Jonathan Milner’s Post

Merck Invests Up to $1B in Pearl Bio's Smart Biologics: A Game-Changer in Cancer Treatment Merck has teamed up with Pearl Bio, a pioneering biotech advancing synthetic biology. Pearl Bio, backed by Khosla Ventures and boasting a stellar team led by co-founders Farren Isaacs, Ph.D., and Michael Jewett, Ph.D., is on a mission to redefine therapeutic possibilities. Through their template-directed biomaterials with tunable properties, this collaboration marks an outstanding milestone in the advancement of synthetic biology. Did that level of major pharma partnership and money entailed get you curious to learn more? “Pearl Bio is recoding life for a new era of programmable or ‘smart’ biologics.” Co-founder, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Business Officer Amy Cayne Schwartz wrote. Read more in the comments below. #biotech #innovation #cancerresearch #collaboration #syntheticbiology #healthcare #medicalinnovation #merck #pearlbio #oncology

🗞𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐅𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒 "The companies BioAge Labs, Latigo Biotherapeutics, Inc., and Neurona Therapeutics bagged the biggest private biotech #investments in February 2024. Around the world, #oncology and #drug discovery players attracted the biggest funding rounds overall. February 2024 saw fewer private biotech funding rounds take place than in January, with 25 rounds in total compared to January’s 38. However, there was still some impressive #fundraising last month, particularly coming out of North America, as the top 10 biggest rounds went to companies based in the U.S." 𝙏𝙤𝙥 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙗𝙞𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙝 𝙞𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨 𝙗𝙮 𝙡𝙤𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣: ✅North America: 17 Rounds - 1,222 ($M) ✅Europe: 7 Rounds - 100 ($M) ✅Asia/Pacific: 1 Round - 42 ($M) 👉 Full article: https://lnkd.in/eecmG3-m Source: Labiotech.eu #biotech #investment #medicines #europe #USA #asia #funding

Exciting news from Terray Therapeutics! They’ve successfully secured $120 million in their #SeriesB funding round, doubling the size of their previous raise. This investment will accelerate their mission to transform small molecule drug development using their innovative #AI platform, #tNova. With the capability to analyze over 5 billion target-ligand interactions, Terray is poised to significantly enhance the speed and success rates of #drugdiscovery. As we navigate the ‘omics’ era, this kind of innovation is crucial for translating our growing understanding of disease into effective therapies. I’m eager to see how this unfolds in the clinic! For more insights, check out the full article on Fierce Biotech. #Investment #Innovation #Healthcare

🔵🔴⚪𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝘆 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗰𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘀': 𝗖𝗮𝗽𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻 𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲𝘀 $𝟭𝟳𝟱𝗠 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘃𝗶𝘃𝗼 𝗖𝗔𝗥-𝗧 Laura Shawver pictures a world 10 years from now where cell therapies are replaced by in vivo CAR-T products. The goal is a cheaper-to-produce, less complex and more accessible cell therapy. Capstan Therapeutics, a biotechnology startup developing medicines that reprogram cells inside the body, has raised another $175 million to bring its first prospect into clinical testing. Capstan’s goal is to use messenger RNA technology to coax the body into making its own CAR-T cells. The high-profile startup, formed by a group of pioneering cell therapy and messenger RNA researchers, secured the financing from a wide range of investors led by RA Capital and including five pharmaceutical companies, it said Wednesday. Johnson & Johnson is one of Capstan’s new backers, joining existing investors Pfizer, Bristol Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly and Company and Bayer, among others. The startup has now raised $340 million since 2021.  Learn more : https://lnkd.in/eH6JKt8N #celltherapy #innovation

𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐲 𝐓𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 $7.8 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐲 2028 Download PDF Brochure @ https://lnkd.in/dbzrrHBv The global size of 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐲 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐮𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 $4.2 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 2023 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 $7.8 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐛𝐲 2028, 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐚 𝐂𝐀𝐆𝐑 𝐨𝐟 13.3% from 2023 to 2028 #NorthAmerica accounted for the largest revenue share. This is attributed to the collaborative research initiatives by #researchinstitutes and the #pharmaceutical giants. There are emerging advancements in the region through numerous collaborations. For instance, in June 2022, Immatics entered into a collaboration with Bristol Myers Squibb to develop 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐚 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐭𝐚 𝐀𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐢𝐜 𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐲 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐬. The availability of funds from government organizations significantly contributes to market growth in the #US. For instance, in January 2022, 𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐨 𝐁𝐢𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡 announced that it raised around USD 80 million through a Series A financing round from 8VC, Felicis Ventures, and other investors. The company plans to use these funds to expand access to #stemcell-derived therapies to develop the first independent human cell foundry by 2025. 𝐄𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲: Cell Therapy Technologies Centre Ltd.      Century Therapeutics, Inc     CCRM      GROW RESEARCH LABORATORY, NNF      Vidapaw      CellTech Accelerator   Cytocare Technologies Private Limited      Harvest Terumo BCT      CTGCT      Alliance for the Advancement of Cellular Therapies      3 Eyes Limited        Regen Portal

