InLight Bio

FJ-0125, a bispecific that blocks both IL-18 and IL-4Rα, outperforms dupilumab in a mouse model of atopic dermatitis

Sat, 17 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Preprint, not yet peer reviewed. Fusing IL-18BP to a humanized anti-IL-4Rα antibody suppressed type 1, 2 and 3 inflammation more broadly than dupilumab or IL-18BP-Fc.

An LLM platform lets epilepsy patients text with their EEG device; in a simulation, their replies cut false seizure alarms by about 80%

Tue, 13 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000

In 13 inpatients at Penn's epilepsy monitoring unit, a chatbot linked to live scalp or intracranial EEG answered questions, sent seizure and sleep alerts and collected feedback; in a pseudoprospective simulation, retraining the detector on that feedback alone cut false alarms by 77–81% without losing sensitivity. Live sessions used only the baseline detector.

Estuary Bio raises $103M to advance local AAV therapy for ADPKD

Fri, 16 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000

$103M total. Estuary is developing local AAV gene therapy for autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, from the Somlo and Caplan labs at Yale. EST-201 targets PKD2 and is slated for the clinic in 2027; EST-101 targets PKD1 and is slated for 2028. The $103 million total comprises a $93 million Series A led by RA Capital and a $10 million seed co-led by 4BIO and GV.

AstraZeneca and insitro form a strategic collaboration in difficult-to-treat cardiometabolic disease

Thu, 15 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000

$40M upfront. The collaboration covers metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) and cardiomyopathies and runs on insitro's Virtual Human platform. AstraZeneca pays $40 million up front, with up to about $1.46 billion in milestones and single-digit royalties, and takes exclusive worldwide rights to selected programmes. The milestone figure is a nominal cap tied to agreed conditions, not a valuation or expected revenue; everything beyond the upfront depends on programmes advancing.

OMass Therapeutics raises a $310M Series C

Thu, 15 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000

$310M (GBP230M). The round funds a small-molecule portfolio in endocrinology and immunology: it will take OMS1620, an MC2R antagonist, through phase 2 development in congenital adrenal hyperplasia and ACTH-dependent Cushing's syndrome, and generate initial clinical data for an SLC15A4 inhibitor for lupus. The $310 million (GBP230 million) financing was co-led by Bain Capital Life Sciences, Forbion and Novo Holdings.

City Therapeutics prices upsized IPO at about $200M

Thu, 15 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000

About $200M. The company sold 11,111,111 shares at $18 each for roughly $200 million in an upsized offering. The stock was expected to begin trading on Nasdaq under CTY on 16 October 2026, with closing expected on 19 October. The announcement names CITY-FXI, CITY-RBP4 and CITY-TFR2 among its programmes.

CSPC announces China IND for SYS6088, a PD-1/VEGFA/CTLA-4 trispecific

Thu, 15 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000

No deal value. CSPC's voluntary HKEX announcement describes SYS6088 as a PD-1/VEGFA/CTLA-4 trispecific antibody with an engineered Fc, and says China's NMPA has approved it for clinical trials in advanced or metastatic solid tumours. No deal value is attached; clinical benefit will depend on trial data still to come.

Eton licenses US rights to Aquestive's Libervant (diazepam buccal film)

Wed, 14 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000

$10M upfront. The agreement, dated 13 October 2026 and filed by Eton on Form 8-K, gives Eton exclusive US rights to Libervant (diazepam buccal film). Terms are $10 million up front, up to $47.5 million in milestones and mid-teens royalties. Launch is set for April 2027 subject to FDA action: VALTOCO's orphan-drug exclusivity expires on 10 January 2027, and the PDUFA date for ages 6-11 is 29 March 2027.

Hiteck licenses next-generation NGF eye drop HT006.2.2 to Visara outside Greater China

Tue, 13 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000

$7M upfront and near-term. Hiteck (300683) out-licenses its investigational next-generation nerve growth factor eye drop HT006.2.2 to Visara for neurotrophic keratitis outside Greater China; Visara is a majority-owned subsidiary of NovaBridge (NBP) and runs the asset as VIS-102. Terms are $7 million in upfront and near-term payments, up to $104 million in milestones, and royalties. In a phase 1b study in Chinese subjects with severe NK, 50% of the highest-dose cohort achieved complete corneal healing after a single 8-week course, compared with 14% on vehicle at week 4.

