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BioPharma Updates 27th October, 2025

BioPharma Updates, October 27th, 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

  • Electra Therapeutics (San Francisco, CA, USA) raised $183M in Series C funding to advance its SIRP-targeted therapies, including a pivotal trial of ELA026 for secondary hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis and the clinical development of ELA822 for immune and inflammatory diseases. 
  • Elevara Medicines (London, United Kingdom) raised $70M in a Series A funding round to advance a Phase 2 trial of ELV001, a first-in-class oral CDK4/6 inhibitor for rheumatoid arthritis, and to expand its pipeline into additional chronic inflammatory and women’s health indications. 
  • CoMind (London, United Kingdom) raised $60M in funding to advance regulatory approval, clinical trials, and manufacturing for its non-invasive optical brain monitoring device, CoMind One, which provides continuous measurement of key brain health indicators such as blood flow and intracranial pressure. 
  • NewLimit (San Francisco, CA, USA) raised $45M in funding to advance its age-reversal platform using epigenetic reprogramming, supporting progress toward its first clinical studies aimed at restoring youthful function in aging cells. 
  • PleoPharma (Phoenixville, PA, United States) raised $36M in Series B funding to advance its Phase 3 program for PP-01, a Fast Track-designated treatment for cannabis withdrawal in patients with Cannabis Use Disorder. 
  • Basking Biosciences (Research Triangle, NC, USA) raised $27.5M in funding to support its Phase 2b RAISE trial of BB-031, a reversible thrombolytic for acute ischemic stroke, and a planned Phase 1 study of its reversal agent BB-025. 
  • Faeth Therapeutics (San Francisco, CA, USA) raised $25M in funding to advance its phase 2 trial of the PIKTOR regimen in endometrial cancer and expand development of its AI-driven MetabOS™ platform for targeting tumor metabolism. 
  • ENA Respiratory (Melbourne, Australia) raised $22.4M in a Series B funding round to advance Phase 2 clinical development of INNA-051, a once-weekly nasal spray designed to enhance the body’s natural antiviral defences and protect against symptomatic viral respiratory infections. 
  • VitriVax (Boulder, CO, USA) raised $17.25M in Series B funding to advance its thermostable single-shot vaccine formulation platform, ALTA®, and support scale-up of clinical, regulatory, and commercialization activities. 
  • Valink Therapeutics (Cambridge, MA, USA) raised $11.8M in pre-A funding to advance its oncology pipeline of first-in-class bispecific antibody-drug conjugates (bsADCs) and complementary therapeutic modalities designed to improve outcomes for cancer patients.
  • smartbax (Munich, Germany) raised $5.1M in Pre-Series A funding to advance its lead antibiotic targeting a novel pathway in Gram-negative bacteria through preclinical development and to progress its small-molecule platform that triggers bacterial self-digestion to combat multi-drug resistant infections. 
  • BlueWhale Bio (Philadelphia, PA, USA) raised $5M in funding to expand its operations and advance manufacturing innovations that enhance the efficiency, scalability, and accessibility of cell-based therapies across the biotechnology sector.
  • Exeliom Biosciences (Paris, France) raised $3.3M in Series A funding to advance clinical development of its lead NOD2-targeting immunomodulator, EXL01, for cancers, inflammatory, and infectious diseases, and to prepare for a new cancer indication in the US. 
  • RIVANNA (Charlottesville, VA, USA) received a $3M CDMRP grant to develop a portable, military-optimized ultrasound guidance system for spinal interventions designed to improve treatment of back pain and spinal injuries in forward-deployed settings. 
  • CND Life Sciences (Scottsdale, AZ, USA) received a $3M NIH SBIR grant to conduct a multicenter study evaluating whether its Syn-One Test can predict the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease in patients with essential tremor. 
  • TSRL (Ann Arbor, MI, USA) received a $2.2M NIH grant to advance the development of a weekly microneedle patch for treating overactive bladder. The project will generate preclinical data to support IND submission and aims to improve treatment adherence and safety by delivering Trospium Chloride through a hydrogel-based transdermal system. 
  • Quornix (Bloomington, IN, USA) received a $60K Cade Prize grant to advance anti-virulence therapeutics for bacterial diseases in human health and aquaculture. 
  • ReproCELL USA (Beltsville, MD, USA) received a Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund grant to establish a GMP-grade contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) in Maryland to support large-scale production of stem cell-based therapies.

