Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC

Sanofi backs $125M 'clustering' antibody betDiagonal Therapeutics has raised an oversubscribed $125-million series B to advance its lead clustering antibody programme toward the clinic, drawing backing from a syndicate co-led by Sanofi Ventures and Janus Henderson Investors. The company closed a $128-million A round in 2024.Proceeds will primarily support development of DIAG723, a first-in-class clustering antibody designed to correct impaired receptor signaling in hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT) and pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The company plans to initiate a first-in-human study in HHT patients in the first half of 2026, while also advancing additional clustering antibody therapeutics. DIAG723 targets disrupted ALK1 signaling in endothelial cells, a core defect in both diseases that contributes to fragile arteriovenous malformations in HHT and vascular hyperproliferation in PAH. New investors in the round included Deep Track Capital, EcoR1 Capital, Logos Capital, Balyasny Asset Management and Woodline Partners, alongside a group of existing backers such as Atlas Venture, RA Capital Management, Frazier Life Sciences and Lightspeed Venture Partners. As part of the transaction, Sanofi Ventures partner Paulina Hill will join Diagonal's board. EpiBiologics heads to clinic with $107M in the bankEpiBiologics brought in $107 million from a series B financing as it advances its lead asset, a tissue-selective bispecific antibody that degrades all oncogenic forms of EGFR, to the clinic. The funding round was co-led by Google Ventures and Johnson & Johnson Innovation, with new investors Novartis Venture Fund, Aulis Capital, Avego BioScience Capital and Samsara BioCapital joining existing backers Polaris Partners, Digitalis Ventures, Taiho Ventures, Vivo Capital, Codon Capital and Mission BioCapital.Launched in 2023 with $50 million from a series A financing, EpiBiologics' pipeline is headed by EPI-326, which is designed to overcome limitations of existing EGFR therapies by localising degradation to the tumour while sparing normal healthy tissue. A first-in-human study of the therapy for EGFR-driven non–small-cell lung cancer and head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is planned to start early this year."This financing allows us to advance our pipeline of novel bispecific antibodies to selectively degrade disease-driving membrane and soluble targets in oncology and immunology," said CEO Ann Lee-Karlon.Beacon bags $75M to bring gene therapy over the finish line Beacon Therapeutics closed an oversubscribed $75-million series C on Thursday to finish development of laruparetigene zovaparvovec (laru-zova), a gene therapy for X-linked retinitis pigmentosa, and ready for commercialisation.Life Sciences at Goldman Sachs Alternatives led the round, with participation from the Retinal Degeneration Fund, the venture arm of Foundation Fighting Blindness. Existing backers, including investors Syncona Limited, Forbion, Oxford Science Enterprises and Advent Life Sciences also participated.The fresh funding, which will also go towards development of earlier-stage programmes, including those for geographic atrophy and an inherited cone rod dystrophy, adds to Beacon's $170-million series B and $121-million series A, raised in 2024 and 2023, respectively.Pfizer pitches in seed funding for protein degradation newco Enodia Enodia Therapeutics clinched €20.7 million ($25 million) in seed funding on Thursday to support its aspirations of designing small-molecule targeted degraders of previously "undruggable" secreted and membrane proteins.The round was co-led by Elaia, Pfizer Ventures and Bpifrance, with participation from Wallonie Entreprendre, Argobio Studio, MACSF, The Institut Pasteur, InvestSud, Sambrinvest and Mission BioCapital.The biotech's discovery platform, which combines machine-learning technology with proteomics-based secretome analysis and structural validation, builds on discoveries made at the Institut Pasteur. It leverages a large chemical space spanning several families of well-characterised inhibitors and a tailored library of signal-peptide cell lines.Enodia aims to selectively modulate the SEC61 translocon, where secreted and transmembrane proteins are directed into the secretory pathway at the point of synthesis — enabling upstream disease intervention without affecting key physiological functions. Servier puts €200M on the table for biotech investmentsServier launched a venture fund with an initial €200 million ($234 million) in backing that it plans to invest in innovative biotech and technological companies, primarily in Europe. The French drugmaker noted that Servier Ventures will invest through minority stakes in firms operating within its key therapeutic fields of oncology and neurology.Alexis Vandier, who has been appointed global head of Servier Ventures, said the fund "will finance and support emerging biotech companies and, if needed, provide them access