Since October 2018, scientists at Neuron23 have worked quietly to find their place in the world of precision medicine. That place is using artificial intelligence and data science to target neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory diseases in patients with specific genetic mutations.

Shao-Lee Lin, M.D., Ph.D., and Bob Carey didn’t leave Horizon Therapeutics with explicit plans to team up later on. But, as they got talking about what their next chapters could be, they realized they had complementary skills and the experience and drive to bridge a gap in drug development. Acelyrin was born.

When Amgen vets Beth Seidenberg, M.D., and Sean Harper, M.D., set up their venture firm in 2018, their goal was twofold: to back companies with cutting-edge science that could transform patients’ lives and to help develop Los Angeles into a biotech hub like Boston or the Bay Area.

Despite decades of research, there is still no effective vaccine against Group B streptococcus (GBS), a leading cause of infant mortality worldwide. But MinervaX thinks it’s on course to change that, and now it has the cash it needs to push its candidate into pivotal trials.

Genentech has struck a deal to license Relay Therapeutics’ SHP2 inhibitor for $75 million upfront. The Roche subsidiary plans to combine the drug with its KRAS G12C inhibitor, reflecting evidence targeting SHP2 counters adaptive resistance to the red-hot approach to treating cancer.

Eli Lilly has joined the ranks of big pharma companies building a position in gene therapy, paying $26.50 per share to take control of New York-based Prevail Therapeutics and its two clinical-stage development programs.

Just in time for the holiday season, Arvinas’ lead protein degraders delivered promising early results in patients with hard-to-treat breast or prostate cancer. As the company continues those phase 1 trials, it’s gearing up for new trials in 2021, including dose-expansion and combination studies.

Elvire Gouze Ph.D., a serial entrepreneur and expert in skeletal disorders, has formed another company—InnoSkel—after agreeing to sell her first venture Therachon to Pfizer for $340 million upfront last year.

SHANGHAI — Gannex, a wholly owned company of Ascletis Pharma Inc. (HKEX:1672) and fully dedicated to the R&D and commercialization of new drugs in the field of NASH, announced today that it received Fast Track designation from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) drug candidate ASC42.

• Collaboration brings together clinical stage SHP2 and KRAS G12C inhibitors
• Relay Therapeutics will receive $75 million upfront and is eligible to receive an additional $25 million in near-term payments and $695 million in additional potential milestones, plus royalties on global net product sales