Weekly Roundup: Biotech in bloom this June
The heatwave has been replaced by heavy showers, but June is looking bright for our clients, with huge congratulations to Ona Therapeutics for its $86.6M Series B financing and to DaltonTx for the launch of its AI-enabled drug discovery platform. Dr. Hans Eriksson is joining FundaMental Pharma’s team as CMO and Renée Aguiar-Lucander participated in a fireside chat at Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference yesterday. Keep reading to see new episodes of Optimum TV and the Hot Topic, as well as our updated list of sector moves for May.
Ona Therapeutics raised $86.6 Million in Series B to advance first-in-class ADCs into clinical development
Ona Therapeutics, a global biopharmaceutical company pioneering first-in-class antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs) to address treatment-resistant cancers, secured an oversubscribed $86.6 million Series B financing. The round was co-led by new investors Columbus Venture Partners and Mérieux Equity Partners, with participation from additional investors COFIDES and Korys, alongside all existing investors Alta Life Sciences, Asabys Partners, Bpifrance, as part of the InnoBio investment strategy, CDTI through SICC Innvierte, FundPlus NV and Ysios Capital.
DaltonTx launches its drug discovery platform, Dalton, and announces Sygnature Discovery collaboration
DaltonTx, the intelligence backbone for modern drug discovery: connecting AI, human expertise and experimental data, announced the launch of Dalton, its drug discovery platform. The Company also announced its collaboration with Sygnature Discovery, a leading integrated drug discovery contract research organisation (CRO), to use the Dalton platform to further strengthen its AI-enabled drug discovery capabilities and accelerate medicinal chemistry decision-making while safeguarding customer data.
Hansa Biopharma participated in Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference in New York
Hansa Biopharma AB, announced that Renée Aguiar-Lucander, CEO, participated in a fireside chat at the Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference in New York, at 8:45 AM EDT on Thursday, June 4, 2026.
FundaMental Pharma appointed depression drug developer Dr. Hans Eriksson as Chief Medical Officer to advance its lead treatment-resistant depression candidate
FundaMental Pharma, a preclinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on developing innovative, dual-acting N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) modulators aimed at delivering rapid and sustained relief for patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD), announced the appointment of Dr. Hans Eriksson as Chief Medical Officer. The appointment strengthens confidence in clinical readiness and execution as the Company progresses toward first-in-human development
📺Optimum TV
Up to 70% of donor kidneys are infected with cytomegalovirus (CMV) – an extremely common type of herpes virus which causes no problems to most carriers but can wreak havoc in immunosuppressed organ recipients.
Synklino is developing a totally new way of treating CMV – by effectively eliminating the virus from the kidney before it’s transplanted into the recipient, while it is in a perfusion machine.
Watch CEO, Thomas Kledal, in this episode of OptimumTV explain why sometimes it’s important to think inside the box…
📢 Hot topic
Watch this week’s hot topic which begs the question: who do you trust – man or machine?
With AI automation taking over the transport industry, studies are now being done looking into the public sentiment towards the use of AI in healthcare. How might patients react to the prospect of having ChatGPT as their new GP?
According to a study from Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin, when cancer patients were asked who they’d trust most to answer a serious question about the future of their disease – their cancer doctor or Chat GPT – 97.3% said their oncologist. None said Chat GPT.
The ability to choose between man or machine is being increasingly rare with most industries relying on a collaboration of the two.
Watch the full video here and join the conversation on Optimum’s LinkedIn.
👥Industry events
Weatherden Symposium 2026 – London 11th Jun 2026
Less than a week to go until Weatherden’s ‘Women’s Health: From Intractable to Investable’ Symposium.
Optimum proudly supports the Symposium in which experts will convene to explore how smarter clinical development and regulatory strategy can unlock the next wave of innovation in women’s health.
Featuring a stellar line-up of speakers, the event will bring together leaders from across the ecosystem who are actively shaping the development and commercialisation of next-generation therapies in the field.
There are limited places available, so make sure to register your interest here: https://luma.com/yzwdl0nd
On Helix – Cambridge | 9th Jul 2026
This July, One Nucleus presents ON Helix – Disrupting Bio Innovation.
A one-day conference in Cambridge spotlighting and discussing the breakthrough technologies, policies and business models that are shaping the drug discovery and development landscape.
An excellent opportunity to connect with the pioneers leading this next wave of disruptive innovation and ensure you stay ahead in a rapidly evolving space.
Optimum is a proud supporter of One Nucleus events and is happy to share an exclusive 10% F&F discount. Please get in touch if you would like to use this or connect with the team there!
Optimum’s 18th Annual Healthcare Investor Conference – London | 8th Oct 2026
Save the date – Thursday the 8th of October 2026!
The date is set for Optimum’s 18th Annual Healthcare Investor Conference, which returns to the King’s Fund, London this October.
Join us for a day of invaluable insights from the thought leaders of the life sciences industry! The conference is free but invitation only, so please register your interest to attend here: https://www.optimumcomms.com/irconference2026/
Follow us on LinkedIn to hear updates on speakers and panellists, as they are announced.
Plan ahead for Europe’s busiest week in healthcare 🌍
Jefferies Global Healthcare Conference & Life Sciences Week – London | 15–20th Nov 2026
Join the mailing list to receive the official networking event guide, produced by Catalyst Advisors and Optimum Strategic Communications in partnership with Jefferies.
🧩 Sector moves
Keep up to date with the latest industry moves here.
That’s all folks! To stay in the know – subscribe to Optimum’s weekly wrap-up today!
