Hinge Bio Inc. has obtained IND approval from the FDA to initiate a phase I study of HB-2198 in patients with the B cell-mediated autoimmune diseases systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and lupus nephritis. The trial is expected to open this quarter.
With $70 million in hand, Excellergy Inc. is ready to advance its lead candidate for allergic diseases into clinical trials. The series A round was led by Samsara Biocapital with co-investments from Red Tree Venture Capital and Decheng Capital.
Eight years after Novartis AG gained U.S. FDA approval of the first CAR T therapy, Kymriah (tisagenlecleucel), for B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, developers are advancing prospects that could significantly impact another disease space outside of cancer – autoimmunity. The efforts are getting a swirl of attention, with Bristol Myers Squibb Co. (BMS) announcing Oct. 10 that it would offer $1.5 billion in cash to buy three-year-old privately held Orbital Therapeutics Inc., including its lead, next-generation CAR T-cell therapy OTX-201, which is designed to reprogram cells in vivo for autoimmune diseases.
Japan’s investor community is ramping up both inbound and outbound investment to create a cross-border fertile hub of innovation in Japan, investors said during a panel discussion at Bio Japan 2025 held in Yokohama Oct. 8 to 10.
Nilo Therapeutics Inc. has launched with a $101 million series A financing and a focus on harnessing neural circuits to restore immune homeostasis in disease.
Tessera Therapeutics Inc. has been awarded up to $41.3 million from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) as part of its EMBODY (Engineering of immune cells inside the body) program to support the development of Tessera’s in vivo CAR T therapy efforts.
Glycovax Pharma Inc. has entered into a strategic collaboration with the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) and the Université de Montréal to develop a glycoconjugate vaccine against Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections, with expected utility for patients with cystic fibrosis and hospitalized individuals at risk of nosocomial infections.
The transition from complex and costly ex vivo strategies to platforms that enable direct cellular intervention within the body, known as in vivo therapies, is marking a paradigm change in the field of gene and cell therapies by simplifying manufacturing, improving tissue targeting and expanding clinical access to treatments.
Bio Japan 2025 was abuzz with the news that Japan has once again snagged the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, with Shimon Sakaguchi winning for his discovery of a subtype of CD4-expressing T cells that affect the immune response. Earlier today, Susumu Kitagawa snatched the second Nobel Prize for Japan, this time in chemistry. Both Nobel Prize winners were professors at Kyoto University.
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