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Hepta emerges with cfDNA epigenetics to detect MASH — raises seed
Hepta, founded by former Illumina and Grail personnel, surfaced from stealth with transformer‑based AI that reads the cell‑free DNA epigenome to detect organ‑specific chronic disease signals and...
Ginkgo wins BARDA award to scale monoclonal antibody manufacturing
Ginkgo Bioworks secured a BioMaP‑Consortium award from BARDA valued up to $22.2M to develop cost‑reducing, rapid domestic manufacturing technologies for monoclonal antibodies against filoviruses...
BIOVECTRA and Revolution link mRNA design to GMP manufacturing
BIOVECTRA and Revolution Biomanufacturing announced a partnership to integrate Revolution’s sequence‑optimization platforms for UTRs and codon usage with BIOVECTRA’s end‑to‑end GMP capabilities...
MIT lipid nanoparticle breakthrough could slash mRNA dose 100x
Researchers at MIT reported a novel lipid nanoparticle that dramatically enhanced mRNA vaccine potency in preclinical work, claiming the formulation could reduce required dose by up to 100‑fold....
Zuckerberg’s Biohub expands with EvolutionaryScale AI team
Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan’s Chan Zuckerberg Initiative reorganized its science portfolio and folded EvolutionaryScale into a unified Biohub effort, hiring EvolutionaryScale’s team and...
Intellia CRISPR trial paused: patient dies after liver injury
A patient in Intellia Therapeutics’ in vivo CRISPR trial for transthyretin amyloidosis (nex‑z) has died, compounding safety concerns that halted dosing in two Phase 3 studies. Intellia reported...
MIT LNPs promise 100x potency — RNA elements extend mRNA durability
Two independent advances target core limitations of mRNA therapeutics: delivery potency and molecular durability. MIT researchers engineered a novel lipid nanoparticle that greatly enhances...
Lilly’s amylin delivers up to 20% weight loss — phase 3 imminent
Eli Lilly reported robust Phase 2 results for its amylin receptor agonist eloralintide, with some cohorts reaching approximately 20% mean weight loss at 48 weeks and a tolerability profile Lilly...
FDA grants second wave of 'national priority' vouchers — obesity drugs among winners
The FDA released a second tranche of Commissioner’s National Priority Vouchers (CNPVs), adding six drugs to the program designed to speed review and support domestic priorities. The second round...
Metsera bidding war escalates: Novo ups bid as court refuses Pfizer block
The auction for Metsera intensified as Novo Nordisk raised its takeover bid to counter Pfizer, while a Delaware court denied Pfizer’s emergency request to block Novo’s offer. Regulators and...
Site‑specific recombinases debut — Azalea exits stealth to target in vivo gene engineering
Two developments advance in vivo gene engineering tools and companies. A Nature Biotechnology paper describes engineered recombinases capable of precise, site‑specific DNA insertion in human cells...
AI designs antibodies with atomic precision — Baker weighs in
Researchers applied RFdiffusion and a hypermutation pipeline to design de novo antibodies that bind user‑specified epitopes with atomic precision, validating designs by cryo‑EM across multiple...
Hepta raises $6.7M — cfDNA AI targets liver disease
Hepta, a startup founded by veterans from Illumina and Grail, closed $6.7 million in seed funding to commercialize transformer‑based AI that reads cell‑free DNA epigenetic signals for chronic...
BIOVECTRA, Revolution link mRNA design to GMP manufacturing
BIOVECTRA and Revolution Biomanufacturing announced a strategic partnership to offer integrated mRNA sequence optimization and end‑to‑end GMP manufacturing. Revolution brings proprietary UTR/codon...
Onchilles bags $25M to move cancer‑killing enzyme toward human trials
Onchilles Pharma closed a $25 million financing to advance a novel enzyme‑based cancer therapy modeled on a powerful immune enzyme into first‑in‑human studies. The startup’s approach engineers an...
Intellia CRISPR patient dies: MAGNITUDE investigations intensify
An elderly participant in Intellia Therapeutics’ in vivo CRISPR program died after being hospitalized with severe liver injury, prompting intensified safety reviews and an FDA clinical-hold...
Eloralintide rivals GLP‑1s — Lilly pushes amylin into Phase 3
Eli Lilly reported Phase 2 results showing its amylin receptor agonist eloralintide drove mean weight losses up to about 20% at 48 weeks and produced fewer gastrointestinal side effects than...
FDA expands voucher list — next round includes obesity players
The FDA announced a second tranche of Commissioner’s National Priority Vouchers (CNPVs), adding six more drugs that will be eligible for expedited review, and included high‑profile obesity...
FTC flags Novo’s Metsera bid — court denies Pfizer block
U.S. antitrust staff signaled concern that Novo Nordisk’s structure for acquiring obesity developer Metsera could circumvent pre‑merger Hart‑Scott‑Rodino review requirements, raising the prospect...
AI achieves atomic‑precision antibody design — structure confirms
Researchers using RFdiffusion reported de novo antibody designs that bind user‑specified epitopes with atomistic accuracy; multiple designs were validated by cryo‑EM, marking a milestone in...