to Servier's scientific expertise and capabilities, to boost their potential and foster the creation of innovative new medicines."The launch of Servier Ventures follows a busy period of business development for Servier last year, including licensing deals with IDEAYA Biosciences and Kaerus Bioscience, as well as the acquisition of Black Diamond Therapeutics. This has continued into 2026, with tie-ups already announced with Insilico Medicine and Iktos.MoonLake surges on FDA green light for skin disease drug pathShares in MoonLake Immunotherapeutics jumped 27% on Thursday after the company said it had aligned with the FDA on a regulatory path forward for its hidradenitis suppurativa drug sonelokimab. The stock jump helped the company recoup a chunk of the ground it lost after a catastrophic sell-off in September, when the company revealed that only one of its two Phase III trials of the IL-17A/F-inhibiting nanobody had met its primary endpoint.Thursday's rebound follows a Type B meeting in which the FDA said MoonLake may be able to seek approval of sonelokimab using existing data from the successful VELA-1 readout, as well as VELA-2, which was the trial that fell short, and the earlier Phase II MIRA study, potentially avoiding the need for another late-stage trial. According to the company, the FDA also specifically advised it should submit the VELA-2 results in its application to inform the drug's safety profile, "regardless of decisions on its utility in establishing [substantial evidence of effectiveness]." Management now plans to file a BLA in the second half of 2026."We acknowledge a path to becoming commercial is a positive," said RBC Capital Markets analyst Brian Abrahams, "but despite this, we continue to think real-world use is likely to be guided by efficacy and see [UCB's approved drug Bimzelx (bimekizumab)] ahead as the IL17-A/F agent of choice, restricting the ultimate [opportunity] for sonelokimab."Anna Bratulic and Elizabeth S. Eaton contributed to this report.

Philips said it plans to integrate SpectraWAVE’s portfolio with its intravascular ultrasound tech, as well as its Azurion image-guided therapy system for the cath lab. \n Philips has claimed the cardiac artificial intelligence developer SpectraWAVE in a bid to expand the capabilities of its real-time imaging platform with rapid scans of the heart’s arteries.“We are doubling down on image-guided therapy and expanding our portfolio in the coronary intervention segment with the addition of SpectraWAVE’s AI-powered innovations in high-definition intravascular imaging and angio-based physiological assessment, enabling us to deliver better care for more people,” Philips CEO Roy Jakobs said in a statement. In late October, SpectraWAVE secured an FDA clearance for its AI-powered, pressure-wire-free angiogram software dubbed X1-FFR. The program provides clinicians with real-time readouts of the flow of blood through the coronaries and automatically highlights and follows the targeted vessel from the X-ray feed to aid clinicians in finding the right spots for stent placements and other interventions.The Massachusetts-based company, which counts about 70 employees, also markets the HyperVue catheter-based imaging system. That tech combines optical coherence tomography and near-infrared spectroscopy to visualize calcium and plaque buildups from within the arteries themselves. HyperVue scored its own 510(k) clearances in 2023.“Philips shares our deep conviction that the convergence of intravascular imaging, coronary physiology and AI can fundamentally improve how every patient with coronary disease is treated,” SpectraWAVE CEO Eman Namati said in a statement. “This partnership allows us to integrate and scale HyperVue and X1-FFR into the world’s leading image-guided therapy ecosystem, expanding choice for clinicians and supporting more consistent, high-quality care for the millions of patients who depend on coronary intervention each year.” The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Philips said it aims to integrate SpectraWAVE’s portfolio with its Eagle Eye Platinum and IntraSight tech for intravascular ultrasound as well as its overarching Azurion image-guided intervention system for the cath lab.Philips also said X1-FFR will complement its OmniWire iFR hardware for measuring coronary blood pressure by adding a tool to provide guidance in cases where guidewires can’t reach or can’t be used.“The acquisition of SpectraWAVE’s next-generation technologies for coronary intravascular imaging and physiological assessment mark a significant step in expanding our portfolio with breakthrough, AI-powered technologies that help clinicians decide, guide, treat and confirm treatment in one setting,” said Philips image-guided therapy business leader, Bert van Meurs. SpectraWAVE previously raised $50 million in September 2024 through a series B round led by Johnson & Johnson Innovation and joined by S3 Ventures, Lumira Ventures, SV Health Investors, Deerfield Management, NovaVenture and Heartwork Capital, among others.

