Eli Lilly and Co. pledged $35 million up front and as much as $1.6 billion-plus in potential preclinical, development and commercial milestone payments, along with mid-single to low double-digit royalties, to Lycia Therapeutics Inc. in a deal centered on the latter’s lysosomal targeting chimera, or Lytac, protein-degradation technology. Lycia’s approach targets the untapped extracellular proteome, including cell surface receptors and secreted proteins. The pair will deploy the Lytac platform to discover and develop degraders for up to five targets in Lilly’s favored areas, including immunology and pain. Lilly will be solely responsible for preclinical and clinical development and holds a worldwide license to commercialize any medicines that emerge.

Vigencell debuts on Korean Stock Exchange, raises $85M as shares slide almost 20%

Vigencell Inc., a company focused on immune cell therapy, raised ₩99.4 (US$85.17 million) through an IPO on South Korea’s Kosdaq board and plans to use the funds to drive its R&D and company operations. Seoul-based Vigencell was founded in February 2013, and the company’s focus is reflected in its name, with “Vigencell” an amalgamation of the words vitalization, genetic engineering and cell therapy.

Cardior aims to revive miRNA field with $75M series B round

DUBLIN – Cardior Pharmaceuticals GmbH has closed a €64 million (US$75 million) series B round, enabling it to move its lead micro-RNA (miRNA) inhibitor program into late-stage development in heart failure. The financing sets the stage for a potential revival of a therapeutic modality that had otherwise fallen out of favor with investors and with big pharma.

Brii’s SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing monoclonal antibody cocktail therapy positive in phase III trial

Brii Biosciences Ltd. made strides toward getting its SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing monoclonal antibody combination therapy, BRII-196/BRII-198, to market with positive interim phase III data that show high-risk outpatients may benefit from the combination therapy up to 10 days following symptom onset. The data from the phase III trial called ACTIV-2 suggest the combination could become a new COVID-19 therapeutic option. The company plans to file new drug applications for the BRII-196/BRII-198 cocktail in China and the U.S. and has been “actively communicating” with authorities about the commercialization of the cocktail therapy

Case for COVID-19 booster shots strengthens with data from J&J and UK

Johnson & Johnson has announced new data supporting use of its COVID-19 vaccine as a booster shot, after separate trial data from the U.K. showed effects of several vaccines waned after six months. J&J published interim data from two phase I/IIa studies showing a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine generated a spike in antibodies, that was ninefold higher than 28 days after the primary single-dose vaccination. Significant increases in binding antibody responses were observed in participants ages 18 to 55 and in those 65 and older who received a lower booster dose, according to the results submitted for peer review.

Mutational profiling gives clues to development, new puzzles about disease

The family trees of different cell types from different tissues and organs have been traced back to the fertilized egg that gave rise to the human body of which the cells formed a part, establishing a baseline for “normal” development and aging that could help improve understanding of the onset of disease. The research rests on a new technique in which the ancestry of a cell is established by using whole genome sequencing to analyze all the mutations it has acquired from its predecessors. Four papers appearing in Nature this week describe some of the histories encoded in those mutational profiles.

Also in the news

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