Earendil Labs will collaborate with Sanofi SA in a $1.8 billion license deal. Earendil, which specializes in artificial intelligence-based R&D for biologics, is getting $125 million up front and $50 million as a near-term payment. In return, Sanofi gets the exclusive global rights to the bispecific antibodies HXN-1002 and HXN-1003.
Johnson & Johnson’s Medtech division reported the completion of the first cases in the clinical trial for the Ottava robotic surgical system. The cases mark the first clinical experience with the Ottava system, which has been a long time in development.
Hightide Therapeutics Inc.’s berberine ursodeoxycholate (HTD-1801) met primary and secondary endpoints in the Symphony 1 and Symphony 2 phase III trials in type 2 diabetes in Chinese patients. Based on the data, Shenzhen-based Hightide will submit an NDA to China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) later this year.
Huons Global Co. Ltd. has described reversible H+/K+ ATPase inhibitors, particularly acid pump antagonists (APA), reported to be useful for the treatment of gastric and duodenal ulcers, gastritis, gastroesophageal reflux disease, Helicobacter pylori infection and Zollinger-Ellison syndrome.
More than a year after Ironwood Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s phase III hitch with apraglutide in short bowel syndrome, the other shoe fell from regulators as did the Boston-based firm’s shares (NASDAQ:IRWD), which ended April 14 at 64 cents, down 29 cents, or 31.5%.
The I148M mutation in the PNPLA3 gene, which encodes patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing protein 3, is known to confer risk of fatty liver, cirrhosis and hepatic inflammation, which may lead to hepatocellular carcinoma or metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH).
As it prepares to advance its lead RNA editing candidate, AIR-001, into a phase I/II trial for alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency, Airna Corp. Inc. closed an oversubscribed $155 million series B financing less than a year after completing its series A round. The company, based in Cambridge, Mass., with research operations in Tübingen, Germany, focuses not only on repairing harmful genetic variants found in rare genetic disorders, but also on introducing beneficial variants that improve health in common conditions.
Systemic Bio LLC has developed a 3D bioprinted human Vascularized Integrated Organ System (h-VIOS) platform that better recapitulates the native-like liver architecture and vascularization, integrating PHHs and non-parenchymal cells.
Pannexin 1 (PANX1) forms channels that may release signaling metabolites that are involved in a variety of pathophysiological processes, such as asthma, diabetes, hypertension or inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), among others. Inhibition of PANX1 when dysregulated has been proposed as a therapeutic approach in the treatment of IBD.
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