MiNK Therapeutics

Roche acquires Poseida Therapeutics for $1.5BN, highlighting Big Pharma interest in cell therapy for cancer. Arovella Therapeutics (ASX:ALA), also focused on cell therapy for cancer, plans to start its Phase 1 trial in 2025. ALA's strategy includes developing 'off-the-shelf' cell therapies and has an impressive clinical advisory board, including a prominent researcher from Kite Pharma, acquired by Gilead for $11.9BN. ALA aims to achieve a major breakthrough in cancer immunotherapy and potentially be acquired by a major pharmaceutical company.

Outlook Therapeutics' ONS-5010 fails to meet noninferiority endpoint in phase III trial for wet AMD, but shows biologic activity and safety. Ocaliva's conditional marketing approval revoked in Europe. Arovella Therapeutics advances CAR-19-iNKT cell therapy ALA-101. UK bioethics council calls for new regulations on stem cell-derived embryo models. Copenhagen researchers identify NK2R signaling pathway affecting energy balance. Immune system's role in neurodegenerative diseases highlighted. Scholar Rock's apitegromab nears BLA submission. BioWorld investigates women's health disparities. BioWorld offices closed for Thanksgiving.

NK cell therapy, a promising cancer treatment, sees robust R&D with 140+ companies developing 160+ therapies. Key players include Amgen, Innate Pharma, Nektar Therapeutics, and others. Promising therapies like Bemarituzumab, Monalizumab, and NKTR-225 are in various clinical phases. Recent milestones include Immunitybio's CAR-NK cell therapy for NHL, Nkarta's NKX019 for AAV, and KGen Biotech's SNK01 advancing to Phase II.

AstraZeneca to pay $2B to CSPC for a cardiovascular drug, Astellas Pharma licenses gene therapy from AviadoBio, Merck partners with Mestag Therapeutics for fibrosis treatments, Insitro signs three agreements with Eli Lilly for metabolic diseases, MiNK Therapeutics and Autonomous Therapeutics collaborate on metastatic tumors, Bayer and MOMA Therapeutics partner in oncology, Wonderskin names 5W Public Relations as AOR, Eversana signs with Oracle Argus Cloud, Qinotto and Eli Lilly collaborate, Onspire Health acquires Aesthetic Brand Marketing, Reunion Neuroscience partners with Seleni Institute, Danco Laboratories to seek FDA approval for Mifeprex use in miscarriages, Exact Sciences' Cologuard Plus wins FDA approval, Boehringer Ingelheim's survodutide gets Breakthrough Therapy designation, Lunds & Byerlys recalls Lone Star Dip, Kezar Life Sciences' zetomipzomib development halted by FDA, Bayer's elinzanetant NDA accepted by FDA, Biogen's felzartamab gets Breakthrough Therapy Designation, Black Diamond Therapeutics to cut jobs, Upstream Bio targets $182M for IPO, City Therapeutics launches with $135M, Purespring Therapeutics raises $105M, Judo Bio launches with $100M, Orasis Pharmaceuticals raises $78M, CAMP4 Therapeutics targets $67M for IPO, Basecamp Research closes $60M Series B, Arda Therapeutics raises $43M Series A, Crinetics Pharmaceuticals announces public offering, GSK to pay $2.2B to settle Zantac lawsuits, Scholar Rock's SMA drug shows muscle function improvement, CDC to screen travelers due to Marburg virus outbreak in Rwanda, Ad Council, AMA, and CDC launch flu vaccination campaign, Sage Therapeutics' Sage-718 fails in Alzheimer's study, WeightWatchers adds GLP-1 obesity treatments, Gritstone Bio files for Chapter 11, BioPharmCatalyst launches AI-powered chatbot Aiden, Otsuka Precision Health and Amalgam Rx launch Alzheimer's app Elevmi, PatientPoint unveils interactive communication solution, Curia rebrands, Switzerland's COMCO terminates Novartis investigation, Bluebird Bio's Skysona linked to blood cancer in seven children, Solera Health rebrands, HearingLife launches pickleball sweepstakes, Alfasigma launches Morpho brand, Healthy Minds Innovations launches Our World Of Emotions campaign.

Cell and gene therapy sectors see significant progress, including Estrella Immunopharma's EB103 achieving complete response in B-cell lymphomas, NEXICART-2 trial moving to expansion cohort, Ultragenyx planning higher dose evaluation for UX701, Anixa Biosciences seeking FDA approval for second doses of FSHR-targeting CER T-cell therapy, Aspen Neuroscience collaborating with Cell X Technologies for iPSC automation, GEMMABio receiving $100 million from Fiocruz for accessible gene therapy research, MiNK Therapeutics partnering with Autonomous Therapeutics for metastatic tumor treatments, and BioHub Maryland receiving a $75,000 grant for bioprocessing training.