BioPharma Updates, August 11th, 2025.
SciLeads’ BioPharma is updated daily, giving our clients the most current insights on biopharma organizations, including Funding, Initial Public Offerings, Mergers & Acquisitions, Partnerships, and more. This week’s updates are below, with links to the organizations in the platform. If you don’t have BioPharma yet, start your free trial today.
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Funding
- Strand Therapeutics (MA, USA) raised $153M in Series B funding to advance its pipeline of programmable mRNA therapies, including STX-001, which recently showed promising Phase 1 data in solid tumors at the 2025 ASCO Annual Meeting.
- Minghui Pharmaceutical (Shanghai, China) raised $131M in Pre-IPO financing to advance its clinical programs—including a PD-1/VEGF bispecific antibody—and support the upcoming commercial launch of its topical JAK inhibitor in China.
- Apreo Health (CA, USA) raised $130M in Series B financing to support its pivotal BREATHE-3 trial, regulatory activities, and early commercialization of its novel airway scaffold for treating severe emphysema.
- Orchestra BioMed (PA, USA) raised $111M to advance transformative cardiovascular innovations and support strategic collaborations.
- Chai Discovery (CA, USA) raised $70M in Series A funding to advance its AI platform for predicting and reprogramming biochemical interactions, targeting previously inaccessible drug candidates and onboarding select partners.
- Positive Development (VA, USA) raised $51.5M in Series C funding to expand its developmental therapy model for autistic children and advance its proprietary technology and AI platform.
- SNIPR Biome – A CRISPR Company (Copenhagen, Denmark) raised ~$38M in Series B funding to advance its CRISPR-based therapies targeting Pseudomonas infections in cystic fibrosis, antibiotic resistance, and bloodstream infections in hematologic cancer patients.
- Maxwell Biosciences (TX, USA) raised $20M in funding to support upcoming FDA clinical trials of its immune-inspired Claromer™ molecules, expand AI-driven R&D, and scale commercialization across pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical sectors.
- Retension Pharmaceuticals (VA, USA) raised $15M in Series B funding to support a Phase 2b trial of RTN-001, a once-daily PDE5 inhibitor for patients with uncontrolled and resistant hypertension.
- Akyso Therapeutics (MD, USA) received $15M in federal funding from the National Institute on Drug Abuse to develop iSTEP-B®, a 6–12-month extended-release buprenorphine implant for opioid use disorder using its bioabsorbable subcutaneous delivery platform.
- CHO Plus, Inc. (CA, USA) received ~$10.4M in BARDA funding through the BioMaP-Consortium to develop high-productivity CHO cell lines for manufacturing monoclonal antibodies targeting filoviruses over a 30-month period.
- Lysoway Therapeutics (MA, USA) received a $2.93M MJFF grant to support preclinical and translational development of its brain-penetrant TRPML1 agonist for Parkinson’s disease.
- Sidra Medicine (Doha, Qatar) received a $100K G-Rex® Grant from ScaleReady to develop and implement a G-Rex centric CAR-T cell production platform for pediatric oncology, supporting GMP qualification and early access to the G-CART™ process.
- Alveolus Bio (MA, USA) raised an undisclosed amount in a strategic financing round to advance its resMIT platform and accelerate clinical development of its lead asset for COPD and other respiratory diseases.
- Neucore Bio (CA, USA) awarded a competitive grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) to research the scalability of exosome-based therapeutics for genetic disease.
Emerging
- YOLO Immune (CA, USA) emerged from stealth to develop precision immunotherapies targeting serious human diseases, with initial programs focused on biologics for ophthalmology and liver conditions.
- Nephronomics (CA, USA) emerged from stealth earlier this year to develop precision medicine solutions for cardio-kidney-metabolic disease care in a joint partnership with Fresenius Medical Care.
Post IPO Equity
- 180 Life Sciences (CA, USA) raised $425M through a private placement to support its Ethereum treasury strategy, including ETH accumulation, yield generation programs, and ongoing biotech, iGaming, and general corporate activities.
- Assembly Biosciences, Inc. (CA, USA) raised $175M through an underwritten public offering and concurrent private placement to support general corporate purposes.
- Shattuck Labs (TX, USA) raised up to $103M through a private placement to advance its SL-325 program through multiple Phase 2 trials in IBD and other autoimmune diseases.
- Sana Biotechnology (WA, USA) raised $75M through an underwritten public offering of common stock and pre-funded warrants to support its engineered cell therapy programs and general corporate purposes.
- ARMR Sciences Inc. (NY, USA) launched a $30M private placement to advance development of its immunotherapy platform targeting fentanyl and emerging synthetic drug threats ahead of a planned public offering.
- BioVie Inc. (NV, USA) announced a $12M underwritten public offering to support working capital and general corporate purposes.
- Artelo Biosciences, Inc. (CA, USA) raised $9.475M through an at-the-market PIPE to launch its SOL-centric digital asset treasury strategy and support ongoing pharmaceutical development and corporate operations.
- Intensity Therapeutics, Inc. (CT, USA) raised $6.6M through an at-the-market offering to strengthen its balance sheet and extend its clinical development runway into the second half of 2026.
