A patient implanted with Cortec GmbH’s brain-computer interface (BCI) technology, Brain Interchange, demonstrated the ability to control a computer through thought alone, using the implanted device and cortical electrodes deployed to support his motor recovery following a stroke. “To our knowledge, this is the first documented case worldwide of a single implanted BCI delivering both therapeutic neuromodulation and assistive computer control in one patient with identical hardware,” Frank Desiere, CEO of Cortec, told BioWorld. “That is what distinguishes Brain Interchange from systems pursuing either therapy or communication alone.” The field of BCI is continually evolving; as such, companies are increasingly highlighting the potential of their technologies to transform care.

Lilly taps Abbisko for $1.9B discovery deal

Abbisko Therapeutics Co. Ltd. has entered a research collaboration and license agreement with Eli Lilly and Co. to discover and develop innovative medicines across multiple targets, with the aim of advancing novel drug candidates with global potential. Under the deal, Abbisko will use its AI-driven early stage drug discovery platform, R&D ecosystem, and development expertise to conduct discovery and early development activities for novel drug programs directed against disease targets selected by Lilly. In exchange, Abbisko will receive an undisclosed up-front payment and is eligible for up to $1.9 billion in development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments, plus sales-based royalties.

Lilly’s GLP-1 windfall fuels M&A land grab across 10 deals, $25B

Eli Lilly and Co. has committed $25.1 billion in headline deal value across 10 transactions in 2026, channeling cash flow from tirzepatide products Mounjaro and Zepbound into platforms spanning in vivo CAR T, gene delivery and vaccines. The largest deal, a planned $7.8 billion acquisition of Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc, gives Lilly a leading position in orexin biology and sleep-wake disorders.

Antares, Novartis pursuing undruggable cancer targets in $1.9B deal

Antares Therapeutics Inc. drew Novartis AG to the table for a potential $1.9 billion collaboration, including a $105 million up-front payment, to discover small-molecule programs against oncology targets considered to be undruggable. It’s Antares’ first partnership since spinning out of Scorpion Therapeutics Inc. about a year ago. The multitarget deal also comes with tiered royalties up to the low double-digit range for Antares on any product that makes it to market. The small Boston-based firm will lead all research efforts, involving its discovery engine, up until option exercise, after which any programs selected by Novartis will be funded and developed by the big pharma.

WHO expects to declare hantavirus outbreak over as quarantines end

The outbreak of hantavirus infection first reported on the MV Hondius cruise ship on May 2 is all but over, with most isolating passengers, crew members and other contacts leaving quarantine over the past week, as the 42-day incubation period drew to an end. On June 24, the director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said that most of 650 known contacts being followed up in 33 countries are out of quarantine. The remaining 54 are scheduled to complete quarantine by July 2. “If no further cases are reported by then, WHO will consider the outbreak to be over,” Ghebreyesus said.

Platform technology IP adds to economic challenges of vaccines

When it comes to vaccines and preparedness, platform delivery technologies can be both a boon and a barrier. On the one hand, an existing platform – be it mRNA, viral vector or some other technology – can speed development of a vaccine targeting an unexpected viral scare such as the recent Bundibugyo Ebola and Andes hantavirus outbreaks. On the other hand, the intellectual property (IP) protecting that platform adds to the economic questions smaller vaccine developers may face, Douglas Bucklin, a life sciences patent attorney with Volpe Koenig, told BioWorld.

Tissium secures €60M to advance sutureless tissue repair platform

Tissium SA secured €60 million (US$68 million) in a financing package, which includes €30 million in a series D2 round and a €30 million facility from the European Investment Bank. The funds will be used to support the company's commercial and clinical activities, as well as its pipeline development and expansion of its platform technology, which removes the need for sutures and leads to better nerve repair.

Nuvectis shares continue to rally after $1.46B Haisco deal

Nuvectis Pharma Inc.’s shares climbed further after the oncology-focused biotech nabbed select rights to a late-stage complement factor B inhibitor (HSK-39297/NXP-100) and a phase I BRAF inhibitor (HSK-42360/NXP-200) from Haisco Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd. for $40 million up front. The exclusive agreement, which has potential to reach $1.46 billion, expands Nuvectis’ oncology pipeline into complement-mediated diseases. Beijing-based Haisco is further eligible to receive up to $1.42 billion in development, regulatory and commercial milestone payments, plus tiered royalties on future net sales. News of the deal sent Fort Lee, N.J.-based Nuvectis’ shares (NASDAQ:NVCT) up 19.6%, after having risen 29% in the week leading up to the deal.

Corxel-Vincentage’s oral GLP-1 meets phase II obesity endpoints

Corxel Pharmaceuticals Ltd.’s oral small-molecule GLP-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA), CX-11, met the primary endpoints in a phase II trial evaluating the candidate in obese and overweight patients in the U.S., according to top-line results. Based on those data, as well as successful phase III results from a China trial run by partner Vincentage Pharma Co. Ltd., Corxel, of Berkeley Heights, N.J., and Shanghai, plans to advance CX-11 into a pivotal global phase III trial in weight management.

Pulmonary inflammation unveils three severe pneumonia subtypes

Molecular subtyping of disease is typically associated with cancer. Now, researchers at the University of Cambridge are applying it to infections. Some patients with severe pneumonia progress in different ways. Predicting their trajectories could help tailor treatments and prevent fatal outcomes. To do this, the scientists analyzed bronchoalveolar fluid from several patient cohorts and identified three biological pneumotypes based on which cells are present, which genes are active, and which inflammatory proteins are produced. This variability does not depend on the microorganism itself, but on the patient’s own response according to different factors. “These pneumotypes have been identified on the basis of lavage whole genome RNA sequencing,” senior author Andrew Conway Morris, associate professor of anesthesia at the University of Cambridge, told BioWorld.

Also in the news

A3P, Abbvie, Access Vascular, Alithea Genomics, Arscience, Astellas, Avalo, Axiom, Biokin, Boehringer Ingelheim, Boundless, Calico, Calidi, China Medical System, Combotope, Corxel, Cytonus, Delphi, Diasorin, Draeger, Dyne, ECM, Eli Lilly, Entact, Genetix, Gilead, Ichnos, Illumina, Imunon, Insmed, Kardigan, Lem, Ligand, Mediar, Medline, Merck, Mercury, Nicox, Northlinks, Orion, Oryn, Pfizer, Pneumagen, Portal, Quidelortho, Quoin, Rapalogix, Sangamo, Sanofi, Saturnus, Saudi Pharmaceutical, Serapha, Spotlight, Systimmune, Tango, Trimtech, US Worldmeds, Zevra