VST Bio Corp. has closed its series A financing designed to support the company’s work in vascular diseases with the development of first-in-class antibodies targeting edema and inflammation for patients with ischemic stroke.

Newco R1 Therapeutics Inc. has launched with an oversubscribed $77.5 million series A, providing the means to take AP-306, a potentially first-in-class hyperphosphatemia therapy through phase IIb development in patients with chronic kidney disease.

One year on from establishing the baseline on female representation in the U.K. biotech industry, the latest survey shows the “dial is stuck.” Since the first report, representation at the CEO level has crept from 18.3% to 18.7%. That is “a marginal gain that signals a plateau at a time when we need a breakthrough,” said Jane Wall, managing director of the U.K. Bioindustry Association, which compiled the statistics.

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.

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.

Third Arc Bio Inc. has closed a $52 million series A extension to advance its pipeline of multifunctional antibodies for a range of oncology and immunology & inflammation (I&I) indications.

Ervimmune SAS has announced the first closing of its series A financing with €17 million ($19.8 million) raised to advance ErVac-01, Ervimmune’s lead candidate, into the clinic and through a first-in-human trial.

After raising AU$29 million (US$19.44 million) in a series A round, Rage Biotech Pty Ltd. is beginning phase I trials of its lead candidate, RB-042, an inhaled splice-switching oligonucleotide for treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other inflammatory lung diseases.

After raising AU$29 million (US$19.44 million) in a series A round, Rage Biotech Pty Ltd. is beginning phase I trials of its lead candidate, RB-042, an inhaled splice-switching oligonucleotide for treating chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other inflammatory lung diseases.