Ruben Sebastian

His discoveries deeply influenced my decision to pursue my PhD at @crg.eu on stem cell biology and cell fate conversions. Years later I was fortunate enough to briefly meet him at an @isscr.org Annual meeting, a true honor as I got to meet one of the great legends of modern developmental biology

Nobel Laureate Professor Sir John Gurdon dies aged 92 It is with great sadness that the University shares the news of the death of Professor Sir John Gurdon, founder of the Gurdon Institute.

Today is a very sad day. Sir John Gurdon was a titan of developmental biology. Gurdon’s foundational research, culminating in his Nobel Prize recognition in 2012, was a great source of inspiration to me as a university student at the time

www.cam.ac.uk/research/new...

Great recognition to a fundamental discovery that reshaped modern #immunology. Congrats to the laureates!

However, imho the Nobel committee missed the chance to acknowledge an additional key contributor to the understanding of #Foxp3 and #Treg functionality

Cancer cell plasticity defines response to immunotherapy in cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma - Nature Communications Immune surveillance is critical to prevent the development and progression of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC). Here, the authors show that epithelial-mesenchymal plasticity in cancer cells is associated with changes in their immune checkpoint ligand profile during mouse cSCC progression, which dictates differential responses to immune checkpoint blockade.

This study by @lauralorenzos.bsky.social in @natcomms.nature.com is particularly relevant > expression of immune checkpoint ligands shifts between epithelial & mesenchymal tumors, suggesting combo ICB strategies are needed for treating hybrid EMT & mesenchymal tumors

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Identification, functional insights and therapeutic targeting of EMT tumour states - Nature Reviews Cancer In this Review, Dong and Blanpain outline our current understanding of the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in cancer, which we now know is not a simple binary switch but the existence of a series of different tumour states. The authors also discuss the implications of this knowledge for pharmacologically targeting epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition to overcome therapy resistance.

Elegant piece by @cedric-blanpain.bsky.social in @natrevcancer.nature.com especially highlighting the recent advances of potential #therapeutic strategies to target #EMT tumor states

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Monte Rosa Therapeutics Announces Collaboration with Novartis for Degraders to Treat Immune-mediated Diseases Monte Rosa Therapeutics Announces Collaboration with Novartis for Degraders to Treat Immune-mediated Diseases ...

Monte Rosa Therapeutics $GLUE announces collaboration with Novartis for molecular glue #degraders to treat immune-mediated diseases

2nd partnership between the 2 companies, now including $120M upfront and up to $5.7 billion total deal

#biotech #immunology

www.globenewswire.com/news-release...

Advancing breakthrough science against #neurodegeneration is one of the greatest challenges of our time, and I’m excited to see NRG Therapeutics pushing the boundaries of #mitochondrial biology to bring new therapies for patients worldwide

#biotech #venturecapital #neuroscience

NRG Therapeutics Announces Oversubscribed £50m ($67m) Series B Financing to Deliver Clinical Data in Parkinson’s and Proof of Concept in ALS/MND Oversubscribed £50m Series B led by SV Health Investors’ Dementia Discovery Fund, alongside other new investors British Business Bank, M Ventures, Novartis...

Thrilled to have contributed to the oversubscribed $67M Series B round of NRG Therapeutics

NRG is pioneering first-in-class therapies targeting #mitochondrial dysfunction for the treatment of devastating #neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS and Parkinson’s

www.globenewswire.com/news-release...

Gilead's Kite enters the in vivo #CART space with $350 million Interius buyout

#biotech #pharma #celltherapy

www.kitepharma.com/news/press-r...

AbbVie to Acquire Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals' Bretisilocin, a Novel, Investigational Therapy for Major Depressive Disorder, Expanding Psychiatry Pipeline Gilgamesh's lead asset, bretisilocin (GM-2505), is a potential best-in-class psychedelic compound currently in Phase 2 development for the treatment of major depressive disorder (MDD)....

And the whispers were going in the right direction: AbbVie to acquire Gilgamesh bretisilocin, a novel, investigational therapy for major #depressive disorder, expanding its #psychiatry pipeline

Total deal up to $1.2 billion

#pharma #innovation #biotech

news.abbvie.com/2025-08-25-A...

Novo’s Wegovy becomes first GLP-1 drug approved for MASH The FDA clearance sets Novo’s medicine up a market battle with Madrigal Pharmaceuticals’ fast-selling Rezdiffra.

Novo’s Wegovy becomes first #GLP1 drug approved for MASH

The only other therapy approved for #MASH, Madrigal Rezdiffra, has gotten off to a stronger-than-expected sales start: $180m in net sales in 2024, $350m over H1 2025, $1b projected annual sales in 2026

www.biopharmadive.com/news/novo-we...

