Sanofi has invested €50 million ($59 million) in French VC firm Jeito Capital. The investment, Sanofi’s first in a private French fund, boosts Rafaèle Tordjman’s efforts to establish Jeito as an emerging force in the European biotech VC scene.

Dry eye disease is a chronic condition that impacts more than 30 million people in the United States. Despite the large number of people dealing with the stinging, burning and blurring of the eye caused by the illness, there remains a significant unmet need for effective and lasting therapies.

Roche has handed back the rights to one of its C4 Therapeutics targets as it tweaks a four-year research pact.

Urovant began life as an offshoot of Vivek Ramaswamy’s Roivant goliath, but is now firmly a part of the Sumitovant Biopharma family after the life science company bought up the rest of its shares in the biotech.

Metagenomi has raised $65 million to apply its suite of CRISPR-based systems to the treatment of genetic diseases. Leaps by Bayer co-led the series A round, continuing the German conglomerate’s multi-front push into cell and gene therapies.

Silverback Therapeutics is on a roll. After banking more than $160 million in venture capital this year, the immuno-oncology biotech filed on Tuesday to raise up to $100 million in its Wall Street debut. The funds will bankroll early-phase trials for its lead antibody-drug conjugate and preclinical work for its other programs.

Five Prime Therapeutics Inc., in collaboration Zai Lab Limited on the development bemarituzumab, a novel therapy for front-line advanced non HER2+ gastric or gastroesophageal junction (GEJ) cancer, on Wednesday announced groundbreaking positive topline Phase II results.

Targeting the body’s complement system, part of the innate immune response, could be a solution for many diseases, including those of the skin and nervous system. But “inherent problems” with this pathway have made it historically difficult to drug. Enter Kira Pharmaceuticals, which launched with $46 million and technology out of the University of Pennsylvania to surmount those hurdles.

BOSTON — Elektrofi, a Boston-based biotechnology company focused on drug formulation and delivery innovations, today announced the appointment of Paul Herbert to Senior Vice President of Pharmaceutical Development.

CureVac has presented more clinical data on its COVID-19 vaccine candidate. The results strengthen the impression that the vaccine triggers potentially protective immune responses while leaving scope to question whether CureVac can clear the bar set by its more advanced rivals.