Emerging

  • Expedition Medicines (Cambridge, MA, USA) launched from Flagship Pioneering (Cambridge, MA, USA) with $50M in funding to develop a generative AI platform for covalent drug discovery and advance small molecule programs in oncology, immunology, and other diseases. 
  • Cyclana Bio (Cambridge, United Kingdom) raised $6.4M in pre-seed funding to develop its whole tissue-based drug discovery platform for identifying new treatments for endometriosis and to scale its observational clinical trial. 
  • Klothonova (Las Vegas, NV, USA) launched from Avant Technologies (Pune, India) and Austrianova (Singapore) to develop cell-based therapies using the Klotho protein for age-related diseases, including Alzheimer’s and cancer. 
  • Mentis Care (Toronto, Canada) launched from SK Biopharmaceuticals (Seongnam-Si, South Korea) and Eurofarma (São Paulo, Brazil) to develop an AI-based epilepsy management platform that integrates real-time seizure detection, prediction, and clinical decision support for personalized patient care. 

Post IPO Equity

  • Summit Therapeutics, Inc. (Miami, FL, USA) announced pricing of a $500M private placement of 26.68M common shares at $18.74 per share to advance the clinical development of ivonescimab, support working capital needs, and fund general corporate purposes.
  • GRAIL (Menlo Park, CA, USA) announced a $325M private placement of common stock and pre-funded warrants with participation from new and existing institutional investors to fund commercial expansion, reimbursement efforts, and general corporate purposes.
  • Viridian Therapeutics (Waltham, MA, USA) announced pricing of a $251.35M underwritten public offering to fund commercial launch activities for veligrotug and VRDN-003, support R&D programs, and for working capital and general corporate purposes.
  • RAPT Therapeutics (San Francisco CA, USA) announced a $250M underwritten public offering of common stock to support the development and commercialization of its immunology-based therapies for inflammatory and immunological diseases.
  • Nurix Therapeutics (San Francisco, CA, USA) announced a $250M underwritten public offering of common stock to fund the clinical development of bexobrutideg (NX-5948) in CLL, expand its R&D pipeline, and support working capital and general corporate purposes.
  • Tango Therapeutics (Cambridge, MA, USA) announced a $210M underwritten public offering of common stock and pre-funded warrants to advance its precision oncology pipeline and support ongoing clinical and research programs.
  • Minerva Neurosciences (Waltham, MA, USA) announced closing of an up to $200M private placement to fund the confirmatory Phase 3 trial and NDA resubmission for roluperidone, as well as general corporate purposes.
  • Alto Neuroscience (Los Altos, CA, USA) announced a $50M private placement to support the advancement of ALTO-207, its fixed-dose combination therapy for treatment-resistant depression, into Phase 2b and Phase 3 studies.
  • Catalyst OrthoScience (Naples, FL, USA) announced a $15M equity and debt financing round to support commercial expansion and clinical programs for its shoulder arthroplasty portfolio.
  • Spectral AI (Dallas, TX, USA) announced a $7.6M offering of common stock and warrants to support the continued development, clinical expansion, and commercial readiness of its AI-powered DeepView® System for wound care applications.
  • Grace Therapeutics, Inc. (Laval, Canada) announced a $4M warrant exercise funding to advance GTx-104, its intravenous nimodipine formulation for aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, and support regulatory preparations ahead of the FDA’s April 2026 PDUFA target date.
  • Devonian Health Group Inc. (Laval, Canada) announced a $334.5K non-brokered private placement to support working capital and R&D activities.
  • Coya Therapeutics, Inc. (Houston, TX, USA) announced a proposed public offering of common stock to fund clinical development programs, working capital, and general corporate purposes, with Lucid Capital Markets acting as sole book-running manager.

