A trio of European cancer vaccine specialists have filed progress reports, with advances in technology and targeting, fresh infusions of cash, and off-the-shelf products moving into the clinic. Six years on from its formation, Ervimmune closed a series A at €17 million (US$19.9 million) to drive forward clinical development of lead program Ervac-01. Accession Therapeutics Ltd. raised a further £30.5 million (US$40.4 million) from its existing investors, following dosing of four patients with Trocept-01. And Infinitopes Ltd. added $15.4 million to its seed round, as it finalizes preparations for a phase I/IIa trial of the lead product ITOP-1.

Biopharma financing values have shown quarterly volatility over the past decade, with surges often concentrated in specific quarters rather than evenly distributed throughout the year.

Neuropsychiatry specialist, Exciva GmbH raised €51 million (US$59.9 million) in a series B round to fund a phase II/III trial of Deraphan, a combination therapy for treating agitation in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.

Rakuten Medical Inc. raised $100 million in a series F round to support late-stage clinical development of ASP-1929, its Alluminox-derived photoimmunotherapy being tested with Keytruda (pembrolizumab) as a first-line treatment for recurrent head and neck cancer.

As the momentum and interest in brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies continue to accelerate, Merge Labs has emerged with an investment from OpenAI in its seed round. Merge Labs says it plans to develop next-generation BCIs capable of interacting with the brain at high bandwidth, integrating with advanced AI, and doing so in ways that are safe and accessible to everyone.