As "one of the innate immune pathways that gets triggered post-viral infection," RIG-1 – which stands for retinoic acid inducible gene-1 – was first investigated as a way to attack bugs, Kineta Inc.'s Chief Scientific Officer Kristin Bedard told BioWorld, and Spring Bank Pharmaceuticals Inc. lately has gained attention for its RIG-1 push in hepatitis B virus (HBV). Read More
DUBLIN – Staten Biotechnology BV could earn as much as €430 million (US$488.1 million) in up-front, R&D and milestone payments from an option and acquisition agreement with Novo Nordisk A/S involving STT-5058, its preclinical antibody-based inhibitor of apolipoprotein C III (apoC-III), which regulates blood triglyceride levels. Read More
Shares of Danish biotech Saniona AB (STOCKHOLM:SANION) closed at SEK36.65 (US$4.05) for a gain of SEK8.95 (US$.99), or 32.3 percent, Monday after partner Productos Medix S.A. de C.V. reported statistically and clinically significant weight loss for both doses of tesofensine compared to placebo in the phase III VIKING study in obesity. Medix will use the findings, which included good tolerability with a low incidence of adverse events, for filings in Mexico and Argentina, where it owns commercial rights. Read More
DUBLIN – Versant Ventures raised $700 million across two new venture capital funds to continue its early stage investing in innovative biotechnology firms. In addition to its core $600 million fund, Versant Venture Capital VII, it has also raised a $100 million companion fund, Versant Voyageurs I, which will co-invest in Canadian firms the primary fund is also backing. Read More
DUBLIN – Remynd NV raised €12 million (US$13.6 million) in a series B round that will enable it to move a first-in-class modulator of intracellular calcium levels into clinical development in Alzheimer's disease. Read More
HONG KONG – Chinese biosimilar maker Shanghai Henlius Biotech Inc. on Monday filed for an IPO on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, making it the seventh pre-profit biotech firm in the listing queue, while four have gone public. Read More
HONG KONG – South Korean tech giant LG Corp.'s life sciences arm, LG Chem Ltd., has entered an agreement to develop and commercialize Avacta Group plc's multiple affimer candidates to treat inflammatory disorders and oncology. Read More
Pulse Biosciences Inc., of Hayward, Calif., said its rights offering has closed resulting in the issuance of 3.58 million shares at $12.5658 each for gross proceeds of $45 million. Read More
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., of New York, Eisai Co. Ltd., of Tokyo, and its Cambridge, Mass.-based precision medicine research & development subsidiary H3 Biomedicine Inc., said they have entered into a multi-year research collaboration focused on evaluating whether novel therapeutics leveraging H3's RNA splicing platform can provide a more powerful response against cancer. Read More
