#38 - Billion-dollar deals and the end of animal testing

The coffee break biotech roundup, by SomX.

Greetings Dodo-ers,

It's been another bumper news week in the world of biotech. From billion-dollar deals, new blood cancer and autoimmune disease treatments, deep cuts at the NIH, and 3D human lung models – there’s something to tickle everyone’s biotech fancy.

Happy reading,

Dodo

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

Discover 🔍

🐳 Orca's cell therapy trounces traditional care in blood cancer phase 3 (Fierce Pharma): Orca Bio's T-cell immunotherapy is causing quite a stir in the world of blood cancer treatment – doubling the rates of patients surviving without developing chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) vs conventional allogeneic stem cell transplants. The phase 3 data shows that Orca’s cell therapy, Orca-T, could achieve the "holy grail" of cancer treatment: high efficacy and low toxicity.

Our take: For years, the medical community has grappled with a cruel dilemma: whether to use effective treatments that come with debilitating secondary toxicities – cGVHD is a deadly complication in which the donor's immune cells attack the patient’s tissues and organs – or gentler therapies with less efficacy? With FDA talks underway and a biologics license application underway, Orca Bio is hoping to remove this trade off, offering new hope to patients who previously faced limited treatment options.

🤑 AstraZeneca paying up to $1bn for Belgian cancer company EsoBiotec (Business Weekly): Pharma giant AstraZeneca is flashing the cash with a potential billion-dollar acquisition of Belgian biotech EsoBiotec. The company’s purchase marks a major expansion into the rapidly growing oncology space – leveraging the power of EsoBiotec’s ENaBL platform, which reprogrammes the body’s immune cells to fight cancer. With an initial $425 million on the table upfront, and up to $575 million more for hitting future milestones, AstraZeneca is betting big on this in vivo approach to cell therapy.

Our take: At the heart of this deal is the tantalising prospect of cancer treatments that take minutes instead of weeks. In this sense, EsoBiotec platform isn't just an incremental improvement, it is a major breakthrough for the sector. The innovative method allows cancer cell therapies to be delivered through a simple IV injection without needing to deplete immune cells, potentially changing the way cell therapies are delivered to patients.

✂️ At NIH, ‘everyone is on edge’ as they brace for deep cuts and more centralized control (STAT): In the US, chaos and confusion abound at the National Institutes of Health, due to a series of swinging cuts that form part of the Trump administration’s reorganisation of central government. With up to 5,000 jobs set to be axed, scientists and staff alike are facing an increasingly uncertain future. These changes come at a time when Trump’s controversial nomination for NIH commissioner Jay Bhattacharya has still yet to receive approval from the Senate.

Our take: The recent turmoil at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is more than just an administrative shakeup – it has serious implications for American scientific leadership and public health. The NIH, which has long been the jewel in America’s biomedical research crown, has influence extending far beyond the US. As a result, ongoing disruption will be felt across the world, potentially slowing progress on global health challenges and creating a leadership gap that other nations may need to fill.

🫁 Biotech secures £600,000 for ‘3D lung’ to replace animal testing (Insider Media): UK biotech ImmuONE has landed a six-figure investment for its 3D human lung model, as an ethical alternative to traditional drug testing. The ImmuLUNG™ cell model combines human alveolar epithelial cells and alveolar macrophage-like cells in a 3D environment, and is a key part of the company’s vision to make animal testing obsolete.

Our take: The moral maze of animal testing has been a long-standing conundrum in the biotech, but the advent of 3D modelling techniques offers a potentially ethical alternative. ImmuONE's human-relevant lung model could not only spare countless animals, but also provide more accurate, reliable results for testing drugs, chemicals, and consumer products, as well as enhance ethical standards and testing accuracy.

And finally….

🎌 A Japanese biotech founded by Treg cell discoverer moves to the US with $45.8M (BioSpace): RegCell is shaking things up in the field of autoimmune disease treatment with $45.8M in funding ($8.5 million seed financing plus $37.3 million in non-dilutive funding) for its unique epigenetic reprogramming platform. The company is hoping this cash injection, plus a move to a new US base in California, will transform it from a promising startup to a global player in next-gen cell therapies.

Our take: For decades, the treatment of autoimmune diseases has relied heavily on broad immunosuppression, often leading to a host of side effects and increased vulnerability to infections. But RegCell's focus on epigenetic reprogramming of regulatory T-cells (Tregs) offer something distinctively different. By harnessing the body's natural regulatory mechanisms, RegCell aims to achieve a more targeted and potentially safer approach to immune modulation. With backing from top Japanese investors, and plans to initiate its first-in-human trial in 2025, the future certainly looks bright!

Tune in 🎧

🔬 Andy Scharenberg on in vivo CAR-T cell therapies

In this episode of ‘The Long Run’, Andrew Scharenberg, CEO of Umoja Biopharma, discusses his work developing innovative new in vivo CAR-T cell therapies for cancer treatment.

🦠 An Insider’s View of the Patent Fights that Shaped the Biotech Industry

Jorge Goldstein talks about his new book, Patenting Life: Tales from the Front Lines of Intellectual Property and the New Biology, which provides a history of the biotech industry through the lens of significant patent disputes.

🤖 How AI Can Increase Clinical Trial Efficiency

Patrick Leung, CTO of Faro Health explores how AI tools are changing clinical trial design – including insights on document creation, patient impact analysis, and AI management in biotech.

Apply ✍️

🥼 Scientist - Synthetic/Molecular Biology/Microbiology, CC Bio: Are you an experienced synthetic biologist looking for a new opportunity? This role will involve conducting experiments as part of a new project to develop a novel class of peptide therapeutic.

🔍 Senior Research Consultant Impatient Health: Calling all research consultants! This role involves analysing some of the most exciting developments in life science innovation – from medicines R&D to health equity, and artificial intelligence to health geopolitics.

💰 Sales Development Manager, Bioinformatics APIS Assay Technologies Ltd: This contract development company are on the hunt for candidates to support the growth of their bioinformatics services portfolio. If you’re an experienced salesman on the lookout for a new role, this could be the perfect position for you.

🧑‍🔬 Computational Biology Data Scientist The University of Liverpool: Are you keen to make a impact on patient lives using your data science expertise? Here’s a rare opportunity to join the university’s cross-disciplinary team to drive cutting-edge research within two newly launched Cystic Fibrosis Innovation Hubs.

RSVP 📆

🔬 25.03 | The Biotech Roadshow: Shaping the Future of Clinical Trials | Macclesfield: This in-person event offers a unique chance to connect with industry leaders and colleagues, and explore potential partnerships.

🇵🇱 26-27.03 | Central European BioForum 2025 | Warsaw: The conference brings together leading European industry figures contributing to the development of the biotechnological industry.

🇨🇿 20-23.03 | European Lung Cancer Congress | Prague: At this annual congress, experts in thoracic oncology will gather to discuss the latest advancements in lung cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

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

SomX is a communications and creative agency for healthcare. We are clinicians, scientists, creatives and communicators dedicated to serving our healthtech, biotech, pharma and public sector clients with services across strategy, content, PR, design, events and media production. Get in touch to learn more.