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NIH turmoil escalates: Senate report and leadership clashes put research at risk
A Senate HELP hearing and an accompanying report accused the current administration of disrupting NIH research funding, citing terminations and freezes that the report says have imperiled cancer,...
FDA signals tailored oversight: CAR‑T for autoimmune disease gets a cautious green light
The FDA signaled a willingness to adopt a flexible, risk‑proportionate regulatory approach for CAR‑T therapies targeting autoimmune disorders, indicating developers should prepare long‑term safety...
Virology breakthroughs: single‑shot HIV neutralization and continuous norovirus culture
Wistar Institute scientists reported a single‑shot HIV vaccine candidate that elicited neutralizing antibodies in nonhuman primates, marking a notable preclinical advance published in Nature...
Scaling spatial and computational genomics: PharosAI teams with 10x; Nature Biotech debuts PlasMAAG
PharosAI announced a multi‑institution consortium to build multimodal cancer datasets on 10x Genomics' Xenium spatial platform, backed by £18.9 million from UK government Research Ventures...
Platform funding and market moves: CIRM backs scalable gene therapy; PrimeGen pursues SPAC
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine approved a $100 million RAPID initiative to accelerate platform-based in vivo genetic therapies for rare diseases, pushing toward scalable...
AI‑native lab tools: Phylo raises $13.5M to commercialize Biomni Lab
Phylo, a Stanford spinout, closed a $13.5 million seed round led by Andreessen Horowitz and Menlo Ventures to launch Biomni Lab, an AI‑enabled integrated biology environment that automates...
BARDA launches $100M antiviral prize: first stage open
The U.S. Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) launched a $100 million prize competition to accelerate small‑molecule antivirals targeting Togaviridae and Flaviviridae....
Medicare to cover FDA‑approved MCEDs: reimbursement path cleared
Congress approved an appropriations bill that makes FDA‑cleared multi‑cancer early detection (MCED) tests eligible for Medicare coverage beginning in 2029. The provision ties reimbursement to FDA...
CIRM commits $100M to platform gene‑therapy approaches for rare diseases
The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) approved a $100 million initiative — the RAPID program — to fund platform approaches for in‑vivo genetic therapies across rare diseases....
Illumina to sequence San Diego Zoo Frozen Zoo: conservation genomics push
Illumina announced a partnership with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance to sequence up to 4,000 archived samples from the Frozen Zoo biobank, covering roughly 1,300 species. Illumina will...
Phylo nets $13.5M seed to build AI‑native lab workspace
Phylo closed a $13.5 million seed round co‑led by Andreessen Horowitz and Menlo Ventures’ Anthology Fund to commercialize Biomni Lab, an AI‑enabled integrated environment for biological research....
Veradermics prices $256M IPO to fund pivotal hair‑loss trials
Veradermics priced a $256.3 million initial public offering to advance VDPHL‑01, an oral formulation of minoxidil designed to avoid cardiovascular risks of systemic dosing. The proceeds will...
Pfizer’s monthly GLP‑1 posts double‑digit weight loss in phase 2b
Pfizer reported phase 2b data for PF‑08653944 (acquired via the $10 billion Metsera deal) showing mean placebo‑adjusted weight loss up to 12.3% at 28 weeks and competitive tolerability, supporting...
Novo warns of 2026 sales decline—pricing deal and rivals bite
Novo Nordisk warned investors that 2026 sales and operating profit will decline, citing pricing pressure from a U.S. government agreement on Wegovy starter‑dose pricing and intensified competition...
Rare pediatric PRV reauthorized — industry hails incentives and PBM reforms
Legislation attached to the government spending package reauthorized the Pediatric Priority Review Voucher (PPRV) program through 2029 and included provisions aimed at pharmacy benefit manager...
Amgen resists FDA request to withdraw Tavneos — dispute centers on trial re‑adjudication
Regulatory tensions escalated after the FDA asked Amgen to withdraw Tavneos (avacopan) from the market; Amgen declined. The agency questioned processes used by the originator, Chemocentryx, to...
Lilly outpaces Street: GLP-1 sales top $36B
Eli Lilly reported results and guidance that outstripped Wall Street expectations as its GLP-1 obesity franchise continued to drive revenue. The company said combined 2025 sales for Zepbound and...
Pfizer’s Metsera win... Phase 3 program expands
Pfizer disclosed positive mid-stage data for PF-08653944 (Metsera origin) showing clinically meaningful, once-monthly weight loss and tolerability, and announced plans for an extensive Phase 3...
WHO frames obesity: GLP-1s recommended for long-term care
The World Health Organization issued its first comprehensive guidelines on obesity management, stating that long-term treatment with GLP-1 receptor agonists is an appropriate option as obesity is...
Congress opens Medicare to MCEDs: FDA approval becomes reimbursement trigger
Congress approved language in the spending bill that makes FDA-approved multi-cancer early detection (MCED) tests eligible for Medicare coverage, removing the prior requirement for USPSTF...