#36 - Woolly mammoths, billion-euro funds and new cancer breakthroughs

The one-minute biotech roundup

Greetings dear readers,

It's been an exciting week in the world of biotech – with everything from new cancer manufacturing technologies, billion-euro biotech investment funds, and a super-sized Series A hitting the headlines. It's often said that there’s never a dull moment in the biotech sector, and this week is certainly no exception…just wait for the story on ‘wooly mice’!

Happy reading,

Dodo

If there’s anything you’d like to see in future editions of Biotech Dodo, send us a message.

Discover 🔍

💰 VC firm Sofinnova brings in €1.2B over a year to fund up to 60 life sciences companies (Fierce Pharma): Sofinnova Partners, a major player in the European venture capital space, has just raked in a whopping €1.2 billion ($1.27 billion) to fuel the next wave of life sciences innovation. With its assets now soaring past €4 billion, this Paris-based powerhouse is set to support up to 60 new companies that are changing the conversation in health and sustainability.

Our take: This Paris-based venture capital firm is betting big on life sciences. But let's not get too starry-eyed. In the high-stakes world of biotech investing, even €1.2 billion can evaporate more quickly than you might think. The pressure is now on for Sofinnova to back winners in a very competitive playing field.

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 Scottish biotech company Lentitek secures £1m funding to advance next generation cancer treatments (The Microbiologist): Edinburgh-based biotech Lentitek has bagged a cool £1 million for their innovative cancer-fighting technology. This Scottish startup manufactures lentiviral vectors, which could help bring game-changing therapies to the cancer market. By enhancing the quality, yield and compatibility of these vectors, Lentitek aims to address one of the major challenges in CAR-T cell therapy: scalable production.

Our take: This fresh cash injection underscores the growing importance of advanced manufacturing technologies in the field of cell and gene therapies, particularly for cancer treatment. Lentitek's focus on improving lentiviral vector production could help unlock advanced therapies, reduce the barriers to widespread adoption, and ultimately improve patient outcomes. This Dodo approves!

🦀 Biotech startup pulls in $187M to make ‘multi-payload’ ADCs (BioPharma Dive): Callio Therapeutics has burst onto the biotech scene with a bang after securing $187 million worth of investment. This Seattle and Singapore-based startup has big plans to change the field of antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) with its multi-payload approach. Callio’s cutting-edge ADC platform can deliver multiple cancer-fighting agents to tumour cells, potentially packing a more powerful punch than traditional single-payload ADCs.

Our take: Well, this staggering Series A is certainly not to be sniffed at – especially in a biotech funding climate that has been stormy in recent years. Coupled with a partnership with Hummingbird Bioscience, who have granted Callio an exclusive license to use its “multi-payload” ADC technology in oncology, this newly hatched biotech is one to keep an eye on!

♀️Biotech A Bright Spot for Female Founders Amid DEI Pullback (Biospace): Funding for female-founded companies surged in 2024, with biotech emerging as a particular standout sector. A new report highlights that $4.3 billion was raised by women-led biotech firms across 121 deals – a big increase from $3 billion the previous year. Biotech's steady growth contrasts with political challenges under the new administration, including the rollback of DEI initiatives under President Trump, which could soon narrow opportunities for underrepresented female founders. (Read the report)

Our take: In a field that has been historically underrepresented, investors are increasingly recognising the value and potential of women-led ventures. However, the report also highlights the persistent gender gap in venture capital more widely, with women-led startups still accounting for only 2% of VC funding over the past decade – a stark illustration that the challenge in achieving equitable funding distribution is far from over.

And finally…

🐭 Biotech Company Creates ‘Woolly Mouse’ as a Step in Its Quest to Resurrect Woolly Mammoths Through Gene Editing (Smithsonian Magazine): Colossal Biosciences, the ambitious Texas startup aiming to resurrect woolly mammoths, has unveiled its latest creation: genetically engineered "woolly mice". This furry feat, achieved by editing seven genes simultaneously, is being hailed by the company as a significant milestone on the path to de-extinction. Colossal's grand plan involves genetically modifying Asian elephants to birth mammoth-like calves by 2028.

Our take: It’s not the first time we’ve covered Colossal Biosciences and it likely won’t be the last (considering the Dodo’s chequered past, can you blame us?!) But this new research update – tweaking genes to make mice more closely resemble a mammoth’s coat – is a far cry from bringing back an extinct creature, especially considering the huge genetic differences between mouse and mammoth. According to one researcher, “I’m pretty skeptical about this, but that mouse is pretty adorable” – we’ll leave that one with you to decide.

Tune in 🎧

🔪 Turning Natural Killers into Off-the-Shelf Therapies for Autoimmune Disease
Fred Aslan, president and CEO of Artiva Biotherapeutics, discusses how NK cell therapies can offer a safer, more cost-effective alternative to CAR-T treatments – with potential applications beyond cancer, due to their ability to target abnormal cells.

⚕️The TCR-T Cell Therapies of Tomorrow
Reagan Jarvis, CEO of Sweden's fastest-growing biotech Anocca, shares his thoughts on advancing plans for clinical trials in pancreatic cancer with its TCR-T cell therapy, VIDAR-1.

💊 Reinventing the Paradigm of Conventional Drug Development
Dr. Mayukh Sukhatme, a Harvard-trained physician, talks about his work in the discovery, development, and commercialisation of new medicines with Roivant Pharma.

Apply ✍️

🎩 Vice President, Osteoarthritis and Early Development Portfolio, Relation: Are you a seasoned translational scientist with deep expertise in early drug discovery and development? If you have expertise in immunology and fibrosis, this could be the perfect role for you.

🤔 Senior Analyst – Healthcare Strategy Consulting, Princeton Biopartners: On the hunt for a new role in life sciences consultancy? This is ideal for anyone looking to work with biopharma clients and has an appetite for strategic thinking.

🤹 Project Manager (pharma), Piramal Pharma Solutions: Detail-oriented PMs looking for a new challenge? The company are particularly interested in candidates with experience in clinical trials and supply chain operations.

🤑 Senior Business Development Manager, PBS Biotech: This commercially focused position is ideal for anyone with cell therapy experience, particularly in the fields of bioreactor expansion and laboratory differentiation.

RSVP 📆

🇫🇷 10-14.03 | Deep Tech Days | Paris: This annual gathering focuses on celebrating and accelerating deep tech advancements across Europe – with events including a Global Summit, an Investor Day, and a Medical Biotech Demo Day.

🇧🇪 11-13.03 | European Forum for Industrial Biotechnology | Brussels: EFIB connects stakeholders from public institutions and NGOs to support the advancement of industrial biotechnology and the bioeconomy across Europe.

🇬🇧 18-19.03 | Advanced Therapies | London: Europe’s largest commerical cell and gene therapy conference, join l experts from every stage of CGT development to discuss the strategies driving the industry forward.

🇪🇸18-20.03 | Bioprocessing Summit Europe | Barcelona: This conference focuses on the latest innovations in bioprocess R&D, as well as the practical solutions to enhance efficiency, speed and cost in biomanufacturing.

Got news, jobs or events you think are worth coo-ing over? Post an event here, or email us at biotechdodo@substack.com!

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