CD19 CAR-engineered regulatory T cells drive durable tolerance in experimental lupus

Sun, 11 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Preprint. A preprint combines a CD19 CAR with homology-directed knock-in of constitutive FOXP3 to make CAR19-engineered regulatory T cells (CAR19 EngTreg); the cells carry canonical Treg markers, produce minimal inflammatory cytokines, block human plasma-cell differentiation, and in two mouse lupus models persist for more than four months with sustained autoantibody reduction and improved renal function and histopathology.

Restoring brain IL-15 signalling unlocks innate lymphoid immunity against brain metastasis

Sat, 10 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Preprint. In a breast-cancer brain-metastasis model, group 1 innate lymphoid cells are profoundly dysfunctional and fail to control tumour, which the authors trace to severely restricted IL-15: IL-15Rα protein is about 500-fold lower in brain than liver; local IL-15 complex restored innate-cell accumulation, cytotoxicity and residency and cut metastatic burden independent of T cells, and intracranial IL-15-secreting iPSC-NK cells also reduced tumour burden.

TEM1657, a mitochondria-modulating small molecule, suppresses NFKBIZ and eases psoriatic inflammation

Sat, 10 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Preprint. A preprint describes TEM1657, a small molecule derived from 3,5-dicaffeoylquinic acid that reduces inflammation in the imiquimod-induced psoriasis mouse model and in Th17-stimulated keratinocytes; it acts through mitochondrial dynamics via OPA1 and rapidly suppresses transcription of NFKBIZ and other psoriasis-associated genes, with mice randomised to seven groups of eight, all tested doses reducing spleen size and a 0.8% dose improving body-weight-related readouts.

MedGemma: an open-weight medical vision-language model family built on Gemma 3

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000

MedGemma is a collection of open-weight medical vision-language foundation models (4B multimodal, 27B multimodal, 27B text-only) built on Gemma 3, plus MedSigLIP, a ~400M-parameter medically tuned image encoder; MedGemma 27B Text scores 86.2 on MedQA versus 74.9 for Gemma 3 27B, and MedGemma 4B scores 64.1 versus 52.4, with out-of-distribution gains of 2.6-10% in medical image QA and 15.5-18.1% in chest X-ray finding classification.

Shotgun genetic engineering rebuilds essential amino acid synthesis in mammalian cells

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Shotgun genetic engineering delivered a 40-member barcoded TU library at high MOI into CHO and Jurkat cells; CHO clones doubled in 1.05–1.14 days without valine, a six-gene set enabled isoleucine prototrophy, and Jurkat clones grew without valine at about 1.9–2.0 days per doubling.

In vivo BCMA CAR-T in myeloma at 15 months of follow-up: no new important ESO-T01-related adverse events, one ongoing sCR, median PFS 4.0 months

Tue, 06 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Four patients with relapsed/refractory myeloma received a single infusion of in vivo BCMA CAR-T; with up to 15 months of follow-up there were no new important ESO-T01-related adverse events, one patient had an ongoing sCR and median PFS was 4.0 months, while the other three died after relapse or progression.

A pIgR bispecific raises exposure in cynomolgus monkey BAL 5.5-fold

Sat, 03 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000

After comparing the polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (pIgR) across human, cynomolgus monkey and mouse tissues, Marks et al. fused an anti-pIgR VHH onto an anti-haemagglutinin IgG; after a single intravenous dose of 5 mg/kg in cynomolgus monkeys, the bispecific had a serum half-life of about 1.6 days and total exposure in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid 5.5 times that of the control IgG.

Large-scale validation of a synthetic TCR library shows that, on average, only 56% of the VDJdb TCRs tested reproduce their annotated reactivity

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Using the T-RAP synthetic TCR library and pooled screening to test VDJdb annotations, only 56% on average (n=2,667) reproduced the original reactivity; on the validated set, tcrdist3 and AlphaFold3 achieved mean AUROCs of 0.80 and 0.74, respectively.

MicuRx licenses MRX-23 ADC and grants STOPIN platform options to ClearideBio

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000

$1M upfront. MRX-23 is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) candidate from MicuRx; its target and indication were not disclosed. ClearideBio Therapeutics AG (Switzerland) takes exclusive worldwide rights to develop, manufacture and commercialize it across indications. Separately, ClearideBio receives options on up to six targets or target combinations from MicuRx's STOPIN ADC platform, built around a novel camptothecin payload; platform rights vest only after an option is exercised and an exercise fee is paid, while MicuRx keeps the platform's core intellectual property. Headline milestone caps are theoretical maxima, not a valuation or expected revenue, and everything beyond the non-refundable upfront depends on options and milestones being reached. With $1 million paid up front against up to $973 million in headline milestones, this is an option-heavy bet on an unproven payload platform by a Swiss licensee, not a conventional China out-licensing payday.