- Longeveron Inc. (FL, USA) raised $5M through a public offering of common stock to fund clinical and regulatory development of laromestrocel, obtain approvals, advance CMC activities, and support general corporate purposes.
- PhnyX Lab (CA, USA) raised $4M in equity funding to scale its GenAI-powered Cheiron platform and accelerate development of Cheiron Write, aimed at automating and transforming life science workflows.
- Nicox (Valbonne, France) raised ~$3.4M to support corporate funding needs ahead of Phase 3 results for NCX 470.
- Mainz Biomed (Mainz, Germany) raised $3M through a follow-on public offering to support its cancer diagnostic development programs.
- Devonian Health Group Inc. (QC, Canada) raised $2.27M through a non-brokered private placement to support working capital and research and development activities related to its inflammatory disease drug pipeline.
- ForCast Orthopedics, Inc (CO, USA) raised an undisclosed amount in equity funding to advance development of its targeted antibiotic therapies for periprosthetic joint infection using proprietary local delivery technology.
- Fractyl Health (MA, USA) announced a proposed underwritten public offering of common stock and pre-funded warrants to support its Revita and Rejuva metabolic disease programs, working capital, and general corporate purposes.
Post IPO debt
- MannKind Corporation (CA, USA) raised up to $500M through a senior secured credit facility from Blackstone to support the potential launch of Afrezza’s pediatric indication, expand its commercial team, advance its pipeline, pursue business development, and fund general corporate activities.
- Bioventus (NC, USA) raised $400M through a senior secured credit agreement to refinance existing debt, enhance liquidity, and reduce annual interest expenses.
Mergers and Acquisitions
- Alcon (Geneva, Switzerland) to acquire STAAR Surgical (CA, USA) for $3.3B to expand its presence in the implantable collamer lens (ICL) market and strengthen its ophthalmic surgery portfolio.
- Sanofi (Paris, France) to acquire Vigil Neuroscience (MA, USA) for $2.1B to strengthen its pipeline in neuroinflammatory diseases. The acquisition adds Vigil’s lead candidate, VGL101, to Sanofi’s portfolio, supporting its strategy to address neurodegeneration.
- SERB Pharmaceuticals (London, United Kingdom) to acquire DANYELZA US Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review Voucher and related rights from Y-mAbs Therapeutics (NY, USA) for $412M to expand its rare disease portfolio.
- Accord BioPharma (NJ, USA) and their parent company Intas Pharmaceuticals to acquire UDENYCA from Coherus BioSciences (CA, USA) for $35M for global expansion of their oncology biosimilar portfolio.
- XOMA (CA, USA) to acquire LAVA Therapeutics (Utrecht, Netherlands) for between $1.16 and $1.24 per share in cash plus a contingent value right, to expand its royalty-aggregator strategy and oncology portfolio.
- XOMA (CA, USA) to acquire HilleVax (MA, USA) for $1.95 per share in cash plus a contingent value right to strengthen its royalty revenue base and support future growth in infectious disease treatments.
- US WorldMeds (KY, USA) to acquire Adaptimmune‘s (Oxford, United Kingdom) cell therapy portfolio to ensure continued patient access to Tecelra and advance development of lete-cel.
- Yatiri Bio (CA, USA) to acquire NGeneBioAI (Seoul, South Korea) to expand its AI-powered proteomics platform and advance precision biomarker discovery.
- Bio-Techne (MN, USA) to acquire Exosome Diagnostics (MA, USA) for strategic portfolio optimization. The divestiture allows Bio-Techne to sharpen its focus on core growth areas while enabling Exosome Diagnostics to better pursue its specialized mission under new ownership.
- Nucleus Network (Melbourne, Australia) to acquire Hammersmith Medicines Research (London, United Kingdom) to expand its clinical trial capabilities in the UK. The acquisition supports Nucleus Network’s global growth strategy in early-phase clinical trials.
- Pinnaql (PA, USA) to acquire Validation & Engineering Group, Inc. (TX, USA) to expand its service offerings and geographic reach in the pharmaceutical and life sciences sector.
- Top-tier investor consortium (USA) to acquire HistoSonics (MN, USA) for $2.25B to accelerate global adoption of its novel histotripsy platform. The consortium consists of K5 Global, Bezos Expeditions, Wellington Management and more private investors.
- CorMedix (NJ, USA) to acquire Melinta Therapeutics (NJ, USA) to enhance anti-infective portfolio and strengthen leadership in hospital-based therapies.
Partnerships
- Freenome (CA, USA) and Exact Sciences (WI, USA) announced an ~$885M exclusive licensing deal for U.S. rights to Freenome’s blood-based colorectal cancer screening test, with Exact accelerating commercialization and Freenome retaining rights for multi-cancer applications.
- Astria Therapeutics (MA, USA) and Kaken Pharmaceutical (Tokyo, Japan) announced a ~$32M exclusive licensing deal for Japanese rights to navenibart, a Phase 3 monoclonal antibody for hereditary angioedema, with tiered royalties and Phase 3 cost-sharing included.
