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Hello. Welcome to BioFocus, a life science news and insights platform bringing you updates across biotech, pharma, bioprocessing, health, and sustainability. Hello. Welcome to BioFocus. Explore the latest updates from the life science industry. Read more Popular Content. HEALTH A New Device Could Improve How Progesterone is Delivered in Early Pregnancy A first-in-human trial for a tampon-like intravaginal drug delivery platform arrives at a moment when England's newly published Women's Health Strategy is calling for exactly this kind of patient-centred innovation. Featured Articles. BIOTECH The Future of Medicine Is In Your DNA Read More PHARMA Inside Nxera Pharma’s Next-Generation Biopharma Model Read More BIOPROCESSING FUJIFILM Biotechnologies Launches UK’s Largest Single-Use Biomanufacturing Facility Read More BIOTECH Basecamp Research Launches the Trillion Gene Atlas Read More BIOTECH Antiverse Targets Drug Discovery's "Undruggable" Frontier with AI-Driven Antibodies Read More HEALTH Killing Mosquitoes With the Smell of Flowers Read More PHARMA Pharma & Biotech Quality Summit 2026 Read More SUSTAINABILITY Engineering Crops From the Inside Out Read More BIOTECH PRISM ALS Sets Out to Improve ALS/MND Drug Discovery Read More Latest News. 11th May, 2026 01. A New Device Could Improve How Progesterone is Delivered in Early Pregnancy A first-in-human trial for a tampon-like intravaginal drug delivery platform arrives at a moment when England's newly published Women's Health Strategy is calling for exactly this kind of patient-centred innovation. Read More 5th May, 2026 02 Qureight Appoints Board to Advance AI Imaging for Pulmonary Hypertension Trials Cambridge-based imaging CRO brings together seven global experts to guide development of non-invasive AI endpoints. Read More 28th April, 2026 03. AviadoBio Bets on Blood-Brain Barrier Technology in Push for One-Time Alzheimer's Treatment A licensing deal with Apertura Gene Therapy gives the London-based biotech a clinically validated delivery system to pair with its gene-silencing platform, but the hard work is still ahead. Read More 27th April, 2026 04. LEO Pharma strengthens psoriasis portfolio in China with NMPA approval of Enstilar® NMPA approval of Enstilar® marks a key expansion for LEO Pharma in China, bringing a widely used topical psoriasis treatment to an estimated 6.5 million patients amid growing demand for innovative dermatology care. Read More Event Spotlight. Explore the key upcoming industry events. Discover more Editor's Selects. Weighing the Cost of Semaglutide 01. Read more First Human Egg ‘Rejuvenation’ Offers Hope for Older IVF Patients 02. Read more A Simple Pad Could Transform Cervical Cancer Screening 03. Read more A New Device Could Improve How Progesterone is Delivered in Early Pregnancy 04. Read more Stay up-to-date. Connect with BioFocus on LinkedIn or subscribe to our mailing list. Mail

< Back A New Device Could Improve How Progesterone is Delivered in Early Pregnancy A first-in-human trial for a tampon-like intravaginal drug delivery platform arrives at a moment when England's newly published Women's Health Strategy is calling for exactly this kind of patient-centred innovation. Miscarriage is one of the most common pregnancy complications in the UK, and also one of the least talked about. It is estimated that between 120,000 and 250,000 miscarriages occur each year in the country, a range that already signals how poorly captured this data remains. Against that backdrop, a London-based medical technology company has reached an important milestone: the first patients have been dosed in a clinical trial evaluating a new intravaginal drug delivery platform designed to administer progesterone more reliably in women at risk of pregnancy loss. Calla Lily Clinical Care announced on 6 May 2026 that its FREEDOM study, a first-in-human safety and usability trial, had begun enrolling patients at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust. The trial is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and will evaluate the company's Callavid device in women diagnosed with luteal phase insufficiency: a condition in which the body produces insufficient progesterone during the second half of the menstrual cycle to sustain early pregnancy, increasing the risk of infertility and recurrent miscarriage. What is the problem with existing progesterone delivery? Progesterone supplementation in early pregnancy is not new. Administering 400mg micronised progesterone twice daily is recommended by NICE for women who have suffered a previous miscarriage and experience bleeding in early pregnancy, clinically termed threatened miscarriage. However, current delivery relies on vaginal pessaries, suppository-style products that, as any patient using them knows, are far from ideal. They can leak, their placement during use is uncertain, and women are routinely advised to lie horizontally for extended periods following each administration. These aren't trivial inconveniences. Unreliable placement means uncertain drug absorption, which raises genuine questions about whether the intended therapeutic