Asieris grants Theramex exclusive rights to APL-1702 (CEVIRA) in Europe and other markets

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Over $250M total. APL-1702 (CEVIRA) is a photodynamic drug-device for HPV-related cervical precancerous lesions, including CIN. It combines local drug delivery with controlled light activation in an integrated intravaginal device that a clinician fits in the office and the patient removes at home, and is positioned as a non-surgical, tissue-sparing option for women who would otherwise be considered for surgery. China's NMPA approved CEVIRA in March 2026 as a first-in-class non-invasive therapy for cervical precancerous lesions; in Europe it remains investigational. Theramex, a London-based women's health company operating in more than 50 countries, gets exclusive rights in all European countries plus Australia, New Zealand and Turkey, and Asieris keeps the rest of the world. Even the upfront is conditional on a supply agreement, successful manufacturing-site audits, alignment with the upstream licence and a clarification with the European Commission on how the device's clinical value will be assessed. The deal is a bet that an office-based, non-surgical option can win over European regulators and payers; no EU approval has been announced.

Garden Bio and Guangzhou National Laboratory form a joint venture for 25-hydroxycholesterol broad-spectrum antivirals

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Undisclosed. 25-hydroxycholesterol is a natural oxysterol the partners aim to develop, with prodrugs, as a broad-spectrum antiviral. The program is early-stage: English reports describe a new-drug R&D project entering innovative development, without disclosed clinical data. The joint venture is meant to take the candidates through clinical development, registration, manufacturing and commercialization, with Garden Biopharma holding at least 51% and leading day-to-day operations. Garden Biopharma, best known as a vitamin D3 and cholesterol-series manufacturer, frames the deal as its entry into innovative drugs, while Guangzhou National Laboratory contributes the research collaboration. It is a state-laboratory NewCo with a manufacturer in the controlling seat, and whether an oxysterol becomes an approved antiviral has yet to be tested in people.

Sino Biopharm completes enrollment in Phase 3 registrational trial of inhaled TQC3721 for COPD

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000

No deal value. TQC3721 is an inhaled dual PDE3/PDE4 inhibitor from Sino Biopharm's Chia Tai Tianqing (CTTQ). PDE3 is highly expressed in airway smooth muscle and PDE4 in inflammatory cells, so one molecule aims both to relax airways and damp inflammation; the company notes that LAMA/LABA bronchodilators do little for airway inflammation and that inhaled corticosteroids help less in patients with low blood eosinophils while raising pneumonia risk. The nebulised suspension has completed enrollment in PACER-III, the pivotal registrational Phase 3 for COPD maintenance, after Phase 2 PACER-II was published in Chest in 2026; a dry-powder formulation is advancing into Phase 2. A ClinicalTrials.gov record from CTTQ (NCT07147946) describes a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled Phase 3 of 6 mg/2 ml twice daily for 24 weeks in moderate-to-severe COPD, with an estimated 666 participants and a primary endpoint of mean change in FEV1 AUC from baseline to week 12 — but the HKEX announcement does not name that NCT or give trial size. CTTQ says TQC3721 could become the first domestically developed inhaled PDE3/4 inhibitor approved in China; the Phase 3 readout will test whether enrollment completion turns into a registrational win.

CSPC updates Phase 1 data for SYS6002 in advanced cervical cancer; 2.4 mg/kg regimen moves into Phase 3

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000

No deal value. SYS6002 is a Nectin-4 antibody-drug conjugate that delivers the mitotic inhibitor MMAE. It uses enzyme-catalysed site-specific conjugation and a stable linker intended to concentrate toxin in the tumour while limiting systemic exposure. In a nationwide multicentre Phase 1 in China, 82 patients with previously treated advanced cervical cancer received 2.4 mg/kg, every 2 weeks (39 patients) or 3.6 mg/kg every 3 weeks (43 patients); at the 8 May 2026 cutoff (median follow-up 16.1 months), both regimens showed preliminary activity — confirmed ORR, median DoR, median PFS and median OS are in the side box, with PFS and OS reported in months. Treatment-related adverse events were mostly grade 1–2: ocular events were most common (none grade ≥3; no discontinuations for them); interstitial lung disease or non-infectious pneumonitis 2.4%; rash 20.7% (grade ≥3, 1.2%); peripheral neuropathy 12.2% (all grade 1–2); no treatment-related deaths. Data were a rapid oral at IGCS 2026. The 2.4 mg/kg Q2W regimen has entered Phase 3 (NCT07230626) after immunotherapy, which ClinicalTrials.gov lists as an estimated 412 patients randomized to SYS6002 versus investigator's-choice chemotherapy with overall survival as the primary endpoint. These are single-arm Phase 1 data; that head-to-head Phase 3 will show whether a response rate near 36% turns into a survival benefit.

