A child with recurrent T-cell leukaemia was given base-edited T-cells in a world-first application of a base-edited cell therapy.
According to Bloomberg, the US biotechnology giant Amgen plans to buy Horizon Therapeutics at a valuation of about $26bn. Overall, the deal corresponds to an enterprise value including debt of $28.3bn. This would be the largest acquisition in the company’s history.
Step Pharma intruduces promising data on the potential of a selective cancer treatment by inhibition of CTPS1 with their inhibitor STP938.
The partnering event BioFit2022 took place in Strasbourg, France on November 29th and 30th as well as online on December 7th and 8th. It reflected on challenging times in the pandemic, survivors of the economic threats, and adressed the preparation and perseverance needed to deal with challenges today and in the future. The bottom line: dynamic partnerships and more financing opportunities on the horizon.
The European Commission has now recommended concrete steps that, while not yet final, would require Illumina to "swiftly" reverse its controversial $7.1bn acquisition of Grail.
Renewed focus on cancer: COVID-19 vaccine company BioNTech SE (Nasdaq: BNTX) and Ryvu Therapeutics S.A., located in Krakow (Warsaw Stock Exchange: RVU), a Polish clinical-stage cancer therapeutics development company, announced that the companies have entered into a research collaboration for several multi-target immunotherapy programmes, as well as an exclusive licensing agreement for Ryvu’s STING agonist portfolio as stand-alone small molecules.
AstraZeneca announced an agreement to acquire Neogene Therapeutics Inc. (Neogene), a global clinical-stage biotechnology company spezialised in next-generation T-cell receptor therapies (TCR-Ts) that offer a novel cell therapy approach for targeting cancer. The acquisition delivers an initial payment of $200m on deal closing, and a further up to $120m in both contingent milestones-based and non-contingent consideration.
Novo Nordisk A/S invests €726m to expand facilities and to produce APIs to supply the company’s global clinical trials.
SOTIO Biotech a.s. has exercised its first of five exclusive, target-specific options for antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) SOT106 under its agreement with LegoChem Biosciences Inc.
London-based computer vision specialist V7 Ltd has baged $33m in Series A financing co-led by AI-focused Radical Ventures and Temasek.