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Latest Biotech News

Element launches Vitari sequencer: 30× genome for $100

February 20, 2026

Element Biosciences unveiled Vitari, a high‑throughput sequencing platform designed to produce ~3 terabases per paired‑end 150 bp run in 36 hours and to sequence a 30× human genome for a claimed...

Novartis bets on macrocycles — $1.8bn Unnatural Products deal

February 20, 2026

Novartis announced a research and license collaboration with Unnatural Products (UNP) to discover macrocyclic peptide therapeutics, with deal economics that could exceed $1.7–1.8 billion. Novartis...

Korsana launches with $175m to pursue Alzheimer’s shuttle antibody

February 20, 2026

Boston‑based Korsana Biosciences emerged from stealth with $175 million to develop antibody therapeutics targeting neurodegenerative diseases, led by KRSA‑028 — a blood‑brain‑barrier shuttle...

Danaher pays $10bn for Masimo — diagnostics consolidation accelerates

February 20, 2026

Danaher agreed to acquire Masimo for roughly $10 billion to expand its diagnostics and acute‑care footprint, signaling renewed M&A activity in medical device and hospital diagnostics. Danaher...

Big bets on biologics capacity — J&J $1bn plant; Lonza expands ADC capabilities

February 20, 2026

Johnson & Johnson committed more than $1 billion to build a cell‑therapy manufacturing site in Pennsylvania, positioning the company to scale autologous and allogeneic production for...

Lilly licenses CSL’s IL‑6 antibody — $100m up front

February 20, 2026

Eli Lilly agreed to license clazakizumab, an IL‑6 monoclonal antibody from CSL, paying $100 million up front to expand its inflammation portfolio. CSL retained rights to pursue clazakizumab for...

Merck, Mayo Clinic partner on AI‑driven drug discovery R&D

February 20, 2026

Merck and the Mayo Clinic agreed to a research collaboration to combine Mayo Clinic Platform clinical and genomic datasets with Merck’s AI‑enabled virtual cell technologies. The partnership will...

FDA formalizes single-trial default – industry recalibrates

February 20, 2026

The FDA published a New England Journal of Medicine perspective that sets a single well‑controlled clinical trial as the agency’s new default for approvals, authored by Commissioner Marty Makary...

FDA reverses itself — Moderna flu vaccine back under review

February 20, 2026

After issuing a refuse‑to‑file letter, the FDA agreed to accept Moderna’s BLA for its mRNA influenza vaccine mRNA‑1010 and set a PDUFA target of Aug. 5, 2026. The agency and Moderna negotiated an...

Korsana launches with $175M — new entrant in Alzheimer’s antibody race

February 20, 2026

Korsana Biosciences emerged from stealth with $175 million in venture capital to advance KRSA‑028, an antibody designed to clear amyloid using a BBB shuttle strategy. The financing — led by...

Grail’s Galleri misses primary goal in UK study — market reaction sharp

February 20, 2026

Grail announced that its multi‑cancer blood test failed to meet the primary endpoint in a large UK study run with the NHS, a setback that triggered a steep sell‑off in the company’s shares. The...

Novartis bets on macrocyclic peptides — up to $1.8B pact with Unnatural Products

February 20, 2026

Novartis struck a research and licensing collaboration with Unnatural Products to access an AI‑driven macrocyclic peptide discovery platform, obligating up to $1.8 billion in milestones and paying...

Altesa raises $75M to revive vapendavir for COPD — Sanofi joins syndicate

February 20, 2026

Altesa BioSciences closed a $75 million Series B led by Forbion with participation from Sanofi and others to fund a Phase 2b trial of vapendavir, a rhinovirus antiviral repositioned for chronic...

Element unveils Vitari sequencer — 3 Tb runs, $100 30× genome claim

February 20, 2026

Element Biosciences launched Vitari, a high‑throughput sequencing platform the company says can produce 3 terabases per paired‑end 150 bp run in 36 hours and sequence a 30× human genome for...

‘Cyborg’ electronic mesh drives islet maturation — new path for diabetes cell therapy

February 20, 2026

Teams at the Perelman School of Medicine (Penn) and Harvard inserted an ultrathin, flexible electronic mesh into developing pancreatic clusters and delivered rhythmic electrical stimulation that...

Stanford nasal vaccine shows broad lung protection in mice

February 20, 2026

Stanford researchers led by Bali Pulendran reported a preclinical intranasal vaccine candidate that protected mice against diverse respiratory viruses, hospital‑acquired bacteria and even allergen...

Lilly pays $100M for CSL’s IL‑6 antibody rights — split indications carved out

February 20, 2026

Eli Lilly paid $100 million upfront to license clazakizumab from CSL, a monoclonal antibody targeting interleukin‑6; CSL will retain rights for a Phase 3 kidney disease program while Lilly will...

FDA reverses course: will review Moderna’s mRNA flu vaccine

February 20, 2026

The FDA told Moderna it will accept and review the company’s biologics license application for its seasonal mRNA influenza vaccine mRNA‑1010 after an earlier refusal-to-file, setting a PDUFA...

Korsana launches with $175M to push an amyloid‑clearing Alzheimer’s antibody

February 20, 2026

Korsana Biosciences emerged from stealth with $175 million in venture backing to develop KRSA‑028, an antibody designed to cross the blood‑brain barrier and clear amyloid plaques. The Boston...

Novartis doubles down on macrocycles: big-dollar pact with Unnatural Products

February 20, 2026

Novartis signed a research and licensing agreement with Unnatural Products to apply UNP’s AI‑driven macrocyclic peptide platform to cardiovascular targets, with the collaboration worth up to $1.8...