Novartis takes global rights to Abogen's in vivo mRNA T-cell engager ABO2203

Thu, 01 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000

$575M upfront; up to ~$7.8B total. ABO2203 is not an in vivo CAR-T. It uses lipid nanoparticles to deliver mRNA encoding a CD19×CD3 T-cell engager, so that the patient's own cells “manufacture” the bispecific to clear B cells. It is in a Phase 1 study in refractory autoimmune disease; the first data made public cover 3 patients with refractory secondary immune thrombocytopenia. Novartis also receives an exclusive option on next-generation assets from Abogen's mRNA/LNP platform. Notably, a $575 million upfront is high for an early Phase 1 asset, suggesting big pharma is willing to bet early on “biologics generated in vivo”, and that mRNA companies have found a new outlet beyond vaccines in autoimmunity.

Targeting ZMYND8 reshapes exhausted T cells in mice and enhances responses to immunotherapy

Wed, 23 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000

In LCMV and melanoma models, targeting ZMYND8 biased P14 cells toward an effector-like exhausted state and enhanced killing and responses to immunotherapy.

TSC2 loss produces astrocyte reactivity in organoids at all 3 time points

Wed, 23 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000

In human brain organoids, Cre-induced biallelic TSC2 loss significantly raised reactive astrocyte module scores in GLCs at 50, 120 and 220 days.

Human cortical organoids transplanted into apallial mice: grafts make up 91.9% of cortical volume and grow about 4.7-fold between 2 and 3 months

Wed, 16 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Four human cortical organoids were transplanted neonatally into immunodeficient apallial mice lacking Esco2, and by 3 months the grafts made up 91.9% of cortical tissue volume, growing about 4.7-fold between 2 and 3 months.

Knocking out DPP9 in humanized mice causes CARD8-driven pyroptosis, haematopoietic stem cell depletion and pancytopenia

Tue, 15 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000

CRISPR knockout of DPP9 in human CD34+ HSPCs in MISTRG6 mice reproduced peripheral and bone marrow cytopenias; the loss is driven by CARD8-mediated pyroptosis, rescued by knocking out CARD8 or CASP1 but not NLRP1.

Inhaled ARO-RAGE was tolerable in healthy volunteers and patients with asthma, with a single 184 mg dose lowering BALF sRAGE by 90.2%

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000

In a randomized double-blind trial, an inhaled siRNA targeting RAGE in the lung epithelium achieved tolerable safety; in healthy volunteers, soluble RAGE in bronchoalveolar lavage fell by a mean of up to 90.2% after a single 184 mg dose.

Charge-switchable lipid nanoparticles did not raise IL-6, IL-1β or MIP-2 in LPS-pretreated mice

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000

In LPS-pretreated mice, E20 switchable lipid nanoparticles (SNPs) did not raise IL-6, IL-1β or MIP-2, while LNPs made with MC3-DLin, cKK-E12 or SM-102 raised them sharply.

In an exploratory proteomic substudy, rentosertib produced significant changes in 21 aging-clock comparisons

Mon, 07 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000

In an exploratory proteomic substudy of 42 patients with IPF, rentosertib produced Q<0.10 in 21 of 54 ΔBioAge comparisons, suggesting a reduction in predicted biological age.

GSK buys Chimagen's trispecific T-cell engager for up to $750M

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Up to $750M total. GSK acquired global rights from Chimagen to a trispecific T-cell engager for multiple myeloma: one arm binds T cells and the other two bind two undisclosed tumor-associated antigens. It is still preclinical; GSK expects it to enter Phase 1 in 2027. The dual-antigen design targets the antigen loss and relapse commonly seen after single-target T-cell engagers (such as BCMA) and CAR-T. This is the second time GSK has bought an asset from Chimagen; the earlier CMG1A46 is a different molecule. Together with Roche's September in-licensing of Simcere Zaiming's CD79a×CD19×CD3, trispecifics are becoming a new deal hotspot in antibody engineering.