dose is actually being delivered at the moments it matters most. Calla Lily argues that its Callavid device, described as tampon-like in form, with a patented leak-free design, directly addresses these shortcomings, enabling more consistent intravaginal drug delivery with better user experience. If that holds up under clinical scrutiny, it would represent a genuine improvement in care for a patient population navigating an already stressful period. The FREEDOM study - which stands for F i R st in human saf E ty and E ase of use assessment of 400mg progesterone Callavi D in w OM en with luteal phase insufficiency - is designed to assess safety, user acceptability, and progesterone absorption, building the evidential foundation regulators will require before any wider deployment. What do the trial investigators say? Professor Siobhan Quenby MBE, a world-leading authority on miscarriage and preterm birth who serves as Chief Investigator of the FREEDOM trial, offered a clear-eyed view of the clinical gap Callavid is intended to fill. "Through my clinical practice, I see the difficulties patients face with existing vaginal progesterone products at an already very stressful time. Callavid offers a promising new solution to ensure delivery of the correct progesterone dosage and give women greater confidence in their treatment." The company's co-founder and chair, Dr Lara Zibners, brings a perspective that goes beyond the clinical. "As a physician and entrepreneur, I believe we have a responsibility to create more effective, patient-centred solutions in women's health. Having been through seven rounds of IVF myself, I have experienced how difficult progesterone treatment can be, and I am proud to be advancing an innovation shaped by both medical insight and lived experience." How does this connect to England's Women's Health Strategy 2026? The Renewed Women's Health Strategy for England was recently published in April 2026. It is forthright about the scale of the problem it is attempting to address. The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care opens the document with a frank admission that the NHS has a problem with medical misogyny, citing women being ignored, gaslit, and disrespected as experiences shared by more than eight in ten women when engaging with healthcare professionals. The strategy explicitly prioritises improving support for fertility and pregnancy loss, and commits to reviewing the evidence for rolling out a graded model of care for repeated pregnancy loss. More broadly, the strategy positions women's health innovation as central to its ambitions. The NIHR R&D Innovation Catalyst, launched this year, is intended to provide funding and wrap-around support for high-priority innovations, explicitly including those in reproductive health. Within two years, the government also plans to launch a FemTech healthcare challenge with a £1.5 million funding pot, aimed at developers addressing areas of unmet clinical need, with a focus on community service models and health inequalities. A device like Callavid which targets a specific, well-documented gap in a high-need area, backed by NIHR funding, and developed with patient experience at its centre, is precisely the kind of innovation that framework is designed to support. Whether it will ultimately benefit from such mechanisms depends on what the FREEDOM trial data shows. Reproductive health innovation in a broader moment The Calla Lily announcement sits within a period of genuine, if uneven, progress in women's reproductive health innovation. At BioFocus, we've covered related developments that are worth placing alongside this one. We reported on research published in The BMJ demonstrating that menstrual blood collected on a modified sanitary pad could detect HPV with comparable accuracy to clinician-collected cervical samples, a finding with significant implications for cervical cancer screening access, particularly among women who avoid clinic-based procedures. And in a broader analysis of cross-sector collaboration, we examined the systemic barriers that continue to prevent cervical cancer elimination from becoming a reality, despite the tools to achieve it already existing. These are not unrelated stories. They share a common thread of healthcare systems not designed around women's bodies or women's lives, and the slow, often incremental work of addressing that deficit through innovation, policy, and a growing determination, at both industry and government level, to close the gap. What are the limitations and what comes next? Callavid has not yet demonstrated anything beyond safety and usability in this initial human trial. The FREEDOM study is an early-phase assessment, and the path from first-in-human data to an approved product that reaches patients at scale is long and uncertain. CEO Thang Vo-Ta was candid about where the company sees the device's potential: "Callavid represents a differentiated delivery modality for a broad range of therapeutics in the pharma pipeline, and will create new opportunities to extend the lifecycle of existing drugs. This trial is a key step in demonstrating Callavid's massive potential." That language signals a commercial pipeline that extends well beyond miscarriage, which is a reasonable ambition for a drug-device combination platform if the underlying delivery technology proves out. For context , the average time from first seeing a doctor with symptoms to an official endometriosis diagnosis in the UK is around nine years and four months. It is a useful reminder of how far intention and evidence-gathering remain from patient impact in women's health. But it is also precisely because that gap has been so persistent and so consequential that early-stage trials like FREEDOM deserve attention. Author BioFocus Newsroom Previous Next

