Researchers have uncovered a new pathway via which cancer cells evade the effects of radiation by deploying self-inflicted – but reversible – DNA breaks to stop the cell cycle and ensure their survival. The lesions are caused by caspase-activated DNase (CAD), an enzyme involved in DNA fragmentation during cell death. In response to radiation, tumor cells activate CAD, causing genome-wide DNA breaks at sites involved in DNA repair.

Dragonfly Therapeutics Inc. added Gilead Sciences Inc. to its roster of partnerships in a deal that gives the Waltham, Mass.-based company $300 million up front, with opt-in payments, milestones and up to 20% royalties down the road. In exchange Foster City, Calif.-based Gilead gets exclusive, worldwide rights to DF-7001, a preclinical-stage immunotherapy, as well as rights to additional NK cell engager programs generated by Dragonfly’s TriNKET (Trispecific NK Engager) platform.

The latest in a spate of draft and final guidances released recently by the U.S. FDA could help sponsors developing drugs to treat early stage solid tumor malignancies. 

After raising $17 million in seed funding, immunotherapy-focused biotech company, LTZ Therapeutics Inc., is announcing plans for the fledgling company whose acronym stands for “Lift to Zenith.” CEO and co-founder Robert Li told BioWorld that the company’s three-tiered immunotherapy platform will focus on reducing immunosuppression, reprogramming innate immunity and modulating adaptive immunity.

For Kevin Friedman, the secret to making newly emergent Kelonia Therapeutics Inc. a success is reducing complexity and keeping everything as simple as possible. The Boston-based company just raised $50 million in series A funding to further its development of genetic medicines encompassing a range of diseases.