Post IPO Debt

  • Viridian Therapeutics (Waltham, MA, USA) announced a royalty financing agreement with DRI Healthcare Acquisitions LP for ~$300M, to fund commercial launches of veligrotug and VRDN-003 for thyroid eye disease.
  • EDAP TMS SA (Lyon, France) announced a ~$39M multi-tranche credit facility with the European Investment Bank to accelerate the global expansion of its Focal One® Robotic HIFU platform and develop new clinical indications.

Mergers and Acquisitions

  • Blackstone (New York City, NY, USA) and TPG Global (San Francisco, CA, USA) to acquire Hologic (MA, USA) for up to $79 per share, approximately $19B. This acquisition aims to enhance Hologic’s growth potential by supporting its innovation in women’s health diagnostics and medical technology.
  • Alkermes (Dublin, Ireland) to acquire Avadel Pharmaceuticals plc (Dublin, Ireland) for approximately $3.8B in cash and stock. This deal aims to expand Alkermes’ portfolio in sleep medicine and strengthen its neuroscience franchise through Avadel’s flagship product, LUMRYZ.
  • Novartis (Basel, Switzerland) to acquire Avidity Biosciences (San Diego, CA, USA) for $3.2B. This deal will strengthen Novartis’ RNA therapeutics pipeline and expand its presence in neuromuscular disease research.
  • Eli Lilly and Company (Indianapolis, IN, USA) to acquire Adverum Biotechnologies (Redwood City, CA, USA) for $1.3B. This acquisition will enhance Lilly’s gene therapy portfolio and support its efforts in treating ocular diseases.
  • Ipsen (Paris, France) to acquire ImCheck Therapeutics (Marseille, France) for $1.1B. This acquisition aims to expand Ipsen’s leadership in oncology and strengthen its immuno-oncology pipeline with innovative antibody-based therapies.
  • Biossil (Toronto, Canada) to acquire the dismutase mimetics portfolio from Galera Therapeutics (Malvern, PA, USA) for up to $105M. This deal aims to advance the development and commercialization of novel therapies targeting oxidative stress-related diseases.
  • An undisclosed organisation (USA) to acquire a 30% stake in RedHill Biopharma’s Talicia (Tel Aviv, Israel) for $4M. This deal aims to expand Talicia’s U.S. commercialization and strengthen RedHill’s antibiotic portfolio.
  • The Jackson Laboratory (Bar Harbor, ME, USA) to acquire The New York Stem Cell Foundation (New York City, NY, USA). This acquisition aims to transform biomedical research and accelerate the development of precision therapies for patients by combining expertise in genetics and stem cell science.
  • Accord Plasma BV (London, United Kingdom), a subsidiary of Accord Healthcare to acquire Prothya Biosolutions (Bruxelles, Belgium). This acquisition aims to expand Accord Plasma’s global plasma therapy capabilities and strengthen its biopharmaceutical manufacturing network.
  • Oximio (Huntingdon, United Kingdom) to acquire Bay Area Research Logistics (Hamilton, Canada). This acquisition aims to expand Oximio’s footprint in North America and strengthen its clinical trial supply and logistics capabilities.
  • Alloy Therapeutics (Boston, MA, USA) to acquire Spannerwerks (Seattle, WA, USA). This acquisition aims to enhance Alloy’s antibody discovery platform and expand its capabilities in bispecific and multispecific antibody engineering.
  • Chugai Pharmaceutical (Tokyo, Japan) to acquire Renalys Pharma (Tokyo, Japan). This deal will strengthen Chugai’s pipeline in kidney disease and expand its presence in the U.S. biotech market.