Health A New Device Could Improve How Progesterone is Delivered in Early Pregnancy A first-in-human trial for a tampon-like intravaginal drug delivery platform arrives at a moment when England's newly published Women's Health Strategy is calling for exactly this kind of patient-centred innovation. Read More Qureight Appoints Board to Advance AI Imaging for Pulmonary Hypertension Trials Cambridge-based imaging CRO brings together seven global experts to guide development of non-invasive AI endpoints. Read More Collaborating Across Sectors to Eliminate Cervical Cancer Uniting innovation, equity, and cross-sector collaboration to scale prevention, expand access, and turn cervical cancer into the first cancer eliminated worldwide. Read More CAR-T Therapy Drives Multi-Disease Remission Single treatment induces sustained remission across three autoimmune conditions, signalling expansion beyond oncology. Read More Sanome Expands NHS Rollout of AI Infection Detection Platform with Innovate UK £300k Hospital partnerships and £300k Innovate UK SMART funding grant accelerate national deployment of MEMORI for earlier HAI detection. Read More Prognica Labs and NextGen Immuno Therapeutics Announce Partnership to Advance AI-Driven Precision Immunology Collaboration targets AI-powered immune diagnostics, translational research, and real-world data solutions across high-growth healthcare markets. Read More Load more

< Back Qureight Appoints Board to Advance AI Imaging for Pulmonary Hypertension Trials Cambridge-based imaging CRO brings together seven global experts to guide development of non-invasive AI endpoints. What Is Qureight and Why Does It Matter in Pulmonary Hypertension Research? Qureight, a Cambridge-based imaging contract research organisation (CRO), has established a Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) dedicated to pulmonary hypertension (PH). The seven-member board will provide strategic and scientific input into the development of Qureight's deep learning imaging models, which are designed to generate precision endpoints for use in PH clinical trials. The company operates as an end-to-end imaging solution provider for lung and heart disease, producing regulatory-grade data outputs intended to support therapeutic approval pathways in a disease area with significant unmet clinical need. The Challenge of Monitoring Pulmonary Hypertension Pulmonary hypertension encompasses several serious conditions characterised by elevated pressure in the pulmonary circulation. Diagnosis and monitoring currently rely heavily on invasive right heart catheterisation, which carries procedural burden and limits the frequency with which disease progression or treatment response can be assessed. Non-invasive imaging-derived endpoints have been identified as a priority by clinical trialists seeking to reduce reliance on catheterisation while improving the sensitivity and reproducibility of outcome measures in interventional studies. For sponsors running trials in rare pulmonary vascular diseases, reproducible imaging endpoints could reduce screen failure rates, improve patient stratification, and provide earlier signals of treatment effect compared with traditional haemodynamic measures. How Qureight's AI Imaging Models Work Qureight's approach applies deep learning models to imaging data to generate quantitative markers that can serve as surrogate or supporting endpoints in trials evaluating novel PH therapeutics. The newly formed SAB will inform model development, validate clinical assumptions, and advise on regulatory strategy as the company expands its presence in the PH trial space. The platform aims to provide a reliable, non-invasive alternative to catheterisation-based monitoring, supporting both patient safety and trial efficiency in a space where imaging-based endpoints are increasingly sought by regulators and sponsors alike. Who Is on Qureight's Pulmonary Hypertension Scientific Advisory Board? The board draws on expertise from leading clinical and research centres across Europe and the United States, spanning pulmonary vascular medicine, rare lung disease, and clinical trial design. Marc Humbert (University Paris-Saclay / AP-HP) is Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University Paris-Saclay and Director of the French Pulmonary Hypertension Reference Centre. He has built one of the largest PH patient registries globally and devoted his career to deciphering the mechanisms of pulmonary arterial hypertension. Steven Nathan (Inova Fairfax Hospital / Virginia Commonwealth