Ivonescimab monotherapy beats pembrolizumab on overall survival in HARMONi-2

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000

No deal value. HARMONi-2 (AK112-303) is a Phase 3 study conducted in China in first-line PD-L1-positive locally advanced or metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, directly comparing ivonescimab (a PD-1×VEGF bispecific) monotherapy with pembrolizumab monotherapy. The primary endpoint, PFS, had already been met (HR 0.51, 95% CI 0.38–0.69); this pre-specified analysis shows a statistically significant improvement in overall survival as well, but the press release did not give the OS hazard ratio. A PFS win with OS unknown had been the key question over whether PD-1×VEGF bispecifics can displace Keytruda. Note that these are single-region data; the US and European markets covered by Summit still need support from global studies.

Simcere Zaiming licenses CD79a×CD19×CD3 trispecific SIM0660 to Roche

Tue, 01 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Up to $1.53B total. SIM0660 is a trispecific T-cell engager: one arm binds CD3 to recruit T cells, while the other two simultaneously bind the B-cell antigens CD79a and CD19. The design aims for potent B-cell depletion while keeping cytokine release low; dual-antigen coverage is also intended to serve patients previously treated with CD20 or CD19 therapies who may have antigen loss. Roche obtains exclusive global rights. The asset is still preclinical or early stage with no specific indication disclosed; the company describes it as aimed at both B-cell malignancies and autoimmune disease. It is another molecular design, after CD19×CD3, in the “T-cell engagers that deplete B cells to treat autoimmunity” theme.

Four humanized DMD mouse models carrying deletions of exon 44, 45, 51 or 53, with flanking exon skipping restoring dystrophin

Fri, 28 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Four mouse models with deletions of human DMD exon 44, 45, 51 or 53 were generated on the mdx background; gastrocnemius muscle in 8-week-old males lacked dystrophin or had only trace amounts, and intramuscular injection of vivo-morpholinos to skip flanking exons restored the protein.

Long-term follow-up of anti-CD19 CAR-T cases in refractory myasthenia gravis: all 3 patients maintained treatment-free clinical remission for at least 19 months

Fri, 21 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Three patients with AChR-positive refractory generalized myasthenia gravis received KYV-101 (1×10^8 cells) and maintained clinical remission off MG-specific immunotherapy at 24, 19 and 19 months of follow-up; anti-AChR antibodies did not fully disappear, and adverse events were transient and manageable.

Human cortical organoids cultured in vitro for 5 years; methylation-clock predicted age correlates with time in culture (r = 0.88–0.90)

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Human cortical organoids were cultured for up to 5 years, and ages predicted by the Horvath and cortical methylation clocks correlated with time in culture (r = 0.88–0.90, median absolute errors of 7.25 and 20.04 months).

AIntibody blinded benchmark: 511 AI antibodies reach a best of 95 pM in affinity maturation, with uneven performance across tasks

Wed, 19 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000

511 AI-designed or AI-predicted antibodies from 29 institutions were experimentally validated in a blinded benchmark: the best in Challenge 1 reached 95 pM (a 2,000-fold improvement over the parent), while in Challenge 2 only 9.8–13.8% of submissions had higher affinity than the cluster control.

After triple therapy started at 72 hours, 8 infant macaques remained aviraemic for 6 months off treatment

Mon, 10 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000

In orally SHIV-infected infant macaques given LRM, bNAbs and 27 weeks of ART starting at 72 hours, all 8 animals were aviraemic 6 months after ATI with no CAVL detected in PBMCs or tissues.

A biobank of 256 tumour organoids is established, with 162 completing genome-wide CRISPR screens to map gene dependencies

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000

A UK multicentre team established 256 tumour organoids from 907 samples (28% efficiency), and 162 completed genome-wide CRISPR–Cas9 screens that passed quality control (85% success rate).

HCMI resource: 97.8% of 421 matched tumour–model pairs retain at least two classes of DNA features

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Across 665 patient-derived models spanning 25 cancers, analysis of 421 matched pairs showed that 97.8% retained at least two classes of DNA features, with 95% concordance for methylation.

A screen of 156 macrophage-activating bispecifics selects WTa2d1xCD38, with IC50 values as low as 18.0 pM

Sat, 01 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Using function-first surfaceome screening plus 156 heterodimeric scFv-Fc bispecifics, Pagès-Geli et al. selected the low-affinity SIRPα decoy × CD38 molecule WTa2d1xCD38; IC50 values across 10 lymphoma cell lines ranged from 18.0 pM to 3.08 nM, and in vivo it prolonged survival and produced complete cures when combined with rituximab.

