Talaris restructures, ending effort to develop a cell therapy for kidney transplants

Following a patient death and difficulty enrolling study participants, the company is laying off a third of its staff and ending a pair of studies for a two-decade-old program once owned by Novartis.

By Ben Fidler • Feb. 16, 2023

With Aera, CRISPR pioneer Feng Zhang goes after gene therapy’s delivery problem

The company’s platform technology is built on research from Zhang’s lab at the Broad Institute, which focuses on proteins that could be used to package and deliver nucleic acids.

By Gwendolyn Wu • Feb. 16, 2023

Explore the Trendline➔

Cell therapy

The continued emergence of CAR-T therapy has fueled research into next-generation approaches and new applications, such as its use in autoimmune diseases.

By BioPharma Dive staff

With sales falling, Biogen’s new CEO says transformation is needed

New CEO Christopher Viehbacher set the tone early into his tenure at the embattled biotech, quickly moving to cut jobs and trim research in the months that followed.

By Jacob Bell • Feb. 15, 2023

PureTech, tweaking research, trims a ‘small number’ of positions

The biotech company creator is deprioritizing work on its “Orasome” drug delivery technology after what it described as a “key go/no go” experiment.

By Ned Pagliarulo • Feb. 14, 2023

New cancer cell therapy biotech emerges, backed by MD Anderson and Replay

Syena will develop TCR-based natural killer cell therapies, building on research done by MD Anderson’s Katy Revzani and using technology from Replay.

By Delilah Alvarado • Feb. 14, 2023

GSK backs away from COVID collaboration with Vir

The British drugmaker will retain an interest in COVID antibody drug sotrovimab, which was withdrawn from the U.S. market, and a second treatment still in early-stage trials.

By Jonathan Gardner • Feb. 14, 2023

With latest startup, repeat biotech founder Craig Crews tries to ‘hold and kill’ tumors

Formed by the Yale scientist and Arvinas founder, Halda Therapeutics is developing a twist on targeted protein degradation, an area of research that’s recently caught drugmakers’ attention.

By Ben Fidler • Updated Feb. 14, 2023

A new generation of biotech leaders is emerging. Can they change how drug startups are built?

Through social media, virtual meetings and mentorship programs, a community of entrepreneurs is looking for new ways to build drug companies.

By Gwendolyn Wu • Feb. 14, 2023

Frequency to cut jobs after clinical trial setback

The biotech, which has been working on drugs for hearing loss, will lay off 55% of its workforce and discontinue work on two experimental treatments.

By Delilah Alvarado • Feb. 13, 2023

Analyze whole genome sequencing samples at the speed of light

Deliver fast and reliable results at low cost with a tool for whole genome analysis in just minutes

Feb. 13, 2023

Another biotech IPO hits the market, as Mineralys raises $192M

In pricing an IPO, Mineralys followed closely behind Structure Therapeutics’ offering, suggesting an opening investment window.

By Gwendolyn Wu • Feb. 9, 2023

FDA offers former biotech unicorn Intarcia a chance for a panel review

Intarcia, which once held a multibillion-dollar valuation, deflated following the FDA’s 2017 and 2020 rejections of its drug-device combination for diabetes.

By Jonathan Gardner • Feb. 9, 2023

Idorsia shares sink on ‘unexpected’ failure of drug study

The Actelion spinout’s drug clazosentan, which is approved for use in Japan, didn’t significantly outperform a placebo in a Phase 3 study of patients with a particular type of stroke.

By Ned Pagliarulo • Feb. 6, 2023

Magenta to explore sale, merger after study setback

The biotech recently stopped a trial of its experimental conditioning regimen over safety concerns. Now it’s halting further development work as it undertakes a strategic review.

By Gwendolyn Wu • Feb. 3, 2023

COVID-19 vaccine maker Medicago to close down

The company, which worked with GSK to develop a coronavirus shot, is ceasing operations after its corporate parent cut off further investment. 

By Delilah Alvarado • Feb. 3, 2023

Biotech startup Structure pulls off rare IPO, raising $161M

Structure, which is developing a competitor to marketed diabetes and obesity drugs from Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, had one of the strongest Wall Street debuts for a new company since 2021.

By Gwendolyn Wu • Feb. 2, 2023

3 more biotechs announce layoffs as industry cost-cutting continues

Evelo Biosciences, Quince Therapeutics and Inovio are the latest to pare down workforces in the face of clinical setbacks and depressed stock prices.

By Delilah Alvarado • Feb. 1, 2023

Biotech CFOs eye research cuts, partnerships amid sector retrenchment: report

The report, a yearly poll of 100 financing executives by accounting and consulting firm BDO, revealed the many levers young drugmakers are pulling to conserve cash.

By Ben Fidler • Jan. 30, 2023

Celularity warns of layoffs for ‘substantial portion’ of its staff

After a strategic review, the Celgene spinout said it won’t advance two experimental cancer therapies that use “natural killer” cells.

By Christopher Newman • Jan. 27, 2023

Veteran biotech leader George Scangos to step down as Vir CEO

The former Biogen head is retiring after taking Vir from a small startup to a publicly traded developer of infectious disease drugs. Bayer executive Marianne De Backer will succeed him.

By Ben Fidler • Jan. 25, 2023

Three VCs launch Dimension, a new firm with plans to fuel biotech’s ‘digitization’

The veteran investors see the marriage of tech and life sciences as the “largest opportunity in venture today,” said co-founder and former Lux Capital general partner Adam Goulburn.

By Ben Fidler • Jan. 25, 2023

Roivant’s Matt Gline on the hub-and-spoke biotech model and lessons learned from Axovant

The year ahead could be turbulent for biotech as investors look for what the Roivant CEO described to BioPharma Dive as “safe harbors in a storm.”

By Gwendolyn Wu • Jan. 24, 2023

FDA to seek outside advice on Biogen’s ALS drug

The agency plans to convene a panel of experts on March 22 to discuss the approval application for tofersen, a closely watched medicine Biogen submitted to the FDA despite its failure in a key clinical trial.

By Jacob Bell • Jan. 24, 2023

Finch to lay off 95% of staff, scrap microbiome drug study

The company blamed a range of factors in its decision, including limited funding options, slow trial enrollment and “broader sector trends.”

By Ned Pagliarulo • Jan. 24, 2023

How CAR-T therapies are revolutionizing cancer treatments

One of the most significant advancements made in treating disease in recent years is the development and commercialization of CAR-T therapy, which weaponizes a patient’s own white blood cells to attack certain types of blood cancer cells.

Jan. 23, 2023