University) is Director of the Advanced Lung Disease and Lung Transplant Program at Inova Fairfax Hospital and a former Chair of the FDA Anesthesiology and Respiratory Therapy Devices Panel. He brings substantial regulatory experience from advisory roles with the US Food and Drug Administration and steering committee involvement in PH and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis trials. Oksana Shlobin (Inova Fairfax Hospital / Georgetown University) is Medical Director of the Inova Pulmonary Hypertension Program and Associate Professor at Georgetown University School of Medicine, with a focus on clinical programme development and outreach in advanced lung disease. Vincent Cottin (Louis Pradel Hospital / Claude Bernard University Lyon 1) is Professor of Respiratory Medicine and coordinator of the National Reference Centre for Rare Pulmonary Diseases, a centre recognised within the European Reference Center Network for interstitial lung diseases. He brings expertise in rare lung disease and serves on the steering committees of numerous international clinical trials. Ardeschir Ghofrani (University Hospital Giessen and Marburg / Imperial College London) is Deputy Director and Chair of Pulmonary Vascular Medicine at the University Hospital Giessen and Marburg, a Visiting Professor at Imperial College London, and a founding member of the Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute. Joanna Pepke-Zaba (Royal Papworth Hospital / University of Cambridge) is Consultant Chest Physician at Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge and Affiliated Associate Professor at the University of Cambridge. She was instrumental in establishing the National Chronic Thromboembolic PH programme in the UK, with research concentrated on chronic thromboembolic PH and idiopathic PAH. Luke Howard (Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust / Imperial College London) is Consultant Pulmonologist and Lead Clinician in Cardiopulmonary Medicine at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Professor of Practice at the National Heart and Lung Institute. He specialises in pulmonary vascular disease, pulmonary embolism, and exercise physiology. What This Means for the Future of Pulmonary Hypertension Clinical Trials The formation of a dedicated PH advisory board reflects growing interest across the clinical trials sector in validated, non-invasive imaging biomarkers as both operational and regulatory tools. As the field moves toward more patient-friendly trial designs, AI-derived imaging endpoints represent a potentially significant advance in how disease severity is measured and treatment response is tracked over time. Qureight has not disclosed details of specific ongoing or planned trials it is supporting in the PH indication. Author BioFocus Newsroom Previous Next

< Back World Health Summit 11th - 13th October, 2026 Berlin, Germany From Crisis to Resilience: Innovating for Health. ! Widget Didn’t Load Check your internet and refresh this page. If that doesn’t work, contact us. Previous Next

< Back 27th-28th May, 2026 London, UK UK Biotech Day 2026 Building the future of biotechnology - UK Biotech Day 2026. UK Biotech Day 2026 , taking place on 27–28 May 2026, will be held at the Radisson Hotel & Conference Centre, London Heathrow. The event is set to spotlight the strength, global relevance, and collaborative spirit of the UK’s biotechnology ecosystem. It will bring together leaders from industry, research, government, and investment to share ideas, explore new opportunities, and shape the future of life sciences. UK Biotech Day is designed to spark meaningful conversations, high-impact collaboration and actionable outcomes, and offers the attendees the opportunity to explore the latest trends across therapeutic innovation, manufacturing, healthtech integration, regulatory developments and investment dynamics. Driving innovation and investment in UK biotechnology The UK has become one of the world’s leading hubs for biotechnology, thanks to its strong research institutions, growing pool of talented professionals, and a funding landscape that keeps evolving to support innovation. It’s a place where biotech startups and scale-ups can turn bold ideas into real-world solutions that make a difference. At UK Biotech Day, attendees can have their hands on research and industry insights showing exactly how biotech is driving economic growth, creating jobs, and benefiting society. The event will highlight how investment trends, public-private collaborations, and changing regulations are shaping the way new therapies are developed and brought to market. “Biotechnology starts with discovery, but it truly thrives when science, investment, and collaboration come together,” said James Smith Head of Partnerships and Business Development at UK Biotech Day. The UK's strength is its ability to unite diverse expertise to tackle complex challenges, from precision medicine to scalable manufacturing solutions.” Collaboration as a cornerstone of progress One of the defining features of UK Biotech Day is its emphasis on collaborative engagement. Biotechnology thrives in an environment where ideas, expertise, and