity-first strategy — how biotechs cross the 'valley of death'
Industry investors at the LSX Investival Showcase EU told biotech founders to prioritize technical validation, platform maturity and alternative financing to survive the funding gap between seed...
FDA’s ‘plausible mechanism’ pathway: experts split
The FDA-authored 'plausible mechanism pathway' proposal for expedited approval of bespoke therapies has provoked both praise and criticism from regulators, clinicians and developers. The...
Valley of death: investors push biotechs to prove maturity
Investors at LSX Investival told early-stage biotech founders that venture capital alone is no longer sufficient to cross the 'valley of death.' Private equity and alternative financiers are...
mRNA retools MSCs: DC-25 aims for scalable cell therapy
Researchers have engineered mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) with mRNA to enhance their immunotherapeutic properties and created an allogeneic cell product termed DC-25. The study demonstrates...
Off-the-shelf mRNA vaccines: new approach targets liver cancer
Researchers published preclinical data for off‑the‑shelf mRNA vaccine formulations targeting hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), demonstrating antigen-specific immune activation in tumor models. The...
Kedrion scores EU orphan tag for aceruloplasminemia therapy
Kedrion SpA announced that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) granted orphan drug designation to its investigational plasma‑derived treatment for congenital aceruloplasminemia. The designation...
Preclinical oncology surge: TEAD inhibitor and GD2 ADC show potency
Two preclinical programs reported strong efficacy in aggressive tumor models: Vivace Therapeutics’ VT‑3989, a TEAD inhibitor, suppressed growth of NF2‑deficient meningioma models; and M‑3554, an...
Pancreatic T‑cell engager shows traction – gene‑editing delivery follows
HCW Biologics presented preclinical efficacy for HCW11‑018, a T‑cell engager demonstrating anti‑tumor activity in pancreatic cancer models, while a separate translational study outlined...
WGS from FFPE: clinical‑grade genomes from archived tissue
A new method enables robust whole‑genome sequencing (WGS) from formalin‑fixed, paraffin‑embedded (FFPE) specimens, overcoming longstanding technical barriers that limited genomic analysis of...
CAR‑macrophages cut liver fibrosis… NEK7 links mitochondrial control
Two liver‑fibrosis studies reported complementary advances: engineered CAR‑macrophage therapy reduced fibrosis in mouse models, offering a cell‑based anti‑fibrotic approach; separately,...