Lilly to acquire Merida Biosciences for up to $2.9B, entering Graves' disease

Sat, 01 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Up to ~$2.88B total. Merida's approach is to bind pathogenic autoantibodies directly and tag them for clearance, rather than broadly suppressing the immune system. Lead molecule MER511 targets Graves' disease and entered Phase 1 in late 2025, in combination with antithyroid drugs; Lilly also named thyroid eye disease. Merida was founded only in April 2025 with a $121 million Series A and was acquired a little over a year later. According to BioPharma Dive, this is Lilly's 12th company acquisition of 2026 and its 3rd in immunology (after Ventyx and Orna). If the precise “clear only the pathogenic antibodies” strategy holds up, it could avoid the side effects of FcRn inhibitors, which lower all IgG.

Haisco immunology asset goes into ARCH-founded NewCo Sentivera

Sat, 01 Aug 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Over $1.5B total. ARCH Venture Partners and Population Health Partners co-founded the US company Sentivera, which takes exclusive rights outside Greater China to a Haisco immunology asset; Haisco keeps Greater China rights and holds equity in Sentivera. Neither the target nor the modality has been disclosed — only that it addresses type 2 inflammatory diseases, has just received a Chinese IND, and showed anti-inflammatory activity and good safety preclinically. This is the classic NewCo playbook: the Chinese side trades the asset for cash plus equity, while a top US VC builds the team to run overseas clinical development. Upfront and equity together are less than 5% of the headline total; most of the value depends on later milestones.

Intrathecal RAG-17 reached acceptable safety in 6 patients with SOD1-ALS, with cerebrospinal fluid SOD1 down 69% at day 240 in cohort 1

Wed, 15 Jul 2026 12:00:00 +0000

In an open-label trial in 6 patients with SOD1-ALS, intrathecal RAG-17 achieved acceptable safety and tolerability; cerebrospinal fluid SOD1 fell 69% from baseline at day 240 in cohort 1 and 56% at day 210 in cohort 2.

The trispecific IL-2R antibody αβγVHH-48 reaches an EC50 of 0.015 nM

Fri, 10 Jul 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Lykhopiy et al. assembled VHHs against CD25/CD122/CD132 into trispecific agonist antibodies; the lead αβγVHH-48 had a pSTAT5 EC50 of 0.015 nM in HEKαβγ cells, close to the 0.010 nM of human IL-2, and after making CD25 bivalent and altering the geometry it could activate Tregs selectively at picomolar and even femtomolar concentrations.

Across 12 diet models, 4/6 obesogenic diets are associated with anti-PD-1 response

Wed, 08 Jul 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Across 12 mouse diet models, 4/6 obesogenic diets were associated with anti-PD-1 response, suggesting that what matters is not metabolic score but the diet–gut microbiome axis.

J&J locks up Sail Biomedicines' in vivo CAR-T with an equity stake and an acquisition option

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 12:00:00 +0000

$2.58B total if the acquisition option is exercised. Sail's platform engineers immune cells directly inside the patient to generate CAR-T, using its eRNA and nanoparticle delivery technology and skipping cell collection, ex vivo engineering and reinfusion. The collaboration first advances Sail's lead immune-mediated disease program (molecule not disclosed), aiming for an “immune reset” rather than long-term symptom control. J&J pays $785 million up front and holds an option to acquire the whole company; if exercised, the deal totals $2.58 billion. After AbbVie bought Capstan and Lilly bought Kelonia, in vivo CAR-T has become a standard big-pharma bet in autoimmunity.

argenx to acquire Forte for $2.2B, adding anti-CD122 antibody FB102

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 12:00:00 +0000

~$2.2B in cash. FB102 is a first-in-class anti-CD122 (IL-2/IL-15 receptor β chain) monoclonal antibody designed to suppress the activity of pathogenic T cells and NK cells. Phase 1b vitiligo data released on July 9 showed a statistically significant benefit; a Phase 1b in celiac disease was reported positive in 2025, Phase 2 data are expected in the second half of 2026, and alopecia areata is also a planned direction. The price represents a premium of about 86% to the volume-weighted average price after the vitiligo data. argenx built its business on the FcRn inhibitor Vyvgart; this deal extends its immunology footprint from B-cell/antibody-mediated diseases to T-cell-driven skin and gut diseases.