resources flow freely across sectors and borders. Panels and roundtable discussions will tackle themes including cross-sector integration, international cooperation, emerging public-health priorities, and the future of biotech manufacturing and supply networks. Among the topics explored will be the balance between strengthening local innovation capacity and maintaining global interconnectedness, a vital consideration as nations navigate the complex dynamics of supply chain resilience and scientific collaboration. With a programme tailored to both high-level strategic discourse and practical engagement opportunities, UK Biotech Day provides a platform for participants to form partnerships, accelerate venture development, and contribute to the collective vision for the future of biotechnology. Organisers emphasise that the event’s value lies not only in the exchange of ideas but in the tangible outcomes generated, from commercial opportunities and funding conversations to research alliances and public-sector engagement strategies. What participants can expect UK Biotech Day is designed to be practical, engaging, and focused on real opportunities. The programme is built to help attendees connect, learn, and move ideas forward through meaningful interaction and insight. Participants can look forward to: Expert-led discussions on emerging biotech trends, from next-generation therapies to evolving regulatory and commercial pathways. High-value networking opportunities designed to connect innovators, investors, researchers, and industry leaders in focused, productive settings. Strategic collaboration forums where organisations can explore partnerships, joint ventures, and research opportunities. Insight into investment and funding landscapes, including what investors are looking for and how companies can position themselves for growth. Interactive sessions and knowledge exchange that encourage open dialogue around industry challenges and practical solutions. Opportunities to engage directly with decision-makers, fostering conversations that can lead to tangible business and research outcomes. A forward-looking view of the biotech ecosystem, helping participants understand where the sector is heading and how to stay competitive. Together, these elements create an environment where conversations turn into connections, and connections turn into progress. Previous Register now Next

Cambridge biotech’s Activace™ platform offers a scalable, DNA-preserving method to unlock cancer biomarkers from liquid biopsies < Back Tagomics Breakthrough Study Showcases New Epigenomic Profiling Technology in Cell Reports Methods Cambridge biotech’s Activace™ platform offers a scalable, DNA-preserving method to unlock cancer biomarkers from liquid biopsies Cambridge-based biomarker discovery company Tagomics Ltd. has unveiled a groundbreaking study that could reshape the way scientists study the human epigenome and advance liquid biopsy diagnostics. Published this week in Cell Reports Methods , the peer-reviewed paper highlights the company’s Active-Seq technology, the foundation of its proprietary Activace™ platform, which enables genome-wide profiling of unmethylated DNA with unprecedented precision. The research, titled “Genome-wide profiling of unmodified DNA using methyltransferase-directed tagging and enrichment” , builds on work from the University of Birmingham. It demonstrates how Tagomics’ enzymatic approach to epigenomic profiling can identify biomarkers linked to cancer and other diseases by targeting unmethylated DNA regions, critical signals often missed by current technologies. Traditional methods for measuring DNA methylation, the chemical modifications that regulate gene activity, have long been a challenge in liquid biopsy applications, where only trace amounts of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) are available. Active-Seq sidesteps these limitations with a conversion-free workflow that preserves the DNA sequence and works with inputs as low as one nanogram. Integrated into the streamlined Activace platform, this approach allows for scalable, high-resolution analysis across large patient cohorts. In their colorectal cancer study, Tagomics scientists used Active-Seq to detect thousands of abnormally methylated genomic regions, both hyper- and hypomethylated, in tumour-derived samples. These signals, strongly associated with cancer biology, could enable earlier detection and improved characterisation of disease through non-invasive blood testing. The study also points to the potential of this technology to trace the tissue of origin of cfDNA, a key hurdle in liquid biopsy diagnostics. Dr. Robert Neely, Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder of Tagomics, called the publication a “major milestone” for the company: “We show that our platform enables the sensitive detection of unmethylated genomic regions, which are key markers for DNA tissue of origin,” Neely said. “This paper highlights the insights our approach can deliver into the biology of cell-free DNA, and we’re excited about the opportunities it opens up for cancer diagnostics and patient safety monitoring.” With Activace positioned as a scalable solution for biomarker discovery, Tagomics is aiming to push the boundaries of epigenomic research and accelerate the development of liquid biopsy diagnostics for oncology and beyond. Author BioFocus Newsroom Previous Next

