A new multi-omics approach to unpicking how noncoding gene variants influence the development of common chronic diseases has identified tens of thousands of instances where variants have an impact on gene expression levels and gene splicing, the post-transcriptional modification that allows one gene to code for multiple proteins.

Relief Srl raised more than €1 million (US$1.08 million) in financing for Urorelief, its endourethral medical device which treats stress urinary incontinence. The Italian startup will use the funds to conduct clinical trials to validate the device as it looks to transform the lives of men and women suffering from the condition.

Trimtech Therapeutics closed a £25 million (US$31 million) oversubscribed seed funding round to advance its targeted protein degradation treatments for neurodegenerative and inflammatory diseases.

Persica Pharmaceuticals Ltd. has delivered positive 12-month follow-up data from its phase Ib study of PP-353, an injectable antibiotic for treating chronic lower back pain, and is now looking for a partner and further financing to take the product into phase III development.

Jazz Pharmaceuticals plc is buying Chimerix Inc. for $8.55 a share in cash, bringing the deal in at about $935 million. Jazz expands its cancer pipeline with the new acquisition’s lead candidate, dordaviprone, a small molecule for treating a rare, aggressive glioma that’s often found in children and young adults.

Sofinnova Partners raised a whopping €1.2 billion (US$1.26 billion) over the past year to invest in life sciences companies ranging from incubation to later-stage growth, and spanning biotech, med tech, industrial biotech and digital medicine.

The U.K. has released a huge repository of children’s genomic data after sequencing blood samples from three large cohorts recruited at birth and followed across three decades. The power of the data is amplified by the large volume of longitudinal health information, biological samples and responses to surveys and questionnaires that has been provided by participating families. Before this, large-scale publicly available genome sequences were limited to adult cohorts, and the only childhood genome sequence data was from children with rare diseases.

The U.K. has released a huge repository of children’s genomic data after sequencing blood samples from three large cohorts recruited at birth and followed across three decades. The power of the data is amplified by the large volume of longitudinal health information, biological samples and responses to surveys and questionnaires that has been provided by participating families.

Sofinnova Partners raised a whopping €1.2 billion (US$1.26 billion) over the past year to invest in life sciences companies ranging from incubation to later-stage growth, and spanning biotech, med tech, industrial biotech and digital medicine.

Abbvie Inc. is buying into the obesity fray in a potential $1.875 billion development and commercialization agreement with Danish peptide drug discovery specialist Gubra A/S. In addition, there will be a $350 million up-front payment as Abbvie takes over the reins of GUB-014295 (referred to as Gubamy), a long-acting analog of the satiety hormone amylin, currently in phase I development.