Newco ALTx Therapeutics Ltd. has launched with a £12.55 million (US$17.1 million) seed round to develop inhibitors of the alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) pathway, by which 10% to 15% of cancers become immortal. The company is based on the research of Simon Boulton, an expert in DNA damage repair who previously was involved in the research into poly (ADP-ribose polymerase) (PARP) enzymes that led on to the approval of the first PARP inhibitor, Astrazeneca plc’s Lynparza (olaparib). Following this, Boulton was co-founder in 2016 of another DNA damage response specialist, Artios Pharma Ltd., and for the past 10 years has led the Double Strand Break repair lab at the Francis Crick Institute in London, from where ALTx is spinning out.

Eikon’s $381M raise represents largest IPO in two years

Pricing the third and largest biopharma IPO of 2026, Eikon Therapeutics Inc. raised $381 million in an upsized offering of 21.18 million shares of common stock at $18 each, the high point of its price range. Eikon’s shares (NASDAQ:EIKN) fell by 99 cents to $17.01 in early trading Feb. 5. If the overallotment option is exercised in full, the amount raised by Eikon could rise to $438 million, which, according to BioWorld data, would be within the top 10 of traditional biopharma company IPOs conducted on U.S. markets to date. Even without the overallotment option, Eikon’s IPO is the largest traditional biopharma IPO conducted on U.S. markets since CG Oncology Inc. raised $437 million in January 2024. Total U.S. biopharma IPO proceeds for the year have now reached $1 billion.

Newco news: Vibrant aims to tame EGFR tumors with masked TCEs

After raising $61 million in a series B round, Vibrant Therapeutics Inc. is gearing up to begin a U.S. phase I trial with its lead program, VIB-305, a masked T-cell engager (TCE) for treating EGFR-positive solid tumors. Vibrant’s core focus is using a logic-gated, computationally driven design platform to create safer, more precise immunotherapies, starting with masked TCEs for solid tumors, an area where such immunotherapies have struggled due to on-target, off-tumor toxicity and narrow therapeutic windows.

Unburdening the past, HELPing NIH advance the future

In keeping with the congressional practice of passing major NIH reform legislation every 10 years, the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee took the first step this week in looking at what can be for the NIH while unburdening it from what has been over the past few years. Opening a committee hearing on modernizing the NIH, HELP Chair Bill Cassidy, R-La., reminded members that Congress had passed historic legislation accelerating large-scale research in 2006 and again in 2016. “It’s now 2026,” he said. “It’s time for us to strengthen NIH and American leadership in biomedical research.” That will require “putting down partisan jerseys” and ensuring “taxpayer dollars go to research that helps families, not political ideology masquerading as science,” he added.

UK’s NICE recommends Abbott's Cardiomems heart failure system

The U.K.’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has recommended the use of Abbott Laboratories’ Cardiomems HF system, giving people living with heart failure an option to monitor their condition daily from home. The implantable wireless sensor could transform care for individuals with the chronic condition as it will enable them to catch early warning signs before they escalate to medical emergencies.

Cancer index surges 72% as Terns, Olema lead gains

The BioWorld Cancer Index (BCI) closed 2025 up 72.35%, led by Terns Pharmaceuticals Inc., which surged 620%, and followed by Olema Pharmaceuticals Inc. (up 329%). Olema (NASDAQ:OLMA) closed Nov. 18 at $20.14, up $11.62, or 136%, after positive phase III data from the Lidera study testing selective estrogen receptor degrader and complete estrogen receptor antagonist as an adjuvant endocrine treatment for people with ER-positive, HER2-negative, early stage breast cancer.

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Also in the news

Acarix, Adagio Medical, Aprea, Ayrmid, Balt, Biodexa, Biogen, Biolab, Biomica, Cumberland, DT Cloud Star, Entera, Evogene, Exxel, Hologic, Imbed, Immunic, Ingeneron, Invacare, Izotropic, Levicept, Lishan, Lumicell, Mercy Bioanalytics, Nodthera, Oncolytics, Opko, Otsuka, Pavmed, Pharmazz, Primegen, Providence Medical Technology, Rivus United Imaging, Spur, Stratus, T2 Biosystems, Theralase, Third Arc, Tr1x, TSC, Zevra, Zoll