The 128,000-sq-ft GMP cell and gene therapy facility in New Jersey, expands the CDMOs U.S. capabilities in plasmid, AAV, and LVV manufacturing. < Back ProBio Opens Cell and Gene Therapy Center of Excellence in New Jersey The 128,000-sq-ft GMP cell and gene therapy facility in New Jersey, expands the CDMOs U.S. capabilities in plasmid, AAV, and LVV manufacturing. The announcement from ProBio, GenScript’s CDMO arm, that it has inaugurated a flagship Cell and Gene Therapy Center of Excellence in New Jersey is not just another ribbon-cutting; it's a strategic move with implications for the entire biotech ecosystem. The Hopewell facility, purpose-built at 128,000 square feet, offers GMP manufacturing capacity for plasmid DNA and viral vectors including AAV (adeno-associated virus) and LVV (lentiviral vector), both of which are central to the expanding pipeline of gene and cell therapy candidates. With clinical-grade AAV production slated for Q3 2025 and LVV to follow in Q1 2026, ProBio is positioning itself to support the full arc of therapeutic development, from early-stage process development to clinical readiness, all under one roof. This is a welcome and timely development. Demand for high-quality GMP vector production continues to outpace supply, particularly as more biotechs advance into IND-enabling studies. In viral vector manufacturing, the bottleneck is not always scientific, it’s infrastructural. Facilities like this don’t just add capacity; they inject flexibility, speed, and resilience into the pipeline. Allen Guo, CEO of ProBio, captured this sentiment well: “This is not just a new facility. It is a beacon of hope for patients waiting for cures.” And he's right. The center’s proximity to major research hospitals and precision medicine hubs in the Northeast will likely accelerate trial enrollment and tech transfer, giving developers a geographic and operational edge. Additionally, there is an economic impact that should be noted here. With over 110 highly skilled jobs being created, the Hopewell site anchors New Jersey even more firmly as a nexus of advanced biomanufacturing. As John Coelho from NJEDA says, “The opening of ProBio will be a significant enhancement to the cell and gene biologics development and biomanufacturing ecosystem.” As we shift from the era of biologics to the era of curative gene and cell therapies, infrastructure like ProBio’s Hopewell facility will be the backbone. The technologies are exciting, but it's the execution at scale, and under GMP, that will determine how many patients actually benefit. ProBio has laid a strong brick in that foundation. Let’s hope many more follow. Author BioFocus Newsroom Previous Next

Cambridge-based biotech pioneers tissue-level approach to women's health, aiming to close the gender gap in medical innovation. < Back Cyclana Bio Secures £5M to Transform Drug Discovery for Endometriosis Cambridge-based biotech pioneers tissue-level approach to women's health, aiming to close the gender gap in medical innovation. Women’s health biotech Cyclana Bio has raised £5 million in pre-seed funding to accelerate its pioneering work in developing new treatments for endometriosis, a chronic and painful condition affecting one in ten women worldwide. The round was co-led by NfX and Eka VC, with participation from Cocoa VC, Wilbe, and several angel investors. The investment will fund the expansion of Cyclana Bio’s whole tissue-based drug discovery platform , as well as the scaling of its observational clinical trial focused on uncovering new biological targets for endometriosis therapies. Founded in Cambridge, Cyclana Bio is rethinking how diseases in women’s health are studied and treated. The company’s platform moves beyond traditional cell-based models by using functional disease models derived from whole tissue, including donated menstrual fluid, to more accurately represent the biology of endometriosis. This approach enables the company to identify druggable targets that conventional research methods often miss. “Our mission at Cyclana is not just to close the gender health gap but to propel women to the forefront of drug discovery,” said Dr. Léa Wenger, CEO and Co-Founder of Cyclana Bio. “We are redefining how therapies are developed — by studying disease at the level where it truly emerges: the tissue itself.” Endometriosis, which can cause severe pain, infertility, and fatigue, remains one of the most under-researched conditions in medicine. Current treatments largely focus on hormonal or pain management and often fail to address the root biological causes of the disease. Cyclana Bio’s research has revealed that dysregulation of the extracellular matrix (ECM), the structural network that surrounds and supports cells, plays a key role in the inflammation and tissue dysfunction seen in endometriosis. By targeting the ECM and the interactions between cells and their surrounding environment, the company hopes to