July's death of a patient in Targeted Genetics Inc.'s halted Phase I/II trial of the arthritis drug tgAAC94 shone the spotlight - unfavorably, again - on gene therapy, dragging all involved companies out for inspection. And it gave many investors an excuse to talk about China, as if many in biotech weren't already. (BioWorld Financial Watch)

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals Inc. gained additional government funding for its biodefense program with a $38.6 million grant from the U.S. Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) for the development of an RNAi drug to treat viral hemorrhagic fevers. (BioWorld Today)