Partnerships

  • Innovent Biologics (Suzhou, China) and Takeda Pharmaceuticals (Tokyo, Japan) announced an ~$11.4B global collaboration to co-develop and commercialize next-generation IO and ADC cancer therapies, IBI363, IBI343, and IBI3001, with shared U.S. rights for IBI363 and Takeda holding exclusive rights outside Greater China.
  • Biogen (Cambridge, MA, USA) and Vanqua Bio (Chicago, IL, USA) announced a ~$1.06B exclusive worldwide license agreement granting Biogen rights to Vanqua’s preclinical oral C5aR1 antagonist to advance treatments for neutrophil-driven inflammatory diseases.
  • Ventus Therapeutics (Waltham, MA, USA) and Genentech (San Francisco, CA, USA) announced a ~$460M multi-year collaboration to discover and optimize small-molecule therapeutics using Ventus’ AI- and physics-based ReSOLVE® platform, with Genentech leading preclinical, clinical, and commercial development.
  • Sichuan Biokin Pharmaceutical Co.,Ltd. (Beijing, China) and Bristol Myers Squibb (Lawrence Township, NJ, USA) announced the achievement of a $250M milestone payment under their global co-development and commercialization agreement for iza-bren, a first-in-class EGFR×HER3 bispecific ADC, advancing multiple Phase III programs in lung and nasopharyngeal cancers.
  • Nielsen BioSciences, Inc. (San Diego, CA, USA) and Maruho (Osaka, Japan) announced an expanded licensing agreement worth up to $36M to extend development and commercialization rights for CANDIN® to additional Asia-Pacific markets, including China, South Korea, and Taiwan, for the treatment of common warts.
  • Kura Oncology (San Diego, CA, USA) announced receipt of a $30M milestone payment from Kyowa Kirin (Tokyo, Japan) following first patient dosing in the KOMET-017 Phase 3 trials of ziftomenib, its investigational oral menin inhibitor for acute myeloid leukemia.
  • Samsung Bioepis (Incheon, South Korea) and Phrontline Biopharma (Shanghai, China) announced a global collaboration to develop, manufacture, and commercialize two next-generation bispecific, dual-payload antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), including TJ108.
  • Charles River Laboratories (Wilmington, MA, USA) and X-Chem, Inc. (Waltham, MA, USA) announced a strategic collaboration to integrate X-Chem’s 15-billion-compound DNA-encoded library platform with Charles River’s hit identification and assay development capabilities to accelerate early-stage drug discovery.
  • SunRock Biopharma, S.L (Santiago, Spain) and Chime Biologics (Wuhan, China) announced a strategic collaboration to develop and manufacture SRB5, a novel anti-CCR9 monoclonal antibody for inflammatory bowel disease and other immune-mediated inflammatory disorders.
  • The University of Maryland, Baltimore (Baltimore, MD, USA) and Axis Research & Technologies (Irvine, CA, USA) announced a joint venture to establish a 36,000 sq. ft. AI-powered Surgical Performance Center integrating OMNIMED SmartOR™ technology to advance surgical training, research, and performance.
  • Teva Pharmaceuticals (Tel Aviv,Israel) and Prestige Biopharma (Singapore) announced a license and supply agreement for the commercialization of Tuznue® (trastuzumab), a biosimilar to Herceptin®, across most European markets following its 2024 EU approval for breast and gastric cancer.
  • Ajinomoto Bio-Pharma Services (Tokyo, Japan) and Gene Tools LLC (Philomath, OR, USA) announced a collaboration to expand access to phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomers (PMOs) by integrating Gene Tools’ small-scale synthesis with Aji Bio-Pharma’s purification and GMP manufacturing, streamlining the transition from early research to clinical development.
  • Iambic Therapeutics (San Diego, CA, USA) announced a research collaboration and drug supply agreement with Jazz Pharmaceuticals (Dublin, Ireland) to evaluate zanidatamab (Ziihera®) in combination with IAM1363, Iambic’s brain-penetrant HER2 TKI, in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer previously treated with trastuzumab deruxtecan.
  • Flare Therapeutics (Cambridge, MA, USA) announced a clinical trial collaboration and supply agreement with Merck (Kenilworth, NJ, USA) to evaluate FX-909, a first-in-class PPARG inhibitor, in combination with KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab) in a new Phase 1 cohort for patients with advanced urothelial cancer.
  • Invenra (Madison, WI, USA) and Xcellon Biologics (North Bethesda, MD, USA) announced a strategic collaboration to develop multispecific antibody–drug conjugates (ADCs), combining Invenra’s B-Body® and T-Body™ platforms with Xcellon’s bioconjugation and manufacturing expertise to accelerate bispecific and trispecific ADC programs toward clinical development.
  • Forlong Biotechnology (Shanghai, China) and Henlius Biotech (Shanghai, China) announced a collaboration to develop an engineered cytokine-based cancer immunotherapy, combining Forlong’s Syntokine® platform with Henlius’ antibody expertise.
  • Biodesix, Inc. (Louisville, CO, USA) and Bio-Rad Laboratories (Hercules, CA, USA) announced an expanded partnership to develop, validate, and commercialize oncology-focused IVD assays using Bio-Rad’s Droplet Digital™ PCR technology, beginning with the ddPLEX ESR1 Mutation Detection Assay for advanced breast cancer.
  • GemPharmatech (Nanjing, China) and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (New York, NY, USA) announced a collaboration to accelerate therapeutic antibody discovery using GemPharmatech’s NeoMab® humanized mouse platform, enabling rapid generation of fully human antibodies to advance next-generation cancer treatments.
  • BioLab Holdings (Mesa, AZ, USA) and Terraplasma Medical (Munich, Germany) announced a strategic investment and commercialization partnership to advance plasmapax®, a portable cold atmospheric plasma device for antimicrobial applications in wound care, dermatology, and podiatry, supporting U.S. regulatory clearance and market expansion.
  • Abolis Biotechnologies (Évry, France) and EUROAPI (Paris, France) announced a strategic partnership under France 2030 Med4Cure program to develop microbial strains and bioprocesses for corticosteroid production, aiming to restore Europe’s pharmaceutical sovereignty and reduce dependence on Asian manufacturers.
  • Genenta Science (Milan, Italy) and ANEMOCYTE (Milan, Italy) announced a strategic collaboration to expand access to Genenta’s clinically validated lentiviral vector Plasmid DNA technology platform, enabling ANEMOCYTE to enhance its advanced therapy manufacturing capabilities from R&D through GMP production.
  • Orion Corporation (Espoo, Finland) and Abzena (San Diego, CA, USA) announced an exclusive commercial license agreement for Abzena’s CHAb™-designed monoclonal antibody targeting a cancer with high unmet need.
  • AGC Biologics (Bothell, WA, USA) and Rarity PBC (Los Angeles, CA, USA) announced a collaboration to provide end-to-end GMP manufacturing and process development for RDP-101, a gene therapy for ADA-SCID, leveraging AGC’s ProntoLVV™ platform to support FDA approval and commercial launch.