open new therapeutic pathways where others have struggled. “Our goal is not just to develop new treatments, but to change the framework of biomedical discovery itself,” added Prof. Kevin Chalut, CSO and Co-Founder. “By starting with women’s health, we’re addressing one of the greatest unmet needs in medicine. In doing so, we can reshape how chronic diseases are understood and treated.” The funding will also enable Cyclana Bio to strengthen its AI-driven multi-scale data integration platform, designed to connect molecular, cellular, and tissue-level insights. While the company’s initial focus is endometriosis, its methodology could extend to other chronic inflammatory diseases that share similar tissue-level mechanisms. The investment reflects growing recognition among venture capital firms of the urgent need for innovation in women’s health, an area that has historically been underfunded and underserved. Author BioFocus Newsroom Previous Next

Evotec SE is evaluating a €2.1 billion takeover offer from Halozyme Therapeutics amid growth in its biologics division and ongoing strategic realignments​. < Back Evotec Responds to Halozyme Therapeutics' Takeover Proposal Amid Strategic Growth Efforts Evotec SE is evaluating a €2.1 billion takeover offer from Halozyme Therapeutics amid growth in its biologics division and ongoing strategic realignments. Evotec SE, a German biotech company listed on both the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and NASDAQ, confirmed receiving an unsolicited, non-binding takeover proposal from Halozyme Therapeutics, a US-based biotechnology company. The offer, priced at €11.00 per share, values Evotec at approximately €2.1 billion. The company announced it will evaluate the proposal carefully and communicate further developments in compliance with legal obligations. This development comes during a transformative period for Evotec. The company recently reported mixed financial results for the first nine months of 2024, citing challenges in its Shared R&D segment but significant growth in its Just – Evotec Biologics division, which saw a 74% revenue increase. Evotec's strategic partnerships, including agreements with Sandoz, Pfizer, and Novo Nordisk, have strengthened its position in the biologics market, though ongoing restructuring efforts have temporarily impacted profitability. Halozyme's interest aligns with Evotec's reputation as a leader in integrated drug discovery and development, leveraging its proprietary technology platforms and extensive collaborations. The proposal highlights the increasing strategic value of Evotec's innovative approaches, particularly in biologics and shared R&D. Market analysts see this as part of a broader trend of consolidation in the biotech sector, with established companies seeking to enhance their pipelines through acquisitions. While Evotec has not committed to accepting Halozyme's offer, the proposal underscores its strategic importance in the industry. Further updates are expected as Evotec finalizes its analysis of the offer. Author BioFocus Newsroom Previous Next

This study introduces a groundbreaking genetic engineering approach with immense potential for precision medicine. < Back Hit-and-run Epigenome Editing: Gene Therapy Advancements This study introduces a groundbreaking genetic engineering approach with immense potential for precision medicine. Recent research titled "Durable and efficient gene silencing in vivo by hit-and-run epigenome editing" unveils a revolutionary method for controlling gene expression in living organisms. This study introduces a groundbreaking approach called hit-and-run epigenome editing, which promises long-lasting and efficient suppression of targeted genes, holding immense potential for biomedical research and therapeutic applications. Published in Nature , the research marks a significant advancement in the field of gene regulation, addressing a longstanding challenge of achieving durable and effective gene silencing in vivo . Traditional gene editing techniques often face limitations such as transient or off-target effects, resulting in the feed for continuous interventions in order to maintain gene suppression. The novel hit-and-run epigenome editing method circumvents these challenges by precisely modifying the epigenetic marks associated with the target gene. Unlike conventional gene editing approaches, which directly alter the DNA sequence, this technique focuses on modulating the chemical changes that regulate gene expression without permanently changing the genetic code. In the study, Martino Alfredo Cappelluti and team demonstrated the efficacy of hit-and-run epigenome editing in achieving sustained gene silencing in living organisms. By carefully designing and delivering epigenome-editing agents, they successfully suppressed the expression of target genes over extended periods without the need for continuous intervention. This long-term gene silencing was accompanied by minimal off-target effects, ensuring specificity and safety. Moreover, the versatility of hit-and-run epigenome editing offers potential applications across various fields of biomedical research and clinical practice. From investigating the underlying mechanisms of genetic diseases to developing targeted therapies for cancer and other disorders, this innovative approach holds promise for revolutionizing the way we manipulate gene expression in living organisms. The implications of this research are profound, offering new avenues for understanding gene regulation and developing precision medicine strategies. By enabling durable and efficient gene silencing in vivo , hit-and-run epigenome editing opens doors to a wide array of possibilities for advancing both basic science and clinical applications. Author BioFocus Newsroom Previous Next

