Acurastem Inc. has received a two-year research grant from Target ALS to advance therapeutics targeting SYF2, a recently identified regulator of TDP-43 function. TDP-43 dysfunction is a central biological hallmark of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

CARB-X is awarding $1.2 million to the Andrew G. Myers research group at Harvard University to develop enhanced antibiotics that target multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacterial pathogens, including Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae, to treat urinary tract infections, pneumonia and bloodstream infections.

Antiverse Ltd. has announced the close of a $9.3 million series A financing. The funding will support expansion of the company’s proprietary AI antibody design platform, accelerate development of its internal therapeutic pipeline, and advance lead antibody programs toward in vivo efficacy studies.

Breezebio Inc., formerly known as Genedit Inc., has closed $60 million in series B financing to advance its first internal therapeutic programs toward the clinic and to continue expansion of the company’s Nanogalaxy delivery platform.

Slate Medicines Inc. has launched with $130 million in series A financing and a focus on advancing next-generation therapeutics for migraine and other headache disorders.

Centauri Therapeutics Ltd. has extended its series A financing round to £30 million (US$40.5 million) with the addition of a new £6 million (US$8 million) investment. Centauri initially closed its £24 million (US$32 million) series A round in 2022.

At a time of global transition for life sciences, with China stepping up the pace of innovation and the U.S. adopting protectionist policies, the health innovation region in Catalonia, Spain, is emerging as one of the most dynamic hubs in Europe. Last year, the region, centered on Barcelona, saw growth of 8.3% over 2024, and there are now 1,650 companies, including 423 biotechs, 259 digital health specialists and 238 med techs.

Lario Therapeutics Ltd. has received a total of $2.4 million in grant funding from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) and Wellcome to support the continued expansion of its neuronal calcium channel drug discovery platform. The funding provides validation of Lario’s work on selective small-molecule inhibitors of voltage-gated neuronal calcium channels.

Gelmedix Inc. has completed a $13 million seed financing to support progression of the company’s lead program, GMX-101, a retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell therapy to treat late-stage geographic atrophy.

Beactica Therapeutics AB, together with researchers at KU Leuven, has been awarded a €2.5 million (US$3.0 million) grant by the European Innovation Council (EIC) to advance BEA-17, a precision immune therapy for glioblastoma.