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Cambridge, UK-based Syndex Bio has announced on Monday the introduction of its proprietary mcPCR™ (methyl-copying PCR) platform at the Advances in Genome Biology and Technology (AGBT) meeting in Orlando, Florida, alongside the close of an oversubscribed $15.5 million seed financing round led by ARCH Venture Partners, with participation from +ND Capital, OMX Ventures and Meltwind Advisory LLP.

PD affects an estimated six to 11 million people worldwide

Edinburgh-based Lario Therapeutics has received $2.4 million (approximately €2m) in grant funding from The Michael J. Fox Foundation and Wellcome to expand its drug discovery platform targeting voltage-gated neuronal calcium channels implicated in several central nervous system disorders. The approach is rooted in genetics that the company believes could open new fronts in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

A pause in the collaborative Alzheimer trial of Johnson & Johnson and partner AC Immune from Switzerland raises some questions. Whether the pause has something to do with overall recruting difficulties or with the application of the drug under investigation is not yet clear.

In an interview with European Biotechnology Magazine during J.P. Morgan Week in San Francisco, Dr. Jian Zhang, Acting CEO of BioDlink, explains how a partnership-first approach and deep ADC expertise help him offer biotech companies a competitive edge.

Altesa COPD

Forbion has led a $75 million investment in Altesa BioSciences, positioning the biotech to run a phase IIb trial in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients in the second quarter.

California-based Unnatural Products, Inc. (UNP) has signed a research collaboration and licensing agreement with Basel-based multinational pharmaceutical company Novartis to develop macrocyclic peptide therapeutics for an undisclosed cardiovascular program.

PLL Therapeutics ALS

The French biopharmaceutical company, PLL Therapeutics, announced positive results from a phase I/II clinical trial for its investigational therapy PLL001 to treat amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a progressive neurodegenerative disease that causes degeneration of motor neurons and loss of muscle control.

Axol Bioscience has acquired Newcells Biotech’s ophthalmology business to expand its portfolio of drug discovery and safety testing models.

Boehringer cystic fibrosis

Setback for Boehringer Ingelheim: the company has halted development of its inhaled gene therapy BI 3720931 for cystic fibrosis after a phase 1/2 trial failed to deliver efficacy data supporting further progress. While the safety profile met expectations, the programme has now been shelved.

Years of uncertainty surrounding the numerous pending lawsuits against Bayer’s Monsanto unit could now be brought to an end through a costly but capped court settlement. Under the proposed agreement, Bayer would pay up to roughly 7 billion US dollars over around 20 years to resolve claims for damages.