Weekly round-up: Ottimo Pharma Raises over $140 Million in Series A Financing
Ottimo Pharma, a private biotech company pioneering bifunctional medicines to extend the lives of people living with cancer, on Thursday announced the completion of a Series A financing round of over $140 million. The financing will accelerate the lead asset, Jankistomig, a first-in-class PD1/VEGFR2 bifunctional antibody for multiple solid tumour indications, in both IV and SC forms as well as a pipeline of follow-on bifunctional assets.
Denmark’s new AI supercomputer Gefion ranked as 7th fastest storage systems in the world
Denmark’s state-of-the-art AI supercomputer, Gefion, has achieved another global recognition by ranking 7th overall and 4th in the 10-node benchmark on the internationally recognised IO500 list.
According to a Tuesday announcement, Gefion, Denmark’s cutting-edge AI supercomputer, has secured a prominent position as the 7th fastest production storage system globally, while also ranking 4th in the 10-node benchmark on the IO500 list, which rates the world’s fastest storage systems annually.
Novo Nordisk Foundation grants €134.1 million to establish the Biotechnology Research Institute for the Green Transition (BRIGHT) in Denmark
A new comprehensive initiative at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU) aims to accelerate the development of biosolutions and strengthen the bio-based economy. According to the Wednesday announcement Novo Nordisk Foundation is supporting the initiative with up to DKK 1.05 billion (€134.1 million).
Novo Holdings leads SiteOne’s $100 million Series C financing
Novo Holdings on Wednesday led SiteOne’s $100 million Series C financing, to advance its early pipeline of non-opioid therapeutics that target the peripheral nervous system instead of the central nervous system.
Novo Holdings completes acquisition of Catalent
On Wednesday, Novo Holdings completed its previously announced acquisition of Catalent, a leading global CDMO, in an all-cash transaction with a total enterprise value of approximately $16.5 billion. In connection with the transaction, Novo Holdings will sell three of Catalent’s nearly 50 global sites to Novo Nordisk A/S.
TargED Biopharmaceuticals doses first participant in Phase 1 clinical trial of TGD001, a groundbreaking thrombolytic in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and TTP
TargED Biopharmaceuticals, a private biotechnology company focused on developing improved treatments for thrombotic diseases, on Thursday announced the start of clinical development with the dosing of the first participant with TGD001.
Following the Phase 1 safety study, TargED intends to further develop TGD001 in patients with AIS and iTTP (a rare micro-thrombotic disorder) in the second half of 2025.
NeoPhore appoints Michael Shih as Chief Executive Officer
NeoPhore Limited, a small molecule neoantigen immuno-oncology company, on Monday announced the appointment of Michael Shih as CEO and to the Board of Directors, effective immediately. Shih is a highly experienced corporate development leader with a track record of international pharma and biotech deal-making.
Optimum TV – Creating targeted therapeutic vaccines that stop cancer in its tracks
Catch up with the latest episode of Optimum TV, featuring Jonathan Kwok, CEO and Co-Founder of Infinitopes discussing his company’s targeted therapeutic cancer vaccines.
As it is the last round-up of the year, Optimum would like to wish you a very happy holiday season – Merry Christmas and warm wishes for 2025!
In lieu of Christmas cards, Optimum has donated to Tahira’s Team, a specialised fund for GNE Myopathy within Muscular Dystrophy UK. A cause very close to the Optimum Team’s heart, please join us in donating here: Tahira’s Team – JustGiving
