#82 - Facial firsts, follicle fixes & period-powered cancer probes

The coffee break biotech roundup, by SomX.

Greetings,

Dodo’s overdue for a haircut, and biotech seems to be reaching for the scissors, too. Faces are being rebuilt nerve by nerve, hair loss finally gets serious capital for regrowth, menstrual blood offers an easier way to screen for cancer, GSK is trimming its R&D workforce, and Europe sharpens its regulatory tools to stop clinical trials being cut from the continent.

See you at the next appointment,

Dodo

Discover 🔍

🤯 Woman receives first face transplant from assisted death donor (The Times): The plot of Face/Off became reality this week as Spain carried out the world’s first facial transplant from a woman who chose assisted dying. At Barcelona’s Vall d’Hebron hospital, a 100-specialist team restored Carme’s face after a devastating flesh-eating infection. The procedure transplanted skin, muscle, nerves, and bone from a donor who gave explicit consent before ending her life under Spain’s assisted dying law.

Our take: Advanced 3D modelling has enabled remarkable precision in bone and muscle matching for Carme’s transplant, the likes of which we haven’t seen before in traditional transplants. However, long-term data on immunosuppression risks remain sparse for recipients with prior flesh-eating infections versus trauma cases. This brings about the urgent need for longitudinal clinical trials to track rejection rates, nerve regeneration, and functional outcomes.

🧑‍🦲 Baldness Biotech Veradermics prices $256M IPO for pivotal tests of pill for hair loss (Med City): Help is finally at hand for the Vin Diesels of this world. Baldness biotech Veradermics’s lead candidate, VDPHL01, turns the active ingredient in Rogaine into an oral, extended-release pill designed to deliver lasting results without heart risk. The company saw its shares more than double on debut, at $34 per share, going above and beyond their original $14–$16 target – a clear vote of confidence from investors.

Our take: Hair loss R&D has languished due to its lack of glamour, despite affecting 80M patients. Veradermics' IPO represents the first major non-hormonal innovation in hair loss treatment since finasteride's 1997 approval. If pivotal studies show that a controlled‑dose minoxidil pill improves adherence and long‑term safety, Veradermics could end up defining a new regulatory standard for systemic hair‑loss therapies. This could spell financial trouble for toupee salesmen everywhere.

🩸 Period blood test could offer less invasive alternative to cervical screening (BBC News): Women’s time of the month could hold the key to cancer diagnosis. Chinese researchers behind a BMJ report tested menstrual blood collected discreetly on sanitary pads, proving it nearly matches clinical HPV detection accuracy. With a third of UK women failing to attend appointments due to the pain and intrusion, this offers a private, pain-free, at-home option. It could make life-saving tests as routine as a monthly cycle.

Our take: While not a replacement for cervical screening, the test could cut the number of people avoiding invasive speculum exams and improve health equity. Menstrual blood collection bypasses clinic infrastructure entirely, enabling scalable at-home screening via mail-back kits processed in centralised labs, which could decentralise NHS cervical screening programs and reduce reliance on overstretched GP practices amid workforce shortages.

🪓 GSK plans to lay off up to 350 R&D workers across US, UK (Fierce Pharma): The figures currently stand at <50 in the UK and <70 in the US from its 12,000-strong R&D workforce, but could be more. The company says it’s reallocating resources whilst investing in technology to drive productivity. GSK invested £6.4B in R&D in 2024 and plans for $30B in the US R&D and supply chain infrastructure over 5 years. The cuts appear part of an ongoing initiative predating new CEO Luke Miels’ January appointment.

Our take: Calling this a reallocation whilst “investing in technology to maximise productivity,” likely means automation is replacing headcount. With R&D spending up 90% since 2016, but workforce numbers aren’t following, means the money’s presumably flowing into AI, software, and lab equipment rather than salaries. This is what productivity gains look like in pharma R&D – fewer scientists per discovery program, more computational infrastructure.

And finally…

🏆 Proposed Biotech act would help EU win more trials, says EMA (BioXconomy): The Act promises to slash clinical review timelines from 106 to 75 days in the hopes of reclaiming Europe’s competitive edge in drug development. Under the legislation, substantial modification assessments drop from 96 to 47 days, with ATMP extensions eliminated, and risk-proportionate regulations to minimise administrative burdens. The Act also contains a series of initiatives to strengthen the EU’s biotech ecosystem.

Our take: Europe hopes to reverse the curious case of biotech brain drain. Current trial reviews are dwarfed by the US’s 30-day INDs. Faced with economic decline, Europe can’t afford to spectate while the US pours $52B+ into semiconductor tech, and Asia builds manufacturing dominance. Faster approvals aim to reverse Europe’s 12% share of global trials (down from 22% since 2013), but unlocking scale requires addressing the venture gaps in late-stage development.

Tune in 🎧

💡 Building a smart oncology pipeline with Cumulus Oncology: Drawing on 25 years in oncology drug development, Dr. Clare Wareing unpacks her journey from scientist to CEO and how Cumulus Oncology is redefining cancer drug discovery.

🎩 BoB@JPM: Brian Hilberdink, Boehringer Ingelheim: Brian returns to discuss new frontiers in obesity treatment, how private ownership fuels early‑stage innovation, and Boehringer’s evolving deal‑making and AI‑driven commercialisation strategy.

💅 Biotech in beauty products - Nicholas Brideau: This episode dives into how biotechnology is reshaping cosmetic innovation, from sustainable ingredient production to breakthroughs in AI‑enabled discovery of new actives.

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RSVP 📆

😷 11-13.02 | MedTech World Middle East 2026 | Dubai, Middle East: Global meeting point for medtech and healthtech investors, innovators, and industry leaders, offering opportunities to showcase cutting‑edge technologies.

🍻 12.02 | Biotech & Beers 2026 | Edinburgh, UK: An agenda-free networking evening hosted by Bionow, bringing together life sciences professionals for informal conversations, community building, and a drink or two.

🌎 20.02 | Biocom Global Partnering and Investor Conference | California, USA: California’s premier life science partnering event, uniting 500+ investors, CEOs, and execs from pharma, biotech, and research for deal-making, small company showcases, and insights on the latest industry trends and innovation.

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