Directed evolution has become a central pillar in gene therapy. This engineering strategy enables the generation of more efficient variants of genetic editors and delivery vectors. Molecular diversification methods are increasingly sophisticated and are now accelerated by machine learning and AI tools, as showcased at the 29th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGCT) held in Boston this week.

Curacle Co. Ltd. inked a potential $1.07 billion deal with U.S.-based “newco” Memento Medicines on May 10, granting the latter exclusive global rights to develop and commercialize preclinical TIE2/VEGF-directed bispecific antibody MT-103 for retinal disorders.

In its first substantial M&A transaction since 2021, Bayer AG is buying Perfuse Therapeutics Inc., a firm that has operated quietly, though it reported positive midstage data last year for PER-001, an endothelin antagonist, in glaucoma and diabetic retinopathy.

The classic origin story for a biotech startup is that of a scientist who nurtures his work out of a university and to commercial success. For Link Biologics Ltd. and its TSG6-based pipeline, the story is the other way around; it began with now-CEO Reuben Dawkins meeting University of Manchester scientists Tony Day and Caroline Milner while he was on the lookout for “great science that needs help to make it to patients.” The three are now co-founders of Link, which spun out of the University of Manchester in 2021 and has four programs in three indications, all based on TSG-6 biology.

Top-line data from the Reveal-2 phase III trial of elegrobart to treat chronic thyroid eye disease (TED) drove Viridian Therapeutics Inc.’s stock up by 33.6%, positioning the company for a BLA filing in the first quarter of 2027. The trial met both primary endpoints at week 24: proptosis responder rate, as measured by exophthalmometry, required for a filing with the U.S. FDA; and the overall responder rate, required for an EMA filing. Doses every four weeks or every eight weeks achieved 50% and 54% PRR, respectively, compared to 15% for placebo. The doses also achieved 47% and 54% ORR vs. 15% for placebo. ORR included those with both proptosis and Clinical Activity Score response, defined as no worsening from baseline in the study eye, without deterioration in the fellow eye.

Sun Pharmaceuticals Industries Ltd. will pay $11.75 billion cash to acquire Organon & Co. The transaction is expected to close in early 2027. The addition of Organon’s women’s health products, legacy drug brands and biosimilars are expected to boost Mumbai, India-based Sun’s global reach. The all-cash buy is also expected to relieve Jersey City, N.J.-based Organon of an $8.6 billion debt pile, accumulated after its debt-laden 2021 spinout from Merck & Co. Inc.

The first fully robot-assisted cataract surgery recently performed using Forsight Robotics Ltd.’s Jasper platform was not only a “transformative” event and a major “milestone” for the company, but also a “huge step forward for the industry,” Joseph Nathan, co-founder, president and chief medical officer, told BioWorld. With one in two people globally needing cataract surgery and unable to get access to care, robot-assisted platforms hold the potential to increase surgical throughput and broaden access to treatment.

Revenio Group Oyj has agreed to acquire ophthalmic diagnostics company Visionix International SAS for an enterprise value of €290 million (US$339 million) as it looks to become a leading player in the global eye care market. The deal expands Revenio’s offering with a highly complementary product and software portfolio, including optical coherence tomography equipment, an important and growing segment which is new to the company.

Armed with a fully subscribed $80 million series D round, Life Biosciences Inc. is making progress with its lead candidate, ER-100, which is in phase I trials testing its theory on reversing the biological effects of aging via partial epigenetic reprogramming.

As advances are made by bustling drug developers at work in the Wingless-related integration site (Wnt) pathway, other research is yielding new discoveries as well. Among the closely watched industry players in Wnt are Boehringer Ingelheim GmbH, Merck & Co. Inc., and Surrozen Inc.