Hello, curious minds! This week's selection really puts the ‘bio’ in biotech…🦤
Dartmouth researchers showcase a new neuroimaging tech set to supercharge brain research, Cardurion’s $260M funding is set to boost heart health treatments, NGM Biopharma pivots back to private equity with a $122M raise, and Agenus faces FDA setbacks for its cancer therapy strategy.
Plus, scientists have found a way to extend mice lifespans by switching off an inflammation-causing protein – could this be the key to healthier ageing for humans?
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🔍 FDA blocks Agenus' accelerated approval plans for CTLA-4/PD-1 combo (Endpoints News) – Agenus has hit a snag with the FDA, who've nixed their speedy approval dreams for extra “sticky” CTLA-4/PD-1 immunotherapy combo, which targets colorectal tumours that may not respond to immunotherapy. While response rates look promising, these don’t always predict survival in colorectal cancers, so the FDA has asked for rock-solid survival stats before they’re willing to approve.
Our take: This is the second time the FDA has blocked Agenus’ plans for accelerated approval, despite promising Phase 2 data, and the company’s shares have plummeted 62% since the news broke. But this plucky lot isn’t throwing in the towel just yet: Agenus is now exploring other cancer types and even eyeing up European regulatory pathways.
💸 NGM, now private, raises $122M for redrawn research plans (BioPharma Dive) – In a return to private equity, delisted NGM Biopharmaceuticals has snagged a cool $122 million in Series A funding to advance its drug development pipeline. The cash injection will bankroll studies into two conditions: a registrational trial for liver disease drug aldafermin in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), and a Phase 2 study of NGM120 for pregnancy condition hyperemesis gravidarum.
Our take: After a few clinical hiccups – including aldafermin failing a mid-stage trial in MASH in 2021 – that led to layoffs and a dive in their share prices, NGM sold to affiliates of The Column Group earlier this year. We’re eager to see if this new private-equity cash boost will produce some public-worthy results and profits for their new investors.
🧠 New cortical surface template provides greater accuracy in analysing neuroimaging data (News Medical) – The brainy lot at Dartmouth have unveiled "OpenNeuro Average" (onavg), a new cortical surface template model for neuroimaging analysis. Current templates are fairly crude, based on the anatomy of 40 brains, whereas onavg’s uses 1,031 – a pretty stonking upgrade that will make it easier to fit and compare neuroimaging data across individuals, and help scientists better understand brain structure and function. Read the Nature paper.
Our take: Everyone’s brain is different, and current templates don’t take unique brain geometry into consideration, making it difficult to fit neuroimaging data to specific anatomical locations. onavg’s new template not only makes this easier, but it also reduces the amount of data needed for analysis – opening up the possibility of studying rarer diseases, where large datasets are hard to come by.
🫀 Cardurion builds cardiovascular pipeline with $260M Series B financing (GenEng News) – Cardurion Pharmaceuticals has landed $260 million in Series B financing to pump up its cardiovascular drug pipeline. Their star players, two heart failure agents (a PDE9 inhibitor and a CaMKII inhibitor), are cracking on quite well in Phase 2 trials, with the published data expected in 2026. No doubt this cash injection will also keep their discovery programs ticking along nicely.
Our Take: If successful, Cardurion's PDE9 inhibitor might just give Novartis' blockbuster Entresto a run for its money. Their CaMKII inhibitor, the first of its kind in the clinical big leagues, promises to stabilise calcium signalling and boost cardiac function – a triumph from Cardurion where both Gilead and Allosteros stumbled. We’ll have to see if Cardurion has what it takes to make it all the way!
And finally…
🧬 Switching off inflammatory protein leads to longer, healthier lifespans in mice (Science Daily) – Researchers have discovered that deactivating the IL-11 protein can extend the healthy lifespan of mice by a whopping 25%! The treatment, which uses gene deletion and anti-IL-11 antibodies to halt the effects of IL-11 in the body, were found to reduce cancer mortality, fibrosis and inflammation. Indeed, targeting IL-11 could be the ‘magic bullet’ for us to live longer, healthier lives.
Our take: These clever clogs have found the 'ctrl+alt+delete' for ageing in mice. Not only are the furry subjects living longer, they're dodging age-related nasties like cancer, frailty and multimorbidity. With anti-IL-11 treatments now in human clinical trials for other conditions, we might be one step closer to the fountain of youth. Sign this Dodo up!
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💊 Pfizer’s oral GLP-1 push, Lilly vs. Novo & PBMs under pressure (Biospace) – Heather McKenzie discusses Pfizer's move to advance their oral GLP-1 analogue, danuglipron – entering into a space currently dominated by Novo and Lilly – and looks at the US’s recent bipartisan bill, which aims to curb patent thickets and smooth market-entry for generics.
🤖 Encouraging AI adoption in teams(AI for Pharma Growth) – Dr. Andree Bates discusses AI's role in boosting productivity with Tim Cakir, CEO of TaskDrive. Tune into this episode for actionable tips on AI transformation, adoption strategies, and change management.
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🧬 Senior Mammalian Engineer, Ginkgo Bioworks – Fancy designing functional genomic screens and shaping Ginkgo’s approach to the large scale generation of multimodal phenotypic data? Based in Boston, this technical role is a great opportunity to flex your bioengineering nous and work with a company at the forefront of regenerative medicine.
🏦 Financial Accountant, bit.bio – Good with money? bit.bio is looking for someone to join their Cambridge team. If you’re ACCA/ACA qualified with IFRS experience and exceptional attention to detail, this role offers a dynamic work environment in a growing UK biotech.
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