Compared to other forms of prevention, a unique issue for pandemic preparedness is that it is forever unclear what pathogen, exactly, the world needs to be prepared for. There are an estimated 300,000 viruses that infect mammals; add in birds, and the estimate grows to more than half a million. Some of those viruses are much greater threats than others.

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.

Tribune Therapeutics AB has raised €37 million (US$40 million) in seed and series A funding to advance a portfolio of therapies targeting central drivers of scar tissue formation.

Several lung conditions, such as acute lung injury, require the targeted delivery of pharmacological agents to the lower lung. However, the administration of complex biologics, such as anti-inflammatory cytokine mRNA, to the injury site in the lower lungs is particularly challenging, frequently leading to poor specificity and uneven distribution.

Researchers from Shanghai Jiao Tong University and affiliated organizations have published their findings from studies that aimed to investigate the pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and identify novel regulators of the disease.