A year and a half from its formation, Oblenio Bio has generated positive nonhuman primate data for LBL-051 in chronic autoimmune diseases and closed a $62 million series B to move the trispecific T-cell engager into the clinic.

RQ Biotechnology Ltd. has completed an oversubscribed $115 million (£85.5 million) series A financing to advance its long-acting antibody therapeutics for the prevention of influenza in high-risk and immunocompromised populations.

Molecular subtyping of disease is typically associated with cancer. Now, researchers at the University of Cambridge are applying it to infections. Some patients with severe pneumonia progress in different ways. Predicting their trajectories could help tailor treatments and prevent fatal outcomes. To do this, the scientists analyzed bronchoalveolar fluid from several patient cohorts and identified three biological pneumotypes based on which cells are present, which genes are active, and which inflammatory proteins are produced.

Replicate Bioscience Inc. has been awarded a new grant worth approximately $3 million from the Gates Foundation to accelerate the development of globally accessible tuberculosis (TB) vaccines using Replicate’s clinically validated self-replicating RNA (srRNA) platform.

MPM Bioimpact-spawned K2 Therapeutics Inc. inked a license deal plus option agreement, worth $980.5 million apiece, to gain ex-China rights to two of Antengene Corp. Ltd.’s preclinical anticancer bispecific T-cell engager (TCE) assets. The deal, announced June 21, will grant Singapore-based K2 exclusive rights to develop and commercialize Antengene’s ATG-106 outside of mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan.

Abera Bioscience AB has announced the decision by CEPI (Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations) to extend the ongoing project supporting the development of Abera’s BERA vaccine platform and the company’s influenza vaccine candidate. The project period has been extended until Dec. 31, 2026, with the budget unchanged.

Immunomic Therapeutics Inc. has obtained clinical trial notification (CTN) clearance from Japan’s Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) for ITI-9001, an investigational immunotherapy for Japanese red cedar allergy. The first-in-human phase I trial will begin in Japan in the second quarter.

Integrin alpha-5 (ITGA5) is a central modulator of extracellular matrix signaling and has been tied to fibrosis and tissue damage, contributing to lupus nephritis (LN) pathogenesis. A group of researchers aimed to investigate the association between ITGA5 and LN and its inhibition as a potential strategy to improve renal outcomes.

More effective glucocorticoid-sparing therapies are needed for the treatment of giant cell arteritis (GCA). Studies found that complement signaling pathways involving complement factor 5 and its receptor (C5aR1) were overexpressed, and that a C5aR1 antagonist, avacopan, reduced the need for glucocorticoids and improved renal recovery. This led researchers to investigate the association of anti-C5aR1 antibodies with GCA and its outcomes.