LONDON & SHANGHAI--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AviadoBio Ltd. (“AviadoBio”), and UgeneX Therapeutics, today announced an exclusive option and license agreement for the development and commercialization of UGX-202, an investigational, AAV-based gene therapy in clinical development for patients with retinitis pigmentosa (RP), with a second undisclosed indication entering the clinic by year-end. UGX-202 is an AAV gene therapy that employs visual optogenetics to deliver a light-sensitive protein to cells in the retina. In many retinal diseases, patients experience a loss of photoreceptors – cells responsible for detecting light and converting it into visual signals for the brain. Optogenetics reprograms preserved cells in the retina to take on the function of the lost photoreceptors, thus re-establishing vision irrespective of the underlying genetic cause. The UGX-202 capsid, regulatory sequences, and opsin transgene have all been optimized for potential best-in-class performance. Under the terms of the agreement, AviadoBio will have the option to receive a worldwide exclusive license outside of Greater China for the development and commercialization rights to UGX-202 in RP and other indications. If the option is exercised, UgeneX will be eligible to receive upfront payments, research and development milestones, and sales milestone payments of up to USD $413 million, as well as royalties on net sales. “We are thrilled to expand our portfolio of clinic-stage assets that span neurodegenerative conditions from the eye to the brain, united by our core expertise in targeted delivery, potent genetic payloads, and rapid translation to now include RP and other retinal diseases. Optogenetics is an exciting field with clinical precedent and clear opportunity for next-generation approaches, like UGX-202, to improve vision for people with retinal disease,” said Lisa Deschamps, CEO, AviadoBio. “Our team has deep experience in ocular gene therapy development, and we look forward to partnering with the UgeneX team and building a pipeline within UGX-202 together.” “We are delighted to partner with AviadoBio to jointly promote the clinical application and global collaboration of ophthalmic gene therapy,” said Dr. Wu Kai, President of UgeneX. “This partnership is a significant milestone for our company toward entering the global market and also demonstrates the R&D capabilities and global potential of our pipeline.” About Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP) Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a group of progressive inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) characterized by the primary degeneration of rod photoreceptors, followed by the loss of cone photoreceptors. It is a leading cause of visual disability and blindness, affecting over 1.5 million people worldwide.1 RP is typically diagnosed in children and young adults. However, the average age of diagnosis for patients with RP is approximately 35.1 years.2 Progressive symptoms include night blindness, reduction in peripheral and central vision, commonly called “tunnel vision,” and reduced ability to see details and colors.3 The progression of RP can vary widely between individuals, though many with RP are legally blind by 40-50 years of age.4 About AviadoBio At AviadoBio, we are relentlessly chasing cures by translating groundbreaking science and precision delivery into life-changing medicines for people living with neurological conditions. With our deep understanding of the brain and suite of proprietary gene therapy platforms and delivery technologies, AviadoBio is working to overcome the challenges of delivering the right drug to the right place. Its innovative, neuroanatomy-led approach is designed to maximize the therapeutic potential of gene therapy to halt or potentially reverse neurodegenerative diseases. AviadoBio was founded on pioneering research from King’s College London and the UK Dementia Research Institute and has a leadership team with extensive gene therapy development, delivery, and commercialization experience, which uniquely positions the company for success in bringing transformative medicines to patients. AviadoBio’s investors include New Enterprise Associates (NEA), Monograph Capital, F-Prime Capital, Johnson & Johnson, through its corporate venture capital organization, Johnson & Johnson Innovation – JJDC, Inc., SV Health Investor’s Dementia Discovery Fund (DDF), Advent Life Sciences, EQT Life Sciences (Dementia Fund), LifeArc Ventures, and Astellas Pharma. For more information, please visit www.aviadobio.com and follow us on X @AviadoBio and LinkedIn at AviadoBio. About UgeneX Therapeutics UgeneX Therapeutics Co., Ltd. is a company founded in July 2021, focused on developing novel gene therapy products for ophthalmic diseases. Backed by a team of over 15 years of experience in ophthalmology and neurobiology, the company has established an innovative ophthalmic gene therapy technology platform and an internationally leading pipeline. To date, it has secured investments exceeding 100 million RMB. References: Verbakel S et al. Progress in Retinal and Eye Research 2018;66:157-186; Tsujikawa M et al. Arch Ophthalmol 2008;126:337–340; Zhang Q Asia-Pacific Journal of Ophthalmology 2016;5:265-271; Parmeggiani F, et al. Curr Genomics. 2011;12(4):250-259.