Nvision raised $55 million in a series B financing round led by Abbott Laboratories for its quantum-enhanced sensing platform, Polaris, which uses quantum technology to boost the MRI signal of sugar-based imaging agents to enable real-time measurement of metabolism on standard MRI systems. Sella Brosh, CEO and co-founder of Nvision told BioWorld that the funds are extremely important as the company is scaling the Polaris systems to many more sites worldwide, which is a capital intensive process.

Daewoong nabs Innovo’s preclinical IBD asset in ₩663B deal

Daewoong Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd. secured an exclusive license to Innovo Therapeutics Inc.’s INV-008, a novel oral 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH) inhibitor for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), through a potential ₩662.5 billion (US$443.6 million) deal. Under the terms signed May 12, Daewoong agreed to pay Innovo ₩6.5 billion up front and up to ₩656 billion in milestone payments, plus royalties, to lead global clinical development and commercialization of the asset. Payment terms disclosed on the Korea Exchange included up to ₩19 billion in development milestones, ₩207 billion in regulatory milestones and ₩430 billion in sales milestones. The total amount excluded up to ₩1 billion used to support clinical trials, according to the securities filing. INV-008 is a small-molecule drug designed to inhibit 15-PGDH, the enzyme responsible for degrading prostaglandin E2, known as a key mediator of intestinal tissue regeneration.

Life sciences sweet opportunity in US-China talks

Of all the issues that could be on the table at this week’s talks between U.S. President Donald Trump and China President Xi Jinping, the life sciences sector is the “sweet spot” for collaboration between the two countries in a way that would benefit the world, Sen. Thom Tillis said in advance of the two-day summit that starts tomorrow. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., agreed. “Just think what an impact that would have on the world,” she said. However, both senators stressed the need for the administration to be “clear-eyed” about China’s current practices, such as mandatory tech transfers and trade secret theft, that disadvantage U.S. biopharma and med-tech companies.

Lilly’s takeover of Ventyx in rear view, NLRP3 research promises more ahead

The buyout of Ventyx Biosciences Inc. by Eli Lilly and Co. for $1.2 billion at the start of the year put more eyeballs on industry as well as scientific research into NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inhibitor research. Drug development work has been underway for decades and seems to be heating up as more recent headlines appear in the space. Among the NLRP3 names in play are Bioage Labs Inc. and Neumora Therapeutics Inc., plus a handful of privately held firms. 

ASGCT 2026: Circular RNA, the new beast in gene and cell therapy

Circular RNA (circRNA) is not a new concept, but it is a novel strategy in the field of gene and cell therapy. While mRNA vaccines have revolutionized medicine, this RNA fragment without free ends surpasses their performance in both efficacy and durability, bringing it to the attention of several pioneering companies. Some are developing it as a gene therapy modality, while others are attempting to incorporate it into the design of in vivo CAR T cells. The latest advances in circRNA presented at the 29th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT), held in Boston from May 11-16, 2026, clearly surpass the performance achieved with linear mRNA. “With our system, we have shown about 75 times longer half-life in vivo, which is very substantial when you compare it to the short transient mRNA. One of the biggest hurdles for making the COVID vaccines eventually successful was this short durability of mRNA. It is broken down so fast that it has to be heavily modified. Circular RNA naturally solves this challenge,” Erik Digman Wiklund told BioWorld.

Tracking hantavirus across the globe

The recent hantavirus outbreak aboard the MV Hondius cruise ship has brought increased attention to an infection for which there are no widely available or FDA-approved therapeutics or vaccines, with limited research occurring only at the earliest stages. The rare Andes strain identified in the outbreak is known for human-to-human transmission, although the original infection comes from rodents. While hantavirus does not spread as easily as an infection like COVID-19, the mortality rate, at 30% to 40%, is significantly greater, and serves as another example as to why biopharmas must be at least two steps ahead with technology that can pivot to quickly address the spread of infectious diseases. Read BioWorld’s ongoing coverage of the current hantavirus outbreak.

Also in the news

Abcellera, AC Immune, Achieve Life Sciences, Agios, Alkermes, Alnylam, Aop Health, Ap, Aquestive, Astrazeneca, Astronautx, Bayesian, Blossomhill, Boehringer Ingelheim, Brainomix, Braveheart, Brightgene, Cerevance, Chiesi, Collegium, Corium, Coya, Cytokinetics, Daré, Delos, Durin, Ektah, Eli Lilly, Enterome, Enterprise, Exciva, Exero, Hengrui, Humacyte, Impetis, Infex, Infinitopes, Insilico, Miach, Mink, Moleculin, Neurovision, Neuwire, Novo Nordisk, Pharvaris, Prognomiq, Qiagen, Ribo, Roche, Viking, Vistagen, Vyome