Boehringer Ingelheim and Palatin Technologies to develop potential first-in-class melanocortin receptor targeted treatment for patients with retinal diseases Boehringer and Palatin Technologies team up to develop potential first-in-class melanocortin receptor targeted treatment for patients with retinal...

Boehringer Ingelheim and Palatin Technologies to develop potential first-in-class #melanocortin receptor targeted treatment for patients with #retinal diseases

Total deal up to €280 million

www.globenewswire.com/news-release...

Skyhawk Therapeutics Announces Strategic Collaboration with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany to Discover Novel RNA-Targeting Small Molecules for Neurological Disorders /PRNewswire/ -- Skyhawk Therapeutics, Inc., a leader in the discovery and development of small molecules that modulate RNA expression, today announces a...

Skyhawk Therapeutics announces #strategic collaboration with Merck KGaA to discover novel #RNA targeting small molecules for #neurological disorders

Total deal value exceeds $2 billion

www.prnewswire.com/news-release...

Ifinatamab Deruxtecan Granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation by U.S. FDA for Patients with Pretreated Extensive-Stage Small Cell Lung Cancer - Merck.com Data from IDeate-Lung01 trial will be presented at upcoming IASLC 2025 World Conference on Lung Cancer First Breakthrough Therapy Designation for Daiichi Sankyo and Merck’s ifinatamab deruxtecan based...

Daiichi Sankyo and Merck B7-H3 targeted #ADC I-DXd (ifinatamab deruxtecan) granted FDA #Breakthrough Therapy Designation for pretreated extensive-stage SCLC

www.merck.com/news/ifinata...

Izalontamab Brengitecan (EGFRxHER3 ADC) Granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation by U.S. FDA for Patients with Previously Treated Advanced EGFR-Mutated Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Izalontamab Brengitecan (EGFRxHER3 ADC) Granted Breakthrough Therapy Designation by U.S. FDA for Patients with Previously Treated Advanced EGFR-Mutated Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer Redmond, Washington a...

BMS EGFRxHER3 #bispecific #ADC iza-bren granted FDA #Breakthrough Therapy Designation for previously treated advanced EGFR-mutated NSCLC

news.bms.com/news/details...

Pfizer’s #sicklecell disease drug inclacumab (P-selectin inhibitor) has flunked a key phase 3 test, the latest blow to the pharma’s $5.4 billion acquisition of Global Blood Therapeutics

Thrive-131 missed its primary endpoint at 48 weeks

www.pfizer.com/news/announc...

Lymph node-targeted, mKRAS-specific amphiphile vaccine in pancreatic and colorectal cancer: phase 1 AMPLIFY-201 trial final results - Nature Medicine In the final analysis of a phase 1 trial evaluating a lymph node-targeting mutant KRAS peptide vaccine combined with CpG in the adjuvant setting for patients with KRAS mutant pancreatic or colorectal ...

Encouraging phase 1 results of an off-the-shelf, lymph node targeted #cancer vaccine targeting common #KRAS mutations (G12D, G12R) in pancreatic and colorectal cancer from Elicio $ELTX, @mskcancercenter.bsky.social, @mdanderson.bsky.social‪‬, UCLA & clinical collabs

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Superluminal Medicines Announces Collaboration with Eli Lilly and Company to Advance Small Molecule Therapeutics for Cardiometabolic Diseases and Obesity /PRNewswire/ -- Superluminal Medicines, a drug discovery company integrating AI/ML, protein dynamics, and structural biology to rapidly unlock the most...

Superluminal Medicines announces collaboration with Eli #Lilly to advance small molecule #therapeutics (undisclosed GPCR targets) for #cardiometabolic diseases and #obesity

Total deal of up to $1.3 billion

www.prnewswire.com/news-release...

Bayer and Kumquat Biosciences enter global exclusive license and collaboration in precision oncology /PRNewswire/ -- Bayer and Kumquat Biosciences Inc., a clinical-stage biotech company founded by pioneers of the KRAS pathway, today announced that they have...

Bayer and Kumquat Biosciences enter global exclusive #license and #collaboration to develop and commercialize Kumquat's #KRAS G12D inhibitor. Phase 1a study will initiate H2 2025

Total deal up to $1.3 billion

#oncology #pharma #oncogene #therapeutics

www.prnewswire.com/news-release...