AI-designed antibodies could unlock more than half of GPCR targets that have long resisted traditional drug discovery. < Back Antiverse Targets Drug Discovery's "Undruggable" Frontier with AI-Driven Antibodies AI-designed antibodies could unlock more than half of GPCR targets that have long resisted traditional drug discovery. The Untapped Potential of GPCRs More than half of all G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) remain unexplored as drug targets, representing a vast frontier of untapped therapeutic potential. Based in Cardiff, Wales, Antiverse is one of the few companies tackling this challenge head-on, using proprietary generative AI to design antibodies for biological targets that have confounded traditional drug discovery for decades. GPCRs are among the most important protein families in human biology, influencing hormone signalling, immune responses, neurological pathways and more. Their relevance spans oncology, inflammation, metabolism, and rare diseases, making them prime candidates for new medicines. Yet despite their clinical significance, 56% of GPCRs have never progressed to clinical development - not for lack of scientific interest. Why GPCRs Are So Difficult to Drug The reason is technical. These membrane proteins are notoriously difficult to target with conventional small molecules or biologics. "GPCRs have this reputation as being incredibly challenging targets," explains Antiverse co-founder and CEO, Murat Tunaboylu. "The failure rates in early research and clinical stages have historically been very high. Our approach differs from conventional methods by using generative AI and advanced computational techniques to design novel, epitope-specific antibody candidates capable of targeting complex GPCRs and other biological targets previously considered undruggable. Antiverse’s AI-Driven Approach Antiverse's platform combines generative AI with advanced computational biology to predict and design antibody candidates that bind complex GPCR structures. Instead of screening millions of pre-existing antibodies, Antiverse generates structurally plausible, epitope-specific, novel candidates, dramatically accelerating the discovery timeline whilst improving success rates. From Data to Discovery: Closing the Loop The AI models learn from data generated in Antiverse’s own wet lab, enabling continuous refinement and improving results based on real-world experimental feedback rather than idealised datasets. Growing Industry Interest and Partnerships The approach has attracted attention from multiple top-20 pharmaceutical companies. Antiverse collaborates with pharmaceutical partners through research collaborations and licensing deals, applying its generative AI antibody discovery platform to address pharma’s most challenging multipass membrane proteins. Analysts have identified GPCR-targeting technologies as key disruptors in biotech's next wave of innovation, and Antiverse’s traction reflects the growing consensus that AI-designed antibodies may succeed where traditional approaches have failed. Scaling from Wales to the World The company has scaled rapidly beyond its Welsh origins, with teams now established in Boston and Prague, whilst maintaining its Cardiff headquarters. Wales’s emerging innovation ecosystem, recently profiled in The Economist, boasts strong university research programmes, supportive government policies and funding, and lower operational costs than traditional biotech hubs like Cambridge or Oxford. "We’re building a world-class computational and wet-lab capability to transform how antibody therapeutics are discovered...by combining advanced AI-driven modelling with iterative experimental validation, we can design antibodies against challenging targets more rapidly and precisely, compressing early discovery timelines and improving the quality of candidates entering preclinical development” says co-founder and CTO Dr Ben Holland. Antiverse's programmes are now advancing towards key clinical milestones, with the company positioned to demonstrate whether its AI-designed antibodies can succeed where traditional approaches have failed. If successful, the implications extend beyond Antiverse's pipeline. The technology could unlock an entire class of therapeutic targets for diseases that currently lack effective medicines. For patients with conditions linked to unexplored GPCRs, that possibility represents more than a technical achievement. It's the difference between having treatment options and having none at all. Author BioFocus Newsroom Previous Next