Might Reunion Neuroscience's $103M Series A mark the end of a drought in funding for private psychedelic biotechs? Aside from Lykos Therapeutics' $100M+ Series A earlier this year, we haven't seen these levels of funding for private co's since the likes of GH Research plc's $125M Series B and atai Life Sciences' $157M Series D back in 2021. It's also quite the turnaround for Reunion, which appeared to have become mired in a patent-related dispute with Mindset Pharma (acquired by Otsuka) and a challenging financial situation. And, it marks another occasion where larger funds have shown appetite to dip their toes in the psychedelic drug development niche, with Novo Holdings co-leading the round.

🚀 Very Exciting Stealth Launch! 🚀 Mirador Therapeutics, led by former Executives from Prometheus Biosciences, Inc., including Mark Mckenna, Olivier Laurent, and Allison Luo, has launched from stealth with a staggering $400 million. Based in San Diego, Mirador will focus on precision medicines for immuno-inflammatory and fibrotic diseases 💊. The funding was led by ARCH Venture Partners, with early investments from OrbiMed and Fairmount Partners, and support from an impressive lineup of further investors 💸💸 Mirador's innovative development engine, Mirador360, combines human genetics with data science to create new precision medicines. Their goal? To revolutionize treatment options for patients through accelerated and precise drug development! 🌟Exciting times lie ahead for Mirador!🌟 #PrecisionMedicine #Biotech #Innovation #Stealthmode #Venturefunding #pharma #Fibroticdisease #Autoimmune #immunoinflammatory

Looking back at the past 30 years, I remember myself doing science about 55-60 hours a week, and then helping venture capitalists and biotech start-ups about 70-80 h/week. Usually unsatisfied, sometimes exhausted, but pleased overall. This overexciting workaholism was somehow interrupted last year. I had less work and a lot of mountaineering, - climbed about 5.5 Chomolungma attitudes during the year. It feels like I have reached the stage at which it is a time to start sharing experiences and understanding of the universe. This week, I started to share by publishing an analytic report at SeekigAlpha about TG Therapeutics. This small biotech company has developed a third-to-market anti-CD20 mAb for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). Along with the company, this report briefly touches upon current treatments for MS, the competitive landscape of therapeutics, and the uncertainties surrounding the development of new BTK inhibitors. https://lnkd.in/drAFx9vt

In an exclusive interview with The American Bazaar, Dr. Atul Varadhachary, Managing Partner at Fannin Innovation, shares insights into the challenges and strategies of early-stage biotech investment. With a focus on bridging the gap between groundbreaking scientific discoveries and successful commercialization, Dr. Varadhachary discusses Fannin’s unique model, the importance of talent development, and their journey to launching pioneering companies like Procyrion, Inc., Radiomer Therapeutics and Pulmotect, Inc. Read more about how Fannin is shaping the future of biotech in Houston and beyond. https://lnkd.in/e6pRkPbT

What does AZ have in common with Time? They cannot be stopped. ➡️ 𝐀𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐲 𝐌&𝐀, acquiring Gracell Bio, the first ever outside Chinese biotech acquisition by the way + securing record numbers of annual revenue and pledging $300m+ into cell therapy facilities in Maryland - today is a good time to discuss their movements. They are now headed to conquer the APAC market. This week, investing $1.5 billion in a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Singapore for ADCs. 𝘎𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬 𝘴𝘰 𝘧𝘢𝘳?  No, they're not done yet. AZ has committed to $80m in non-dilutive funding to Swiss biotech SixPeak Bio, which is developing a bispecific antibody therapy for weight loss. Option for acquisition in 2 years. 👉 AZ aim/ are on track for $80 Billion by 2030 and plan to launch 20 major new medicines before 2030. It would be silly not to remind you about the inexorable passage of time, it's speeding up every day, just like AZ. 𝘋𝘪𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸? 10 years ago, Pfizer attempted to buy AZ for £69billion and now look at what they've achieved since then. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐞𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐱𝐭 5 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠? #celltherapy #oncology #biotech #CGTweekly