Galux closed a ₩42 billion (US$29 million) series B round Feb. 10, led by Yuanta Investment to bring AI-driven “rational design” to the protein drug development process, already heavily influenced by human engineering.

Zhejiang Difference Biological Technology Co. Ltd. (Diff Biotech)’s proprietary nasal spray influenza attenuated live vaccine, DIFF-flu, has received clinical trial approval from China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA).

Galux closed a ₩42 billion (US$29 million) series B round Feb. 10, led by Yuanta Investment to bring AI-driven “rational design” to the protein drug development process, already heavily influenced by human engineering. 

As its GLP-1 rival goes after compounders, Eli Lilly and Co. started the week with news beyond its diabetes and obesity franchise. The company, which disclosed a new agreement with Innovent Biologics Ltd., followed up a short time later with plans to acquire Orna Therapeutics Inc., marking its latest foray in the in vivo therapy space.

The scale of the $8.5 billion deal signed between Innovent Biologics Inc. and Eli Lilly and Co. is eye-catching, but the structure is the real signal. By shifting phase II oncology development to China while reserving global rights ex-greater China, the partners are testing a model that could reshape how multinational drugmakers source innovation as well as how Chinese biotechs create value.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are important regulators of immune responses upon recognition of pathogens or endogenous molecules released from damaged tissues. Among them, the endosomal TLRs TLR7 and TLR8 recognize single-stranded RNAs and share a similar structure and function.

Delonix Bioworks Ltd. has obtained IND clearance from China’s National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) for its group B meningococcal (MenB) vaccine candidate, DX-104. This follows the successful completion last month of clinical trial notification (CTN) procedures and ethics committee approval in Australia.

Beijing Innocare Pharma Tech Co. Ltd. has gained IND clearance in China to conduct clinical trials of ICP-538, an orally administered molecular glue degrader targeting VAV1, which is a key protein downstream of T-cell and B-cell receptors. ICP-538 is being studied for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease, systemic lupus erythematosus and multiple sclerosis.

The neural and neuroimmune mechanisms behind myocardial infarction-triggered cardiac events, immune responses and activation of the nervous system remain largely unexplored. The heart and the brain talk to each other in what is known as cardioception. This communication between the two organs is orchestrated through neurons of the vagus nerve or the dorsal root ganglia, among others. Researchers from the University of California, San Diego have now shown that the dynamics of these interactions may play a crucial role in modulating inflammation, repair and cardiac functioning.

Scientists at Ghent University have created a mouse model that incorporates human versions of the receptors that recognize the fragment crystallizable region of immunoglobulin G, one of the most abundant antibodies in the blood and a key mediator of essential immune functions such as cellular activation, pathogen elimination and the regulation of inflammatory responses.