Newco Outrun Therapeutics Ltd. has raised $10 million in a seed round to develop small-molecule E3 ubiquitin ligase inhibitors that prevent programmed protein degradation. The lead program targeting an E3 ligase that tags a tumor suppressor protein for destruction will now advance to preclinical development.

Newco Outrun Therapeutics Ltd. has raised $10 million in a seed round to develop small-molecule E3 ubiquitin ligase inhibitors that prevent programmed protein degradation. The lead program targeting an E3 ligase that tags a tumor suppressor protein for destruction will now advance to preclinical development.

Fledgling biotechnology company Automera has launched in Singapore with $16 million in series A funding to develop its autophagy-targeting chimera small molecules (AUTACs) platform technology. Automera co-founder and chief technology officer Loong Wang told BioWorld that he and his business partner, Taiyang Zhang, decided to move into the biotechnology space in 2021.

Fledgling biotechnology company Automera has launched in Singapore with $16 million in series A funding to develop its autophagy-targeting chimera small molecules (AUTACs) platform technology. Automera co-founder and chief technology officer Loong Wang told BioWorld that he and his business partner, Taiyang Zhang, decided to move into the biotechnology space in 2021.

At the end of September, C4 Therapeutics Inc. disclosed the U.S. FDA’s green light for the phase I/II trial with CFT-1946 in solid tumors, but the firm has piqued Wall Street’s interest more with another program due to face off with Bristol Myers Squibb Co. (BMS) in multiple myeloma (MM) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL).

Bristol Myers Squibb Co.'s ongoing investment in protein degradation, a field electrified by both high scientific interest and potentially big-dollar deals, expanded Oct. 4 to include a new research collaboration with Synthex Inc. Valued at up to $550 million for Synthex, plus possible royalties, the license agreement will see the pair use genetic engineering technologies to develop small-molecule degraders across multiple targets. BMS also made an up-front payment and investment in Synthex of undisclosed value.

Just weeks after signing a targeted RNA degrader deal with Arrakis Inc., Amgen Inc. has enlisted protein degrader specialist Plexium Inc. to a new deal in the high-profile field. "We're on the cusp of a new era of drug discovery, where medicines could function very differently than conventional ones do today," said Amgen's senior vice president of global research, Ray Deshaies.