- Janux Therapeutics (CA, USA) received $10M milestone payment from Merck (NJ, USA) upon dosing the first patient in their TRACTr collaboration program, advancing the development of tumor-activated T cell engager immunotherapies for cancer treatment.
- MetaVia (MA, USA) and Syntekabio Inc. (NY, USA) announced a research collaboration to use Syntekabio’s DeepMatcher® AI platform to identify new disease targets and optimize DA-1241, MetaVia’s oral GPR119 agonist for MASH and type 2 diabetes.
- SOPHiA GENETICS (Rolle, Switzerland) and AstraZeneca (Cambridge, United Kingdom) announced an expanded multi-year partnership to leverage SOPHiA’s multimodal AI Factories for real-world evidence generation and predictive modeling to improve treatment outcomes for breast cancer patients.
- Polpharma Biologics (Gdańsk, Poland) and Fresenius Kabi (Germany) announced a global licensing agreement (excluding MENA) for the commercialization of PB016, a proposed biosimilar to vedolizumab (Entyvio®).
- Kashiv BioSciences (NJ, USA) and MS Pharma (Jordan) announced a license and supply agreement for ADL-018, a proposed biosimilar to Xolair® (omalizumab), granting MS Pharma rights to license, distribute, and potentially manufacture the product in the MENA region.
- Pendopharm (Montreal, Canada) and Neuraxpharm (Barcelona, Spain) announced an exclusive distribution agreement for Buccolam® (midazolam hydrochloride oromucosal solution) in Canada, following Health Canada’s approval for treating prolonged, acute convulsive seizures in children.
- Actuate Therapeutics, Inc. (TX, USA), UPMC Hillman Cancer Center (PA, USA), and Incyte (DE, USA) announced a clinical collaboration to evaluate elraglusib with retifanlimab and mFOLFIRINOX as frontline therapy for advanced pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
- Pleno Inc. (CA, USA) and Slopes Bio, Inc. (UT, USA) announced a commercial agreement to deploy Pleno’s RAPTOR™ instrument platform for high-throughput biological target detection, including the purchase of up to five instruments and joint development of personalized health applications.
- MAX BioPharma (CA, USA) and Revilico Inc. (CA, USA) announced a drug discovery collaboration to apply Revilico’s AI-enabled structure-based platform to accelerate development of oxysterol-derived therapies for MASH, IPF, and chronic inflammation.
- Gentuity, LLC (MA, USA) and GE HealthCare (IL, USA) announced a commercial collaboration to co-market and integrate their intravascular imaging technologies for interventional cardiology, aiming to expand access and adoption of Gentuity’s imaging solutions in the U.S.
- Helix (CA, USA) and Veracyte, Inc. (CA, USA) announced a partnership to integrate Helix’s whole-exome hereditary cancer test with Veracyte’s Decipher Prostate Test, enabling urologists to access both germline and transcriptomic insights in a single clinical workflow for prostate cancer care.
- BDC Laboratories (CO, USA) and the Dilawri Cardiovascular Institute (Vancouver, Canada) announced a strategic collaboration to advance cardiovascular device development by integrating regulatory-grade bench testing with clinical research through DCI’s new Center for Cardiovascular Translational Science.
Initial Public Offering (IPO)
- Heartflow (CA, USA) announced a $316.7M upsized IPO to support its AI-driven coronary artery disease diagnostics platform.
Registered Direct Offering (RDO)
- Ocugen (PA, USA) announced a $20M registered direct offering of common stock and warrants to advance its gene therapy programs for blindness diseases and support general corporate purposes.
- Belite Bio (CA, USA) announced a $15M registered direct offering to support working capital and general corporate purposes.
- VolitionRx (NV, USA) announced a $1.21M registered direct offering of common stock and warrants to support research, clinical studies, product development and commercialization, and general corporate purposes.
Closures and Layoffs
- TFChem (Val-De-Reuil, France) have announced they will close for financial reasons following two failed financing deals and a halted license agreement with AbbVie’s Allergan Aesthetics.
- BioNTech (Mainz, Germany) to lay off 90 employees in R&D and corporate roles as part of a strategic alignment of its pipeline. The layoffs affect sites in Maryland and Massachusetts.
- Precision BioSciences (NC, USA) to lay off employees as part of a strategic restructuring to extend cash runway and prioritize clinical programs following Phase 1 trial results.
- Alltrna (MA, USA) to lay off employees as it prepares for clinical debut, aiming to streamline operations ahead of first-in-human trials.
- Iovance Biotherapeutics (CA, USA) to lay off under 20% of employees to extend cash runway as part of strategic restructuring.
- Poseida Therapeutics (CA, USA) to lay off 52 employees for undisclosed reasons.
- Dewpoint Therapeutics (MA, USA) to lay off 70% of employees for strategic consolidation and portfolio prioritization, including shuttering operations in Dresden and Frankfurt to focus on advancing lead gastric cancer program.
- Tune Therapeutics (NC, USA) to lay off 17 employees for strategic review of the business initiated by the new CEO.
- Bicycle Therapeutics (Cambridge, United Kingdom) to lay off 25% of its workforce for strategic cost-cutting measures to extend cash runway into 2028.
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