#92 - Problematic proteins, AI sovereignty & predictive pregnancy puking
The coffee break biotech roundup, by SomX.
Hello, my nauseous friends,
This week’s roundup has plenty to digest: scientists are taking on “undruggable” disease proteins, pharma backs away from big biotech deals as patent cliffs loom, the UK launches a sovereign AI fund to anchor homegrown biotech talent, Spain eyes Boston for its biotech expansion, and a new study reveals genetic clues to predict severe pregnancy sickness before it strikes.
If that doesn’t settle the stomach, nothing will!
Dodo
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Discover 🔍
🤑 Biotech startup Neomorph raises $100M to crack the “undruggable” protein problem with molecular glue technology (Tech Startups): For decades, countless disease-driving proteins have been deemed “undruggable”. San Diego biotech Neomorph has raised a $100M Series B to advance molecular glue degraders – compounds that, instead of blocking a protein, bring it into contact with the cell’s natural disposal system to mark it for breakdown. Its lead programme, NEO-811, is now in Phase 1/2 for kidney cancer, with Novo Nordisk, Biogen, and AbbVie among its pharma partners.
Our take: Molecular glue degraders may be scientifically sexy, but nobody’s quite sure where they sit in the regulatory canon. These compounds don’t behave like conventional inhibitors or activators, which means the FDA’s existing frameworks don’t map cleanly onto them – and only a handful have received approval to date. NEO-811’s Phase 1/2 readouts will do more than prove the drug: they’ll help establish what the regulatory bar for this class actually looks like.
🤏 Big pharma is thinking small on deals. That’s a boon for biotech (WSJ): Pharma’s appetite for biotech is stronger than ever, but it’s practising portion control. After an era of megadeals like AbbVie–Allergan and Pfizer–Seagen, pharma is now favouring “bolt-ons”: smaller, strategic acquisitions in the low billions. With nearly half of Big Pharma’s $700B annual revenue facing patent cliffs by 2031, deal sizes may be trimmed – but 2026 is on pace for a record number of them.
Our take: For small and mid-cap biotechs, this is the environment that matters: more acquirers, reasonable valuations, and capital flowing back through the ecosystem rather than pooling in one place. But with a hefty chunk of Big Pharma’s income expiring alongside its patents, it’s clear that its pipelines need refilling. The interesting question is whether pharma will maintain its current discipline as that 2031 deadline approaches, or whether desperation will drive it back to the megadeal.
🤖 AI firms pioneering drug discovery, cheaper supercomputing, and more get first backing through UK’s Sovereign AI (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology): The UK has decided it doesn’t want to just use AI, it wants to own it. Enter Sovereign AI, a £500M state-backed, VC-style unit designed to anchor the country’s most promising AI startups – and their economic value – on British soil. First cheque goes to AI infrastructure startup Callosum, with biotechs Twig Bio and Prima Mente among six further companies receiving supercomputing access, visa fast-tracks, and early access to government procurement.
Our take: This is the state playing venture capitalist – and rather enjoying it! Several of these companies already have US operations, so the question Sovereign AI is really trying to answer isn’t whether founders stay in the UK, but whether the economic value they create does. By bundling capital, compute, talent access, and state leverage (and taking right of first refusal on future funding rounds), the UK is betting it can keep the economic upside – jobs, tax revenue, and strategic capability – here, rather than abroad.
🇪🇸 Spain sets up Boston-focused VC fund with goal of raising $200M for biotechs (Fierce Biotech): Spain is taking its biotech ambitions overseas. Backed by $57M from the Spanish government, the new VC fund will let private investors help Spanish drug developers tap into Boston’s world‑class life sciences ecosystem. The initiative will also establish Spain’s eighth US trade office in Boston and encourage joint R&D and co‑investment projects.
Our take: Boston is sitting on 28% lab vacancy rates and 4,600 job losses, and Spain – whose economy grew 2.8% last year – has clearly been paying attention, moving in precisely when Boston is vulnerable. The deeper ambition (one suspects) is to embed Spanish biotechs into Boston’s infrastructure before they get absorbed by it, reversing the age-old story of promising European companies lost to US acquisition.
And finally…
🫄 Pregnancy sickness study identifies new genetic links (GEN): USC scientists have identified ten genes linked to hyperemesis gravidarum (HG), the severe pregnancy sickness that hospitalises 2% of women – six of them previously unknown. The team previously established that HG is driven by hypersensitivity to GDF15, a hormone that surges in early pregnancy. Their latest multi-ancestry GWAS of over 10,000 cases points to appetite, insulin signalling, and brain plasticity as further mechanisms.
Our take: Zofran, the most effective current treatment, still fails around half of patients – and severe cases can lead to pregnancy termination, depression, and lasting maternal morbidity. Genetic screening before pregnancy could change that calculus entirely, identifying hypersensitive women before symptoms strike rather than after. For a condition dismissed as psychological for decades, prevention (rather than damage control) would be a small mercy.
Tune in 🎧
💊 Biosimilars and complex medicines for all with RNA therapeutics’ Sarfaraz Niazi, PhD: Dr. Niazi unpacks how US biosimilar regulation evolved from early FDA hesitation to citizen petitions and landmark lawsuits.
💩 Tuning, rather than blocking, immunity in IBD: CEO Marc de Garidel traces a drug's unlikely journey – from a shelved HIV candidate to a late-stage IBD treatment offering longer-lasting remission.
🦠 Multi-agent AI delivers reliable and scalable insights for single-cell omics: Parashar Dhapola, co-founder and CEO of Nygen Analytics, on how advanced algorithms are changing the analysis of millions of cells in real time.
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🥼 Department Lead Scientific Communications, BioNTech: Ready to shape how cutting-edge science reaches the world? Build and lead a global team overseeing publications, data strategy, and scientific storytelling across BioNTech’s portfolio – from early development through to commercialisation.
🧑⚕️ Manager - Life Sciences and Healthcare, Sia: Deep knowledge of EU and UK grant ecosystems? Lead strategy, capture, and delivery of public and philanthropic funding across programmes including Horizon Europe, HERA, Innovate UK, and Wellcome.
🧬 Territory Account Manager, Illumina: Passionate about genomics and business growth? Expand Illumina’s portfolio across hospitals, universities, and biopharma clients, driving account growth and identifying new opportunities.
RSVP 📆
🌱 21.04 | BioSolutions UK | London, UK: Hosted by the BIA, this London event brings together startups, investors, and policymakers to explore how engineering biology is shaping the future bioeconomy.
🏥 28.04 | The Future of Prevention: Who Pays, Who Delivers, Who Benefits? | London, UK: A closed-door forum bringing together senior NHS, government, healthtech, and employer leaders to tackle the UK’s prevention agenda – from funding models to delivery at scale. Hosted by SomX (that’s us!) and Neko Health.
🇰🇷 29.04 | Bio Korea 2026 | Seoul, South Korea: One of Asia’s leading life sciences gatherings, bringing together biopharma, biotech, and healthtech leaders for partnering, investment, and industry dialogue.
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