GemPharmatech and Humlab partner on global distribution of humanized mouse models

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Undisclosed. GemPharmatech is a leading Chinese genetically engineered mouse company and says it holds more than 30,000 knockout, conditional knockout, humanized and immunodeficient strains; Humlab is a Singapore-based developer of humanized mice. The agreement covers both companies' existing and newly developed humanized strains, including aging models, autoimmune and inflammatory models such as IBD and systemic lupus erythematosus, MASH metabolic models, oncology and infection models, and a new humanized-liver mouse. With the FDA pushing to reduce animal testing, growth for animal-model companies is shifting toward more “human-like” humanized models. Humlab's statements about engraftment efficiency are the company's own; the release did not include data.

Avere in-licenses Hansoh's oral IL-23 drug, lists via NextCure reverse merger and raises $320M

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 12:00:00 +0000

License up to $2.3B; concurrent $320M private placement. Avere takes rights outside Greater China to Hansoh's oral IL-23 inhibitor AVR-001 and, at the same time, reverse-merges with NextCure to list on Nasdaq (ticker AVRX); NextCure's existing shareholders own just over 1% of the combined company. AVR-001 is positioned as an oral psoriasis drug with a longer dosing interval than J&J's daily oral IL-23 drug; Hansoh has started a Phase 2b in China and Avere has applied to begin US clinical trials. The team comes from Akero, which Novo Nordisk acquired for $4.7 billion. License, reverse merger and financing completed in one move — with Hansoh as both licensor and lead investor — is a new variant of the NewCo model.

AstraZeneca and CSPC partner on kidney-disease siRNA

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 12:00:00 +0000

~$1.77B total. The two companies will jointly discover and develop small-interfering-RNA drugs against two undisclosed kidney-disease targets, using CSPC's siRNA discovery platform and delivery tools that can carry drugs to organs beyond the liver, plus CSPC's AI molecular-design models and automated high-throughput screening. AstraZeneca may choose global or ex-China exclusive rights; CSPC retains China rights to one of the assets. siRNA has so far been largely limited to liver targets (GalNAc conjugation), and kidney delivery is widely seen as the industry's next hurdle. With only $30 million up front, this is an early discovery deal whose value rests mainly on later stages.

Insilico Medicine and Takeda sign AI drug discovery collaboration

Wed, 01 Jul 2026 12:00:00 +0000

~$600M total. Insilico will use its Pharma.AI platform to discover molecules for Takeda that meet pre-agreed scientific and early-development criteria; Takeda is responsible for clinical validation and receives exclusive global development, manufacturing and commercialization rights to the selected molecules. The release does not limit therapeutic areas, saying only that it covers Takeda's therapeutic areas (Takeda's core areas include gastroenterology and inflammation, rare diseases, oncology, neuroscience and vaccines). Insilico is one of the few companies with an AI-discovered molecule in Phase 2; this deal shows big pharma–AI partnerships moving from “platform validation” to routine pay-per-program business.

44% of rhesus macaques developed serum bnAb activity after the complete sequential HIV vaccine regimen

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Among rhesus macaques that received the complete heterologous sequential regimen, 44% of animals developed serum bnAb activity after N332-GT5 priming, as stated in the abstract.

NISE designs drug-binding proteins zero-shot, with APEX reaching 80 pM affinity in vitro

Wed, 24 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000

In in vitro tasks with exatecan and apixaban, the NISE closed-loop neural network designed binding proteins de novo and validated their affinity; the Kd of APEX for apixaban was 80 pM.

Low-throughput validation of Germinal: 43–101 designs per antigen yield antibodies against 4 targets

Tue, 23 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Across 4 protein targets, Germinal tested only 43–101 designs per antigen and generated functional antibodies in nanobody and scFv/Fab formats.

251 samples across 11 monogenic ASD mouse models: a transient delay in the radial glia lineage and 715 DEGs in P4 layer II/IV neurons

Wed, 17 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Single-nucleus multi-omic sequencing of 251 samples from 11 monogenic ASD mouse models shows that mutations converge on a transient developmental delay in the radial glia lineage, with shared transcriptional differences greatest in P4 layer II/IV neurons (715 DEGs).

An optimized PE-LNP at a single 2 mg/kg dose achieved 49% average prime editing across the whole mouse liver

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000

After systematic optimization of lipid nanoparticles for the three-component prime editor, a single dose of 2 mg/kg total RNA achieved an average of 49% indel-free precise editing across the whole mouse liver, a 63-fold improvement over the initial formulation.

