Atalanta Therapeutics Inc. has completed a $97 million series B financing to support its investigational RNA interference (RNAi) therapies for KCNT1-related epilepsy and Huntington’s disease toward IND filings this year and through clinical proof of concept.

The way the brain ages is not the same in women and men. A study in mice has observed differences in the expression of the maternal and paternal X chromosomes that could explain variation in brain aging between the sexes and a faster deterioration in some women. Another study has discovered different survival strategies in the microglial cells of females and males. Both studies highlight sex differences that could have implications for several age-related neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s.

Harness Therapeutics Ltd. has raised fresh financing to further develop its technology for upregulating the translation of mRNA into proteins, and in particular to take on a previously undruggable target in Huntington’s disease.

Lantheus Holdings Inc. is making waves in M&A with its second big deal of the month – and year – the acquisition of Evergreen Theragnostics Inc. for $250 million in cash up front and up to an additional $752.5 million in contingent payments. The transaction follows announcement of a definitive agreement to acquire Life Molecular Imaging Ltd., a subsidiary of Life Healthcare Group Holdings Ltd., on Jan. 13 for $350 million in cash at closing and a further $400 million in milestone payments.

Lifearc has announced a collaboration with Neuropeutics Inc. to develop a new small molecule for the treatment of motor neuron disease (MND), or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Neuropeutics and Lifearc intend to develop a lead candidate therapeutic to prevent and reverse TDP-43 protein aggregation in MND/ALS.

Recent transcriptomic studies indicated a connection between neuroinflammation, changes in neuroimmune responses, and the development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The microglial calcium-binding protein A9 (S100A9) showed increased circulating levels in young adults, positively correlating with autistic severity.

A U.S. Federal Claims Court judge shot down Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s accusations that the FDA disclosed the company’s trade secrets to generic competitors, finding that the trade secrets weren’t really secret or necessarily proprietary to Vanda.