The Alphafold machine learning system for predicting a protein’s structure from its amino acid sequence has been adapted to make it possible to design de novo proteins that fold in a particular way and bind to prespecified target proteins. The sister system, called Alphadesign, works by generating random strings of amino acids, using Alphafold to predict their structure, and then iteratively optimizing the design.

The U.K. Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency is reminding industry that several new regulatory requirements are in effect as of June 16, 2025, such as a postmarket surveillance rule that says manufacturers have only 15 days to report serious incidents to the agency.

CSPC Pharmaceutical Group Ltd. announced June 13 that it struck a potential $5.33 billion deal with Astrazeneca plc to develop novel preclinical small-molecule candidates using CSPC’s AI-driven drug development platform.

The U.K. government has announced the latest measures to speed up and expand clinical trials, launching Be Part of Research, a central national register where people can search and sign up to take part in studies.

Aortyx SL secured €13.8 million (US$15.9 million) in a series A funding round for its solution which treats aortic dissection. The company developed a system to repair the aortic tear, which includes a biomimetic, bioresorbable adhesive patch inserted in the aorta using an endovascular catheter and a deployer.

Newco Elkedonia SAS has raised €11 million (US$12.7 million) in a seed round, which will fund it to take a potentially first-in-class ELK-1 inhibitor into the clinic in the treatment of refractory depression. ELK-1 plays a pivotal role in neuroplasticity and in reward circuits in the brain, which when disrupted can lead to depression, addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Wandercraft SAS secured $75 million in funding in a series D round to grow its AI-powered robotics solutions. Funds will be spent on its exoskeletons, Atalante X and Eve, as well as on the industrial development and rollout of Calvin 40, its humanoid robot.

Newco Elkedonia SAS has raised €11 million (US$12.7 million) in a seed round, which will fund it to take a potentially first-in-class ELK-1 inhibitor into the clinic in the treatment of refractory depression. ELK-1 plays a pivotal role in neuroplasticity and in reward circuits in the brain, which when disrupted can lead to depression, addiction and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Three years after litigation started over technology used in an mRNA vaccine for COVID-19, Biontech SE is acquiring its adversary, Curevac NV, through an all-stock transaction valued at about $1.25 billion. The amount is lower than the $3 billion in backpay Curevac could win through the lawsuit if a low mid-single-digit royalty were awarded, Evercore ISI analysts Jon Miller and Umer Raffat said. But the legal uncertainty has weighed heavily on the company, which shed 30% of its workforce last July and sold off rights to two of its infectious disease vaccines.