Observational study: mRNA-1010 recipients had larger increases in memory B cells, with germinal centres persisting to 26 weeks in 5 of 13 people

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000

In an observational cohort of 75 healthy adults, mRNA-1010 recipients had larger increases in HA-specific memory B cells at week 4 and at weeks 17/26 than Fluarix recipients, and 5 of 13 still had detectable germinal centre responses at 26 weeks.

A 160-member bispecific library shows surface properties can be predicted from parental arms with ρ up to 0.95

Mon, 15 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Preprint. In a non-peer-reviewed study of a 160-member bispecific library, Ritter et al. predicted measured values from parental combinations, reaching Spearman ρ of 0.95, 0.94 and 0.89 for HIC/SMAC/HAC.

A GPR15 homing axis positions regulatory CD8 T cells in the gut, with a 42% reduction in sporadic UC

Mon, 08 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Human genetics, biopsies and a mouse DSS model show that GPR15 guides CD8+ TIGR homing to the colon and limits intestinal inflammation; this population was reduced by 42% in colonic biopsies from sporadic UC.

Kidney transplantation after dual-target CD19/BCMA CAR-T desensitization: both patients with cPRA≥99.9% in the safety run-in cohort were transplanted

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000

In the safety run-in cohort of a phase I trial, 2 extremely highly sensitized kidney transplant candidates received dual-target CD19 and BCMA CAR-T at 5×10^7 CAR+ cells each, with cPRA falling and crossmatch-compatible kidney transplants performed on days 229 and 93 after infusion; no dose-limiting toxicity was seen during the reporting period.

Phase 1 of the SEZ6-targeting ADC ABBV-706: a 52% objective response rate in relapsed/refractory SCLC, with a recommended dose of 1.8 mg/kg

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Among 124 patients with relapsed/refractory small cell lung cancer treated with monotherapy, ABBV-706 given every 3 weeks produced a confirmed ORR of 52% (65/124), and after randomized dose optimization 1.8 mg/kg was selected as the recommended phase 2 dose.

Transient confinement culture gives small intestinal organoids a 100% engraftment rate with early transplantation

Fri, 22 May 2026 12:00:00 +0000

In human small intestinal organoids, CCS transiently fused about 4,000 spheroids, achieving 100% engraftment on transplantation at d14, significantly higher than conventional d14 HIOs.

Adding a fungal mannan adjuvant to a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine: neutralizing antibody breadth and duration extended to day 500 in mice

Fri, 22 May 2026 12:00:00 +0000

In mice and cynomolgus monkeys, mixing mannadjuvant, a complex of fungal mannan with alum, into a WA1 mRNA vaccine induced neutralizing antibodies against BA.5 and XBB.1.5 that persisted to day 500 and overcame antigenic imprinting.

NIVIPIT phase 1b: intratumoural low-dose anti-CTLA4 with anti-PD1 gives 24.3% grade 3–4 treatment-related toxicity at 6 months

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000

In 61 treatment-naive patients with metastatic melanoma, intratumoural ipilimumab at 0.3 mg/kg combined with intravenous nivolumab produced grade 3–4 treatment-related adverse events in 24.3% at 6 months, below the 30% threshold.

Agent-guided de novo nanobody design: 46 of 116 candidates confirmed by SPR, with a best KD of 0.66 nM

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Preprint. Against a novel DSRCT target with no structure and no existing antibodies, Zhao et al. generated 288,000 de novo nanobody designs; of 116 candidates characterized by SPR, 46 (39.7%) yielded reliable kinetics, with a best KD of 0.66 nM.

B cells acquire checkpoint mutations polyclonally in thyroid autoimmunity: 135 distinct TNFRSF14 mutations in one donor

Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Single-molecule sequencing showed 135 distinct TNFRSF14 mutations in donor H1 with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, with many B cell clones independently inactivating immune checkpoint genes.

Lilly to acquire in vivo CAR-T company Kelonia for up to $7B

Wed, 01 Apr 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Up to $7B in cash. Kelonia's iGPS platform uses engineered lentivirus-like particles to enter T cells in vivo, so the patient's body generates its own CAR-T. Lead program KLN-1010 is a single-IV-infusion gene therapy that generates anti-BCMA CAR-T for relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma; early Phase 1 data were presented in the plenary session of the 2025 ASH Annual Meeting. Lilly plans to extend the platform to other hematologic cancers, solid tumors and other serious diseases. The $3.25 billion upfront is a record in in vivo CAR-T and exceeds the total price of AbbVie's acquisition of Capstan, showing the approach has moved from proof of concept to big pharma competing for assets.