Photo credits: Alex Shuper
Collaboration

Angelini partners with Quiver on AI-driven discovery in genetic epilepsies

Italy’s Angelini Pharma has signed a multi-year research collaboration and licensing agreement with Massachusetts-based Quiver Bioscience to discover new treatments for genetic epilepsies, including developmental and epileptic encephalopathies (DEEs). Under the agreement, Quiver could receive up to $120 million in milestone payments plus royalties if Angelini advances drug targets emerging from the collaboration. Financial terms for the upfront payment were not disclosed. Angelini will also receive exclusive access to data generated during the research term.

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Hadja Lahbib, European Commissioner for Equality and European Commissioner for Preparedness and Crisis Management. Source: EC - Audiovisual Service. Photographer: Aurore Martignoni
Flu vaccines

Europe accelerates next-generation flu vaccines with €225m innovation procurement push

A group of vaccine developers, biotech firms and public health institutes, including Bavarian Nordic and Sanofi, has secured framework contracts under a €225 million EU initiative to accelerate the development of next-generation influenza vaccines.

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Clinical Data

MoonLake’s sonelokimab shows strong Phase II efficacy in axSpA, challenging UCB’s Bimzelx

Most inflammatory arthritis patients on MoonLake Immunotherapeutics’ sonelokimab met the response criteria, furthering the Swiss biotech’s attempt to challenge UCB for a blockbuster market.

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financing

Syndex Bio raises $15.5M seed and unveils mcPCR platform for DNA methylation analysis

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.

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PD affects an estimated six to 11 million people worldwide
Neurological disorders

Lario Therapeutics wins $2.4m grants to advance calcium channel drugs for Parkinson’s and PTSD

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).

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Alzheimer

J&J stops enrollment in an AC Immune-partnered Alzheimer trial, but the reason is not yet clear

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.

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Altesa COPD
COPD

Forbion and Sanofi drive $75M investment in COPD biotech Altesa

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.

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Drug discovery

Novartis expands cardiovascular pipeline with $1.8bn macrocycle agreement with Unnatural Products

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.

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PLL Therapeutics ALS
Neurology

PLL Therapeutics reports positive phase I/II data for gut-targeting ALS therapy

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.

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Ophthalmology

Axol buys Newcells’ ophthalmology business to grow drug discovery portfolio

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

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