Initial Public Offering (IPO)

  • MapLight Therapeutics, Inc. (Redwood, CA, USA) announced the pricing of its $258.9M initial public offering to advance its CNS disorder treatment pipeline and for general corporate purposes.
  • Charming Medical (Hong Kong) announced the closing of its $6.4M initial public offering to expand business and geographic coverage, pursue strategic investments and acquisitions, advance R&D, and for general working capital and corporate purposes.

Registered Direct Offering (RDO)

  • Vivani Medical (Alameda, CA, USA) announced a $15.7M registered direct offering and concurrent private placement to fund ongoing research, clinical development of its NanoPortal™ drug implant programs, and for working capital and general corporate purposes.
  • Genenta Science (Milan, Italy) announced a $15M registered direct offering to support working capital and general corporate purposes.
  • Citius Pharmaceuticals (Cranford, NJ, USA) announced a $6M registered direct offering of common stock and warrants to support the U.S. launch of LYMPHIR™, advance its product pipeline, and for general corporate purposes.
  • Genprex, Inc. (Austin, TX, USA) announced a $2.7M registered direct offering of common stock to support working capital and general corporate purposes.
  • XORTX Therapeutics Inc. (Calgary, Canada) announced a $1.1M registered direct offering of common stock to support working capital and general corporate purposes.

Closures and Layoffs

  • Galapagos (Mechelen, Belgium) to lay off 365 employees as it winds down its cell therapy unit. The decision follows a strategic review to refocus resources on its oncology and immunology programs, resulting in the closure of five facilities across Europe.
  • Alector (South San Francisco, CA, USA) to lay off around 130 employees after its GSK-partnered antibody failed a Phase 3 dementia trial. The layoffs aim to reduce costs and refocus resources on other promising pipeline programs.
  • Merck (Darmstadt, Germany) have announced they will close their active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) plant in Ballydine (Ireland) by the end of 2028. This closure is part of a strategic restructuring to optimize global manufacturing operations and reduce excess capacity.

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