Novartis announces both ianalumab Phase III clinical trials met primary endpoint in patients with Sjögren’s disease

Novartis is closer to bringing the first targeted #drug to market for Sjogren’s disease

Ianalumab, a dual mechanism, #Bcell depleting antibody that targets BAFF-R, originated from #Morphosys collaboration

#immunology #innovation #biopharma

www.novartis.com/news/media-r...

AbbVie in talks to acquire Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals, Bloomberg News reports Drugmaker AbbVie is in talks to acquire privately-held mental health therapeutics company Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals in a deal worth about $1 billion, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.

Abbvie is in talks to acquire Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals, a biotech company that’s developing next-generation psychedelic compounds for mental health disorders

www.reuters.com/legal/transa...

GSK and Hengrui Pharma enter agreements to develop up to 12 innovative medicines across Respiratory, Immunology & Inflammation and Oncology | GSK Includes license for potential best-in-class PDE3/4 inhibitor (HRS-9821) in clinical development for treatment of COPD

GSK and Hengrui enter agreements to develop up to 12 innovative drugs across respiratory, #immunology & #inflammation and #oncology

Includes license for potential best-in-class PDE3/4 inhibitor in clinical dev for COPD

$500 million upfront, up to $12 billion total deal

www.gsk.com/en-gb/media/...

Gate enters into a collab & license agreement w #Lilly to discover/develop molecular gate medicines > #smallmolecules that can eliminate disease-causing proteins modulating the secretory translocon

Undisclosed upfront & equity investment, total deal up to $856m

www.businesswire.com/news/home/20...

French biotech Abivax $ABVX has announced positive Phase 3 results for obefazimod, its first-in-class oral miR-124 enhancer, in moderate to severely active ulcerative colitis

ir.abivax.com/news-release...

Roche axes Carmot obesity asset, 3 cancer drugs in R&D clear-out Roche has axed one of the obesity assets from its $2.7 billion Carmot Therapeutics

Roche has axed one of the #obesity assets from its $2.7 billion Carmot buyout. The dropped candidate, CT-173, is a long-acting PYY analog in preclinical dev

Carmot’s former lead asset CT-388, a GLP-1/GIP agonist, is pending a go decision for Ph3 in obesity

www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/roch...

Matchpoint Therapeutics Announces Exclusive Option and License Agreement with Novartis to Develop Oral Inhibitors for Multiple Inflammatory Diseases - Matchpoint Therapeutics Matchpoint Therapeutics Announces Exclusive Option and License Agreement with Novartis to Develop Oral Inhibitors for Multiple Inflammatory Diseases

Matchpoint Therapeutics announces exclusive option and license agreement with #Novartis to develop oral #covalent inhibitors directed at an undisclosed transcription factor linked to several inflammatory diseases

$60 million upfront and up to $1 billion total deal

matchpointtx.com/news/matchpo...

Dispatch emerges with $216M and plans for a ‘universal’ solid tumor therapy The startup is using elements of gene and cell therapy to create medicines that could be useful against an array of tough-to-treat solid tumors.

Dispatch Bio emerges to develop a sequential gene & cell therapy for solid tumors

1) Engineered virus targets cancer cells > exposes antigen 🔥
2) CAR-T seeks out the antigen
3) Cancer cells are killed > release viral particles + antigen > flag nearby tumor > ♻️

www.biopharmadive.com/news/disptac...

Leriglitazone Marketing Authorization Application submitted for treatment of cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy has been validated by European Medicines Agency

Very encouraging news from Minoryx, one of my former #biotech portfolio companies

Minoryx is one step closer to achieving approval for leriglitazone (NEZGLYAL) as the only pharmacological treatment for patients suffering from #cALD, a devastating #orphan disease

www.minoryx.com/media/lerigl...

Sanofi to acquire Vicebio for $1.15 billion upfront to expand #respiratory vaccines pipeline

Vicebio is a London-based #biotech with an early clinical-stage non-mRNA combination #vaccine candidate for respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and human metapneumovirus (hMPV)

www.sanofi.com/en/media-roo...

Sino Biopharm buys Merck's PD-1xVEGF bispecific partner LaNova for up to $951M The PD-1xVEGF dealmaking wave that has captivated Western pharma companies is now surging within China. | Sino Biopharm said it will pay up to $951 million to acquire LaNova Medicines, which has ongoi...

Sino Biopharma to acquire its Chinese peer LaNova Medicines, which previously secured licensing deals with #Merck (anti-VEGF x PD1 bispecific antibody in Ph1/2 in solid tumors) and #AstraZeneca (anti-GPRC5D ADC in Ph1/2 in r/r MM)

Total deal up to $951 million

www.fiercebiotech.com/biotech/sino...