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RNA therapeutics and M&A reshuffle rare-disease pipelines
Merck KGaA moved to expand its RNAi portfolio by agreeing to buy Silence Therapeutics for $1.3 billion, giving the German drugmaker control of divesiran, a TMPRSS6-targeting siRNA in a Phase 2...
Diagnostics consolidation and expanding prostate risk testing access
Labcorp agreed to acquire BioReference’s laboratory testing operations in a $722 million cash deal designed to extend national reach for specialty diagnostics, including the FDA-approved 4Kscore...
Clinical progress in rare disease: EPP Phase 3 hits FDA concerns
Disc’s Phase 3 APOLLO study delivered positive top-line results for bitopertin in erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP), clearing key efficacy doubts that had contributed to earlier FDA concerns....
Early cancer detection and response monitoring through liquid biopsy microRNAs
A patient-derived study linked tumor-secreted extracellular vesicles to macrophage immune reprogramming in prostate cancer via a miR-302/367 microRNA axis. Researchers reported that liquid biopsy...
AI in oncology and biomarker staging moves toward clinical workflows
An AI face-based model reported in The Lancet Digital Health can estimate biological age and predict cancer survival probability from a single photograph, using attention mapping to identify the...
Regulatory signal for peptide compounding access under White House review
A pending regulation under White House review could expand pharmacy compounding access to peptide products, which are widely marketed through wellness channels despite limited oversight. A panel...
New Phase I/IIa CAR T in solid tumors targets GD2 in Thailand
Thailand launched a first-in-human Phase I/IIa basket trial, dubbed TARGETS, for autologous GD2-targeted CAR T cells in relapsed or refractory GD2-positive solid tumors. The study plans to enroll...
Product development: exosome delivery and bone regeneration in preclinical models
A preclinical study reported that sustained exosome delivery improved bone formation in p75NTR-deficient mice, supporting the idea that longer-term exosome exposure may overcome deficits seen in...
Merger and collaboration for large-scale immune profiling in UK Biobank
IMU Biosciences, together with UK Biobank, announced a collaboration to generate a high-dimensional, large-scale immune profiling dataset by integrating advanced flow and multiomic technologies...
Cybersecurity threat targets biotech conference gatekeeping
BioTold 2026, a conference promoted as a biotech programming event in Boston, was reported as a ransomware front used to trick life-science professionals into downloading malicious software....
Merck KGaA expands RNAi with Silence Therapeutics buyout
Merck KGaA agreed to buy Silence Therapeutics for $1.3 billion, securing the siRNA therapy divesiran in development for polycythemia vera. The acquisition is positioned as an effort to build out...
Disc Medicine records Phase 3 win as bitopertin clears FDA efficacy doubts
Disc Medicine said its GlyT1 inhibitor bitopertin cleared both co-primary endpoints in the Phase 3 APOLLO study for erythropoietic protoporphyria, addressing concerns it previously faced about...
Estuary Biotherapeutics raises $103m to bring kidney-targeted AAV gene therapy to clinic
Estuary Biotherapeutics launched with $103 million in financing to develop locally delivered AAV gene therapies for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD). The company’s approach...
AI genomics meets real-world data: PacBio and Verily extend long-read collaboration
PacBio and Verily Health expanded their partnership to integrate PacBio HiFi long-read sequencing with Verily’s clinical data platform. The collaboration aims to generate clinico-genomic datasets...
NK/immune surveillance in prostate cancer: liquid biopsy miR-302/367 axis reshapes macrophages
A study using patient-derived liquid biopsy samples identified a tumor-derived miR-302/367 microRNA cluster carried in extracellular vesicles that can reprogram monocyte-derived macrophages toward...
Botanical cancer staging: two plasma proteins stage Alzheimer’s and predict decline
A Nature Communications study reported that plasma biomarkers—eMTBR-tau243 and p-tau205—can stage Alzheimer’s disease and predict cognitive decline comparably to PET imaging for later tau...
Vaccine strategy in outbreak settings: Vaxchora shows high effectiveness in Mayotte
A modeling study estimated that the live-attenuated oral cholera vaccine Vaxchora (CVD 103-HgR) showed 87% effectiveness against cholera during the 2024 outbreak in Mayotte. Researchers analyzed...
AAV delivery for fibrosis: Singapore’s A*STAR and HistoIndex join forces for fibrotic disease screening
A*STAR signed a memorandum of understanding with HistoIndex to quantitatively evaluate preclinical therapeutic candidates for fibrotic diseases, including cancer-associated fibrosis. The...
Continuous innovation in manufacturing: Oak Ridge joins BioMADE to scale domestic biomanufacturing
Oak Ridge National Laboratory joined BioMADE, linking its work in biological research and materials development with a national network focused on manufacturing scale-up. The move strengthens...
Security alert for biotech: Proofpoint flags fake conference front used for malware
Proofpoint reported that BioTold 2026 was a fraudulent conference operation used as a cybersecurity front to trick life sciences professionals into downloading malicious software. The campaign...